GT Bay 11/9

[canvsbk]

Went up north for 1 final shot at The Bay for a couple days this week. A man just can't spend enough time there...
The wind report for Thursday was 25 knots from the SW and then coming around to the NW and laying down to 5 - 10 Knots. The master plan was to run up there and take a look, go out if we could or head over to Skeg if we couldn't.
We went to Elk Rapids at first light and it seemed a little choppy but manageable so off we went. Immediately we discovered it was more than a "little" chop. Given a choice I'll always choose not to run with a following sea so we headed south.
We hoped the fish would be in shallow on the rocks....but no. The wing did seem to be swinging around to the west as we moved out on the break. Didn't seem to be laying much though.
We hit a couple spots along the break we like, continually moving south. There were some fish on scattered weed patches but not the ones we were looking for. Before we tried the deep stuff I needed a break from fighting the wind so we ran across to the west side for a cup of coffee and to hit some a couple spots with weeds on the break over there. We worked our way to the south some more trying to get away from the lake trout. They were everywhere over there! (Jerk baits if you're interested. ) Just like it was supposed to, the wind was now out of the NW.
Surely it would lay down soon....
As we worked some of the deeper stuff I constantly watched to the north waiting for the calm that would be here soon. WRONG. Soon it looked more white than blue to the north so we decided that we better head in before it was way too late.
I was quite disappointed to see the GPS said it was 11 1/2 miles back to the pier heads but after buttoning down all loose stuff and closing all zippers and pull strings off we went.
There aren't any words available for use on this site to describe the ride we were in for. My fellow Skeeter owners understand I'm sure...this was going to be a wet ride, VERY WET!
The swells were still coming out of the SW varying from 2 - 4'. The breaking waves from the NW were now 3 - 4' with the occasional 6 footer thrown in for good measure. What a ride! Both bilge pumps ran constantly and at times we had water up to our ankles in the boat. Drenched and frozen doesn't even begin to describe our bodies. A bit on the sore side too. My main concern was all those rocks and boulders at the pier heads, and now we a had following nasty sea again. It's a tight fit on a calm day but we went in pretty hot with no care of getting a speeding ticket from the harbor master. (I think he went home early anyway.)
We had waited about 30 minutes too long, AGAIN, but as we headed down to Skeg I kept a watch out for that weather man. I wanted to have a discussion with him REAL BAD!

[djkimmel]

God Bless the Great Lakes!!!

[Duke]

I'm glad you got back safe. I have had a few bad memories with big water... Sounds like you rode it well.

[djkimmel]

I posted the other thread just to remind us all the importance of preparation and safety. Once in a while, I sit back and think that we may be slightly crazy running around in our 'little' boats on water that has sank maybe 6,000 large ships, let alone 'little' boats.

Great fishing, but also great responsibility required. Glad all you got was wet and cold. Been there, done that. It's not really fun, but is definitely an experience...

[canvsbk]

You know how it is when it gets very lumpy out there - we've all been in it. In my opinion you should always try to make the call early, you can always go back out. If you're in a tournament you can either stay out or donate. In my case I'm probably going to donate anyway. It all happens very fast unfortunately and sometimes you're just too late. Different guys have different comfort levels but I think you need to look at it not as some "manly" thing but as a matter of safety. In this case we never even thought about life jackets. Just flat dumb. They wouldn't have been much help in the rod locker. I'm sure we all would agree that the object is to fish another day.

[Duke]

If you're in a tournament you can either stay out or donate. In my case I'm probably going to donate anyway.

Who are you kidding?   

Duke

[djkimmel]

Life jackets and the kill switch 100% of the time when running the big motor.

Life jacket on in cold water or rough water a good idea too.