Elite angler power load in Michigan?

[Steve j]

Wow what a ramp , there's room for 1 bow rider and 1 pontoon. In Ga. We don't have green or red lights on ramps , must be for Yankee boaters .

We don't have lights on ramps either... The dock poles are painted on each side so you know which ones are for putting in and which ones are for pulling out. It's pretty simple and makes things move more quickly on a busy ramp. Ramp etiquette is the key, no different than having a untie & tie down area while waiting for someone to unload everything from their vehicle once backed down to the water. It's not a Yankee thing either... I see a lot of plates from out of state not following the guidelines too. I guess everyone wants to do what they want until they get a ticket and have to complain about the guidelines.

[cweb]

i dont usually walk on the trailer when i get out of the boat, so im not sure how its the same

How do you get out then? Or do you have the steps?

[spfldbullet]

Only a fool from Texas

[Olebiker]

We don't have lights on ramps either... The dock poles are painted on each side so you know which ones are for putting in and which ones are for pulling out. It's pretty simple and makes things move more quickly on a busy ramp.

I have been trying to picture in my mind how having separate in and out ramps would speed thing up. I don't get it.

[Steve j]

I have been trying to picture in my mind how having separate in and out ramps would speed thing up. I don't get it.

Well come on up and see for yourself If you aren't at most ramps by 7am there's a good chance of them all being full, so having to deal with countless boats going in and out is the norm up here. And like brnzbaklvr said, if the ramp isn't busy you can take your pick of any dock. I'm not sure how you guys do it down south but I think you'd be shocked on how quickly a tournament with 70-80 boats can unload or load. It's a freak of nature to see.

[champion191]

I never power load, I see no need, if your boat fits your trailer correct, then winch it up the last foot,

[TroyBoy30]

How do you get out then? Or do you have the steps?

i jump out to the ground. he may step on the trailer to get out but that is no way the same as having to walk 10 feet of trailer while pulling the boat to the eye all while trying not to fall in the water

[MacIntosh]

If I back the trailer in so there's an inch or two of fender out of the water I can idle up to my trailer and shift into neutral before ever touching the trailer and it slides up to within a foot of the bow roller without power. I've definitely NEVER had to walk 10 feet of trailer. Honestly, this just doesn't sound realistic to me on a reasonable ramp with a bassboat--I'm not questioning you, I'm sure there's a quirk of the launch or the boat/trailer combo that necessitates it, but it's not something I've ever seen on a bassboat or multispecies fishing boat. I don't think I've ever seen someone launching alone that had to climb out of the boat in a significantly different way due to powerloading or not power loading. I can easily jump from the tongue to dry land, but I'm pretty fit--if you weren't able you'd get your feet in 6 inches of water this way (and I'm OK with that, nothing unsafe about that).

[Olebiker]

Well come on up and see for yourself If you aren't at most ramps by 7am there's a good chance of them all being full, so having to deal with countless boats going in and out is the norm up here. And like brnzbaklvr said, if the ramp isn't busy you can take your pick of any dock. I'm not sure how you guys do it down south but I think you'd be shocked on how quickly a tournament with 70-80 boats can unload or load. It's a freak of nature to see.

But how does having separate in and out ramps help?

[jc2bg]

But how does having separate in and out ramps help?

One element that makes a difference is that many boaters feel the need to make several trips to the boat from the vehicle when launching, but pull out and do the reverse load in the parking lot when coming in. Don't ask me to explain why they do it this way....

[bob o]

I have been trying to picture in my mind how having separate in and out ramps would speed thing up. I don't get it.

did you ever have another boat pull up to the ramp while you are trying to back down the ramp to load your boat, that does not happen here. seems pretty simple to us.

[TR21Bassin]

did you ever have another boat pull up to the ramp while you are trying to back down the ramp to load your boat, that does not happen here. seems pretty simple to us.

Why would a boat pull up to the ramp if their not putting it on their trailer?

[Steve j]

But how does having separate in and out ramps help?

For one, your not waiting for someone to unstrap, load their boat with the wife/coolers/kids, tie up to the dock, park the truck, use the bathroom, ect while your waiting to pull out. Also, if your pulling out everyone has already said they can put the boat on the trailer pretty darn quick by either winching up the last foot or just power-loading. When you have a considerate amount of boats launching throughout the day I'm pretty darn sure it would take forever to just get to a dock to pull your boat out. The same effect on putting in. Have you ever had someone just pull up to a dock just as you are backing down or vice versa? It happens all the time here with the ppl that don't pay attention to the docks. Now mind you, we are not talking about a launch that only holds a hand full of boats.

