Small Lakes

[SONIC]

Pretty random but I'm curious how many boat on small lakes?

I've seen a bunch of posts with people talking about their lakes being 200 acres or less.
I can't quite comprehend how that works, my home lake is 2500 acres or so and is considered very small, I can't imagine much smaller.

I guess I'm just curious how you do any surfing/riding with docks around and other peoples boats etc.

[MJHSupra]

My friends from Chicago have summer homes in MI and WI. Been on some pretty small lakes up there, but those were ski boats. I could not image taking my SL on them - not even sure it would be allowed if the lakes had boat size limits. I'm sure they did for MI and WI. Lots of laws for sleds, utv, boats, etc.

Living in east TN, everything is big. "Big" is relative being raised on Lake Erie when I was a kid.

[Bigs28]

My lake is 160ish acres. There are only 2 boats that regularly use the lake. Mine will be the 3rd. There are 2 waverunners that regularly use it as well with a few other people who rarely use the lake. Very common for only one person or no one to be out there at a time. The only time it's really a problem is holiday weekends and you just kind of take turns unofficially. There is not a public ramp to our lake so we are fortunate there. We also have 2 float planes on our lake but they are never in the way.

[jason1973]

my hone lake is only 450 acres. There are 4-5 wake boats including a 24ft malibu. Its not bad we just need to respect shorelines etc..

[Tommy2slow]

I am on a small lake. Not sure how many acres it would be. Definitely have to be careful about where we surf and how we are impacting our neighborhood. Running a business on lake kind of puts us under a microscope of sorts so we have to be extra mindful of our wake. Not every boat on the lake is so careful unfortunately. One would expect most of the issues with people surfing close to shore coming from the people dropping their boats in the lake for the day. That’s not the case, the most problematic boats are a few property owners on the lake that surf wherever they wish. Lots of shore erosion the last few seasons, trees falling into lake and other evidence. You get used to having other boats nearby. Hopefully everyone is surfing the same side so that we are at least circling the lake in the same direction.

[MJHSupra]

Lots of shore erosion the last few seasons, trees falling into lake and other evidence.

If it's tubing, surfing, or just driving too close to shore, that will eventually lead to more regulations and groups forming to propose more regulations

[sandm]

spent a day on a lake up around the st. cloud MI area that was small. don't know the size but we were one of only 4 boats on the lake and it felt small. iirc dandy told me it was +/-250 acres. we kept passing the same docks and houses all day boating in circles. like a lot of midwest lakes the average depth in a chunk of the acreage was under 6ft so it was really much smaller in usable space.

boats and staying away from the shore were not the issue on that lake. trying to maintain 100ft from the pair of nesting loons that lived on the lake(state law) was an even bigger pita. surfing and had the throttle chopped on me a couple of times when they flew and landed in the path of the boat. I swear those things were screwing with us :)

I'll take the 1.5million acre lake mead all day....

[larry_arizona]

The lakes I frequent are as follows:

1000 acres is big with plenty of room for lake traffic and surfing, need to get out early to wakeboard on some glass. 4 sand bar hang outs. 30 min drive, our weekend choice.

460 acres is 10 minutes and our midweek choice, has 2 good runs for wakesurfing and 3 for wakeboarding. Gets congested on weekends making Watersports impossible.

250 acre is 4 minutes from my house, very deep, 4 boat max, one long wakesurf and wakeboard run, only issue is there is a nice public beach and I hate throwing surf side rollers into that beach swimming area drowning small kids. So after our wake surf run, I slowly tow my rider back to reset. This lake is a gem that nobody knows about. Last July 4th when all the other lakes were jam packed, we hit this lake all day with one other boat. It’s perfect.


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[2in2out]

My usual lake is 5 miles long, 3 wide at its widest point. Several narrow arms. We struggle to find acreage on the weekends. Luckily we can get out midweek. It’s a popular fishing lake, so that adds another dimension.

