CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Lake Erie Walleye Trail is expanding into the winter season, taking advantage of the thick ice right now on Western Lake Erie for its inaugural LEWT Bay’s Edge Ice Shootout on Saturday, Feb. 28.

The two-angler team event will allow fishermen to lower lines through holes in the ice starting at 7 a.m., with the weigh-ins beginning at 4:30 p.m. at Bay’s Edge Bait and Tackle, 5339 E. Bayshore Rd., Port Clinton.

Entry is $150 per team at lakeeriewalleyetournament.com, as well as full tournament rules. The tournament boundary is west of the Vermilion River, including rivers and harbors around Western Lake Erie. Tournament limit is five walleye per team. At least one team member must check in before the tournament at Bay’s Edge on Friday (6-9 p.m.) or Saturday (4-6 a.m.)

The popular LEWT tournaments on Lake Erie will begin at Magee East Marina on March 21, followed by the Jig Open in Port Clinton (April 11), Huron (April 25), Lorain Pro-Am (June 6) Erie, Pa. (July 25), Geneva on the Lake (Aug. 29), Fairport Harbor Championship (Oct. 9-10) and the Sandusky Cold Water Classic (Nov. 21).

Local fishing report

The harbor fishing along the Lake Erie shoreline is slowing down as huge numbers of gizzard shad have begun to move close to shore, a typical winter happening as the shad seek warmer shallow waters in winter.

Lots of the shad will die under the ice, as happens every winter and spring, so expect to see dead and dying fish on the beaches and in the marinas as the ice retreats.

The rainbow trout fishing is still very good at the Wallace, Shadow, Ledge, Ranger and Judge’s lakes in the Cleveland Metroparks, but with warming temperatures arriving later this week, and some rains, it will make for slushy surface ice.

Good reports have been coming in from local ponds and lakes, including the Portage Lakes and Mosquito and Pymatuning reservoirs. Walleye, crappies, bluegills and catfish are being caught.

Expect the warmer weather, rain and river currents to erode some of the ice in the Northeast Ohio tributaries of Lake Erie. That will make ice fishing treacherous on the lower stretches of the rivers, and could soon open areas for steelhead trout fishing.

Cleveland Anglers host Fly Tying Fair

The Fly Tying Fair, a major fundraiser for the Cleveland Anglers, will be held at the Spyglass Hill Party Center, 13201 Compass Point Dr., Strongsville on Saturday, Feb. 28 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. On sale will be fly tying gear, including tools, feathers, fur, hair, hooks and books, both new and used, as well as fly rods and reels.

The Cleveland Anglers are also sponsoring the International Fly Fishing Film Festival on Feb. 28 with a fly fishing film featuring adventures around the world. The film will be shown at 6 p.m. at the Emerald Necklace Marina’s Scenic Valley Room in the Cleveland Metroparks at 1500 Scenic Valley Dr in Lakewood. Cost is $30 at flyfilmfest.com/clevelandoh.