Lake Seminole...got a little puckered up

[big_b16]

So there I am, first time on Seminole, following the channel heading north then back south and out to the east. Launched at the park on the SW side of the lake. My son and I drove past the dam and headed back to the dock after a morning of fishing and exploring. I'm following a 15' break line at about 3/4 throttle at the SW corner of the lake. I feel the boat shift slightly to one side...like it does when you're running a river and hit some sawgrass that has broken loose and is barely submerged. Look at the GPS and I'm in what is called a "depression" with 12' to 15' of water. Then I feel 2 more bumps and I start looking in the water off to the side and see several clumps of weeds...OH SNAP...I'm in 12' of water...and those aren't weeds. So I come out of it and hard the boat over to try and lay it on its pad without setting down in the water too much. I'm in the middle of a ton of trees...not a single one is above the surface. Not marked at all on the water...at one zoom setting on the GPS it says submerged trees (yeah about 1" submerged). I got the boat on the trailer and didn't see any damage to the 8 parts of the hull that are exposed...there are still 4 parts on the bunks. The LU and the prop are unscathed. Maybe I'm just lucky, but I was extremely beside myself at the time. How the F is that not marked anywhere. I guess I was used to every other stand of trees having a few above the surface. On a side note... I saw more alligators than bass...but I was fishing under bluebird skies with virtually no wind.

[mikepags]

ummmmmmmmmm

I can think of at least two friends that have left 200+ hp engines on the bottom of that lake...............if you think that was scary head up spring creek.........and I am not talking shit.........I couldnt do it the first time by myself.........secpnd time my team partner took me up there at 70 mph in a trition and I bought life insurance afterwards and new pants

took a few times but now I will run it at 30-40 and be "puckered up" the whole time...........

but at least that lake has a marked anything.............on my lake your lucky to get a piece of rebar stincking out of a stump or tree in 20 ft of water.........there are two stumps in the dead center of my cove that each year get "marked" and then each year get "unmarked"..................

about 6 months ago I was walking up from my dock and saw a bass tracker running at 30 mph or so ...........and noticed he was getting right in the middle..........about 5 steps later I almost had a heart attack when I thought I heard a car crash but it was just the tracker finding one of those stumps in 12 ft of water........next day stump was marked again........

BE CAREFUL OUT THERE

[BaitFL]

You think it's bad in a bassboat try an airboat. I think the handles on the airboat I was on now have permanent hand impressions and it took about two days or so for my hands to relax. Pretty scary when the boat jolts left or right after coming off one of those tree trunks. I was on a boat with someone that has worked on the lake for many, many years. I would never drive a boat there by myself.

[ol man river]

wtached a guy in a pontoon boat running in spring creek go up on a 45 degree angle when he hit a stumpright off the marked channel....spring creek isnt that bad, at least you know that the trees are EVERYWHERE !!!

down by the dam is where i tend to pucker up a bit.....


btw, you can catch all the fish you need within 2 miles of wingates....just gotta find em

[mikepags]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by ol man river &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">


btw, you can catch all the fish you need within 2 miles of wingates....just gotta find em </td></tr></table>


no truer words have been spoken on this board

and that good b/c that is all within a safe idle

my team partner tried showing me a few short cuts and I was like thanks but I am NOT doing that anytime soon............I like my boat

[big_b16]

Where is wingates? And is spring creek the arm that runs NE or the arm that runs due E on the GA side? I think there is a Spring Creek road but it might pass over both arms.

[K-DAWG]

Spring creek runs northwest inbetween the Chatahoochee river and Flint river.

[mikepags]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by big_b16 &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">Where is wingates? And is spring creek the arm that runs NE or the arm that runs due E on the GA side? I think there is a Spring Creek road but it might pass over both arms.</td></tr></table>

not being a smart ass but grab a map from a one of the fish camps or bait stores around the lake.............they show boat runs and channels and have some names so that you can get an idea of where everything is............

or bribe someone who knows the lake to show you around............

its a great lake but you can get in trouble quick...........

and I take it you haven't been down the "boat roads yet"......that can get exciting when there is a tourney going on somewhere and your running into traffic.......