Problem with big lakes is usable water. Tahoe sucks after noon most days. Most of the smaller lakes are I sheltered and wind gets people concentrated in all coves.

[larry_arizona]

I agree, the bigger the lakes, the bigger the boats and dang they get rough in a hurry.

I dabble on parts of Lake Michigan and those can get huge chop in a hurry, but on calm days where we go is glorious. Watch the wind reports.

So many awesome lakes in Michigan but the big ones get rough.

Lake st Clair is a huge lake, not very deep, full of 40-50 cruisers chopping it up, would never even consider taking a wakeboat on it. 430 sq.MILES.


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[sandm]

I dabble on parts of Lake Michigan and those can get huge chop in a hurry, but on calm days where we go is glorious. Watch the wind reports.



we rode mc's over to sturgeon bay/algoma and spent some time in mke. michigan would scare me. that's BIG water.......

[cucv]

We have a place on a lake that is 4150 acres but we only surf in our bay that is 460 acres. We love to ski on a bay that is 145 acres but I refuse to surf in it as there is a ton of wakeboat hate on Facebook coming from that bay. Unfortunately, most of that is caused by one specific boat that just lacks respect.
The state was looking to regulate wakeboats last year but Covid slowed progress. That said there is a house bill being discussed tomorrow as a stepping stone to regulate wake boats. Interesting info from the state study last year was that most officially filed complaints were about wakeboat stereos not the wake. However, environmentalist are running with the bad publicity and and looking to ban/regulate wakeboats. I have no problem with a reasonable increase over the current 150' distance from shore, moored boat and docks.

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[larry_arizona]

we rode mc's over to sturgeon bay/algoma and spent some time in mke. michigan would scare me. that's BIG water.......

I have been on East and west grand traverse bay. Stunning water. Crystal clear water, you can see bottom at 100 feet.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210202/f222f0451d9185b4d78a95d657bebd94.jpg


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[SONIC]

This just makes me want to spend a summer trailering my boat all over the place and exploring.

[larry_arizona]

This just makes me want to spend a summer trailering my boat all over the place and exploring.

That’s what we do, my last boat was affectionately called “lake whore”. 19 total lakes she was in.


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[2in2out]

That’s what we do, my last boat was affectionately called “lake whore”. 19 total lakes she was in.


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Lake Whoring is why Tahoe has quagga and zebra mussels. Out west you have to be selective and “clean your junk” before dipping into a new hole. “Lake Clap” sucks and costs me an extra $10 per vessel a year. It’s almost $100 to get hot washed, inspected, and launch at Tahoe because of dirty lake whores.

[larry_arizona]

I get your concern, All Michigan lakes have zebras.


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[SONIC]

29412

Seems like a water hazard to me

[sandm]

I get your concern, All Michigan lakes have zebras.


most of the western lakes have them as well. the process 2in describes is nothing more than a cash grab now. we don't worry about it anymore as only boat in colorado river lakes and they are all full of them. wisconsin was full of them and although was only on 4 bodies of water no one there cared if we cleaned or not.

[brad460]

29412

Seems like a water hazard to me

:-D First thing that popped into my head too..

Finally a little humor in this place..

[larry_arizona]

I recall when zebras were new. Looking back it’s like lake herpes. Once the lake got it, it’s for life.

That was 25 years ago, now every lake has it.


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[SONIC]

How do they enforce the mandatory flush and clean etc?

Around here any lake has 5-50 ramps so it would be a real nightmare to enforce any of that.

[Zog]

most of the western lakes have them as well. the process 2in describes is nothing more than a cash grab now. we don't worry about it anymore as only boat in colorado river lakes and they are all full of them. wisconsin was full of them and although was only on 4 bodies of water no one there cared if we cleaned or not.

