# Small boats on Alum



## Scotty (Jan 8, 2017)

I have a 10ft row skiff I really like, but am wondering if I'll get beat up on Alum in it. I caught all the crappie in hoover with it this spring, but I'm worried about pleasure boaters swamping my ride (only about 6in of breakwater loaded). My bigger boat is not ship shape atm anyway... I have a motor for my little skiff, so I can make long runs if necessary, but prefer to row (row trolling is fun).

Anyway, any opinions on safety at alum? Is the north pool any less active than the south?

Thanks


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## Gottagofishn (Nov 18, 2009)

I'm thinking you should be able to swim very well in that boat on Alum in the lower pools. If you stay above 36/37 you might be ok but surely wear a pfd.


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## Draggin along (Nov 8, 2012)

I would put in at the Howard road ramp and not wander too far. Decent fishing up there. Too dangerous on other parts of the lake where the bigger boats are in a boat that size.


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## Scotty (Jan 8, 2017)

are weekday evenings any better?


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## James lucius (May 23, 2018)

I have a 12 foot deep v boat and will not go to close to the southern side of the lake to many things to go wrong in a boat that size in the open water. Howard road area safe and there is some great fishing up that way be safe and FISH on!!!


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## Gottagofishn (Nov 18, 2009)

Weekends and weekdays are better, but as stated, you should be able to keep yourself busy in the upper pools... 'Cause everyone else is fishing the lower ones. Way less pressure up there.


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## Scotty (Jan 8, 2017)

Thanks folks for confirming my fears. I'll play it safe and stay up north.


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## chriscreek (Nov 2, 2009)

you will be fine anywhere in the lake. Its alum creek not lake Erie. I fished for years in my 10 foot john boat on alum and never once had a scary wave hit. the waves on alum just don't have the distance between them to do real damage to a small boat. If your worried wear that life jacket.


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## Red415 (Jul 9, 2014)

Scotty said:


> I have a 10ft row skiff I really like, but am wondering if I'll get beat up on Alum in it. I caught all the crappie in hoover with it this spring, but I'm worried about pleasure boaters swamping my ride (only about 6in of breakwater loaded). My bigger boat is not ship shape atm anyway... I have a motor for my little skiff, so I can make long runs if necessary, but prefer to row (row trolling is fun).
> 
> Anyway, any opinions on safety at alum? Is the north pool any less active than the south?
> 
> Thanks


North pool is no wake up by Howard road...you should be fine there any time of day. I have a 14ft Jon boat with a 25 hp motor. I put in at the new Galena ramp (south pool) quite often...I fish for bass though, so I fish close to the banks and deeper coves during the summer. If you get out early and are off the water by noon, you shouldn't have any trouble anywhere on the lake. Wait until after noon to go out and you better stay up by Howard road otberwise you're going to have a hard time fighting waves from boats and the wind.

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## Dovans (Nov 15, 2011)

chriscreek said:


> you will be fine anywhere in the lake. Its alum creek not lake Erie. I fished for years in my 10 foot john boat on alum and never once had a scary wave hit. the waves on alum just don't have the distance between them to do real damage to a small boat. If your worried wear that life jacket.


Brother I've seen that lake act like a washing machine more then once. I have seen small boats on the lake when the lake looks like a washing machine and I cant help but wonder what is wrong with them. I will say common sense rules... If your in a small ass boat use your head.


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## linebacker43 (Aug 3, 2009)

You beat me to it Dovans


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Use common sense like has been said,and you should be just fine... i kayak the south,middle,and north pools... an get this. I do it on the WEEKENDS.... 
Now dont go trying to cross the mainlake on a hot saterday afternoon. Or if the winds ripping from the north or south. Put on that life jacket,an go enjoy one of the most versital lakes in central ohio.....


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## Shad Rap (Nov 10, 2010)

You'll be fine anywhere in that lake...I live right by it...just wear your life jacket and use your head as stated.


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

I have a 10ft row skiff I really like, but am wondering if I'll get beat up on Alum in it. I caught all the crappie in hoover with it this spring,My but I'm worried about pleasure boaters swamping my ride (only about 6in of breakwater loaded).  bigger boat is not ship shape atm anyway... I have a motor for my little skiff, so I can make long runs if necessary, but prefer to row (row trolling is fun).


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## Flathead76 (May 2, 2010)

Didn't an ogf member get his boat sunk on the south pool by a pleasure boater a few years back? There was a thread on it.


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## Gottagofishn (Nov 18, 2009)

Yes he did... I'm thinking he lost his gear, fortunately, it was just gear.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Flathead76 said:


> Didn't an ogf member get his boat sunk on the south pool by a pleasure boater a few years back? There was a thread on it.


Ya i think so... actually it seams there is at least one fatal incident per year on alum...... 
There are areas he will be able to fish at different times... ya it gets PACKED at timez. But thats really a short period of time during a week. And its not like lake erie,where you could be 3/4 or more miles outt on a calm day an a nasty storm kicks up. Or those weird rouge waves we all here about that come from no where with no one around. 
The key thing is dont be stupit. Most of the time its not a good idea to try an fish main lake points on a hot saterday afternoon. Or if you see its gonna be 20 mph winds from the north. 
Learn the busy times,go on cloudy rainy days or even during most weekdays on nice days an you can find plenty of fishable water in mostvany sized boat on alum.....
Have fun an be carefull....


