Thanks for the detailed information, I really appreciate everyone's opinion and sharing on this site. Like I said, my friends took me out on Lake Michigan and I really enjoyed it. I am not an avid ice angler, I do not own any equipment so if I went out it would be with a guide. I seen the shoves on lake MI. but they were only one or two foot max. We went out in a small 4x4 and there were so many shanties it looked like a neighbor hood, they even had joy johns out there. I just thought Lake Erie would be like that but I guess not lol. I do fish Erie several times a year in the spring and early summer and I just thought it would be nice to take my friends out for a day. Again thanks for all the information.