Calling all MidWest Boaters

[75TowerOfPower]

Well since everyone west or south has their threads about the great waters they have why not have a thread on Midwest?s lakes.

Post up about where you live and the lakes you frequent and a little about them.

I live 20 miles north of Cincinnati and I go to:

Lake Brookville - Busy on the weekends but manageable, has gas on the water and multiple places for mooring. Decent camping really close. waves pickup around 2PM since that?s when the bigger boats get moving out there. Also, need a Indiana DNR sticker to boat on the lake, $20 a year and they will check on big boating weekends.

East Fork State Park (William H. Harsha Lake) - Smaller lake and can have some debris on the east side of the lake after rains. Campground has own ramp and very close to lake. Has beach but no marina on the water.

Ceasar's Creek - Seems to be a little bigger than 2800 acres with 4 boat ramps. Only been a couple times but like most lakes around here less busy on the weekdays. They have boat camping in a designated area.

Norris Lake - Part of the Tenn/KY chain of lakes. Gorgoeous lake clean, warm water. Not many people around and if they are you can usually find places to hide. Lots of rentals for camping, houses with docks and floating houses in most of the marinas. Awesome place, your boating in the mountains. Huge lake with like 20 something marinas.

 

[DaNinja]

Re: Calling all MidWest Boaters

We have a place on Lake of The Ozarks. I've been spending 5-6 months there the past few years.
The lake is around 55,000 acres with 1100 miles of shoreline surrounding some 90 miles of lake.

The lake offers anything you want, though the rough weekend water can be troublesome for smaller boats.
Our 24' is definitely on the small side for LOTO on the weekends, but living on the Niangua Branch, we can usually find calmer waters

 

[Slide]

Re: Calling all MidWest Boaters

I am on the north side of Cincy as well. We boat occasionally at Caesar's Creek, and I will probably be up there a lot more in July-August as I will have some downtime between summer class and fall semester. Normally though, we boat on the Ohio River a few miles upstream of the Meldahl dam. I also have family with a house down at Norris so I'll probably make at least one trip down there.

 

[possum2082]

Re: Calling all MidWest Boaters

i have since move to lexington, ky. we've got a supposedly cleaned up lake harrington about 30 mi south and a beautiful cave run lake that never seems too crowded about 60 mi east. 2 dollar for the ramp (hang a tag on your mirror).

 

[86 century]

Re: Calling all MidWest Boaters

I am about 60miles north of Indianapolis spend most of my time on missinawa reservoir. Great camp ground with ramp and free semi protected mooring. Can get rough on weekends but nothing a 16'er cant handle.

I can be found there most weekends in the summer if would like to come drop me a line would be glad to show you around.

 

[Dkrager]

Re: Calling all MidWest Boaters

I live in SW Central Illinois, west of Girard, IL (35miles SW of Springfield)

We live right beside Otter Lake. Small 750 acre lake. 115 outboard HP limit. Bunch of small campers/cabins, but no houses on the lake. Lots of pontoons and small runabouts. Clean water with some sand beaches. We boat here 90% of the time. Some small coves to hide in.

Illinois/Mississippi rivers are just an hour drive to the west of me and we try to go over there once a year if there isn't any flooding. Usually put in at Kampsville and cruise down the IL river to Grafton and hang out there bar hopping for the day.

Springfield lake, is to the North of me 35 miles. 4200 acres with houses surrounding most of it. Not many quiet coves, but something different.

Lake Taylorville, about 50 min. east of me. 1200 acre lake. A friend of mine has a nice lake lot there with a dock. We try to visit there once a year and make a weekend of it. Lake is surrounded by some homes and lake lots.

Mark Twain is to the NW of me about 2.5 hrs Been there only once. More of a fishing lake. (I don't fish)

Lake Shelbyville about 1.5 hrs east of me. Been camping and boating there once and would like to go back sometime.


Since Otter is in our backyard, we use it almost every weekend. Then we try to visit at least one of the others I've listed for a change of pace.

 

[Northern Lights]

Re: Calling all MidWest Boaters

Mississippi river, keep our boat at Two Rivers marina on the Il. side across from Louisiana, Mo. Have been to the Quad Cities, would like to go farther north this year if the river is't at flood stage all year. It' about 80 miles south to Alton and the marinas on the Dardenne slough. The great thing about being on the river is all the places you can go and people you meet.

 

[DaNinja]

Re: Calling all MidWest Boaters

The view from the front door at LOTO.

Dockside. Our boat is in the slip. My friend's Black Thunder is parked alongside of our dock.

 

[mnewb1]

Re: Calling all MidWest Boaters

Grand Haven MI

Lake Michigan
Spring Lake
Grand River

 

[DaNinja]

Re: Calling all MidWest Boaters

Grand Haven MI

Lake Michigan
Spring Lake
Grand River

I grew up there.

