Over 40 ice fishermen rescued after ice floe breaks off in Lake Erie

"It happened really fast," one fisherman told the Toledo Blade. "Thank God the Coast Guard was here for us."</s>The Coast Guard and other agencies on Saturday rescued 46 ice fishermen who were on an ice floe that broke off near Catawba Island on the Ohio shore of Lake Erie, the coast guard said.

There were more people on the ice floe, but around 100 were able to “self-rescue” by swimming or walking across ice bridges that had been connected to the floe, according to the maritime law enforcement and rescue agency.

The Coast Guard was notified about the situation at around 8 on Saturday morning, and everyone was rescued by about 11 a.m., the Coast Guard said. "We’re happy to report everyone is safe," the Coast Guard’s Marblehead station said in a statement.

"It happened really fast," Tony Adkins, 42, of Akron, told the Toledo Blade newspaper. He was on the ice for around 20 minutes before the cracks in the ice appeared. "We didn’t know there was open water beyond us," he said.

"Thank God the Coast Guard was here for us,” Adkins told the newspaper. "You live and you learn, I guess."

The Coast Guard said that boats and helicopters were dispatched for what it termed a mass rescue. Amid rising temperatures, "the ice broke into multiple separate ice floes” and helicopter and airboat crews were able to rescue the fishermen. Local fire and EMS and other agencies and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources also assisted.

In 2009, there was another mass rescue of ice fishermen who were stranded on a large ice floe in Lake Erie, the Associated Press reported at the time.

In that case 134 fishermen were stranded, and the fishermen had ignored cracks in the ice and high-wind warnings, and some even built a makeshift bridge across the cracking ice to reach a favorite fishing spot, the AP reported. One person died that day after his snowmobile broke through the ice about 200 yards from shore.

The Coast Guard said Saturday that as temperatures begin to rise, it “strongly urges people not to go out onto ice."

"Ice may look safe but it is difficult to determine the thickness visually and the increase in warm weather will continue to melt and weaken the ice," the Coast Guard said in a statement.</s>The Coast Guard and other agencies on Saturday rescued 46 ice fishermen who were on an ice floe that broke off on the Ohio shore of Lake Erie, the Coast Guard said.

There were more people on the ice floe, but around 100 were able to swim or walk across ice bridges that had been connected to the floe, according to the maritime law enforcement and rescue agency.

The Coast Guard was notified about the situation at around 8 on Saturday morning, and everyone was rescued by about 11 a.m., the Coast Guard said. "We're happy to report everyone is safe."</s>PORT CLINTON, Ohio (AP) – Authorities say nearly four dozen fishermen trapped on an ice floe in Lake Erie have been rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard and local emergency personnel in northern Ohio.

The Coast Guard and Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office began receiving reports around 8:30 a.m. Saturday that a large number of people had become stuck on an ice floe that had broken off from the main ice pack connected to Catawba Island.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Brian McCrum says the Coast Guard launched helicopters out of Detroit, and along with local rescue personnel, sent airboats to retrieve the stranded fishermen. McCrum says 46 people were rescued, including two fishermen who were hoisted by helicopter and received medical assessments.

About 100 people made it back to shore on their own, some wading through the frigid water.</s>PORT CLINTON, Ohio — Authorities say nearly four dozen fishermen trapped on an ice floe in Lake Erie have been rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard and local emergency personnel in northern Ohio.

The Coast Guard and Ottawa County Sheriff's Office began receiving reports around 8:30 a.m. Saturday that a large number of people had become stuck on an ice floe that had broken off from the main ice pack connected to Catawba Island.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Brian McCrum says the Coast Guard launched helicopters out of Detroit, and local rescue personnel sent airboats to retrieve the stranded fishermen. McCrum says 46 people were rescued, including two fishermen who were hoisted by helicopter and received medical assessments.

About 100 people made it back to shore on their own.

Ice fishermen walk to land after being stuck on an ice floe that broke free from land north of Catawaba Island, March 9, 2019.

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Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter.</s>An ice floe became a nightmare for dozens of fishermen in Lake Erie on Saturday afternoon after rising temperatures caused the chuck of ice to float away from shore.

