st williams lake erie, safe ice and fish?

hello everyone, I was thinking of heading to
St Williams next weekend but was not sure what the ice conditions where like there. I have a 2+hour drive and don't want to drive there to find no ice. has anyone been out fishing and catching anything this year?
thanks for your comments,
matt

Ice is ok there...i was there twice this past week...walked out a km. 8" of ice everywhere i went. caught a few jumbos each time and a bunch of dinks.

thanks for the fast replies everyone! good to know there is ice and people are catching them before I wander on down there.

How far a hike is it to get to the perching area near Williams? It has been years since I was there last. Do the hut operators take you out still, even if you don't rent from them?

its about 2 1/2 miles out ,during the week they will take you out but not on the weekends

Is it just perch? Or is walleye also in the area?

Thanks

bluenote.....Mostly Perch and mostly small Perch with the odd Pike.
Hut Operator told me not a good area of Lake Erie for Walleye.
2.5 kilometers out gets you to 4 to 5 ft of water.
4 kilometers out gets you approx. 10 ft of water.

I went there 2 weeks ago booked with a Hut Operator.......Hundreds of People......Charging
for Parking in a field at the top of the hill.....5 Bucks.
Fishing was very slow for us and everyone else I talked too.

Bob

Laker Fisherman - appreciate the information and context! I would never have guessed that 2.5 km gets you 5' of water and need to go 4 km for 10'.

Certainly a different type of area to fish. And 100's of people that far out? Wow!

I was out today with the kids. It was a 30min hike to the point where other huts were set up. 2.5km sounds about right. My parents have a cottage around there and I have launched from that marina. Very shallow.

As for the fishing very slow. 3 small perch. A guy in a pop up caught a nice size pike as we were leaving.

As for the hut operators, I wasn't impressed, they said they would give us a lift back but no one showed. It's okay I guess the kids will sleep well tonight

Laker Fisherman - appreciate the information and context! I would never have guessed that 2.5 km gets you 5' of water and need to go 4 km for 10'.

Certainly a different type of area to fish. And 100's of people that far out? Wow!

Yeah, it's very shallow between Turkey Point and Long Point; it's all red (5 ft or less) on this map:

jx7000 thanks for posting the chart.

This immediately had me open Navionics and go into detail on the area. Apart from the flats that the perch are caught on - there are some incredible structure changes further out! Especially at the end of long point! And it's south south side!!!

With the structure of the surrounding land can see how the area can freeze over . . .

Nearly 3 years ago I fished in the port Dover perch tournament - very cold spring and caught nothing but gobies (very few perch caught while I was there . . .)

I am now understanding the area much better thanks to this thread!

Will see if I can schedule myself out that way for work . . .

Thankd

I usually head out from point abino, free parking and easy access. Its still a long walk to the perch grounds out that way, but its not near as shallow. You could definetly setup closer than said grounds and still have the potential to catch fish. Havent been out there this year yet though, so i cant comment on how the fishing is right now. But i dont usually fish the crowds out there when i go like most of them out there, just stick to the navionics and youll do fine. I find they really like to bunch up out there, not for me.

That red "bite" off St. Williams is about 7km diameter on average. About 8 or 9 years ago I used to go scuba diving down around the Point in warm waters and never saw much of anything because of the poor visibility. The current at the tip of the point is very strong, and then it's murky on the leeward (east side) area of the Point.

I went ice fishing with Big Dave's years ago and caught a few perches but nothing else. (Big Dave's is gone now.)

That map is not marked in feet but meters.
Yes it's shallow but the inner bay is not all under 5'.
Some places are pushing 10'.

That map is not marked in feet but meters.
Yes it's shallow but the inner bay is not all under 5'.
Some places are pushing 10'.

Yup, sorry was looking back and forth at another map marked in feet.