So I hit a log yesterday...

[enwez]

Went fishing on the 4th to a lake near me. First time at the lake, but it has a reputation for stumps. Onthewater will know exactly where I'm talking about. Even knowing the reputation I was surprised when I got there.

Take a look for yourselves (not my photo):

There are stumps above the water, below the water, and right at the waters surface. No matter where you are. Middle of the lake is 13' and you still need to dodge stumps sticking out. Anyways here I am returning to the launch at a snails pace looking for stumps when I ram directly onto one! Couldn't see it at all with the glare. The bow lifts up a good 2 feet and we stop moving.... we were stuck! A single tree trunk 1" below the water in 12' deep water. We were perched on it about 1/3rd of the hull length from the bow. I tried to push us off with our trolling motor but we would just pivot! I had to jump in and lift my tin off the log which wasn't easy when you cant touch the bottom!

I never though I would ground my boat in the middle of lake in 13' water...

 

[LDUBS]

Title of your post made me cringe. I'm glad no one was hurt. I'll bet you guys were more than a little startled when the boat lifted a couple or feet! You didn't mention any damage so that is good.

 

[enwez]

Title of your post made me cringe. I'm glad no one was hurt. I'll bet you guys were more than a little startled when the boat lifted a couple or feet! You didn't mention any damage so that is good.

Ya no damage besides some scratches on the bottom. That's the beauty of our tins! We were going so slow it was mostly just unlucky we hit it at the perfect angle. We were laughing about it pretty quickly.

 

[overboard]

Be glad you only hit it at a snails pace, stuff like that happens when fishing that type of water. Since no one was hurt, and hopefully no damage, you live to fish another day!

 

[enwez]

Be glad you only hit it at a snails pace, stuff like that happens when fishing that type of water. Since no one was hurt, and hopefully no damage, you live to fish another day!

Definitely would be a different story had I been going full speed! I also think I will get some polarized sunglasses. I'm sure that would have helped spot it. Not a fan of wearing sunglasses though...

 

[DaleH]

... any FISH??????????

 

[enwez]

... any FISH??????????

Not the most successful day with only 3 bass. My fishing partner got skunked haha. It was a very nice day however!

Between the lack of fish, the stump incident, and multiple groups picnicking/swimming on the boat launch yesterday was too much adventure and not enough relaxing with a line in the water!

As my first season with a boat, remind me to not go to boating on holidays! I couldn't imagine an actual busy boat launch if this small CT lake was as chaotic as it was.

Oh, and I lost my first anchor as well! Luckily it was not the good one of the two I have on board.

 

[LDUBS]

DaleH asked the key question - haha

I was also out on July 4th and encountered a lot more pleasure boaters that I'm used to seeing during the week. I left before noon so it probably wasn't in full swing yet. Anyway, that is one of the reasons I avoid weekends, which I'm able to do because I'm retired.

Any day out on the water is a good day. Catching fish is just frosting on the cake!

 

[onthewater102]

I feel like I recall having a side conversation about that place with you...very glad to hear you're ok, that place is trolling motor only for me.

That's Winchester Lake in NWCT for anyone in this area. There are maps produced by the state indicating there is semi submerged timber on the west bank and north end of the lake, but in reality it is everywhere, including the deepest water in the place, so you really need to be extra careful running a boat out there.

 

[enwez]

I saw a few people with glass boats there... I'd never bring my expensive bass boat there!

 

[Crazyboat]

Any particular reason people haven't screwed flags or other markers to these stumps over the years? By our summer home people would drop old Christmas trees in low spots to mark them off in an eco friendly way. Screwing a 6' 1X3 to each stump would save some nerves and a few dents.

 

[onthewater102]

You'd need a thousand of them. It was all forested land that they flooded to make the lake without felling any of the trees.

 

[Crazyboat]

You'd need a thousand of them. It was all forested land that they flooded to make the lake without felling any of the trees.

Is there part of the lake (towards the middle) that is wide open? If so, can you make off a path or channel with green and red markers like they do for salt water channels? It will at least get you out to where you can come up on plane.

If not, time to break out some Di ni mite!

 

[onthewater102]

Not really, it's a damed up mountain stream that would only have been 10 feet wide or so naturally. Almost impossible to know where it meandered through the area.

 

[jethro]

The closest place for me to fish, only about a mile from my house is named " Stumpfield Marsh" so I know exactly what you mean. It looks very similar.

 

[Crazyboat]

Well that being the case I doubt I'd have a motor at all, certainly not more then a trolling motor. Sounds like a great place to lose a few lures.

 

[LDUBS]

Yeah, that place must be the mother lode of lost lures.

 

[Buzzbait]

Im glad there's no damage.... always have that in back of mind when on my favorite lake. Lots of cypress trees... always a chance of a lift or branch floating around...

 

[Captain Ahab]

I would go back at night with some soft plastic frings like the horny toad rigged weedless and catch until my arms went numb

 

[enwez]

I would go back at night with some soft plastic frings like the horny toad rigged weedless and catch until my arms went numb

Ya but maybe with a yak if its night time....