Patoka Lake, IN - July 12 - 14, 2019

[BigAbe75]

Awesome writeup! Yes, we both have sites reserved at the campground for Thur (07/30/20) to Sun. I'm planning to drive over on Thursday and get the campsite setup by mid-afternoon if all goes well. Then have Fri and Sat on the lake and head back home on Sun. We'll probably bring some food with us, but I'm always up for pizza or bbq after a day on the water... if that works out better for a group dinner.

We can also do s'mores at the camper (you know for the kids - Lol)... if it's not hotter than blazes in the evening.

 

[scot71]

I assume @BigAbe75 is still a go, I haven't talk to him lately, but I know we are. My wife and I try to make it down there once a year and we love the lake. We usually put in at the park ramp. You're right about the area past the bridge being nice. I haven't been over there since I put the tower on though. We've never been past Hoosier Hills. We usually anchored up in a cove just before you get there. I can't wait to get Abe's feelings about the lake, my wife and I love it.

 

[scot71]

@BigAbe75 you replied before I finished typing...lol.

 

[2kwik4u]

I assume @BigAbe75 is still a go, I haven't talk to him lately, but I know we are. My wife and I try to make it down there once a year and we love the lake. We usually put in at the park ramp. You're right about the area past the bridge being nice. I haven't been over there since I put the tower on though. We've never been past Hoosier Hills. We usually anchored up in a cove just before you get there. I can't wait to get Abe's feelings about the lake, my wife and I love it.

You should be able to get under the bridge with the tower this year. I went under yesterday and cleared by several feet easily. Saw one Yaywho go under while on plane. It was nuts, dude was either drunker than I've ever been on a boat, or had some seriously large brass narbles. Either way we steered clear of that mess in a hurry.

Overall the lake is pretty nice. I'm spoiled with skinny and deep lakes in KY, so a wide and shallow lake has taken some time to get used to. As we find more and more places to get some watersports in, we're warming up to it. This is our 4th season with it as our "primary" lake, and it's served us well to get on the water and hang out with friends. As the boys become more and more adventurous we'll need to find us a good place to ski/board/tube. That's our only real complaint on this lake. The wind and traffic kick up a chop that makes tubing uncomfortable, and skating impractical. Of course we're usually not on the water early enough to get a good feel for that part of the day, so it's very possibly just us

Awesome writeup! Yes, we both have sites reserved at the campground for Thur (07/30/20) to Sun. I'm planning to drive over on Thursday and get the campsite setup by mid-afternoon if all goes well. Then have Fri and Sat on the lake and head back home on Sun. We'll probably bring some food with us, but I'm always up for pizza or bbq after a day on the water... if that works out better for a group dinner.

We can also do s'mores at the camper (you know for the kids - Lol)... if it's not hotter than blazes in the evening.

It's been pretty hot and sticky in the evenings. Not sure that's any better/worse than anywhere else though. Indiana is keeping groups of 6 or more out of the restaurants, and some will bend the rules to 10 or more. Just two families fill that up in a hurry. So anywhere we go, we'll be sitting outside anyway. I'll give couple places a call and see what they think. Might end up just being sandwiches on the water as a best bet at this point. Have to see what the deal is with the state park letting in non-site-renters as well. Not sure how that will shake out.

I'll do some digging.

 

[scot71]

You should be able to get under the bridge with the tower this year. I went under yesterday and cleared by several feet easily. Saw one Yaywho go under while on plane. It was nuts, dude was either drunker than I've ever been on a boat, or had some seriously large brass narbles. Either way we steered clear of that mess in a hurry.