The U.S. Coast Guard was forced to rescue 46 ice fishermen near Catawaba Island, Ohio, after the sheets broke free and began floating away with them on it.

When the ice began to break and separate from the shore, about 100 other fishermen were able to get back on land. The Coast Guard was called to rescue the remaining fishermen with help from Catawaba Island Fire, Put-in-Bay Fire and Southshore Towing.

"As soon as we got our lines down a guy started screaming and that's when we knew something had happened," fisherman James Gibelyou told Cleveland ABC affiliate WEWS.

"Running across, guys were falling in," Gibelyou continued. "I decided to stay back; I knew better to wait for rescue."

Gibelyou said he waited a couple hours for rescue and floated almost 2 miles out into the lake.

There were no injuries reported.

The high temperature in Sandusky, just a few miles south of Catawaba Island, was a relatively balmy 41 degrees on Saturday. The high just four days earlier was 19 degrees.

The water temperature in Lake Erie was 33 degrees off Toledo, Ohio, on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

Ice fishing is a popular pastime along the northwest coast of Ohio. Walleye, yellow perch and smallmouth bass are all common in the western basin during the winter season, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Division of Wildlife.

"As temperatures begin to rise, the Coast Guard strongly urges people not to go out onto ice," the service said in a statement. "Ice may look safe but it is difficult to determine the thickness visually and the increase in warm weather will continue to melt and weaken the ice."

Everyone was rescued by 11:15 a.m., the Coast Guard said.</s>Nearly four dozen fishermen were stranded on Lake Erie after a sheet of ice broke loose more than a mile offshore.

About 100 of 146 fishermen on the ice on a windy Saturday morning were able to grab their gear and scramble to safety before any additional ice broke off, according to a report from The Blade of Toledo.

The remaining fishermen had to wait on the ice floe off of Catawba Island for nearly three hours before emergency crews could get to them.

Among them was 42-year-old Tony Adkins, who described the moment the ice began to crack, quickly creating a huge gap between the floe and the shore.

'It happened really fast,' Adkins, of Akron, Ohio, told The Blade. 'We didn’t know there was open water beyond us.

'Thank God the Coast Guard was here for us. You live and you learn, I guess.'

The Coast Guard and the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office began receiving reports about the stranded fishermen around 8.30am Saturday.

Petty Officer Brian McCrum said the Coast Guard launched helicopters out of Detroit and sent airboats with local rescue personnel out to retrieve the fishermen.

He said 46 people were rescued, including two fishermen who were hoisted by helicopter and medically examined.

It ended up that no one was injured, authorities said.

James Gibelyou said he was too far from shore to make a run for it as he and others painfully watched the ice break.

'We were out about a mile and a half, and out of nowhere that wind just picked up and everything broke fast,' said Gibelyou, 33, of Wakeman.

Gibelyou said that he noticed the weather was getting warmer Friday and that ice conditions were beginning to change. The fishermen should have called it quits then, he said, and 'not come out this morning.'

The weather wasn't suited for fishing Saturday morning and caused a threat to the safety and lives of those who were on the ice floe, said Toledo fisherman and ice guide Mark Duszynski.

'The wind started shifting and opening up the ice. They can't get across the cracks when they open that quick,' said Duszynski, who watched the rescue action from the shore.

'They shouldn't have been out that far. They couldn't get back across. When that ice has room to move, it moves fast.'

In February 2009, one fisherman died and dozens of others were stranded on a Lake Erie ice floe.</s>A total of 46 ice fisherman had to be rescued on Saturday when the ice floe they were standing on broke loose near Catawba Island on the Ohio side of Lake Erie, NBC News reports.

Prior to the arrival of the Coast Guard, more than 100 other individuals were able to make their way to safety on their own, either by swimming briefly through the frigid water or making their way across ice bridges that remained connected. It was about 8 a.m. when the Coast Guard got the call that there was a dangerous situation at the lakeshore.

“It happened really fast,” said Tony Adkins, who was on the ice for about 20 minutes before the cracks began to appear. “We didn’t know there was open water beyond us. You live and you learn, I guess.”

