This happened to me

[NETim]

We left Bay Store camp bright and early yesterday (Sat) morning. Well, early anyway.

What a hideous ride out. Everything was gray and wet. Wind, rain and more wind and more rain. It was a long, LONG ways down to Morson sportsfans.

Obviously we made it, but there was more than one occasion where I questioned my sanity (probably about the 4th time I noticed the bilge pump running).

Though we thought we were dressed adequately, my wife and I both got cold so out came the life vests for more insulation. Hypothermia is real and is not helpful when trying to avoid collisions with rocks etc.

Anyway, I throttled down to idle from a rip roaring 8 mph so she could go forward to get the vests out of the forward dry storage. Before she could get the hatch open, a moderately big wave strayed into the boat and the casting deck became a wading pool for a short while. The coolers were floating around and all that good stuff.

Being the observant type, I immediately realized that idling in those waves wasn't a good idea.

Rev'ed the boat way back up to 8 mph and my wife was able to get the vests.

Took us 4 hours to get from Oak to Morson it did.

Another LOTW memory.

[Tim Kelly]

Be driving up to Youngs Landing next year then?

Sounds like a great adventure to me. At least you bilge pump worked. When Martin and I were there we saw a storm coming and wondered why all the wussy Americans were high tailing it back to their camps. A couple of hours later, with a half sunk camp boat of Franks which we'd be holding off the rocks on an Island with dead tree limbs. I was fumbling round underwater trying to work out what was up with the bilge, while Martin was bailing manfully. I eventually got the pump running again and we carried on fishing. Don't know what all the fuss was about.

[dpear]

Tim,
Glad to hear you and Rachel made it safe and semi sound.Having survived a trip earlier that morning I knew you were in for a ride.
Great to see you two again after some years and congrats on a successful week.Keep on '8ing'Rachel!

[NETim]

Tim,
Glad to hear you and Rachel made it safe and semi sound.Having survived a trip earlier that morning I knew you were in for a ride.
Great to see you two again after some years and congrats on a successful week.Keep on '8ing'Rachel!

Same here Dick. It was good to see you too. I hope all is well on the farm. Heard Mother Nature wasn't kind to your trees.

[NETim]

Be driving up to Youngs Landing next year then?

Sounds like a great adventure to me. At least you bilge pump worked. When Martin and I were there we saw a storm coming and wondered why all the wussy Americans were high tailing it back to their camps. A couple of hours later, with a half sunk camp boat of Franks which we'd be holding off the rocks on an Island with dead tree limbs. I was fumbling round underwater trying to work out what was up with the bilge, while Martin was bailing manfully. I eventually got the pump running again and we carried on fishing. Don't know what all the fuss was about.

I just can't bring myself to drag my plastic boat down that gravel road.

Glad to hear your "adventure" ended well too. LOTW is very moody to say the least.

[Illinois Dennis]

Tim,
Maybe you could make yourself some fancy mud/rock flaps. I made some oversized ones that I can slip on/off when I reach the gravel.

That road with the loose rock and fast speeds can tear up yer rig pretty quick.

[NETim]

Tim,
Maybe you could make yourself some fancy mud/rock flaps. I made some oversized ones that I can slip on/off when I reach the gravel.

That road with the loose rock and fast speeds can tear up yer rig pretty quick.

I've got a good set o' mud flaps on the truck. It's the oncoming traffic that I worry about. Some of those guys look like they have the rig wide open when they go by.

Currently running these flaps:

http://www.towtector.com/

[Pikebob]

I have the big mud flaps too, that did not resolve everything, still peppered the boat. When I got a new one, I had a (settle down Frank), custom bra made for it, works excellent. I also put carpet around the entire trailer, cause my old one also got beat up big time. It is a pain in the ass, but man oh man, I don't cry like I did the first time I got of the gravel after hauling ass down that road!

Pikebob

[Tim Kelly]

This looks like a good answer to the stone battering to me.

[Mr Musky]

With the thousands and thousands of anglers that visit the angle each year it really baffles me why that section is not blacktopped. The highways leading up to that road are blacktopped and they are fine and seem to handle the winter well. If you hit that last stretch during or after a rain your in trouble, that stuff is like trying to scrap concrete off of fiberglass! That stuff does not come off! It's a shame.

Mr Musky

[Frank Walsh]

Problem is the Indian factor.

[Mr Musky]

You have a point there Frank.