Lake Effect

Bryan and Amanda Floro (and their children) have operated this little patch of paradise since 2016. What originally began as a ho-hum kayak and canoe rental operation has blossomed into camping, axe-throwing, gem mining and the art of living well. Just a hop and skip from downtown Port Clinton, getting away from life is easy here, and folks who have spent time here say so. And don’t forget about Nug, the paddleboarding goat!

Robin Shatto has been cleaning fish at Wild Wings Marina in Oak Harbor for 40 years. Her daughter Holly has been doing the same since the age of five – with an electric knife! Let’s visit with the mother-daughter as they filet walleye, yellow perch, white perch and catfish on a busy morning.

Mario Campos has been operating Maumee Tackle for decades and knows all there is to know about the world-famous walleye run, which happens every spring. And yes, world famous – folks from many states and countries come to wade the river in cold and dreary conditions. Let’s talk to Mario and pick his brain on fishing the river for Lake Erie walleye.

Ben Simon, Shores & Islands marketing director, talks about the ins and outs of promoting Erie and Ottawa counties in Ohio. The greatest attraction is Lake Erie, he says, but there is plenty more than just a giant, beautiful lake filled with delicious fish....

Fifth generation winemaker Dustin Heineman talks about growing up on South Bass Island and operating the family vineyard. His great-great grandfather Gustav, a German immigrant, began planting grapevines in the 1880s. Heineman’s Winery has been in business for 137 years, produces more than a dozen varieties of wine and is the oldest family-owned winery in Ohio. He also covers the 1897 discovery of Crystal Cave, the largest known geode in the world, and how it saved the family business during Prohibition.

Let’s visit the bustling Erie-Ottawa International Airport in Port Clinton and chat with Kara Clifford, chief pilot and director of training at Griffing Flying Service. We’ll also talk to her father-in-law Tom Griffing, whose family founded the company in 1937.The airline owns or operates 17 aircraft, including several jets,and is a vital link between the Lake Erie Islands and the mainland – especially in the winter months after ferries that service the islands shut down.

For decades Mona Rutger has operated Back to the Wild in Castalia, a few miles from Sandusky Bay. She and her dedicated staff at the wildlife rehabilitation center have taken in and released thousands of animals, including many Lake Erie birds such as eagles, swans and other feathered creatures but also including rabbits, possums and other woodsy residents. Let’s visit and chat with this advocate for all wild animals.

Catawba Island resident Cathy Coffman has turned her hobby, scouring beaches for old glass, into a long-time business on Kelleys Island. She uses beach glass and stones of various geological origins from island beaches to create one-of-a-kind earrings and pendants. Let’s visit with Cathy to find out more about beach glass, how to find it and what can be done with it.

While most people think of taxi cabs as a big city thing, on Lake Erie’s Kelleys Island, taxi cabs are the only thing for folks who don’t drive or have had a few adult beverages. The ins-and-outs of this family-run business, Island Rides,are irritating, amusing and heartwarming. Let’s talk to Bobby and Natasha Skeans and find out more....

Kenny Kreutzfeld began working on vintage wood boats when he was a kid. And now more than 50 years later he’s still at it, operating K & M Restorations in Marblehead. From turn-of-the-century boats to more “modern” Chris Crafts and Lymans from the 1950s and 1960s, he tears them apart and puts them back together, troubleshooting and eliminating the number one problem with wooden boats: leaks. And some of the industrial equipment he uses is more than a century old. Let’s visit his workshop and talk about old wood boats.