I kinda figured Wisconsin would have the same strange law, but didn't want to say so without checking.
Printable View
They have it here in Wisconsin too. I have a couple of lakes close to my home that I can no longer fish due to this law. The lake associations are getting the law passed by the town, because the town makes the law and writes the tickets($160). They use the "wash out" excuse, but it is really their intention to keep non-land owners off "their" lakes.
All of our laws here have their foundation in the Constitution or the Bible.
.Ezekiel 47:8:
He said to me, "This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. In the fresh water there shall be no power lodeth, lest ye be cast aside to be stoned with flaming marshmallows"
In SC, most ramps are several poured pieces that are set on current ramp and pushed out til it drops off end of last piece. Then the loader has wire ropes on end of the new piece then pulls back up the ramp, which tightens all prices and done again and again til depth needed. In winter time more out of water ramps are poured and fixed. Some new ramps are done as above and keep pushing slabs out til it is done. Then if water falls it's ready for many draw downs
WOW, if every boater took an extra 1 - 2 minutes to load their boat, here in Alabama, that would add an additional 2-4 hours to load the boats at the average tournament. And that is the average tournament, can you imagine how long it would take to load out a 300 - 500 boat tournament? It could easily take an additional 5 hours to load the boats.I am always amazed at the inconveniences my northern brothers are willing to tolerate in the name of so called "progress". Considering how heavily taxed you guys are, up there, the state should be providing valet boat launches and loading at the ramp. Hell, the state should also thrown in at least one free fill up year, just for your continued support of "progress".
We put up with it because we get to live in Michigan...Well worth the inconvenience of winching the boat on the trailer...
In our neck of the woods we have enough room to put 10-15 boats on a trailer at a time so your math doesn't quite work out....Maybe you southern boys only load one boat at a time...but that isn't the way we roll..
Our Coanglers are better truck drivers so we make up the difference there..lol
Cost me 11 dollars a year to launch my boat at all the DNR launches plus free access to all state owned campgrounds and parks...How much do you pay??
I see more and more out of state plates in Michigan every year....It's pretty obvious alot of guys from the South think it's worth the inconvenience..
Isn't living in Michigan a negative?
Well admittedly, my numbers were a bit of an exaggeration, however I have fished all over the country and I have NEVER seen a 15 wide ramp so I think you too may have been stretching the numbers a little bit. With that said, I can easily see how an extra 1-2 minutes per boat could significantly add to the take out time at a tournament. At a tournament of 125 boats, that is an average of an additional 3 hours of loading. I don't care how many ramps you use to divide that 3 hours up with, it is still a pain in the ass.
By the way, I would bet that the majority of southern tags you see in Michigan are only there for a temporary visit. They come to enjoy your cool summertime temps and maybe even to catch a few smallies but rest assured, they will be heading south as soon as they are done. NOBODY permanently moves north under their own free will, it just doesn't happen. The south, however, is absolutely busting at the seams with property tax refugees from the north. They tell you guys that they are leaving for the warmer weather but the truth is that they are tired of being raped by the state year after year only to find out they have to stand knee deep in the water and winch their damn boats up a trailer that was designed to be driven onto. LOL!!!!!!!!
When you say Power Loading a boat, are you talking about Loading a boat?
looks like a normal day here on any lake around here .... move along nothing to see here
Powerloading is illegal on all STATE OWNED RAMPS (DNR) in Michigan. Lake St Clair Metropark is not a State owned facility. It is owned by the Metroparks. Kent Lake, Stoney Creek, Lake Erie Metropark are all the same as Lake St Clair Metropark. There is a different charge to use those launches than the DNR State owned ramps.
It is a HUGE problem and to "pour longer launches" is not financially feasible. Count the launches in Michigan and do the math....
Click this link http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/MRBIS/mapbasic.aspx then Zoom in ONCE.....see what I mean??? Every "star" is a ramp.
Dont forget that we also have many "large" craft that are put in at the same launches. When that triple axle trailer is launching a 40' Cigarette with triple engines and smacks $8000 worth of props into a pile of gravel and trashes them.....well you get the picture.
Its not hard to do, I do it many times a week. You can be disqualified from a tournament for it.
Elizabeth Park (a popular launch site on the Lower Detroit River) is a city owned launch that is also no powerloading. The Wayne County Marine Sheriff is known to stand on the dock and write tickets to tournament anglers powerloading....
We are blessed to have so much water in Michigan. No matter where you in the state you are no farther than 50 miles from a river or lake....everyone is welcome to experience it. We just ask that you respect our local regulations and have fun! :)
http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/MRBIS/
Not possible...all you northerners are moving down here. Come January and the next "never ending winter" we will be thinking of you while we catch 30lb bags in 75 degrees and sunny fishing in our shorts and flip flops. Not much more tragic then an empty boat ramp. :beers:
Your welcome to come to Illinois and power load all ya want. No butt- hurt about it. My boat is light. One flick of the wrist and it's a foot from the roller. I usually only do it when someone is fishing from the dock. You oughta see the frowns you get then.lol
As I read thru all this I began to wonder if there are any bulldozers up north. Extending a ramp is easy.
No butthurt here, thats what 4wd is for...someone asked a question and it got answered, if you didnt like the answer you shouldnt have asked the question!
500 boat tournaments? I like it here because most of the ramps only have room for 5 or 6 boat trailers to park, TOTAL..and they DONT FILL UP, even on a sunny august weekend. You want to go hang out at the ramp with 500 of your closest friends and brag on it, thats your business. If everyone took an extra 5 minutes at the ramp...it wouldnt affect me in the least.
What is hard about having your trailer in the correct amount to just coast your boat into it and winch the last 6"?? Seems easy. I do powerload on lakes I know I won't hit bottom but many lakes you can ruin a prop doing that.