fish-hub Posted July 17, 2015 Posted July 17, 2015 Do any of you travel across the lake to either fish or go for pleasure? How long does it take?
Trina Rose Posted July 17, 2015 Posted July 17, 2015 Frankfort to sturgeon bay is 54 miles I believe. Two friends from work are doing it this summer. 2 hour ride at 30 ish mph.
UBDSLO1 Posted July 18, 2015 Posted July 18, 2015 Trina Rose, let us know how it goes! This is something that I've wanted to do as well. What kind of rig are you taking across?
gmfishon Posted July 18, 2015 Posted July 18, 2015 Trina said his friends are doing it. We have done it in a 27 ft sportcraft. A lot of the tournament fisherman do it all the time. With the right boat and decent weather its not a big deal.
Play Dough Posted July 19, 2015 Posted July 19, 2015 I crossed twice in my 30' Sundancer while I was slipped at Ludington. Once to Port Washington and once to Sturgeon Bay. As I recall, the crossing to Sturgeon Bay was a 90 mile run. That's about 3 1/2 hours for me. That trip we crossed solo so had someone notified of departure time and ETA to Sturgeon Bay and called in after crossing. I've made the Ludington to Mackinac run in one day and that's a 185 mile, 7 hour cruise so the lake crossing is small potatoes. Just did a marathon run from Blind River, Ontario to Mackinaw City last week due to a family emergency. Long distance cruising is no big deal given good conditions and proper preparation. ALWAYS file a float plan with someone.
Play Dough Posted July 20, 2015 Posted July 20, 2015 Goodness Play, that must cost a fortune! Well, it's not like we travel those distances on a regular basis. We generally take one cruising vacation each year and it does cost a few dollars to move the boat. On the other hand, we have two weeks of waterfront accommodations at our favorite ports for less than a condo would rent for. For example, we recently spent a weekend on Mackinac Island (3 nights). Friends spent about $250/night at a B&B. Our cost was $42/night for a slip there plus the 7 mile cruise from Mackinaw City. We enjoy the boating life. It's more than running out of a port, dragging lines for a few hours and then returning to the same spot, day in and day out. I get bored with that. This was our "slip" a couple weeks ago. Hard to improve on the surroundings...and yes there were fish there too.
fish-hub Posted July 20, 2015 Author Posted July 20, 2015 That's awesome. My wife and I are thinking about getting in the boat life. I have an 18ft Lund right now and I take it on lake Michigan but I'd rather get a bigger boat and slip.
Play Dough Posted July 20, 2015 Posted July 20, 2015 That's awesome. My wife and I are thinking about getting in the boat life. I have an 18ft Lund right now and I take it on lake Michigan but I'd rather get a bigger boat and slip.Bigger offers a different boating experience. Since you made the cost comment earlier, know the costs involved before you make that leap. It can get costly depending on how large you get. Slip fees, storage fees, and increased operating and maintenance costs. My boat cruises at about 16-18 gph at 3000 rpm. Overall total usage cruising and trolling usually ends up somewhere around 5 gph. At $4/gallon (marina fuel) that's $20/hour just to run the boat.That said, I wouldn't do it any other way. My days of getting up at dark-thirty and driving to a ramp, launching and then begin the fun part are over. I wake up, turn on the blowers, brew a pot of coffee, start the engines and cast off. After fishing, tie up and kick back and enjoy the camaraderie of fellow boaters in the marina. It takes a lot of the hassle out of the activity. Then there are the vacation cruises. Without question, the very best time spent boating...and I do enjoy fishing very much.
fish-hub Posted July 20, 2015 Author Posted July 20, 2015 You must be a salesman! I love fishing too. I do love seeing other people catch fish, and if it is a kid that has only reeled in a few 13 inch bass and the fight a 18lb salmon......that is priceless. I'm trying to find a boat that has a trailer so I can eliminate the storage fees, it just makes it easier to sell the idea to my wife. And I have a 4 stroke on my Lund and I can troll 6 hours on about 2 gallons of gas. So that will be a jolt to the system. But nothing that I can't do. Plus if I take some friends out they can throw a 20 down for gas.
Play Dough Posted July 20, 2015 Posted July 20, 2015 You must be a salesman! I love fishing too. I do love seeing other people catch fish, and if it is a kid that has only reeled in a few 13 inch bass and the fight a 18lb salmon......that is priceless. I'm trying to find a boat that has a trailer so I can eliminate the storage fees, it just makes it easier to sell the idea to my wife. And I have a 4 stroke on my Lund and I can troll 6 hours on about 2 gallons of gas. So that will be a jolt to the system. But nothing that I can't do. Plus if I take some friends out they can throw a 20 down for gas.A 27' Sea Ray Amberjack makes a real nice fishing/cruising package that is still trailerable. Dockmates a few years ago had one and it was nice. 6.2L Bravo III, a little aft cabin for the youngster and a stand up head for your wife.Like this...http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2008-SEA-RAY-270-Amberjack-102556868Retired product engineer...not a salesman.
fish-hub Posted July 20, 2015 Author Posted July 20, 2015 That is a nice rig. I don't think I'll be spending that much. I want to though. I have to do a ton of selling to the wife. She has no clue what a boat like that is. I keep telling her we need to go look at some boats. She thinks she will have to still pee in a bucket with a towel wrapped around her. I said it's just like our camper.
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now