[Squire]

I live 4 miles from metro where the tourney was held. Metro has no signs saying no power loading. It is not a state ramp. All the state ramps are no power loading. The concrete doesn't extend very far into the water at most of our state ramps. So when it gets washed out you create a situation where somebody can back their trailer off the concrete when launching, now your trailer is stuck and if not careful you can rip an axle off. Down south you have crazy water level fluctuations being that you're on impoundments with dams, so the concrete extends much further into the water. When I load my puma at state ramps, I simply back the trailer in further than normal and get a little momentum going, then shift to neutral and glide it on. Then go to the front and winch it up. Takes an extra two minutes tops....most of fishing forums here in Michigan get all butthurt and call us all b*******s. So in hindsight, if you launch at our state ramps, it is no power loading.

I saw a trailer pull out where the co-angler backed it in past the concrete and it dropped into the blowout hole. Ripped the axel right off when he went forward. They got lucky in they backed it down and slid it back into place so they could pullout carefully and take it in for repairs. Trailers axel was only connected to the frame with 2 U shaped metal straps near each hub with one bolt on each side of the strap. Didn't take that much force really to tear the strap and thus disconnect the axel from the trailer on one side. The look on the Co's face? Priceless....

[CGWright]

For one, your not waiting for someone to unstrap, load their boat with the wife/coolers/kids, tie up to the dock, park the truck, use the bathroom, ect

That's what the prepping lanes are for.

[Olebiker]

For one, your not waiting for someone to unstrap, load their boat with the wife/coolers/kids, tie up to the dock, park the truck, use the bathroom, ect while your waiting to pull out. Also, if your pulling out everyone has already said they can put the boat on the trailer pretty darn quick by either winching up the last foot or just power-loading. When you have a considerate amount of boats launching throughout the day I'm pretty darn sure it would take forever to just get to a dock to pull your boat out. The same effect on putting in. Have you ever had someone just pull up to a dock just as you are backing down or vice versa? It happens all the time here with the ppl that don't pay attention to the docks. Now mind you, we are not talking about a launch that only holds a hand full of boats.

Again, how does having separate in and out ramps speed things up?

[Mini]

Again, how does having separate in and out ramps speed things up?

MOST boats do not drop off someone to get their trailer. They moor to the dock and then someone gets the trailer. MOST boats do not have drive on trailers or the owners do not realize that they are. Bass boats do. If there are a bunch of people leaving the lake and they use ALL the ramps, with boats tied to them, no one can launch.

This particular launch is the largest on Lake St Clair (the ramp is Harley Ensign Memorial at the end of South River Road and dumps into the Clinton River). 349 parking spaces and it will be full this weekend after about 11am.

Believe it or not, bass boats are a minority on Lake St Clair.....

[bob o]

i don't know how many other ways we can explain it, but it's faster when you don't have to wait for someone putting in. it leaves the take out ramps open for a faster take out

[Mini]

There are over 150,000 registered boats moored on Lake St Clair. There are over 800,000 registered boats in Michigan and of those, 650,000 are powerboats. There are more registered boats using the waterway from Port Huron (North end of St Clair River) to Ecorse (South end of the Detroit River) than anywhere else in the world.

You can Google "Lake St Clair Raft Off" or "Jobbie Nooner" and see some images of how many boats can gather together....and that is no where near the amount on the lake that given day.....

I dont think that most people actually realize how big boating is on this lake....fisher folk (all species) are a very small part of the people utilizing the water.

[Olebiker]

MOST boats do not drop off someone to get their trailer. They moor to the dock and then someone gets the trailer. MOST boats do not have drive on trailers or the owners do not realize that they are. Bass boats do. If there are a bunch of people leaving the lake and they use ALL the ramps, with boats tied to them, no one can launch.

This particular launch is the largest on Lake St Clair (the ramp is Harley Ensign Memorial at the end of South River Road and dumps into the Clinton River). 349 parking spaces and it will be full this weekend after about 11am.

Believe it or not, bass boats are a minority on Lake St Clair.....

I see that there are no courtesy docks at that facility. That's pretty strange.