Fortunately, they are not widespread in Utah yet. The only lake confirmed with quagga is Lake Powell. We are required to get an inspection as you leave the lake plus a full disinfection with hot water before entering the next body of water if you launch before a 30 day drying period. If you transport your boat with plugs in you can be fined severely. Before launching anywhere you have to report your most recent body of water you launched in and carry a certificate for launches in clean bodies of water. All the big reservoirs have decontamination stations and there is no fee for decontamination. One other body of water reported quagga at one point, but they have not seen additional presence after 5 years and declared it a clean body of water thereafter.

It is painful to get decontaminated after Lake Powell and it is also painful to go through the inspection, but it is good to keep the mussels out of the other reservoirs. Last summer they found parts of a quagga shell in my sea strainer on exiting the lake, which caused a 90 minute delay in getting home since they had to fully clean everything out. I know others that preemptively pull theirs prior to hitting the inspection point to avoid the delay, but since you need to get decontaminated anyway, it seems fine.

[sandm]

Fortunately, they are not widespread in Utah yet.


I'd bet $1 that they are in your lakes, just not to the concentrations that they are elsewhere. cleaning is likely slowing the spread but not eliminating it.

what I don't understand is if they are everywhere why fight and spend the monies on what is bound to happen.

[2in2out]

How do they enforce the mandatory flush and clean etc?

Around here any lake has 5-50 ramps so it would be a real nightmare to enforce any of that.

Tahoe is the only body of water that is has inspections. Because it is shared between California and Nevada a set of common criteria is used. I haven’t done it yet, but they attach a tag of some sort to your boat to indicate it’s been hot washed and inspected. The cost is $75 and hot washed and re-inspection are only necessary if you go to a different body of water.

What keeps people from lying about what bodies of water they’ve been to. Nothing. My go to lake has a self reporting form, but most of the time the box is empty. Any border inspections consist of ensuring the plugs are out. Some of the rangers at Nevada State Parks will take a look at your plug, but that’s it. NV Dept. Of Wildlife game wardens can inspect your boat, but reality is there aren’t enough of them to go around.

Like Sandm said, our invasive species stickers are a money grab. The only place that any inspections are occurring is Border lakes like Tahoe, Mead and lake Mohave.

[MJHSupra]

decontamination stations . . . inspections

Sounds crappy to me if they have rangers waiting for you when you exit to go thru Process A. Then if they find something, on to Process B.

That job would stink dealing with rude boating fools from the lake all day just wanting to get home.

[sandm]

The only place that any inspections are occurring is Border lakes like Tahoe, Mead and lake Mohave.

there are no inspections at mead. I launch at callville bay and have put in at willow beach and temple bar. we have been to laughlin/bullhead city to visit my uncle who has a low-pro jetboat just below mohave and no inspections there.

[Zog]

Sounds crappy to me if they have rangers waiting for you when you exit to go thru Process A. Then if they find something, on to Process B.

That job would stink dealing with rude boating fools from the lake all day just wanting to get home.

That is exactly the process. You go through the first inspection and if you show evidence of contamination you have to go through immediate decontamination. Plus, usually you haven't been on the lake for a day, you have been on the lake for a week and just had to pack all you gear up, boat for a couple hours to get to the marina, get all your gear off of a houseboat, make sure everything is clean, and then you go in for the inspection. If you pick the wrong day to get off the lake, the inspection line can be 2 hours long. If you don't get the tag and inspection paperwork, your nightmare comes true if you encounter a secondary inspection station with police just outside the park where there is no place to hide, which can result in a $750 fine.

At every other boat ramp in the state, you have to declare your most recent body of water before launching. They check the records of recent launches to confirm you were truthful. If not you get red-flagged and get a secondary inspection, which may happen regardless of whether or not you were truthful. If you were recently out of state or at Lake Powell, you will automatically have to go to the decontamination station unless it was completed at Lake Powell already and you have documentation. No charge for decontamination, fortunately.

