Group: Members
Posts: 47
Member No.: 11391
Joined: February 17, 2016
Fairly new to boating on Erie and was hoping to get out for bass opener this Saturday out of Turkey Point.
Forecast looks ignorant with winds of 16 knots gusting to 30....., however just seeing what everyone else would consider safe winds to be out there and size of the craft you operate?
I have a 16ft with 40hp, which tells me I'm a no go for sure.
Group: Members
Posts: 749
Member No.: 8547
Joined: January 21, 2015
I used to fish with my dad a LOT on lake Erie at my grandparents cottage. If they are calling for winds, I wouldn't go out much past 9am... I can remember plenty times the lake would be flat calm in the morning at 6-7am then in the blink of an eye, 3-4 foot swells are rolling in with no boats in sight. it can kick up VERY quickly and we have had times where we were nervous in a Legend Sport Fish with an 80hp motor. watch your wind direction to a tee. the second it is an on shore, or rolling along the shore, it can kick up VERY quickly. there have been plenty times where it was an offshore breeze, then 10 minutes later the wind has completely switched around and becomes on-shore. I was 12 years old out on lake erie with just oars, about 1km down the shoreline and about 100 yards out (the bay we were in, the points on either side extended out to about half a km into the lake) and the wind flipped and 5 minutes later big rollers with white caps were rolling in on me. I had to row straight to shore, and hopped out of the 14' boat and dragged it along in the water, the km back to the cottage. it can kick up very quickly. wind direction is key but just know it can switch around in an instant
Group: Members
Posts: 2573
Member No.: 10908
Joined: January 25, 2016
I have fished Erie and was out several days in a row years ago in a 165Sc Princecraft with a 50hp. All winds were forecast to be beautiful. In less than 30 minutes an unexpected thunderstorm with huge winds came out of PA from over the mountains. In the blink of an eye we were in massive white caps and huge 8’ rollers. We were close to shore and about 1.5km from the launch. It took us over an hour to get back. We barely made it back and had water half way up our thy’s in the boat. Me and my buddy watched helplessly from 5km away as three boats south of us appeared and disappeared between the waves and suddenly we only saw 2 boats. 2 me. Lost their lives that day.
I grew up on Simcoe which can kick up fast and it doesn’t hold a candle to what can happen on Erie. Erie has taken down a Canadian Battle ship and many many freighters. My father once new a freightor captain who sail the oceans who said there is no more dangerous water in the world than Lake Erie in a storm.
If you even slightly question weather you should or should not be on Erie on a windy day and you have no experience with Erie just stay home. Wait for better weather.
Group: Members
Posts: 2348
Member No.: 15901
Joined: April 12, 2018
Agree with all posts about on shore of along shore. I was out with couple kids few years back, lake was like glass, we went west of port to anchor for perch. Couple hours past and noticed some wind ripples on water from east along shore, told boys to pack up we're leaving. Were several smaller boats around us that never moved. By the time we started moving waves were couple feet. Time we got back waves were 6ft.
Don't forget that if there been a good blow going on, the winds might have died down when you get up, but the waves will take a long time to come down. Done this a couple times, look out no wind going to be great day on lake, get there and still no wind but waves like 4ft to rough for me to want to go out on.
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Safe Winds for Erie, Erie Wind
