Worst Time on the Water I Ever Had

[Larry Harp]

Despite the fact that the weatherman was calling for a cold front to move through the area around mid-day I went to the lake anyway. I thought, "no big deal the wind will come up and the temp will drop and the bite will get tough and I'll load up and go home and watch football." So I go... At first it was sunny to partly cloudy, around 62 or 64 degrees with a light wind. The bite was tough...more precisely nonexistant but I was hanging in there and trying. There was only two other boats on the lake. After around two hours on the water the wind had really come up and the skies starting getting real cloudy. I was in the back of a cove and wasn't getting blown around too bad but I could tell that the main lake was getting pretty choppy. Then it really hit. The wind got so strong that I could barely stand up on the boat. I decided it was time to get in. Unfortunatly I was on the opposite side of the stump infested lake from the ramp so I had to cross some pretty heavy stuff to get to the ramp. Slowly but surely I made my way across the small 1200 acre lake to the cove where the ramp is. Problem was the strong north wind was blowing right into the cove making the water in it almost as bad as the main lake. I got to the dock and crashed into it. It took all the strength I had to hold the boat to the dock while I tied up. The wind was so strong just walking to the car was a struggle. Got the trailer backed down and got back to the boat. That's when the real fun began. Everytime I tried to get on the trailer the wind would blow the boat sidways and I would go over the fenders, forceing me to throw it into reverse. The other problem was the stand of trees just to the south of the ramp that the wind was trying it's damnest to blow me into. I knew that if I got stuck in those trees there was no way the trolling motor would be strong enough to get me out. Water was crashing over the boat and I was soaked. Finally on the fourth attempt I powered the boat onto the trailer.



I was also worried about another fisherman I had talked to on the other side of the lake. It was his first time on that lake and I had told him how to go all the way up into the creek. If he was up there he would have been in real trouble. Happily, as soon as I hit the trailer he beached his 20' Cobra on the sandy bank next to the ramp. He was smart enough not to try to tie up to the dock. He had been sitting back watching me trying to get on the trailer. He even offered to pull my Jeep up so I wouldn't have to jump off in to the water.



What an ordeal. I was soaked to the skin from the water coming over the transom when I was backing off the trailer those three times. When I got back in my Jeep I noticed that the temperature had dropped from the mid 60's to 48 and the wind was so strong it was had to walk. I heard the weatherman say later, that when the front came through the wind was gusting to OVER 5O MPH Great weather to be on the lake in an 18' tin boat. I've been caught out in some spring thunderstorms that had me concerned but I had never been truly worried about my safety while in the boat until yesterday.



Harpo

 

[Michael Meier]

Sounds like all of the 4 days that Carlos and I spent at Erie fishing that tournament week before last, except it snowed, rained, etc....

With the exception of crashing the boat stuff.......

 

[Greg J.]

Everytime I tried to get on the trailer the wind would blow the boat sidways and I would go over the fenders, forceing me to throw it into reverse.

I've had those days with my PT175, and they scored real high on my list of things I do not enjoy. I comtemplated beaching it and waiting for the wind to die-down, but then figured I better go for it before it got any worse.

 

[Rich Stern]

Harpo, glad you made it ok. Those kinds of days remind you to respect mother nature.

 

[JR F]

Hey Harpo I got a big water boat for sale...HEE HEE...Glad all went well,,I have been there when I had my nitro..Luckily this one seems to be tall enough that It doesn't come In..

JR

 

[Larry Harp]

JR, I was wishing I had your boat believe me. The guy in the Cobra pulled his boat up on the trailer like no big deal. Reason #58 why I want a heavier boat. I was out on Lake Fork with steady winds of 25 to 30 mph and even though it was a ***** we didn't feel like our lives were in jeopordy.



I just talked to a friend of mine who went to the OU/Colorado game last night. He might have had it worse than I did. He sat in the upper deck which is around 6 or 7 stories up I'd guess. He said he was afraid he was going to get blown over the top.



Harpo

 

[Terry Hutchison]

Harpo, isn't that just a normal Oklahoma wind day? When I lived there a friend asked me to help him set up his new bass boat and show him proper boat operation. He only kept the boat for about 6 months and got rid of it because he got tired of getting blown off the lakes. Hutch

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

Glad you're alright. That aluminum just doesn't want to go where it's supposed to in that kind of wind. Been there done that.. The day I was going to put the boat in the water last week was very windy on my river so I changed my mind. It wasn't so bad that I was scared but I hate fishing in wind like that. Go get your new boat and stop whining about it. Be a man for goodness sake..:huh:



Uncle Billy

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Y'all need to respect Mother Nature with anything less than a 30 FOOTER:wacko:

 

[Larry Harp]

What can I say...I live a sheltered life.:unsure:



Harpo

 

[BJ Laster]

I fished for a little bit on saturday, late morning didnt get to the lake till 11ish and fished till 4. We went out to sportsmans a lil 300 acre lake near seminole. We didnt even get a bite! I havent had a day like that all year.



Glad you got your boat back up on the trailer and made it home alright.

 

[Teri C.]

Sissy ! Go Huskers!

 

[Bill McElroy]

LMAO @ Teri...(Sounds like a typical day on St.Clair doesn't it??!!)

 

[Larry Harp]

Whatdya mean sissy....they don't even have lakes in Nebraska.



BTW...how come you Huskers couldn't finish off them GD Longhorns? Can't I get any help down here?



Mac, I knew I'd get some crap from the Great Lakes crowd.



Harpo

 

[Mini]

No crap here Harpo, glad you made it home....



One question though....



Was it better than working?

 

[Larry Harp]

Hard to say....I don't work all that hard.



Harpo

 

[Mini]

Understood....I havent been either lately....Last week here, then off to my new job working in R&D for the Army