KY Lake Tournament

[Teri C.]

A women's tournament has been put together on Kentucky Lake May 6 & 7th. They are launching out of the Moors Resort or Sportsmans Edge. Many of us including myself had a NitroOwners rally there years ago. Gosh that was fun.



Anyway, trying to decide if I should enter as a boater or non boater. I will probably get whipped as a boater but thought it would be fun. I am worried that my boat won't be enough for that lake if it's the slightest bit windy. I have an 08 Triton Explorer 18ft with a 115 Optimax. When I was there last I had a Nitro fish and ski with a 115. I didn't go too far and going across the lake was quite a ride as it was windy.



Thoughts on safety?

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

This year at the MVM you need to take some boat driving instruction. Mac, Mini,& Neeley are some of the best big water drivers I have ever seen. Not to slight myself or CIII but these guys were born and bred in the big stuff. That being said, your boat will handle all but the very, very worst of conditions as soon as you learn her limits and the tricks of rough water driving.



TOXIC

 

[Greg Meyer]

Tox...



Send her up to John Clumpner or me... We like that big stuff...

 

[Dan J.]

I spent many summers/weekends growing up fishing KY Lake (Tatumsville/Aurora) out of a 12' Lowe/ Merc 9.9. Your boat will be fine in bad weather on it. You just have to plan your routes and don't ask more out of your hull than what's practical. When in doubt during rough conditions, "Go slow, so you can go some mo'!"

 

[Kevin Izzi]

Teri, The only thing stopping you is you! I have been reading your posts over the past few weeks and all I can say is get the stick out of your butt girl and go for it. It is one tourney and I bet once you work out all the butterflies you will do great! As for the water I have fished some really bad stuff on lake erie and I mean BAD! Like Dan J said slow down and work the waves you will be fine. Just make sure everything is secured and you have an extra bilge pump you will be fine. When all else fails swim baby swim! Best of luck The Dragon

 

[T AMBURGEY]

I have a extra bilge pump with alligator clamps and a hose, I fish out of a 2006 175 tracker with a 50 horse, on douglass there was a couple times it was needed. Those lessons are a great idea. I would like those myself

 

[Teri C.]

"..get the stick out of your butt girl.."



Wow! Is that my problem? When I pull it out I am going to autograph and send it to you, Dragon!

 

[TrepMan]

Teri - I won't post the picture, but you KNOW who kicked butt out of a 17ft 40hp Tracker that year!!! LOL And Neeley told Bob and I NOT To cross the main lake!!! Now we did NOT go WOT (which would have been say 28mph) but took it easy and fished that protected strip mine just fine and I even let Bob drive back!!! Its all about confidence, if you are not comfortable or concerned with the Triton with a 115 then don't do it, go as a non-boater, if you are confident and make sure you get to know the boat real well in the spring before hand, then just Do It !!



Now they are not large events, but I've fished a few 40-60 boat tourney's down here in my 700lx, even did one where we were in the first flight of 10, and just let the guys in the 20+ ft 250hp boats take off first and got to our spots just fine.

 

[Kevin Izzi]

Teri...I will have it mounted for you if you do....LOL



You can do it!!!!!

 

[Bruce Freeman]

Teri, go with your gut feeling, your boat is more than good enough and so are you. The first time I fished as a pro on lake Erie, I was more afraid of my co and I not catching fish than of the lake. Run at you pace and fish your water and you will do fine.



BF

 

[Randy Walls]

Teri I have a TV-18 with a 115. Fished several tourneys out of Moors with the big boys and seem to do fine. The boat was not any problem as much as my poor fishing fudgement and adjustments were! It will be fine and have a back up plan closer to the launch point if the weather does get worse!



Randy!

 

[Brian Ingersoll]

First I want to congratulate Trep on not letting another chance to brag go by unnoticed



If you're thinking this much about it, then just go for it. Usually you can run on one side of the lake or the other. Your boat should be just fine if you take your time. If it happens to be really rough, just back off a little bit. That tournament will be before the ledge bite gets hot so it should even things up for the non-locals.

If you fish it I'll be glad to try to either fish with you for a day if possible or at least share what info I can.

 

[Mini]

Go for it Teri.

