LIMESTONE
DRIFT
KENTUCKY WATER, TOLD STRAIGHT
FIELD CARD
Level & Access · No. 27-1
Western basin · Ohio waters · Lucas County · Maumee Bay
Lake Erie
The west end: Cullen Park and Bayshore on Maumee Bay, Maumee Bay State Park's marina, and the canal ramps at Cooley Canal and Metzger Marsh. Every ramp is drawn at ODNR's own GIS coordinate; the shore is a drawing.
MAUMEE BAY · COOLEY CANAL · WARDS CANAL
Ramps at ODNR coordinates · schematic
Three things to get right
| What you hear | What the primary sources actually say |
|---|---|
| "It's six walleye, same as always." | Check the posted number. Ohio's rule sets the daily limit from Ohio's share of the year's quota, from 1 to 6, new each 1 May, posted at wildohio.gov (OAC 1501:31-13-14). The 15-inch minimum is fixed (13-09). |
| "A big lake hardly moves." | Toledo's gauge has. NOAA 9063085 has read from 561.62 ft (23 Dec 2022) to 576.827 ft (15 Apr 2018), IGLD 1985. Marblehead's range is narrower: 565.452 to 575.459 ft. |
| "Cullen Park's ramp is free." | ODNR's own layers disagree. Its Boating Access layer marks a ramp fee; its site layer says none. Ask the City of Toledo. |
The water, in the agencies' numbers
The western basin is "about 20% of the lake" and "very shallow, with an average depth of 7.4 metres (24 ft) and a maximum depth of 19 metres (62 ft)" (US EPA). No summer or winter pool: the level is the whole Great Lakes system's, lowest in winter and highest in summer or fall (NOAA GLERL). Live level: NOAA Toledo 9063085. NOAA's lake-wide average surface temperature was 61.1 F on 1 Nov 2026 (GLSEA).
Open water, in the NWS's words. "80% of incidents (drownings and rescues) occur with waves of 3 to 6 feet." "Cold shock can be just as severe and dangerous from water temperatures of 50-60 F (10-15 C)." Forecast zone LEZ142, "Maumee Bay to Reno Beach OH" (weather.gov/cle). Summer blooms: "Most of the bloom will remain in areas of the lake's western basin" (NOAA, 2026 forecast).