GREAT OUTDOORS: With ice melting, anglers work rivers, reefs

The extended thaw that began right after Valentines Day damaged the Lake Erie ice — which reached nearly two feet in thickness — with periods of intense sun rays, some rainfall and frequent strong winds. Cracks formed, then currents and wind led to floes separating and drifting away from the shoreline and into the open water to the east. By the middle of the month, Catawba was unfishable and gale force southwest winds Feb. 20 grounded air travel from Port Clinton to the islands and irreparably opened the South Passage ice from Port Clinton to Kelleys Island and beyond. Even after safe ice travel between Middle Bass and their marked trail to Put-in-Bay and fishing locations near Rattlesnake and Ballast dwindled, several shanties continued to be used off South Bass Island's West Shore ice ramp until earlier this week. In the past few days, only a couple of "bucket fishermen" were still walking out. Most of the lake remains too thick to navigate a boat through and it's no longer safe anywhere to drive on with ATVs/UTVs or snowmobiles. There has not been very much activity by air boat operators, who could have a temporary monopoly on access to the lake. Some anglers found the right spot above actively feeding fish. Unfortunately, fishing success was poor for most ice anglers all winter. Sandusky Register photojournalist Erin Caldwell quoted Reid Van Cleve, Ottawa County's Wildlife Officer for the last 16 years and an ice fishing enthusiast himself, saying he's never seen the ice fishing so slow. While ice remains in some portions of the lake, most of it on the tributary streams melted without much fanfare, other than the Chagrin, where ice jams led to flooding. The Sandusky River warms quicker than the Maumee River due to its smaller volume of water, and will host thousands of migrating walleyes beginning any time now. Anglers who are antsy to catch some walleyes that start their search a little too early often leave disappointed. But, by going and trying ahead of the larger crowds, they rule out missing the opportunity to catch some early arrivals or a lost steelhead trout, pike or other less common species. Some have expressed concerns that the regional drought will keep the rivers too low to attract migrating fish. However, spring rains often create a balancing act between too little and too much flow. Too little rain suspends the progression of the runs, but too much rain renders the rivers unusable for wading; potentially dangerous for safe boating; and too muddy for fishing success. High water limits the number of locations that remain fishable. The capture of larval walleyes in the Sandusky River upstream of the former Ballville Dam in Fremont demonstrates that there may be new hotspots yet to be discovered. Brian Miller, author of a 2012 book "Fishing the Maumee River Walleye Run," pointed out in a recent interview that cold winters normally lead to later, shorter intense spawning runs. He explained that in cold winter years, walleyes peak in the river in a condensed period of time instead of a prolonged run that happens when mild winter temperatures ease into less dramatic springtime warmups. Travis Hartman, Ohio Division of Wildlife's Lake Erie Fish Administrator, predicts good river runs, given the huge walleye population of fish over 4-years-old that now inhabit the lake. Many will be out trolling near the reefs for mature female walleyes heavy with eggs or bouncing jigs on the rocks to trigger aggressive males into biting.