Worst Boat Traffic Lake In State

[Shane J]

In N.H., it's gotta be Winnepesaukee, you know, the one that was listed in the top 100 lakes thing? The exact reason I don't even fish it. The traffic is stupid, with a huge mix of college dudes that probably don't even have their driver's licenses due to D.U.I's, and a ridiculous amount of tournaments each year. You can catch 4lb smallies till you're blue in the face, but the aggravation is not worth it to me.

[senile1]

Here is another vote for Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri.  One can still catch fish on a busy lake, but if your boat is in danger of capsizing much of the time that you are on the water it makes for a harrowing day of fishing.  Another lake that is very bad between Memorial Day and Labor Day is Smithville Lake.  I have heard it dubbed Little Lake Ozark.  I fish Smithville a lot and it isn't uncommon to catch big air on a busy summer weekend if you aren't extremely careful.

[everythingthatswims]

Try lake anna in the summer, get out in the big open areas and you're the only one there, but as soon as the banks get closer together, you are surrounded by water skiers, tubers, and pleasure boaters. Doesn't make a bit of sense. And I fish from a kayak so I always go during the week. One of my pet peeves is when a boat enters a no wake zone right next to me and comes about 1/2 off plane and ends up making a much bigger wake then he/she would have made by staying on plane, slowing down for 50 yards can't be that much of a burden can it?

[BigPharma]

Lake Wallenpaupack in PA

[Tartan34]

I fished in a tourney last weekend on Lake Butler.  It was jet ski and ski boat misery.  The worst I've ever experienced, and that was before pulling out at the ramp. 

 

I was really tempted to throw my single hook swimbait at the one who buzzed us at about 15 yards...but resisted.  It was an older couple with their lap dog on a jet ski....I was truly amazed.  

 

 

Only lakes in central Florida with jet skis and skiers are the urban lakes in Orlando.  

 

And yeah the inlets in Florida on a weekend are a mess. 

[mattbbassin]

I think in Texas in the Houston area that Lake Conroe has the worst traffic because of the jet skiers and the wakeboarders and skiers plus there aint great fishin out there so it is kinda hard to have an extravagant fishing population

[SPEEDBEAD.]

Raystown, between the two summer holidays and a little beyond, is absolutely atrocious.

 

I dont really like the lake to begin with but when you factor these knuckleheads in it makes the decision to fish elsewhere fairly simple.

[paangler13]

I agree Raystown in Pa.  You have to fish it during the week. If I go on the weekend it's till 10:00am max. 

 

In 2004 I think, we were fishing when a skier went down about 50 yards ahead of us. we fished up to and past this guy. The boat just keeps going around the bend and out of sight.  He told us they were all drunk, but they'd be back eventually!  They did come back about 15 minutes later.  Gotta love it.

 

Jim 

[buzzed bait]

Back in NC it would have been Lake Norman, party boat central.....

in GA i've found way too many electric only or HP restricted lakes to get onto the big ones.....

[NathanW]

Western Washington, pick a lake. Samamish, Whatcom (Just while launching at bleodel), Lake Washington, all bad.

 

Eastern WA, probably Chelan or Wallula.

 

I really cannot complain about fishing pressure becasue aside from big bass tourney weekends the lakes I regularly fish have relatively no bass fishing pressure whatsoever. If I was chasing Salmon it would be a different deal to speak of. I get excited when I see other bass boats out.

 

Also, you cannot blame jetskiers, they dont know any better. Its just folks trying to have a good time with their kids usually. Its ironic because I used to be a wakeboarder and I hated when bass boats would ruin our water, now I am a bass fisherman and I hate it when wakeboard boats attempt to capsize me.

[DILLY07]

Lake of the Ozarks can be horrible. I just ignore it and go on fishing.

[Nick49]

I fish Lake of the Ozarks regularly, but on summer weekends it is all but impossible to fish between 9:00 am and 7:00 pm.

[hookset on 3]

In N.H., it's gotta be Winnepesaukee, you know, the one that was listed in the top 100 lakes thing? The exact reason I don't even fish it. The traffic is stupid, with a huge mix of college dudes that probably don't even have their driver's licenses due to D.U.I's, and a ridiculous amount of tournaments each year. You can catch 4lb smallies till you're blue in the face, but the aggravation is not worth it to me.

 

 

Yeah, I got your back on that, Shane. The last time I fished it, we were sticking 2 to 4 lb smallmouth around most of the mid lake islands. Then around noon time the Cabin cruisers and Cigarettes Racing boats invaded the lake. It was treacherous!

 

I've not been back in about 6 years.

[Alpha Male]

Overall, I'm gonna pick Minnetonka.

Opening weekend would be lake mille lacs as fas as quantity. Everyone is out there to fish so noone is to disrespectful.