Boat to small for patoka lake?

[banjopicker47501]

My boat is a 15ft alum. boat with 9.9.. is my boat too small to try to take on patoka.. i'd like to just fish some of the coves etc.. i know i would'nt want to be out on the main body of water where all the big boats run, but i'd like to check out patoka sometime.. dont want to get out there and get in a 10 ft wave though!!! any advice appreciated .. thanks!

[Lucky1]

Your boat is fine for the idle side... just launch at osbourne or walls. There is plenty of water to fish around there.

[gar]

A lot depends on where you put in. If you put in above the causeway, say at Walls or Little Patoka you should be fine.

[Panfish Man]

Fish the Osbourne area, it is 10mph limit, with plenty of water, and plenty of cover, I run around the whole lake in a 1648 with a 15hp

[raporter]

Fish the Osbourne area, it is 10mph limit, with plenty of water, and plenty of cover, I run around the whole lake in a 1648 with a 15hp

They are all correct with one exception....does anyone really respect the 10 MPH speed limit? I see roostertails there all the time.

You can also try SouthLick as it is 10MPH limit too. Just use common sense and you will be OK.

[rw02kr43]

I have a float tube. I put in at fishermen's campground and other coves like that. I haven't had any problem

[GeoFisher]

They are all correct with one exception....does anyone really respect the 10 MPH speed limit? I see roostertails there all the time.

You can also try SouthLick as it is 10MPH limit too. Just use common sense and you will be OK.

I Take Pictures and SEND them to the DNR................they really LOVE ME.

Video is even better, and if you can identify hull numbers.......ANOTHER STORY.

Later,

Geo

[SteveM4A1]

dont blame you, its so annoying. although the last 2 times i've been up there I haven't seen near as much over 10, so maybe they are listening to you! lol

[raporter]

Been lots of us complaining about it but so far haven't seen any results. Guess someone has to get hurt bad before it will matter.

[banjopicker47501]

yeah its a pain sometimes but a lot of it is common sense on everybody's part. if you have a 14ft jon boat don't try to outrun a 200 hp bass boat! i try to stay out of the way... usually you can get back in a cove and stay off the main body of water your ok..

[Dakota Kid]

Man, I fish Patoka with a 14' semi v and am 18 horse evinrude. I'll fish Anywhere from Walls and so forth, Painter's Creek out to the main lake. Between these areas and Little Patoka and so forth, there is way more than plenty of water to fish with a smaller boat.

People with big rigs tend to run an gun too much. Even though a big rig gives them the means to, they tend to miss SO much fish in areas. Plus, by doing that, they spend way too much money on gas and sometimes bitch about how bad the bite was. Slow down, break the areas down into a lake size. Flats, channels, creeks, grass, and so forth.

A big plus for me is that having a smaller boat, I can place the boat where the big rigs can only cast to. I lets me have a huge advantage in fishing water that cannot be touched. Skinny water is fresh unfished water.

I have plenty days that I will sit where a rig can only cast to and catch great fish. I have done that, watched a big rig pull up and try to push me out and wind up pissed off because a small cheap rig is outfishing an 18-22 foot high dollar rig. They leave all shaking their heads discusted.

I appologize to everyone about the rant. I have told Raporter about some of my days. They are days that would make a man famous.

[SteveM4A1]

i don't really see how that can be true, unless the beam of their boat is extremely big. right now i use a 21' Stratos, and i can squeeze that bad boy in anywhere. in fact, i can put the 21' stratos in places i couldn't put the old 15' tracker, because of the hull design. maybe i just haven't found these tight places at patoka, but i have not found a place on patoka that a smaller boat would fit that the stratos wouldn't. but i do agree with you on the point that people tend to run and gun way too much instead of staying focused, using tunnel vision instead of peripheral.