fishing erie question

[andyh]

I was just wondering how far out kelley island is from the closest boat launch.I have a 1700 pro sport lund and have been told a bit small for erie.Please help and let me know if she is too small, or a few miles from launch ,weather permitting would be ok. Thanks and good fishing to all.

[HOOK-N-BOOK]

andyh,
Mazurick public launch is pretty close to Kelly's and does not charge a launch fee. It's approx. 8 miles to Kellys from there. There could be other launches closer but this is the one I've used in the past. Sorry I can't help with specific directions, I just go on memory. If you have a good idea that the weather forcast and lake conditions are favorable for that day you should be fine in your boat. It helps to have a marine radio to keep up to date on the weather while you're out there. Erie is a big unpredictable lake and relatively shallow in the western basin which makes it kick up very fast so,you should always be ready to get off of it on a very short notice.

Good luck and be safe..........See ya! :)

[Pro-V]

Your 17 ft. Lund should be fine up to 5 to 6 foot
waves. Much more than that, get ready for taking
on some serious water.

I had a 16 ft. Pro-v when I started, and have
been caught in 6 to 8 ft. waves in a storm, NO FUN!
Lot's of water crashing over the boat.

For you, 1 to 3 foot waves will be no problem
2 ft or less - ideal)and 4 ft. and up will rock you.
Over 4 ft. you'll need to be careful.

Lake Erie can be DANGEROUS. I left one afternoon
from Port Clinton in a 21 Ft. Boston Whaler Outrage
(that's the boat the Coast Guard uses to rescue
boaters) and the lake was flat.

By the time I got to Put-in-Bay, about 9+ miles, I
had a huge storm to deal with, 8 ft. waves and lightening.
NOT GOOD!

By the way the weather forecast was for sunny skys and
calm seas (2 ft. ore less). So much for the national
weather service forcasters.

Keep up on the weather. Storms can move
in and out FAST! Know the weather forcast (it's wrong
up here a lot), then listen to your marine radio to other
boaters, watch the sky and know where you can seek safe harbor
if you need to. Just keep aware of what is happening around
you.

Don't be afraid of the lake. If you know you have
a good boat (and you do), you use your boating skills
and use good judgement, you should be fine.

Enjoy Lake Erie. It's a great fishing destination!

[ALUMACRAFTMAN]

Agree with all. Mazurks is the closest boat ramp to Kellys that I know of. I see smaller boats out there many times. Like they said, keep up on the weather, 1-3 you would be good to go. Remeber though that because they say 1-3 on the radio, it could be more like 3 and a 4. A guy can always turn it around and head back to the ramp. I have done that in my 19' before. Other options you have is launching at different areas based on which way the wind is coming from. A NE wind that is to lay down in the day, you may want to launch out of Catawba State Ramp and fish the s.west side of the islands. Or a South wind sudbsiding would be a candidate for Turtle Creek ramps to fish the reef basin. Good luck and be safe, sounds like you are by asking about it. C'yah

[jake]

check these 3 sites for fairly accurate weather info

http://weather.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/fmtbltn.pl?file=forecasts/marine/great_lakes/le/lez160.txt&title=Lake+Erie%3CBR%3EU.S.+Portion

http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/iwin/graphicsversion/rbigmain.html


http://www.srh.noaa.gov/data/forecasts/OHZ009.php?warncounty=OHC043&city=Kelleys+Island

your boat should be fine up to 2-4 footers, 1-3 is average.

[bullfroglabat]

Alumacraftman is right. I have a 20' Lund Fisherman, and anything over 3' waves are misery. Besides they can go from 3' to 5' in a hurry. You are sometimes better off using a ferry to either south bass or Kellys' and fishing the lea sides if there is any hint of ugliness in the weather. Your ability and experience are more valuable than the size of your boat. I'm from Kentucky and I had never seen any thing like Erie before I started fishing there. Two or three "white knuckle" trips back to port have given me a healthy respect for her. If need be always have a "plan B" like an island to pull behind or land close enough to get to, even if it is not your destination. Like my dad used to say "it's better to be tardy than absent"!!!!