As temperatures rose throughout the morning, the large ice floes, which had broken off itself, separated into smaller chunks. Incidentally, this breakup actually made it easier for rescue personnel to navigate in between the floating ice and make their way to each of the stranded fishermen. Boats and helicopters were used to bring everyone to safety.

Local fire and emergency agencies, plus the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, joined the Coast Guard in the daunting rescue efforts. By 11 a.m., less than three hours after the initial emergency call, everyone was safe. The Coast Guard called the ordeal a “mass rescue” due to the number of individuals stranded.

No injuries or deaths were reported and the mass rescue was deemed entirely successful.

This was not the first time ice fisherman have found themselves in a precarious situation on Lake Erie. In 2009, locals watched anxiously as live media coverage unfolded covering 134 fisherman, who found themselves similarly stranded after trying to fish, despite cracks in the ice and high-wind warnings, both of which are widely understood signs of danger in the ice fishing community. Further tempting fate, some in that instance had actually built crude bridges across already cracking ice to access their preferred fishing spots.

Tragically, one individual in that incident was not as lucky as those who made it to safety today, dying when his snowmobile broke through the ice hundreds of yards from shore.

Saturday, as temperatures continued to rise, the Coast Guard warned would-be fishermen to stay off of the ice.

“Ice may look safe but it is difficult to determine the thickness visually and the increase in warm weather will continue to melt and weaken the ice,” they said in a statement after the rescue.</s>SANDUSKY, Ohio — The U.S. Coast Guard rescued 46 ice fishermen from an ice floe that broke free Saturday morning near Catawba Island, which is off the Ohio coast in western Lake Erie.

Another 100 people were able to safely reach land by swimming or walking on portions of ice that were initially connected to the floe and remained unbroken. But as the temperatures rose, the ice broke into separate floes.

The Coast Guard at the Marblehead station, roughly 50 miles east of Toledo, said it was notified at 8:13 a.m. that roughly 100 people were stranded on an ice floe, with another 30 to 40 people in the water. That prompted a response that included two 20-foot special-purpose airboats from the local station, two MH-65 Dolphin helicopters from Detroit, and two MH-60 helicopters from Traverse City, Michigan, to assist with a mass rescue.

By the time the Coast Guard arrived at 8:50 a.m., anyone who had either fallen in the water or decided to jump in the water in an attempt to reach land were all found on ice or land.

By 11:15 a.m., everyone who had been stranded was rescued.

The Coast Guard strongly urges people to avoid going out in the ice, which may seem solid, but may actually be weakened with warmer temperatures.

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The Coast Guard and Ottawa County Sheriff's Office began receiving reports around 8:30 a.m. Saturday that a large number of people had become stuck on an ice floe that had broken off from the main ice pack connected to Catawba (kuh-TAWB'-uh) Island.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Brian McCrum says the Coast Guard launched helicopters out of Detroit, and local rescue personnel sent airboats to retrieve the stranded fishermen. McCrum says 46 people were rescued, including two fishermen who were hoisted by helicopter and received medical assessments.

About 100 people made it back to shore on their own.

Emergency personnel prepare to rescue stranded fishermen off Catawba Island State Park, Ohio in Lake Erie, on Saturday, March 9, 2019. The Coast Guard and Ottawa County Sheriff's Office began receiving reports around early Saturday that a large number of people had become stuck on an ice floe that had broken off from the main ice pack connected to Catawba Island. Coast Guard Petty Officer Brian McCrum says 46 people were rescued, including two fishermen who were hoisted by helicopter and received medical assessments. (Lori King/The Blade via AP)

Fisherman James Gibelyou, left, watches a rescue crew on a airboat prepare to go back on the ice to rescue stranded fishermen off Catawba Island State Park, Ohio in Lake Erie, on Saturday, March 9, 2019. The Coast Guard and Ottawa County Sheriff's Office began receiving reports around early Saturday that a large number of people had become stuck on an ice floe that had broken off from the main ice pack connected to Catawba Island. Coast Guard Petty Officer Brian McCrum says 46 people were rescued, including two fishermen who were hoisted by helicopter and received medical assessments. (Lori King/The Blade via AP)
Around 40 fishermen are rescued by the United States Coast Guard after an ice sheet breaks away on Lake Erie.