[MLA]

Our 3 local lakes, all in the same river flow, range from 32,500 on the north end, to just under 3,000 in the middle to 12,500 on the south, closest to us.

[rdlangston13]

Our main go to lake is about 83,000 acres but probably only about 2/3 of that is usable. The other 1/3 is known as the "jungle" and while you can navigate it by staying within the channel markers you can't really do much else there. The area we go to is probably no more than 1000 acres.

Our 2nd lake is about 19,600 acres and most of it is pretty wide open and has some large vessels on it.

[MJHSupra]

That is exactly the process. You go through the first inspection and if you show evidence of contamination you have to go through immediate decontamination. Plus, usually you haven't been on the lake for a day, you have been on the lake for a week and just had to pack all you gear up, boat for a couple hours to get to the marina, get all your gear off of a houseboat, make sure everything is clean, and then you go in for the inspection. If you pick the wrong day to get off the lake, the inspection line can be 2 hours long. If you don't get the tag and inspection paperwork, your nightmare comes true if you encounter a secondary inspection station with police just outside the park where there is no place to hide, which can result in a $750 fine.

At every other boat ramp in the state, you have to declare your most recent body of water before launching. They check the records of recent launches to confirm you were truthful. If not you get red-flagged and get a secondary inspection, which may happen regardless of whether or not you were truthful. If you were recently out of state or at Lake Powell, you will automatically have to go to the decontamination station unless it was completed at Lake Powell already and you have documentation. No charge for decontamination, fortunately.

Good info. I'm probably like most people in TN that do not have any idea of those processes. Wow.

If the country-folk down here had to go through all of that with all of our lakes . . . lookout. I can just see the reaction of the bass guy's face in the jon boat getting written up with a fine for no inspection or paperwork.

[Tommy2slow]

I am on a small lake. Not sure how many acres it would be. Definitely have to be careful about where we surf and how we are impacting our neighborhood. Running a business on lake kind of puts us under a microscope of sorts so we have to be extra mindful of our wake. Not every boat on the lake is so careful unfortunately. One would expect most of the issues with people surfing close to shore coming from the people dropping their boats in the lake for the day. That’s not the case, the most problematic boats are a few property owners on the lake that surf wherever they wish. Lots of shore erosion the last few seasons, trees falling into lake and other evidence. You get used to having other boats nearby. Hopefully everyone is surfing the same side so that we are at least circling the lake in the same direction.

Looked it up and my lake is 500 acres. Can really only surf the larger basin with the red pin in the screenshot. The shape of the lake lends itself to always being able to find a spot sheltered from the wind for skiing or wakeboarding. No restrictions, regulations or inspections up here of any kind. The southern part of the province has tighter restrictions as they have the mussel problems and Eurasian milfoil to contend with. I read another thread about lakes with gators and are very pleased that there is nothing in our lake that wants to eat you! We are 45 minutes out of town with two public launches so the lake is busy on the weekends.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210203/04eefa8578e18857e8a987c09e812454.jpg


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[2in2out]

Good info. I'm probably like most people in TN that do not have any idea of those processes. Wow.

If the country-folk down here had to go through all of that with all of our lakes . . . lookout. I can just see the reaction of the bass guy's face in the jon boat getting written up with a fine for no inspection or paperwork.

Those are the ones that are the major contributors, or any boat with a live well.

There is concern about ballast tanks, but it seems the inspectors are not as concerned.

The mussels are a bad thing in that they filter algae that native fish eat and change the pH of the water. No native fish eat them, so they reproduce uncontrolled. Another issue is whirling disease which can be carried in water left in the boat, hence why plugs must be out during travel on any roadway, and you are advised to keep them out during storage.

[larry_arizona]

The reality is the lakes adapt, you can’t prevent it.


Michigan has had them for 40+ years.

I will be honest, if I had to Decon my boat every day or face stiff fines, no way would I own a boat.