Overall the lake is pretty nice. I'm spoiled with skinny and deep lakes in KY, so a wide and shallow lake has taken some time to get used to. As we find more and more places to get some watersports in, we're warming up to it. This is our 4th season with it as our "primary" lake, and it's served us well to get on the water and hang out with friends. As the boys become more and more adventurous we'll need to find us a good place to ski/board/tube. That's our only real complaint on this lake. The wind and traffic kick up a chop that makes tubing uncomfortable, and skating impractical. Of course we're usually not on the water early enough to get a good feel for that part of the day, so it's very possibly just us



It's been pretty hot and sticky in the evenings. Not sure that's any better/worse than anywhere else though. Indiana is keeping groups of 6 or more out of the restaurants, and some will bend the rules to 10 or more. Just two families fill that up in a hurry. So anywhere we go, we'll be sitting outside anyway. I'll give couple places a call and see what they think. Might end up just being sandwiches on the water as a best bet at this point. Have to see what the deal is with the state park letting in non-site-renters as well. Not sure how that will shake out.

I'll do some digging.

Our home lake, Cecil M. Harden (Raccoon) lake, is a good amount smaller than Patoka and is usually such a madhouse in the afternoon. I hate pulling a tube around during that time of day. In turn, surfing is basically impossible anytime except early in the morning and late in the afternoon into the evening. Patoka is so much bigger that it never seems busy to me.

 

[2kwik4u]

Our home lake, Cecil M. Harden (Raccoon) lake, is a good amount smaller than Patoka and is usually such a madhouse in the afternoon. I hate pulling a tube around during that time of day. In turn, surfing is basically impossible anytime except early in the morning and late in the afternoon into the evening. Patoka is so much bigger that it never seems busy to me.

That's interesting. Patoka seems a little on the small side overall for me. I'm used to long skinny lakes that are a bit larger overall. Green is where we used to spend MOST of our time on the water. It's comparable size to Patoka, but just felt SOOOOOO much larger. It's a quick 20min run to the other end of Patoka, it felt like 45 min from end to end of Green.

Patoka

• 13.75 sq mi in area
• with a large part of that being No Wake Zone.
• It's 11mi from "end to end"

Green River

• 12.81 sq mi with almost all of it being "wakeable".
• Green feels 3x larger than Patoka to me.
• It's roughly 16mi from "end to end"

Dale Hollow (43 sq mi), Douglas Lake (44sq mi) and Cumberland (102sq mi) are all laughing at us though

I just googled Racoon lake. Am I reading this right? Max depth of 17ft, and only 970 acres (1.5sq mi)? I can completely understand how you feel Racoon lake is too small for tubing. We have a small lake near us that is similar Guist Creek Lake is only 370 acres. It's a tiny little place and I've skii'd there before, but always felt it was way too small.

 

[Crob83]

That's interesting. Patoka seems a little on the small side overall for me. I'm used to long skinny lakes that are a bit larger overall. Green is where we used to spend MOST of our time on the water. It's comparable size to Patoka, but just felt SOOOOOO much larger. It's a quick 20min run to the other end of Patoka, it felt like 45 min from end to end of Green.

Patoka

• 13.75 sq mi in area
• with a large part of that being No Wake Zone.
• It's 11mi from "end to end"

Green River

• 12.81 sq mi with almost all of it being "wakeable".
• Green feels 3x larger than Patoka to me.
• It's roughly 16mi from "end to end"

Dale Hollow (43 sq mi), Douglas Lake (44sq mi) and Cumberland (102sq mi) are all laughing at us though

I just googled Racoon lake. Am I reading this right? Max depth of 17ft, and only 970 acres (1.5sq mi)? I can completely understand how you feel Racoon lake is too small for tubing. We have a small lake near us that is similar Guist Creek Lake is only 370 acres. It's a tiny little place and I've skii'd there before, but always felt it was way too small.

No I go to Raccoon all the time (Cecil m harden lake) is it's actual name. U saw Raccoon lake in Illinois, although small not that small...lol. it's a little over 2,000 acres. And Patoka is the 2nd biggest lake in IN. We are not blessed with good lakes like Michigan or the southern states to us unfortunately and it sucks?

 

[scot71]

I think you looked up the wrong lake. Cecil Harden (Raccoon) lake. Is 2060 acres that averages 24' deep with a max depth, by the dam, of about 60'. A big chunk of it is no wake though which really cuts down on where you can do water sports. It's the biggest lake that is close to us, about an hour away. Your right though. People that go to lakes like Dale Hollow would consider it a puddle. lol