I agree with Brock on the ramp situation. Clark is only good for kayaks, period. Campground ramp isn't that much farther around the lake to use. Can access any part of the lake from it but my favorite has always been Mahaney. I can launch and load by myself with no problem, docks or no docks. The only drawback is dealing with the geese pooping on the ramp. The best thing tho is that it's only eight minutes from home for me.

Isn't kens boat aluminum? John with what your boat weighs plus the motor that probably could be part of the problem. I know my sylvan is alot harder to launch than dads bass tracker!

That was my problem at Clark; gettin' the boat to float up off of the bunks, and I only have 12" tires. Wouldn't matter if I substituted a 5' long square tube extension into the hitch. Man, I'd need a 3rd wheel under the tongue. I don't even own hip boots anymore, so when I'm fishin' in Oct. and Nov., I don't relish the fact that I'd have to go in to get the boat back on the trailer. Even at the remote launch at the mouth of Crooked Creek, where there is no ramp, I got 'er back on without too much trouble. Last October, I launched at the remote launch at Clinton into pool #5, because there is no public launch on that pool, but there were two of us. Scott got in the back of the truck with the tailgate down, I shoved the boat out off the beach and handed him the rope, and he just guided the Sylvan right up through the rollers and pulled it up by hand far enough to get the winch rope on, and brought it up. I do have guide rollers that keep the boat pretty well centered. That place at Clinton is actually S. Buffalo Twp.'s emergency launch. It's a bit of a PITA. I drop the trailer at the end of the road, turn the truck around and pull forward, then pivot the boat trailer around on front roller wheel, hook back up, and then back down over the bank to the river. Up there, I just leave the rig high up on shore out of the way in case anybody else is dumb enough to put in there. It would be nice to have a public launch somewhere on that pool, but everything is privately owned. Fishing was pretty good around the dam and Kelly's Station. PFBC can't purchase any private land for a launch; they need the money for trout.

For me, the fishin' season begins in earnest this weekend. The pursuit of the wiley walleye will begin, most likely on the Allegheny tomorrow or Monday, dependin' on weather.
 
So BT, what do you have in mind for a boat? Console or tiller? 16' or 18'? Guess not an 18' if you're gonna go with a rebadged 25 or 30. I wouldn't go with a 14' 'cause the PFBC goons will torture you in the spring on Pymie about wearin' the life jacket. (You know that's just so they can recover the body easier should you go overboard into 40 degree water).  At Island 10 in Canada, the Lodge had all 16' Lund Rebels and Stalkers, all powered by 25H.P. Yamaha 4 strokes. The Rebel is a pretty heavy boat, but they'd get up on plane and run pretty good. My son's Lund Predator is 17 + feet with a 90 Merc. two stroke, and a 9.9 four stroke kicker. The kicker can only push the boat 7mph, so he's thinkin' about puttin' a 20 on there for Pymie and Arthur, but he fishes Keystone and Mahoning so he can only go with 10 or less. It'd be nice to have a $2000 I-pilot on the front with Bluetooth. I'd put that on my new boat if only the Powerball would cooperate!
I'd be torn between an Alumacraft 18' Competitor tiller, or the Lund 18' Pro Guide. Either one outfitted with all the goodies and electronics are in the $40K plus range. Way out of line for a lowly nearly retired automotive technician.
What I have now is the boat I bought new in '88, a 16' Sylvan Backtroller with a Classic 50 (45hp) Merc on it. It serves me well enough for the river and unlimited HP lakes.

I could never go with a bass type boat. Far as I'm concerned, they're just motorized casting platforms. Gotta be a Deep V for me. Couldn't imagine this old man being out on Chautauqua on a windy day in a shallow bass boat. And my preference would always be a tiller, though I'll admit goin' 40mph up the river when it's 28 degrees, that windshield on a console boat is pretty nice. I'd have me a time on a Lund Pro Guide with a 90 four stroke tiller and a 9.9 kicker.
 
Then I'd be thinkin' even if I didn't catch any stupid fish I could say, "Man, just look at this boat"!

I have 15" wheels on my extra long trailer. And let me tell you, it took some getting used to after the trailer that came with my boat. Three feet more makes a difference launching and retrieving. So much easier. I don't get my tires wet often and I can step on my tongue after driving onto my trailer.
I didn't buy my Lund to look good in.. I bought it because it fishes best for my style of fishing. Doesn't matter to me if people like or dislike my boat, as long as I catch fish from it. If you're afraid of getting scratches on your boat, you're buying your boat for the wrong reason. The neighbors can talk about the scratches on the boat while I'm deep frying some fish.

Dang emitch that was a dadburn good deal on that fishing rod. Good for you.

Ken thank you for the info about your trailer. I could never go with a three foot extension on my trailer. I'd have to cut a hole in the back of my garage for my motors to stick through.

I here ya about a good looking boat. I don't really have a preference on a particular mfg. cause I look good in any boat.

Lake looked pretty busy yesterday as I crossed the causeway on 18. Went to the Walmart Super Store checking new 'puters. Must of tried a dozen different models. Easy to find the ones I tried. They're the ones that show the FishUSA web sight when you turn it on.


Good times and tight lines.

There were more boats on the lake today than I've ever seen at this time of year. Pleasure boaters and even water skiers too. Bassers, striper guys, walleye guys, and panfishermen. Don't know about the rest but I had a good day on the panfish. They're bitin both shallow and deep on brush. Water is still too warm for this time of year but the fish are feeding.

You missed your window BTDT.  Cold front starting today.  Fish are going to be off for a few days I think.  
 
I was thinking of a boat upgrade but I really like the way this boat turned out after all that work.  I'm thinking that a re-trailer and a re-power will be a lot cheaper than buying another boat that would need changed to fit my needs anyway.  Spring project.  Plus I like the 20' boat for stability.  The only things holding me back from solo trips with this thing are:
 
- a trailer with proper function (and guides to line the boat up)
- ONE motor that I don't have to futz with at the ramp
- a three step stool to get on and off the boat during loading
 
Also BTDT... you need a swing arm kit.  Doesn't make the boat longer for storage and adds as much length as you want.  Pretty easy to install.  I don't use mine much, added it just to lengthen the trailer.  But they are nice.  

After my operation I hit the lake I think 3 weeks into recovery. Bad idea! Launching wasn't a problem but trailering was impossible and the bumpy ride wasn't so pleasant

Chauncy, try postin' your pics again. I think there was somethin' up about the site 'cause even your avitar pic didn't post last night . The avitar is there this morning.

As of yesterday, the fourth of nov, the docks are still in at Mahaney area launch. This is a banner year for big crappies and stripers there. The crappies, white, are running around eleven inches and the blacks are around ten but just as heavy if not heavier than the longer whites. They're hitting both live and artificial baits just about equally. Took home a really good bunch of them Saturday.Attachments are not available: Download requirements not met