CLEVELAND — Aaron Schroeder keeps his minnows in a cart on the water. He had to catch all of them himself. They were supposed to be bait for ice fishing.

What You Need To Know

  • Ice fishing season usually keeps tourism going on Put-In-Bay on Lake Erie

  • NOAA Data shows Lake Erie barely froze at all this season, due to higher temperatures

  • Businesses that rely on winter and ice anglers suffered from the lack of ice 

“Normally, it takes about four hours a night for about two weeks to get all these carts full for the season," Schroeder said. 

All of that, for just four days of ice fishing.

He said there barely was an ice fishing season at all this year. That’s because he barely had any ice.

Lake Erie barely froze this year, and it hit near-record lows for ice coverage in February. It wasn’t just a Lake Erie problem; it was a Great Lakes problem.

Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found that only 7% of the five freshwater lakes were covered in ice. That is much lower than the 35-40% range that’s expected for that time of the year.

NOAA attributes the lack of ice to much warmer temperatures in January with an average temperature of 35 degrees, making it the seventh-warmest January on record. Lake Erie needs temperatures at 32 degrees or lower in order for ice to form.

Schroeder lives year round on Put-In-Bay. It's a town on an island on Lake Erie that’s known for summer tourism. It becomes an ice fishing destination in the winter.

“It’s just something that we call home here," Schroeder said. "A lot of people that live in America, on mainland we call it, don’t understand it here.”

He runs a fishing charter, and ice fishing is usually a windfall. However, he needs ice. He bought a bunch of new equipment for this season. That included a new ATV, new augers and a new cart.

“We have to put the money into the business, not knowing if the lake is going to freeze or not," Schroeder. 

He didn’t get a return on his investment.

“Price tags are still on these," Schroeder said about a set of fishing rods. "We did not get to use these this year.”

Higher temperatures meant lower turnout at Topsy Turvey's during the off season. Owner David Hill said his sales are down about 20% from last year. And he said his bar is the only one that’s open year round, one of the reasons is for the ice fisherman.

“They’re really our only tourists during the winter time for sure," Hill said. 

Andy Shuttleworth and Dallas Mohn are two of the only 150 people that live on the island. That population didn’t change much with fewer fishermen.

“In the past, you ice fish for two or three months," Mohn said. "You could go back and forth from the islands. There's like a whole community aspect to it. This year, it's just the community. There was no ice."

Schroeder hopes to use his leftover minnows for spring fishing. But he will still have to go back to his usual spot on the docks to collect more for next season. Like a fisherman with a line out, he has to rely on factors out of his control.

“No guarantee that we’re going to get ice," Schroeder said. "I still have to put the time and effort in to make sure that if we do get it, I’m ready.”

Schroeder takes part in a burning of a buggy every year, as a way to ask the “ice gods” for a frozen lake. This year, the prayers fell on deaf ears.

“To the ice gods' ears and the lake in front of us, please Lake Erie, please bring us ice this coming year. Please," Schroeder said. 

Maybe Mother Nature will be in more of a listening mood next year.