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Meyer,



You and Clumpner are the LAST people I would send her to!!! Your idea of rough water handling is to mount a semi-truck cushioned seat in your boat with hydrolic shocks!! Remember what happened that day?....Something about blowing a rivet out of the side of your rig:lol::lol: That didn't happen because you were "floating" over the waves!! And as for John...I guess the blisters I had on my back, and the skin I left on his vinyl seat because I couldn't keep my shirt tucked in from all of the air time I had, was an indication of his big wave avoidance system!!:lol:



I pulled the short straw and got to give Ken's son Jonathon a driving lesson last year in CIII's boat. Got loose fillings from that one!!:lol: The MVM will give her the ability to feel confident but cautious and will teach the proper respect for the water, that is very important. Over confidence = swamped boat. Learning to tack and throttle control, wave angle and distance apart, rollers vs breakers, wind direction, current and a hundred different things all have to be considered. And just to prove we are the most cautious bunch, 2 years ago we trailered the boats to the other side of the lake (even had to pay to take the ferry) every day so that we could fish sheltered water and not have to cross in nasty, nasty, water. Safety is always the highest consideration.



TOXIC

 

[Dan Poff]

Teri,



Go, have fun, if the wind is howling on the main lake there are still plenty

of places you can run to from Moors to fish. I have a Nitro Z7 with a 150 and I turned around and fished close to home when the wind on the main lake was howling, no fish is worth it. Doesn't mean you can't fish, I saw guys catching plenty of fish in and around the marina . As a matter of fact this one guy caught a 4+ pounder from under the walk ramp on a wacky rig when I was taking a break:blink:.



Shelbydad

 

[Greg Meyer]

Tox,



Loose teeth, loose rivets, shirt tuck here and there... We fish out of real man boats... Ones with sides... And, waves of 3-5' are common...



On a serious note... it is very hard to run in big water that has been beat up by 200+' Naval vessels and freighters... Adds a whole new meaning to "wake"...



BTW, last winter I replaced over 200 rivets in that hull... drilled out those wimpy factory ones and used hydraulic set stainless steel 3/16th inch rivets with epoxy bonded to them...

 

[Mini]

Try 600-1000 foot freighters and more boats on any single water system in the world....



There are 3-4 footers with no wind on a sunny Saturday afternoon.....



Imagine all these boats leaving.....





http://www.aerialpics.com/J/rafting8-06.html



http://www.aerialpics.com/J/rafting8-09.html



http://www.aerialpics.com/J/jobbienooner07.html



And these "boats" come within a couple hundred feet of some of my best places to fish



http://www.aerialpics.com/I/ships.html

 

[Mike Levesque]

Either way Teri, boater or non,you know you're gonna have a whole bunch of us pulling for you, and eagerly awaiting your updates! ( I know I don't "know" you, other than what I read here), but it almost seems you don't realize how damn good you are! One thing you also may want to think about, would be, if/when it gets rough out there, would you be more comfortable as a passenger going where someone else wants to go or as the one in charge, making your own decisions on where to fish or how fast/slow to go. Whatever happens, safety first, fish second. As far as if you have enough boat for it, that's each boat owner's decision. I've had my 16 ft tin boat with 60hp out on Lake Michigan a few times, and on a few cooling lakes that get choppy as heck with enough wind. Anyway, long story short here, sorry, whatever you do, you know you got a whole bunch of us pulling for you. Good Luck!

 

[Jimmy Easterling]

I was there last July in my Z6 w/115, don't know if the weather is different in July but I went any and everywhere I wanted to and most of the time it was WOT. We fished the opposite side of the lake morning and evening for a week. Never was uncomfortable in my little boat. If it's anything like Santee in windy conditions, just run close to shore. Good luck.

 

[Teri C.]

Thanks for all the encouragement guys! I've decided I am going to fish the Weekend Series TN Central as a co-angler and I will make the KY Lake tournament boater/nonboater decision later. It will depend on how much boat time I get between now and then. Hopefully I will be able to fish KY lake a few times before the tournament. If not, I can't really justify $650 entry fee as a boater.

 

[Carlos Hathcock III]

No one told me Johnathan beat the snot out of my boat last year...whats up with that??



Teri, its not all that bad; as Hammer said you can get lessons from the Northern guys...Potoamc is a bit squirely, not as bad a St Clair (Neeley, remember the run back across last year???) but a bit different the St Clair with the waves

 

[Ken Neeley]

I remember that ride!!!



Tox....you remember the ride in my boat acroos the pond 2 years ago when everyone else trailered across?!?

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

YES!! And add to the pucker factor you were almost outta fuel!! Running out of gas in those seas would have been DISASTER!! We made it and dry nonetheless!! That was some skilled driving Ken.



And CIII, I didn't let him beat it half as much as you do!!:lol:



TOXIC

 

[JR F]

Relax C111 It's a Ranger It can take It...Bwhahahhahahaahhha Want me to get you a new one at less..