BigAbe75
Jetboaters Admiral
- Messages
- 2,488
- Reaction score
- 1,968
- Points
- 282
- Location
- Litchfield, IL
- Boat Make
- Yamaha
- Year
- 2019
- Boat Model
- X
- Boat Length
- 24
We've been talking about organizing a weekend gathering at Lake Patoka. I think we've settled on July 12-14, 2019. I've compiled some info below from a couple conversation posts with @2kwik4u .
Post here if you are interested or able to confirm attendance, and I'll update this post to keep as much as possible current.
------------
Here are some good places to get cabins near/on the water.
Patoka Lake Marina - Floating cabins right on the water. You can literally park the boat in the water feet from the front door. Never been inside one, but they look nice from the outside. The front page has a nice picture and you can see them along the shorline behind the main marina.
Patokas Fishermans Village - Our friends with a camper are located right behind this place, so we end up staying here 2-3 times a year. Even though home is only 45min away, it's nice to sometimes make it a "weekend trip". Accommodations are modest, but so are the prices. Should easily handle a family of 4 with a pull out sofa and a queen bed. They have nice pull through spaces and parking. Getting 6-8 24ft boats in would be snug, but totally doable I think. We had 3-19's, a 21pontoon, and a sx230 in there last year for Adult weekend and pulling in/out wasn't a problem at all.
4 Seasons Patoka - Right down the hill from the Marina. Looks nice as I drive by. No idea on accommodations or parking space. Just know it exists as a rental space nearby.
There is also the Patoka Lake Winery that has a few rooms and is VERY near the lake. They have prety good food, and the wine slushies are pretty awesome. They'll make you a 6-pack of them to go if you want, you know, for drinking later
There is a small restaurant (Off The Hook) that might make an acceptable "meet for dinner", but they pack up quickly. I'd want to talk to them ahead of time and rope off a section for us on the deck. They have Karaoke on the weekends that is well.......lets just say it's some of the best people watching around. Fun times for sure. Off the Hook shares a parking lot with the Fishermans Village I have linked above. So it works out great to stay there, then just walk over for dinner and drinks.
------------
Overall the lake is pretty decent sized, and you can easily see 99% of it in a day. If you're willing to do a little "boondocking" as my wife calls it. There is a neat flooded rock quarry to see on the other side of the bridge. It involves going through some pretty shallow water, and literally driving around trees and such. We go back there a few times a year. GPS Coordinates of the old quarry are: 38°21'20.8"N 86°35'23.4"W if looking on Google earth you can see how that is a bit sketchy to get into if the water is even just a little down. Also, anyone with a tower will have to fold it down to get under the SR145 bridge. My AR190 has made it under with inches to spare a few times, but most times I have to drop the bimini and tower to get under.
Some other neat places on the lake:
Eagles Cove ( 38°25'13.4"N 86°37'45.7"W ): Typical Hangout spot for us. We can get far enough back to avoid wakes, and just hang out swim.
"Party cove" ( 38°25'40.9"N 86°42'50.0"W ): This is up near the dam. Most popular place to hang out and socialize. LOTS of folks here on the weekend.
Painters Creek ( 38°26'08.4"N 86°37'56.6"W ): This is probably the best place to surf/board. It keeps you away from the wakes of the main lake as much as possible.
South Ramp ( 38°23'39.3"N 86°38'24.5"W ): this is the ramp to use IMO. Plenty of parking and very sheltered from main lake traffic. There is a GIANT no wake zone around it, of course 1/2 the people ignore it but what can you do. Has enough width for 5-6 trucks at a time depending on how close people get to one another. Keep in mind it's like $8/day to get into the park I think. We buy a yearly pass for $75, but we're up there enough to make it worthwhile.
DNR Maps
------------
Potentially Interested:
@BigAbe75
@2kwik4u
@scot71
@AboveTheBest
@jcyamaharider
@mattschepker
@ksowen01
@RampRage
@Scott
@Speedling
@BAC.94
@Purplebeast
Confirmed:
Post here if you are interested or able to confirm attendance, and I'll update this post to keep as much as possible current.
------------
Here are some good places to get cabins near/on the water.
Patoka Lake Marina - Floating cabins right on the water. You can literally park the boat in the water feet from the front door. Never been inside one, but they look nice from the outside. The front page has a nice picture and you can see them along the shorline behind the main marina.
Patokas Fishermans Village - Our friends with a camper are located right behind this place, so we end up staying here 2-3 times a year. Even though home is only 45min away, it's nice to sometimes make it a "weekend trip". Accommodations are modest, but so are the prices. Should easily handle a family of 4 with a pull out sofa and a queen bed. They have nice pull through spaces and parking. Getting 6-8 24ft boats in would be snug, but totally doable I think. We had 3-19's, a 21pontoon, and a sx230 in there last year for Adult weekend and pulling in/out wasn't a problem at all.
4 Seasons Patoka - Right down the hill from the Marina. Looks nice as I drive by. No idea on accommodations or parking space. Just know it exists as a rental space nearby.
There is also the Patoka Lake Winery that has a few rooms and is VERY near the lake. They have prety good food, and the wine slushies are pretty awesome. They'll make you a 6-pack of them to go if you want, you know, for drinking later
There is a small restaurant (Off The Hook) that might make an acceptable "meet for dinner", but they pack up quickly. I'd want to talk to them ahead of time and rope off a section for us on the deck. They have Karaoke on the weekends that is well.......lets just say it's some of the best people watching around. Fun times for sure. Off the Hook shares a parking lot with the Fishermans Village I have linked above. So it works out great to stay there, then just walk over for dinner and drinks.
------------
Overall the lake is pretty decent sized, and you can easily see 99% of it in a day. If you're willing to do a little "boondocking" as my wife calls it. There is a neat flooded rock quarry to see on the other side of the bridge. It involves going through some pretty shallow water, and literally driving around trees and such. We go back there a few times a year. GPS Coordinates of the old quarry are: 38°21'20.8"N 86°35'23.4"W if looking on Google earth you can see how that is a bit sketchy to get into if the water is even just a little down. Also, anyone with a tower will have to fold it down to get under the SR145 bridge. My AR190 has made it under with inches to spare a few times, but most times I have to drop the bimini and tower to get under.
Some other neat places on the lake:
Eagles Cove ( 38°25'13.4"N 86°37'45.7"W ): Typical Hangout spot for us. We can get far enough back to avoid wakes, and just hang out swim.
"Party cove" ( 38°25'40.9"N 86°42'50.0"W ): This is up near the dam. Most popular place to hang out and socialize. LOTS of folks here on the weekend.
Painters Creek ( 38°26'08.4"N 86°37'56.6"W ): This is probably the best place to surf/board. It keeps you away from the wakes of the main lake as much as possible.
South Ramp ( 38°23'39.3"N 86°38'24.5"W ): this is the ramp to use IMO. Plenty of parking and very sheltered from main lake traffic. There is a GIANT no wake zone around it, of course 1/2 the people ignore it but what can you do. Has enough width for 5-6 trucks at a time depending on how close people get to one another. Keep in mind it's like $8/day to get into the park I think. We buy a yearly pass for $75, but we're up there enough to make it worthwhile.
DNR Maps
------------
Potentially Interested:
@BigAbe75
@2kwik4u
@scot71
@AboveTheBest
@jcyamaharider
@mattschepker
@ksowen01
@RampRage
@Scott
@Speedling
@BAC.94
@Purplebeast
Confirmed:
