Struggling: Keep boat or trade for Kayak

[flyfisher]

4 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Where are all these electric only lakes people are always talking about? I’ve never seen one 

They are all over here in VA.  Many are reservoirs where i think they use them for water supplies and a few of the others with HP restrictions are because when they flooded them they left all the standing timber.  I have seen kayakers get stuck on the trees and more than one person going full speed with their 9.9 stop dead and flip someone overboard.

 

[TnRiver46]

3 minutes ago, flyfisher said:

They are all over here in VA.  Many are reservoirs where i think they use them for water supplies and a few of the others with HP restrictions are because when they flooded them they left all the standing timber.  I have seen kayakers get stuck on the trees and more than one person going full speed with their 9.9 stop dead and flip someone overboard.

 

I’ve gotten my 18.5 center console stuck on cypress knees many times with the trolling motor on 10 percent. 
 

I think they always leave the standing timber, good luck removing it. Just takes a certain amount of years to rot 

[flyfisher]

4 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I’ve gotten my 18.5 center console stuck on cypress knees many times with the trolling motor on 10 percent. 
 

I think they always leave the standing timber, good luck removing it. Just takes a certain amount of years to rot 

maybe so but i know these lakes have way more than any of the others around here so that may be a factor as well.  

[TnRiver46]

3 minutes ago, flyfisher said:

maybe so but i know these lakes have way more than any of the others around here so that may be a factor as well.  

I’m guessing it takes at least 40 years to rot away, lake fork is loaded with and I think was flooded in 87. If somebody told me to remove it all I would look for another job haha

[TOXIC]

I used to be the electric only lake fanatic.  I was always on the waters around me with a 2 man Bass Hunter.  I’m close to northern Virginia so there is a lot of lakes that direction that are electric only or hp restricted here is a short list off the top of my head…..

Motts Run, electric

Occoquan Reservoir, 9.9 limit

Lake Mooney, electric

Beaverdam Reservoir, electric

Lake Brittle, electric

Mountain Run Reservoir, electric

Lake Pelham, electric

Crockett Park, electric 

Lake Curtis, electric

Lake Orange, electric

Most of these I have fished.  Depends on the body of water whether or not you can put a boat with a big motor in.  Some allow it with the motor tilted up, some require the prop removed and some don’t allow it at all.  There are many more I fished but can’t remember them off the top of my head.  I got a publication from the VDGIF of all the lakes in the state they managed and I was going to hit every electric only one but I got bit by the big rig bug and started guiding.  There are some pretty impressive electric bass boats out there and they even have a tournament trail.  

[casts_by_fly]

13 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Where are all these electric only lakes people are always talking about? I’ve never seen one 

We have a bunch here in NJ. We don’t have many big lakes in the first place. Some of the electric only are private lakes with lots of lake houses which allow public access. Some are state parks. One is a back up water supply. On top of the electric only waters we have a few more that are 9.9 hp limited. Of all the lakes we have, there are only 4 that are unlimited hp and one is split between ny and nj. 

[TnRiver46]

Ok it makes sense the commonwealth would be loaded with them haha. Built with speeding ticket revenue? 

[Functional]

Yea the lakes here depend on the guy working the ramp that day. It's never consistent but as of now I have yet to hit a day they would let me. My father did but that was 3 years ago before I took the boat. 

[gim]

23 hours ago, GaryH said:

You can here in Pa. I can’t say for N.C. Just don’t start the big motor and your good to go.

Same in MN.  You can fish an electric-only lake with an outboard, you just can't start/use it.  I have personally never been on one.

 

Sometimes when we get a big rain event, lakes go to minimum wake only use for a while.  That's essentially the same as an electric-only lake.  Drives the recreational boater crowd nuts.  Doesn't bother me though.

[MN Fisher]

8 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Same in MN.  You can fish an electric-only lake with an outboard, you just can't start/use it.  I have personally never been on one.

Don't know of any electric only lakes around here. Little Long has a 10hp limit, but that's it.

[gim]

1 minute ago, MN Fisher said:

Don't know of any electric only lakes around here.

Most of the "city lakes" like Calhoun, Harriet, Cedar, and Nokomis are electric only.

[MN Fisher]

1 minute ago, gimruis said:

Most of the "city lakes" like Calhoun, Harriet, Cedar, and Nokomis are electric only.

Only one of those I've fished is Nokomis - and that was from shore back around 1985 - before I moved into my current place, I lived in Richfield.

[FryDog62]

34 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Don't know of any electric only lakes around here. Little Long has a 10hp limit, but that's it.

Lake Rebecca just West of us near Rockford is electric only. Has a decent population of small/mid-sized musky and largemouth. Good small boat waterway at 250 acres...

[MN Fisher]

19 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

Lake Rebecca just West of us near Rockford is electric only. Has a decent population of small/mid-sized musky and largemouth. Good small boat waterway at 250 acres...

Haven't been to Rebecca - I'm limited in my range... and that's a bit outside it.

[Woody B]

On 12/31/2022 at 4:48 PM, Woody B said:

I launch and load my boat by myself all the time with a rope.  Where I tie the rope depends on the location, and how crowded the ramp is.   I'll time myself tomorrow from the time I put my truck in reverse until I'm in the boat.   

 

3 minutes 36 seconds from putting the truck in reverse to pulling away in the boat.   I WAS in a hurry.  Probably normally take a couple minutes more.  

[padon]

let me school you guys on electric only lakes,lol I live on the maryland PA line.There are 3 electric only lakes near me in PA. they are water supply lakes and you can just lift your motor , they are small about 500 acres so no big deal. there are 3 lakes in maryland that are my main fishing lakes. theyre electric only and good size about 3000 acres. they are electric only and you can not have an outboard on the boat. there is only 1 ramp on each lake you are allowed to launch from. all the guys who fish these lakes seriously have specialty boats. electric outboards ranging from home made to the latest technology. most have ray, torqueedo  or elco electrics ranging from 48 volt to 72volt systems. because of weight purposes most of us have converted to lithium batteries to power our rigs. most of us buy tracker style boats with no outboard or gas tanks or big john boats and then custom make decks storage etc from aluminum. (  think tiny boat nation stuff) this all results in specialized electric boats that cost from 15to 30 plus thousand dollars.

[jitterbug127]

There are lots of trolley motor only lakes in northern indiana 3+ hours north of me. I’ll get back up there eventually 

[Darth-Baiter]

our electric only lakes are water supply lakes.  might play a part in them rules.

[Junk Fisherman]

On 1/1/2023 at 6:17 PM, padon said:

let me school you guys on electric only lakes,lol I live on the maryland PA line.There are 3 electric only lakes near me in PA. they are water supply lakes and you can just lift your motor , they are small about 500 acres so no big deal. there are 3 lakes in maryland that are my main fishing lakes. theyre electric only and good size about 3000 acres. they are electric only and you can not have an outboard on the boat. there is only 1 ramp on each lake you are allowed to launch from. all the guys who fish these lakes seriously have specialty boats. electric outboards ranging from home made to the latest technology. most have ray, torqueedo  or elco electrics ranging from 48 volt to 72volt systems. because of weight purposes most of us have converted to lithium batteries to power our rigs. most of us buy tracker style boats with no outboard or gas tanks or big john boats and then custom make decks storage etc from aluminum. (  think tiny boat nation stuff) this all results in specialized electric boats that cost from 15to 30 plus thousand dollars.

 

And I bet you have boaters that complain and feel they should be able to put their bassboat on the lakes?  There are several HP-restricted lakes in Illinois and you always hear that complaint.  Like you said, guys spend thousands of dollars to get their boat set up for a specific set of rules on a nearby lake and others want to change the rules just to accommodate them.  Yeah- it's a pet peeve of mine.  

[padon]

24 minutes ago, Junk Fisherman said:

 

And I bet you have boaters that complain and feel they should be able to put their bassboat on the lakes?  There are several HP-restricted lakes in Illinois and you always hear that complaint.  Like you said, guys spend thousands of dollars to get their boat set up for a specific set of rules on a nearby lake and others want to change the rules just to accommodate them.  Yeah- it's a pet peeve of mine.  

yeah we do.believe me i wish i could too but thats just not the rules and i understand why.the thing that sucks is we live on the chesapeake bay so alot of the tidal rivers and creeks offer good fishing. and while i use my electric boat on parts of some of them its obviuosly less than ideal so you pick your option.

[WRB]

Castiac Lagoon (after bay) is electric only, not a drinking water supply.

I can’t get into or out of a kayak, boat for me.

Butch Brown has a electric powered boat not a kayak to fish the lagoon.

Tom

 

[cnkale80]

Lake Gordon in South Hill, VA is electric only.  lots of channel cats and quite a few bowfin as well as bass, pike, and panfish.

[Bird]

Every electric only lakes I've fished in VA - WV allow an outboard, trimmed up.

[Cbump]

On 12/21/2022 at 10:39 AM, Choporoz said:

@Functional, for me, pedal vs paddle was really night and day.  I know some who paddle, love it and do well - in fact our current club AOY is a paddler.  I paddled for 3 years.  After getting a Hobie, fishing from a kayak was 100 times better for me.  I'm probably not 2 hours from you (Mayo); if you'd like to come up and try fishing from a Native and a Hobie to see how you like it, PM me and we'll make it happen.

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