Annoyed

[HangOutdoors]

Tried to get on a couple of lakes this evening waited for an hour at each one, but couldn't get a parking spot. We are planning on going out Saturday Morning and being at the lake at 10:00 a.m. I am sure that it will not go well finding a spot at most of them....... I know but family doesn't want to get up any earlier, don't get me started on that one.

None the less, the problem is, is that individual cars are parking in trailer only spots. Since there are no DNR working any of the launch sites it is a free for all. I saw someone this evening while they were launching their boat since they were next in line and a spot opened up a car just drove it and took his free trailer spot as he finished launching the boat. Got out of the car with a fishing pole and trotted down to the waters edge to fish.

It's like it is an uncontrolled free for all everywhere, with no courtesy. Is this the way it is everywhere and in other states?

 

[Darkside]

!0:00 AM on a Saturday. LMAO The local State Park with 3 different ramps and 6-8 lanes each and 700 trailer parking closes it's gate before 9:30 am on weekends. The free ramp with 3 lanes has a line that's over 3 miles long before 8 am. "Early bird gets the worm". My parks pass is only good Mon thru Thu ($75 vs $200 anytime) but I'm enjoying retirement. Pulled in to a 6 lane ramp at 9am this morning with one other person at the ramp and pulled out at 4 this afternoon and only 2 boats in the cleanup lane. Everyone is nice here when I go but have no idea what happens on the weekend.

 

[rrmidden]

Where are you?

Glad our boat lives on a lift at our lake house, we’d have to deal with crap like that even without the stresses of Covid before we bought the place . Now we drop the boat in the water in early May and pick it up in October.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Southeastern lower Michigan 20 miles west of Lake St. Clair.

 

[HangOutdoors]

@Darkside I will show the Admiral you post, perhaps she will get the idea to get out earlier.

Our state parks pass for all year anytime is $12 per year.

 

[Sbrown]

I used to get up early before the family, get to the lake and get the boat on the water early enough to beat the crowds. Family would show up in a car when they got ready, usually around noon. In between was me time.

 

[HangOutdoors]

I would love to do that. The only problem is that there are no places for them to park and meet me on the lake without walking a long long way. They don't have car parking at almost all of the boat launches on the lakes we want to go on. The couple that do are so tore up and full that it is dangerous to do any watersports on them on the weekend. And all the areas around the lakes have signs that say they will tow you. I drove around to the lakes to look for something like this that would work.

 

[Dixie Highway]

Oddly enough I’m facing kind of the opposite issue, my family doesn’t seem interested in boating much anymore to the point where I’m considering selling the boat. I guess you have to choose your battles here lol.

 

[HangOutdoors]

@Dixie Highway , wish you were closer we could hang out on the lake and that would shore up both situations a bit.

I wanted to get the FSH but the family wasn't interested in it, the look and feel. I am sure sooner rather than later they will get burned out and be done and I will get to go fishing all the time. Hell they don't even get up till 11:00 or later on the weekends, I could go out, fish and be back by then. So sooner or later I am going to mod a plate to put a Minn Kota on the front of this AR210. Mod it for a pedestal seat insert and I will be out fishing all the time.

 

[Pro Build]

As disrespectful as people are these days, I'm not about to say what I think to those who take our boat trailer parking spots, as I'm not sure what I will come back to after being on the water . My truck and trailer could be damaged just to spite me for daring to say something.

 

[HangOutdoors]

@Pro Build I totally agree. It just irks me and I try to process it internally till it goes away.

 

[WREKS]

Tried to get on a couple of lakes this evening waited for an hour at each one, but couldn't get a parking spot. We are planning on going out Saturday Morning and being at the lake at 10:00 a.m. I am sure that it will not go well finding a spot at most of them....... I know but family doesn't want to get up any earlier, don't get me started on that one.

None the less, the problem is, is that individual cars are parking in trailer only spots. Since there are no DNR working any of the launch sites it is a free for all. I saw lakesomeone this evening while they were launching their boat since they were next in line and a spot opened up a car just drove it and took his free trailer spot as he finished launching the boat. Got out of the car with a fishing pole and trotted down to the waters edge to fish.

It's like it is an uncontrolled free for all everywhere, with no courtesy. Is this the way it is everywhere and in other states?

Is it hard to get on Lake At. Clair?

 

[HangOutdoors]

No, not at all. Launches all over the place. Good place for watersports is another story. The chop gets pretty serious. Want the kids to learn to wakeboard. Would be a tough place to teach.

 

[WREKS]

Why don't you go there? Maybe I missed something?

 

[HangOutdoors]

Chop is pretty bad

 

[WREKS]

Are you in able to get trim tabs?

 

[HangOutdoors]

I will be soon. I don't really worry about the chop for the boat, which I can handle, it is the kids floating around in the chop when they get knocked off tube or wakeboard. Since they have never tried I was hoping for a an inland lake that isn't as tore up. The chop can be 3+ feet easy in Anchor Bay on a good day. Depends how many of the 30+ footers and racing boats are running around. Gets to be a bath tub at times.

 

[captainhook]

I grew up on Anchor Bay and the chop the last couple of years with the water so high has been crazy. Docks breaking everywhere multiple times and boats on lifts are raised so high they can’t go any higher.

It’s funny to see the resurgence of boating on the lake since I saw the peak in the 90s riding SeaDoos. I remember mile long lines at Brandenburg Park back in the day being happy we had a lift.

 

[captainhook]

Now I deal with saltwater and trailering and this year the ramps are busier than I’ve ever seen. I guess everybody is boating now since they haven’t been able to do anything else.

 

[HangOutdoors]

@captainhook Any suggestions where in the lake would be good to go do some watersports ? Around Harson's Island, Gull Island ? Gets awful busy there.