Lake Erie is only 8% ice covered And so for one of the first times in several decades, the Miller Boat Line is back open for business, in the dead of winter. Including for a record setting weekend.

"With the weather turning like spring, we're going to have a lot of people going over there," Steve Rose said. Rose is a captain for the Miller Boat Line.

Miller has four ferries running daily, each way. If the ice between Catawba and Put-In-Bay hits a quarter inch, they'll stop. For now, they're months ahead of schedule.

"Usually stuff starts closing down around October," Rose said.

In regular winters, a plane is your only option back to the mainland. We took you up in the skies during a colder stretch. Now islanders can break the cabin fever.

"Most of the people coming to the boat line have been like the islanders coming this way to restock their supplies and just to get off the island," Rose said.

"They come in after they've been out on the lake, or before they go out. That happens everyday. Everyday," Paul Matthews told us. Matthews is the director of operations for North Coast.

North Coast runs Nagoya and Ciao Bella, both nearby the docks. They're one of the few running year-round restaurants.

"For everyone in the area and tourists," Matthews added.

Warm weather hurts the ice fishing rush, but it's a boon for the lunch rush..

"It's been great. It's been great," Matthews said. "You know, we've seen double digit increases across the board. So it's very nice. We're very fortunate."

"It's like a fluke right now," Rose said.

The Miller Boat Line is your main option to Put-In-Bay right now, since the Jet Express won't open until May 5th.

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Islands see rare mid-winter business - 13abc Action News