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Islands of the Heart

There's a phrase Ohioans display on their license plates: "Ohio: the heart of it all". I never liked that phrase because it didn't really say anything. The phrasing was cute, but what does "it" mean. In this case it refers to Ohio's Islands-- the jewels of the north.

Catawba Island

The islands of Ohio are among some of the best walleye and perch fishing in the country. Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island might just remind you of trip to the Keys with its fine food and singing in the downtown.

Catawba Island Harbor

Each of the islands are different and have different atmospheres. Visit them all and decide for yourself which is your favorite jewel.

If you're looking for exciting night-life, then South Bass Island is the place to go. Since the late 1800s, the island has been a hub of excitement. Today, it is compared to the Keys of southern Florida.

Jet Express

Ferry service is the best way of getting around the islands. Catawba and Johnson islands are the only islands that you can drive your car. Jet Express is the only ferry service that delivers passengers directly to Put-in-Bay.

South Bass Island

Mayflies

Each summer anytime between mid May through mid June, the annual swarm of mayflies appears around the islands and the shores of Lake Erie. Mayflies usually live for only a short period of time once they emerge from the water where they may have spent up to 2 years as a nymph living.

Mayfly

The annual arrival of the mayflies is actually a positive sign that the water quality is improving. Without quality water, the mayfly population is greatly reduced, but in recent years, that's definitely not the case as anyone that's visited the north coast during the swarms. It is at night that the swarms take flight is such numbers that you'll think it is a plague of biblical proportions. During the day, they hang out on any stationary object, but will take flight if disturbed.

Mayflies usually live for 24-72 hours.Within that three days, though, they manage to get into about everything you can imagine. You will find dead mayflies lying around on the sidewalks, in spider webs, on window ledges, etc. They'll go anywhere there's light at night.