The lake my cottage was on for 20 years “caught them” water quality improved significantly, fish are still plentiful, sand bars are still nice. Occasionally you might cut you foot on a rock that has a few on them.

It’s the bigger lakes that have power plants and water intakes that suffer the most with plugged pipes etc.

Removing western states off my boat travel list.....[emoji23]

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[sandm]

The reality is the lakes adapt, you can’t prevent it.
Michigan has had them for 40+ years.

Removing western states off my boat travel list.....



larry, couldn't agree more. those that think they are not there just haven't found them yet. they never impeded recreation nor water issues in wisconsin and like michgan have been there for many many years.

you're welcome at mead anytime. although you will have to spend $13 on an invasive sticker that's the end of it :) apparently all the money collected goes to fund a fruitless effort at tahoe, coincidentally where the state capitol is :)

just don't bring your 2-stroke jetski with ya.....

[zabooda]

Excellent lakes out west but you pay big time except for Federal operated facilities. I quit boating Idaho when they imposed out of staters higher invasive species than their own residents. $28 but it is good for all year. Each state should cover their own programs.

[Zog]

The reality is the lakes adapt, you can’t prevent it.


Michigan has had them for 40+ years.

I will be honest, if I had to Decon my boat every day or face stiff fines, no way would I own a boat.

The lake my cottage was on for 20 years “caught them” water quality improved significantly, fish are still plentiful, sand bars are still nice. Occasionally you might cut you foot on a rock that has a few on them.

It’s the bigger lakes that have power plants and water intakes that suffer the most with plugged pipes etc.

Removing western states off my boat travel list.....[emoji23]

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It's really not that bad. You generally only have to decon if you are coming off of Lake Powell. You also have to maintain your launch certificate. We launched 2x a week last year in lakes besides Powell and only had to decon the one time when we came off of Powell. When we went to the inspection station, the decontamination station at the marina at Powell was broken, so they tagged our boat and it had to be removed when we took it to a decontamination station at another lake, of which there are plenty. Unfortunately, the guys at the other lakes don't really know what they are doing. They use the plunger sticks to feed your ballast tanks and you have to fill the bags about 50% full and let the water sit for 5 minutes. It took about 45 minutes to get all the tanks and the cooling system fully decontaminated and then we could launch.

By the way, the biologist at Lake Powell had indicated they are finding quagga in catfish and striped bass gullets. They just don't eat enough to make a difference.

[larry_arizona]

Just wait until you get Asian carp out west.

https://youtu.be/uqykDINEcGo

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[DNIXD99]

Our 2nd lake is about 19,600 acres and most of it is pretty wide open and has some large vessels on it.

You have to take Dramamine before you get on that lake tho......

[rdlangston13]

You have to take Dramamine before you get on that lake tho......

Really? I've never gotten motion sickness on a lake. Just on a 150 ft crew boat offshore in 10 ft seas, that was a miserable 18 hours.

[zabooda]

Just wait until you get Asian carp out west.

https://youtu.be/uqykDINEcGo

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Anything like Squawfish, fisherman have made up to $48k a year catching them.

[Darter]

Our cabin is on a 90 acre lake. Our Mobius LS is just about as big as you'd want on it. On rare occasions we see a bigger wake boat, but it's rare and they seem to stay in the middle.

Boaters on our lake know how to manage when there are 12 of us out there, but it requires a lot of attention and patience.

The best times are during the week when it's common to have the entire lake to yourself.

It's small, but the water is crystal clear, the bottom is sand, and no nuisance species to deal with.

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[arsnlgunnr]

Our 3 local lakes, all in the same river flow, range from 32,500 on the north end, to just under 3,000 in the middle to 12,500 on the south, closest to us.

Cheers to the Catawba River:cool:! I'm in the middle on Mtn. Island lake

[Scott-clt]

Cheers to the Catawba River:cool:! I'm in the middle on Mtn. Island lake

I second that! I’m down below on Wylie. Nice to see some local peeps.


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