channel water levels

[pap]

WOW, that is quite a story, I really feel for those folks up there, they have a real bad problem on their hands, from the artical it sounds like there is hope, if they don't run into a money problem. The Army Core sounds like there was a solution but Mother Nature put the brakes on the job, hopfully they can resume where they left off? I don't think the dredging to be done in the bays and inlets around the western basin will be to that extent of what they did up there, I'm no engineer, but I think they only have to scrape a couple of feet down, but it might be a large area and what do they have to do to get rid of the debris? if it's anything like around here, as soon as they hear you are messing around in the water it's PERMIT time, which takes time and money, & lots of it. You would think that once the word hits the board of committees(whom ever they might be) that the camp sites & marinas are losing money and clientele, that something should get done promptly!! in reality it's tax $ they are loosing out on, and what are the marinas and campsites, supposed to pay their property taxes with? if the boaters(recreational/fisherpeople) leave the area. I don't know if it's that bad yet, but some posters on this very site said they missed out on some fishing days, what if you only have a week how many days do you waist sitting on the dock because you can't get out? I for one won't take that chance, I'm going somewhere else till I know for sure I can get out at any time.

[pap]

His post was entered in while I was writing my post I did't read his post first, I was commenting on last years post.(THERE is NO confrontation with ANYONE just saying) But why would people on vacation knowing the situation go there(unless you have some sort of tie to that area) Why not book a weeks vacation where someone on here said they have 20ft of water to launch your boat, no prop damage no problems coming or going at time that fits your schedule. I will still fish OL'ERIE but futher east I'm going to try, Till next time stay warm! and to the icefisherman PLEASE check the ICE every so often, WE will need your knowledge come spring!! BE SAFE

[jighead419]

So this all being said, what marinas in the reef area have the best depth for low water conditions?

[rscotfish]

went to lake this morning water way out im thinking i might have to move this year to a deep water marina around the reefs whats the best marina to give me a worry free fishing spring season. unless they dredge my marina [wards canal] i dont think ill be able to get out. i keep hearing they are going to dredge but its getting close and today there is sand and mud all the way across had problems last fall and its worse now.maybe it the water may get a little higher this spring but what about the fall. going to need a air boat

[gregnwtf]

Wild Wings and Fenwick-Turtle Creek have plenty of water in the spring and early summer. When fall sets in or late summer, there can be issues of lower levels but it comes back to wind direction. September SW wind blowing 20mph will probably drop the west end level. Sept. NE 15 mph levels are decent.
Small boats need less water under the boat than I do so they would be able to go out most days. I only waited a few hours one day, cancelled about 3 days the entire fall. Never churned up mud going out of Fenwick. On a day I cancelled , some boats did go out of WWings are I saw them churn up mud in the cut. Like I said before, the marinas of Turtle Creek are talking about dredging the opening to the lake, probably this year. This was as of October 2012 on my last weekend of charters. We need snow, ice, some rain to keep the water flowing which keeps the lakes up to near normal levels. This is not just a Lake Erie western basin issue, it goes through most of the great lakes.
8 weeks till first jigging charters !!!!

[wakina]

This from South Bass Island today on their Facebook page..

[LEfriend]

Wild Wings and Fenwick-Turtle Creek have plenty of water in the spring and early summer. When fall sets in or late summer, there can be issues of lower levels but it comes back to wind direction. September SW wind blowing 20mph will probably drop the west end level. Sept. NE 15 mph levels are decent.
Small boats need less water under the boat than I do so they would be able to go out most days. I only waited a few hours one day, cancelled about 3 days the entire fall. Never churned up mud going out of Fenwick. On a day I cancelled , some boats did go out of WWings are I saw them churn up mud in the cut. Like I said before, the marinas of Turtle Creek are talking about dredging the opening to the lake, probably this year. This was as of October 2012 on my last weekend of charters. We need snow, ice, some rain to keep the water flowing which keeps the lakes up to near normal levels. This is not just a Lake Erie western basin issue, it goes through most of the great lakes. 8 weeks till first jigging charters !!!!

Hope you are right Capt Greg! Normally true, however, it could be dicey this year. Below are three very interesting links to Great Lakes Water level and water level forecast sites. The first one, USACE projects Lake Erie level for next 6 months. The mid-line of the cone of projection for Erie shows prediction of 5 inch rise by mid April, which would put it back only close to where it was last mid September! (of course the ranges show could be up to 8 inches better than this, but also under lower range could be 8 inches worse, heaven forbid)

The second link shows current level is still essentially same as it was on Oct 20th, 2012.

So,we are not out of the woods - a lot depends on what happens in next 2-3 months. Hopefully things will turn around and exceed expectations. Ice and snow sure would have helped.

In any case, these are 3 very useful sites folks may want to bookmark:

http://www.lre.usace.army.mil/_kd/It...ation=ShowItem

http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/data/now/wlevels/dbd/

http://www.lre.usace.army.mil/greatl...eswaterlevels/

[pap]

1.7ft.of water is at the gas pump area if I remember it's been 3 years since I been there, and thats how long this problem is going on. Yesterday I measured the water line on my new to me boat and it measured 17 " to the bottom of the boat, now the out drive is in the down position, now if I where to trim up, that just the prop is in the water, measuring from the water line to the skag I got 27" so that would be the minimum amount of water I need to travel with out any trouble so 2.1/2 ft= 30 inches of water1.7ft= 19" So I definitely can't get out of Turtle Creek I think that sounds like alot of water I thining more like 24" of water but even at that 19" isn't enough either!!!

[wakina]

I think the 1.7ft would be below the transducer and not the actual water depth which would be more depending on the location of the transducer

[pap]

My transducer in mounted about 3" down from the water line on my boat, I had to locate it on the port side on the outside edge, in about 4" on the transome because for some reason I had alot of interferance, why I don't know, at an idle it was fine but trolling speed it showed fish eveywere,and at running
speed it would lose the bottom, showing 600ft at times, so I moved it to it's
position now and it's fine so that would make my situation 3" more of water than what I'm reading, am I thinkig right or not, Don't hesitate to correct me if I'm wrong, Because I'm going to up grade my finder and don't want to make this mistake again!! Thanks PAP