two years ago my team partner was fishing alone in our club event and he was running up spring creek and had 3 boats running down......well the first 2 boats did what they were suppose to and stayed to his left.........3rd boat went right forcing him to either hit the boat or turn out of the run...........he went of the run and his insurance bought him a new lower unit for his 300X...........which was nice of them since they also paid for the 300X about 1.5 years before when he left a 250xb somewhere near the mouth of the Flint

[mikepags]

http://seminole.uslakes.info/Maps.asp

here is one to start with..........assume in anywhere on the ga side has all kinds of underwater trees, and also assume the same for florida side

[ol man river]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by mikepags &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">http://seminole.uslakes.info/Maps.asp

here is one to start with..........assume in anywhere on the ga side has all kinds of underwater trees, and also assume the same for florida side </td></tr></table>


dont forget the ones in the middle

I love seminole..you can fish anything you want ....its just been a long time since ive been there

[big_b16]

Found a US Army Corps map...Spring Creek is the one that runs NNE out of the main part of the lake. Obviously with the Chatahoochee to the west and the Flint to the east. I remember seeing it on the GPS but when I was running the channel, the water on the GPS didn't agree with the trees in that direction when i looked that way. Found the Wingate's Lodge is at the Hutchinson Ferry Landing. Now I'm all squared away. Except for how to catch LMB in hydrilla with bluebird skies and zero wind. Guess if I figure that out, I might be able to make some money.

[K-DAWG]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by K-DAWG &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">Spring creek runs northwest inbetween the Chattahoochee river and Flint river. </td></tr></table>

Sorry thats what I meant Northeast.

[jkaf]

Most important thing before fishing Seminole is to make sure your insurance is current!

[ldbass55]

you guys aint givin me a warm fuzzy feeling about going out there with my new sterling next month..
LD

[bassknight]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by ldbass55 &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">you guys aint givin me a warm fuzzy feeling about going out there with my new sterling next month..
LD</td></tr></table>

I was thinking the same thing.

[Olebiker]

That's one place where I am perfectly happy to be running an old aluminum boat. A couple of times yesterday I had to stop and search for the next navigation marker.

[mikepags]

you guys coming up for the extreme championship or the southren open? or another one

[ldbass55]

i am coming up for the southern open....may be on the water thursday and friday of this week if i can find a way to work it out...
LD

[rdb1028]

Rule #1 for all;
been fishing Seminole for 35 years and have left my mark and parts there too--- (same as Fred and boocuddles of others
find a good map or use the GPS map--learn to read the channel markers and if your outside the stright line of what you think is the channel you need to be at idle.
Yes there is lots of standing timber in 30' of water in nearly every section of the lake right next to the channel-yes its big water but if you are not dead middle of the marked channels you are at risk. Yes you can almost run from Bainbridge to the 1st lock on the hootch wide open----make a 10' mistake on close ares and you may get wiped out.

good luck.

Not 100% sure but last runs I made (june) most all bouys where bout dead on my GPS map, however some time they are far enough apart that at 70 mph you can get way out of channel quickly if you dont pay attention. Seat time and lake time and due caution on seminole are the only good policy for hard runs.

[mikepags]

<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by rdb1028 &raquo;</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">Rule #1 for all;
been fishing Seminole for 35 years and have left my mark and parts there too--- (same as Fred and boocuddles of others
find a good map or use the GPS map--learn to read the channel markers and if your outside the stright line of what you think is the channel you need to be at idle.
Yes there is lots of standing timber in 30' of water in nearly every section of the lake right next to the channel-yes its big water but if you are not dead middle of the marked channels you are at risk. Yes you can almost run from Bainbridge to the 1st lock on the hootch wide open----make a 10' mistake on close ares and you may get wiped out.

good luck.

Not 100% sure but last runs I made (june) most all bouys where bout dead on my GPS map, however some time they are far enough apart that at 70 mph you can get way out of channel quickly if you dont pay attention. Seat time and lake time and due caution on seminole are the only good policy for hard runs. </td></tr></table>

they should have that on a sign at the ramp

"make a 10' mistake on close ares and you may get wiped out."

going through the run from wingates to spring creek......just after the idle zone DO NOT miss to the left there are stumps and the boat jogs right doing something like screwing with you GPS might cause you to not notice until impact