Things you see at the boat launch

[dartag]

was cleaning up some files and found these photos.   Union lake boat launch a few years ago. 

[Manxfishing]

Nice

I've never seen a truck go in while at a ramp
But I've watched a few boats come off the trailers

[21XDC]

I caught a few bass off of that truck after the crowd left... One was in the bed.. 

[detroit1]

A number of years ago I pulled up to Cedar Isl. ramp to see a police officer, a woman, and a man in a blanket. His boat and truck nowhere to be seen. For those who don't know this ramp, it drops to about 20' deep off the end. I didn't stick around for the retrieval....

[karol]

must have been a big blanket

[detroit1]

Good one Karol. I should proofread before posting....

[dartag]

I was waiting for the punch line.   

Living on Union Lake for 29 years I have seen some really interesting things.   float plane crash.   Many boats burned up and sunk because they left the plug out. Things I can't describe since this is a family site.    Some day I will put together a photo page. 

[bob o]

i saw a guy with his drag race pickle fork type hydro swamp himself right by the ramp on union lake, he was peeed at himself.

[BIGSHOW]

Where is Cedar Isl. ramp?

[Mike S.]

We watched a Lincoln Navigator get pulled from Wolf Lake last summer.  You have to sit back and wonder about how real some of these "accidents" really are. I had a close call at Fisherman's Landing a few summers ago. I was floating the boat off the trailer and my truck started sliding down the ramp. The water was way down so my back tires were in the water. All of the moss let it slide. Fortunately I got in and stopped it in time.

[21XDC]

Where is Cedar Isl. ramp?

Click here and zoom out to see http://binged.it/1dHsJwF

[karol]

funniest one i heard is a guy and his buddy were watching a rich guy trying to launch his big boat as this guy and his buddy were watching. seems he forgot to take his transom straps off and he kept saying "come on back" over and over, finally the boat was almost flush with the water and the 2 guys looked at each other and said"should we tell him?".

so they did and then the "rich guy" goes" pull it up pull it up" that would've been classic  

[djkimmel]

'Boat Ramps' should be a college psychology course. Not 101 either. Maybe 301...?

[skeeterman190]

 the greatest story i ever heard was the "ski daddy" story from my buddy on kentucky lake.. my close friends know the story too much to type here.. but if u ever c me ask me its hilarious..."HIT THE FLIPPA SKIPPA" there are so many ramps stories.. nothing better than sitting at campground at aloha drinking beer and watching people lauch lol free entertainment

[TimH]

My favorite was this past year at Belleville...which by the way is one of the most frustrating launches (in my opinion).  There seems to be more inept people there than any other launch I visit.  Anyways I was late august on a Sunday, and we just finished up a tournament.  There was a line of people about 15 deep waiting to launch, and then 18 of us from the tournament waiting to get on the trailer.  As I floated in the water waiting for my buddy to back the trailer down, I see a fairly attractive woman and her three kids attempting to launch a rather sizeable boat.  While backing down the ramp she is moving significantly from side to side taking up two ramp lanes.  She finally gets the boat down to the water and it starts to float, but her three kids are not paying attention and get the dock lines pulled out of their hands.  She then pulls the boat back out of the water with great difficulty as the tires are just smoking out the ramp.  She then again backs the boat down and her kids hang onto the dock line this time.  Once the boat floats, she puts it in drive and pulls forward quickly.  Instantly all you hear is the sound of the winch spinning rapidly, and I look up just in time to see the winch cable pulled taught and her boat get pulled up the ramp...but about 5 feet behind her trailer.  Luckily for her, she stopped quickly and the boat only got pulled up the ramp about three feet, but I still can only imagine the gel coat damage that was done.
Dan, I agree with you completely about Boat Ramps should be a psychology course.  On that same note, I think if someone had a counseling degree, they could make a fortune setting up a small office at the top of the ramp.  Between anger management, crisis intervention, and self esteem issues, they could be very busy.

[Dave B]

Walleye run on the Detroit river is always fun at the launch and if you miss it the silver bass run is even better with foreigners trying to get out on the river to fill there garbage cans full of silver bass.

[Mcfish]

My buddy and I were fishing on Half Moon lake one sunny day many moons ago. We were casting to the docks in the narrows a little while after launching.  My buddy all of the sudden started laughing. "Hey man, your truck is still at the launch." 

Sure enough, I look over there and my trailer is still in the water and my door was still open. 

I was in my twenties so we may or may not have been under some type of influence. 

[21XDC]

I was up north with 3 friends. Fishing out of two 8 ft plastic bass baby bass boats. Fishing small and or private lakes. We would be in a hurry to fish. My friend Steve left his truck at the ramp, door open, and motor running..  LOL... It was like that for 4 hrs until we came back to load up. LOL..  Glad there are still some honest people around. LOL

[djkimmel]

I like the idea of a 'Lucy' style counseling stand at the boat ramp...

I also enjoy people who yell words that rhyme on the boat ramp... 'did you say NO!?! GO!?! WHOA!?! SLOW?!?' All kinds of fun things can happen with slight changes in language use at the boat ramp... 

I just enjoy people who yell at boat ramps in general... I'm thinking if I ever go completely off the deep end... it will probably involve standing in some type of camo at busy boat ramps yelling confusing and alarming instructions at the worst possible times... 

[dartag]

For a cheap night out go to the union lake boat launch.  Walk up to the dairy queen.  Chili dog, chips and malt for 4.99.  Walk back to the launch sit on the rock and watch the show.  Might even be a good Go Pro project for this summer.