I learned to slalom and barefoot in the gravel pit up from Riverside Park on the Grand River.
I stayed with my brother in his apartment above the "Calico Cat" alongside "The Kirby" in Grand Haven many years ago.
Ahh the memories...Coast Guard Festival, Tulip time, the Festival in Grand Rapids.

 

[KingHardcor]

Re: Calling all MidWest Boaters

I grew up in canoes in northern WI so spent a good amount of time on rivers.

But, I'm just getting into power boating. The lake I will first put in on when I finish restoring my boat is Lake Ripley in Cambridge, WI. That's the lake that Ole Evinrude started on. My Folks live there and I work there so I spend a lot of time in the area. Also, Bark Bay of Lake Superior and Rock Lake in Lake Mills, WI. I have a lot of friends there. Looking forward to finding other places as well.

 

[Silly Seville]

Re: Calling all MidWest Boaters

I have managed to visit virtually every large body of water Indiana has to offer, (3000+ acres) and I must say, my favorite is Monroe Reservoir! The Fourwinds marina on the south side has courtesy docks to access a small adjacent beach and a ritzy on-the-water hotel, and includes boat rentals and hi-brow types. If you are a rock-n-roll buff, cruise by Mellencamps place and be envious! (Ask any local to point it out) A close second is Brookville; the beach is amazing for a state run park, but I stay out of the channel when the big boys whip it into a frenzy, and instead, go tooling up to no-mans land at Quakertown. It is so peaceful, (two mile no-wake zone) and they offer $10 per night offshore mooring with shuttle service to a mom & pop marina, and allow beach parking during open hours. Patoka is a nature-lovers dream! The autumn foliage is some kind of living poetry and if you stay long enough, you will be rewarded with seeing bald eagles! I would split the difference between Mississinewa and Salamonie reservoirs for fourth place. Yes, boat parking for camp ground is cool, but limited amenities elsewhere. Stay away from Morse Reservoir at Noblesville when the water is low and avoid getting too close to private docks! That place is fraught with hull danger. Chunks of concrete from housing construction just below surface, boulders the size of large outboards and sand/gravel bars for your every keel scraping/prop chewing delight! Oh yeah, $28-35 dollars to launch! The locals sure are proud of it and its neighbor Geist though! Sheesh! :facepalm:

 

[emilsr]

Re: Calling all MidWest Boaters

We currently live (and boat) at Lake of the Ozarks, and love it. 92 miles of main channel and another 40 miles of tributaries means there's enough lake to keep just about anyone entertained for a long time. It has a reputation as a party lake, and for being extremely rough.....and those things are true.....but they're only true on weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and then only on certain parts of the lake.

Most of the time (off season and during the week) it's a nice, quiet place with beautiful scenery, plenty of things to see and do (on and off the water), good fishing, nice people; the list could go on and on. Pick your times right and this has to be one of the best boating destinations in the country, no matter what "flavor" of boating you're looking for. We have it all, from sailboats to 200mph speed boats and everything in between. Hang with a crowd or get away from everyone and everything....either are possible.

Honestly, we're more of the "get away from it all" type of boaters and I wasn't sure we'd enjoy LOTO, but after living here a couple of years (almost) I can tell you that my concerns faded in no time. It certainly is the crazy lake that "everyone" says it is on a holiday weekend, but you still have the opportunity not to participate in the insanity if that's your choice.

 

[specialk]

Re: Calling all MidWest Boaters

Like 75TowerofPower, I live around 20 miles north of Cincinnati. I mostly boat at Ceasar's Creek.

Ceasar's Creek - Seems to be a little bigger than 2800 acres with 4 boat ramps. Less busy on the weekdays. Can get busy during weekends. They have boat camping in a designated area.

A couple of times last year I went to East Fork lake but like Ceasar's better.

I also have fallen in love with Norris Lake.

Norris Lake - Part of the Tenn/KY chain of lakes. Gorgoeous lake clean, warm water. Not many people around and if they are you can usually find places to hide. Lots of rentals for camping, houses with docks and floating houses in most of the marinas. Awesome place, your boating in the mountains. Huge lake with like 20 something marinas.

I likely will be heading to Norris twice this year.

 

[DaNinja]

Re: Calling all MidWest Boaters

We currently live (and boat) at Lake of the Ozarks, and love it. 92 miles of main channel and another 40 miles of tributaries means there's enough lake to keep just about anyone entertained for a long time. It has a reputation as a party lake, and for being extremely rough.....and those things are true.....but they're only true on weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and then only on certain parts of the lake.

Most of the time (off season and during the week) it's a nice, quiet place with beautiful scenery, plenty of things to see and do (on and off the water), good fishing, nice people; the list could go on and on. Pick your times right and this has to be one of the best boating destinations in the country, no matter what "flavor" of boating you're looking for. We have it all, from sailboats to 200mph speed boats and everything in between. Hang with a crowd or get away from everyone and everything....either are possible.

