Long way for Walleye

[docwet]

25 miles out on less than a 40 ft inboard engine boat is reckless...to say the least...I speak from many years experience on the lake.

Doc W. The Right Stuff

[Dr.Ed]

Doc W, Most of the charter boats I see are less than 40'. I know many of the captains and I don't know any of them to be reckless. I have over 50 years of experience on Lake Erie. I started running a boat on the lake at age 9. My dad, his friends and I are personally responsible for the demise of the blue pike back in the 50's. Most of that was at night. My boat, the Holly Lucas, is a 20' ProLine with an 8 foot beam, all the electronics including GPS tracker, 2 radios, 2 batteries and a brand new 150 Evinrude E-Tec. Cell phones are useless out that far. I held a commercial pilot license with instrument rating for over 20 years and over 2000 hours logged so I know a lot about the weather and forecasts. I took the charter captains course just to be more informed. Current radar on the internet has been an additional blessing. 'Reckless' is disregarding the weather, the charts, the water and wave conditions, your own and the boats limitations, the needs and safety of your guests and of course, drinking. Enough said. I'll be out there again on Sunday...the weather and God willing.

[docwet]

First of all, you and your friends are not responsible for the demise of the blue pike in Lake Erie...environmental damage did that. While you are way out there in your outboard powered boat, what if you hit something and your engine is disabled...how are you going to get back? The towing services may not be available (busy towing others). Wind and wave conditions can change rapidly, the weather service warns us. Waves can really build out there because of the fetch distances involved.

DocWet

[Dr.Ed]

My remark about the blue pike was a joke. I fished thru the pollution years and we never throw anything except urine in the lake. From your tone, I feel you have some stories that might be chilling or is it just uncertainty or fear of the unknown. I read this once and it applies to my everyday living. "If you don't take risks, if there is no spirit of adventure in what you do, then what is the purpose of life?" If I need help, will you come? I would even if it meant towing you 25 miles to port. On a personal note, I am a doctor of veterinary medicine compliments of 8 years at The Ohio State University and you are???

[Buc-Eye]

I’m sure his assertion regarding the demise of the blue pike was a tongue in cheek comment. I routinely make the trip from East Harbor to the Vermillion Buoy in a Thompson fisherman 240. With good electronics, radios, and towing insurance these trips are feasible. When making a trip of this caliber, caution is a must. High pressure setting in along with a clear weather radar and good wave forecasts will lead to a safe day on the lake.

Dr. Ed,
Did Dr. Vernon Tharp teach any of your classes at OSU? He was my Great Uncle…

[sherman51]

i thought about just not saying anything, but after giving it alot of thought i believe i will chime in. it seems acording to your statement about it being reckless to venture out on lake erie without a 40' boat with a inboard engine is reckless. if this was true 98% of the sport fisherman that fishes erie is reckless. i usely fish out of geneva marina and just about all the fishing boats i see go out there are under 30'. i personaly fish from a 21 ft cobia and have never felt i was in any danger with it. now last year while in a 28 ft sea ray we had a water spout get to close for comfort.

i feel if you watch the weather and dont go out when there is a chance of rough weather a good 18' boat is all that is really needed to be safe. there is some 18' charter boats that runs out on erie. i feel just as safe on my 21' boat as i did the 28' sea ray. and an outboard engine is just as safe as inboards. i run a 19' cherokee aluminum with an 80 hp mariner for close to 20 yrs on erie and never had the first problem. i had a 22' sea ray cabin boat that broke the fan belt and had to be towed. it had a 305 chevy engine. i had to be towed in my 21' cobia when a water line came loose and melted the exhaust bellows. then the same boat the oil line came loose on the remote oil filter and we had to have oil brought to us. that was with a brand new 5.7 vortec chevy engine. so anything can brake down. the one good thing about the 28' sea ray it has 2 engines. so if one brakes down you can limp in on one engine. but outboards are just as safe as inboards.
sherman

[Dr.Ed]

It appears Doc W opened a rather large can of worms with his reckless remark. Cannot wait to hear his reply to all the responses.
To BuckEye: Doctor Vernon Tharp ran the large animal clinic while I was a student at OSU. He was one of the kindest and most caring instructors I had the privilege to know. He made you feel like you were special and he had every student's respect from day one. He was more than a teacher to me. He was my friend and I miss him. O----H