Honestly, we're more of the "get away from it all" type of boaters and I wasn't sure we'd enjoy LOTO, but after living here a couple of years (almost) I can tell you that my concerns faded in no time. It certainly is the crazy lake that "everyone" says it is on a holiday weekend, but you still have the opportunity not to participate in the insanity if that's your choice.

That summed up the lake nicely. We would probably live there full-time if the house was bigger and employment opportunities were more available.

 

[75TowerOfPower]

Re: Calling all MidWest Boaters

I remembered another lake I have been to.

Rocky Fork Lake - 2000 acres,Long skiny lake, has a far amount of sailboats and also have a mooring field that is protected and run by their sailing club. A couple ramps but no parking at the south one, Blue Ribbon Rd. Map shows 6 ramps and a marina with pontoon rentals. Big time fishing lake for locals. Can get rough real fast.

 

[tswiczko]

Re: Calling all MidWest Boaters

I have managed to visit virtually every large body of water Indiana has to offer, (3000+ acres) and I must say, my favorite is Monroe Reservoir! The Fourwinds marina on the south side has courtesy docks to access a small adjacent beach and a ritzy on-the-water hotel, and includes boat rentals and hi-brow types. If you are a rock-n-roll buff, cruise by Mellencamps place and be envious! (Ask any local to point it out) A close second is Brookville; the beach is amazing for a state run park, but I stay out of the channel when the big boys whip it into a frenzy, and instead, go tooling up to no-mans land at Quakertown. It is so peaceful, (two mile no-wake zone) and they offer $10 per night offshore mooring with shuttle service to a mom & pop marina, and allow beach parking during open hours. Patoka is a nature-lovers dream! The autumn foliage is some kind of living poetry and if you stay long enough, you will be rewarded with seeing bald eagles! I would split the difference between Mississinewa and Salamonie reservoirs for fourth place. Yes, boat parking for camp ground is cool, but limited amenities elsewhere. Stay away from Morse Reservoir at Noblesville when the water is low and avoid getting too close to private docks! That place is fraught with hull danger. Chunks of concrete from housing construction just below surface, boulders the size of large outboards and sand/gravel bars for your every keel scraping/prop chewing delight! Oh yeah, $28-35 dollars to launch! The locals sure are proud of it and its neighbor Geist though! Sheesh! :facepalm:

Been to Patoka many times, They have a very nice campground, even the popup and tent spots have enough room to park our 24' w/cuddy, rates aren't too bad last time I was there it was about $17 a night for a spot w/electric, primitive is around 5 or 7 but I haven't done primitive in a couple years, 20 dollar indiana inland lake sticker, 5 dollar entry fee, several free launches (very wide), slip rental if they are not already rented, gas dock and toon rental, gas station and general store with about everything you could need,

I haven't been to Monroe yet, it isn't much bigger than patoka, I prefer boating on the river.

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: Calling all MidWest Boaters

I've been watching this thread and debated if I should post or not.

I guess Michigan is the midwest...

Anyways, I had started a thread last May about boating in Michigan. Here is a link:

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=398771&page=1

There is a lot of good information about many different lakes/destinations in Michigan.

 

[bekosh]

Re: Calling all MidWest Boaters

Checking in from Wisconsin! We mainly boat on the Lake Winnebago system but like to haul over to Lake Michigan a couple of time a year. Either Port Washington for a run down to Milwaukee or up to Sturgeon Bay to explore around Door County.

Check out the links in my signature for maps of where I've been & a friends blog/forum dedicated to the Winnebago system.

 

[1980Coronado]

Re: Calling all MidWest Boaters

I live about 6 miles NE of Fort Wayne, IN.

My in laws have a nice "shack" on lake George in Branch County MI, where my boat is parked in the Summer. Lake George is a 500 acre lake on the Michigan Indiana border. About 2/3 of the lake is in Steuben County, Indiana. The cottage owners association successfully lobbied both states to impose restricted fast boating hours along with several other laws unique to the lake back in the late 70's or early 80's. Being someone who enjoys both fishing and skiing, it makes the lake a wonderful place to be. You can go fishing in the morning and evening w/o getting run over and rocked to death, and you can ski between 10:00 am and 6:30 pm. The other rule is that all boats traveling parallel to shore must do so in a counter clockwise manner...(shore to the starboard side). This may seem silly...but...on busy weekends it really helps knowing that you will never have to deal with head-on boat traffic while pulling a skier.

The lake is also home to a unique sailboat called the Inland Cat. It is a mono hull boat with a jib and main sail, and they were all built locally. There is a sailing club that races them every weekend during the summer.

I love this lake. You can sit on the dock in the morning having your coffee in the peace and calm watching a sunrise, or take a slow cruise around the lake. Then at 10:00 it all revs up for the day. At 6:30 everything calms down again and you can enjoy dinner on the deck without the sound of jet skis screaming by.