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## Scotty (Jan 8, 2017)

Thanks again folks. I'm experienced in boating and use my head (why I ask questions). I just happen to love small boats. On open water, even with swells/waves I'm fairly comfortable because of the predictability. These reservoirs though, the wakes bounce back and forth and end up coming from all directions. I look forward to row-trolling for some musky this fall.


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## polebender (Oct 29, 2011)

There are a lot of wake boats now that can really put out big waves! They can swamp a small boat in a moment’s notice if you aren’t watchful! But there are lots of good coves to fish in both the south and middle pools that will keep you out of harms way! There is excellent fishing in a lot of these coves all year! They will keep you busy catching enough fish that you won’t have to worry about venturing out to the main lake!


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## rutty (Feb 5, 2007)

Scotty said:


> Thanks again folks. I'm experienced in boating and use my head (why I ask questions). I just happen to love small boats. On open water, even with swells/waves I'm fairly comfortable because of the predictability. T*hese reservoirs though, the wakes bounce back and forth and end up coming from all directions.* I look forward to row-trolling for some musky this fall.





Scotty said:


> I have a 10ft row skiff I really like, but am wondering if I'll get beat up on Alum in it. I caught all the crappie in hoover with it this spring, *but I'm worried about pleasure boaters swamping my ride (only about 6in of breakwater loaded)*. My bigger boat is not ship shape atm anyway... I have a motor for my little skiff, so I can make long runs if necessary, but prefer to row (row trolling is fun).
> 
> Anyway, any opinions on safety at alum? Is the north pool any less active than the south?
> 
> Thanks


I think you did a well enough job answering your own question you don't need any of us! Just go back and read what you wrote! If you are WORRIED about pleasure boaters swamping your ride, not a good idea to be out there. You know the waves bounce back and forth and end up coming from all directions, again another reason not to be out there. Now, just stick with your common sense you wrote and stay north of 36 where it is designed for little boats.


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## Dovans (Nov 15, 2011)

Today, the lake was like Glass...Even when a storm rolled in very little wave action. Caught few bass on top water, and a joshy just beneath the surface of the water.


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## Crappie/Eyes (Mar 10, 2007)

Scotty said:


> I have a 10ft row skiff I really like, but am wondering if I'll get beat up on Alum in it. I caught all the crappie in hoover with it this spring, but I'm worried about pleasure boaters swamping my ride (only about 6in of breakwater loaded). My bigger boat is not ship shape atm anyway... I have a motor for my little skiff, so I can make long runs if necessary, but prefer to row (row trolling is fun).
> 
> Anyway, any opinions on safety at alum? Is the north pool any less active than the south?
> 
> Thanks


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## Crappie/Eyes (Mar 10, 2007)

Rutty gave you sound advice. During the summer, you stand good chanceof getting swamped anyware south of route 36. You need to assume that all pleasure boaters represent a serious threat to your safety, especially on weekends.


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## Morrowtucky Mike (May 2, 2018)

chriscreek said:


> you will be fine anywhere in the lake. Its alum creek not lake Erie. I fished for years in my 10 foot john boat on alum and never once had a scary wave hit. the waves on alum just don't have the distance between them to do real damage to a small boat. If your worried wear that life jacket.


I have a 16’ Jon boat and have many times had big boats fly past me within 50’ just for fun with waves blowing over the front and sides of my boat. I’ve never experienced as much butt puckering as that on alum in boats from 16-32’. And I almost always stay within 20 yards of the bank when traveling south of 36/37. A few weeks ago in my buddies 16’ smoker had a guy go between us and the bank with small boards out running in 5’ of water. Full blast and screwed up everything. Saw him coming and luckily started bringing in that side. Idiots pleasure boating on alum and one of my favorite lakes to fish


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## shilty (Apr 23, 2015)

I took my 14 foot boat there a few years ago and was nearly swamped several times. By the middle of the day it was nearly 3 foot chop with waves coming from all directions and hitting off each other. To make things worse people were pulling tubes at full speed between us and the ramp while we waited our turn to take out. Don't do it. You don't want one of the big cigarette boats that have no business on that lake no seeing you while they lap the north pool at 65mph.


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## deerfarmer (Apr 21, 2012)

All the above is correct about Alum on weekend in the summer. Mark and I fished Hoover yesterday morning and he could only fish until 1. So I decided it was so nice out why waste a half of day. So off to alum I went. I knew it would be crazy so I put in at Howard road. The fishing was slow so I went under 36/37 bridge and it was just as I remember it. There really should be regulations on the boats that have water bladders in them for the sole purpose of making huge waves so there skiers can jump them. I was spotlocked in a area as one of these boats started circling the area. After the 4th time by I had to move. This one boat was making close to 4 footers. So I then made another bad decision and went under the Cheshire bridge and entered the south pool. I don’t know how the skiers could stay up it was so rough. I did see one small John boat with three people in it on the east side of lake and I have no idea how they got there without being swamped. I won’t even go into ramp etiquette. Let’s just say alum on a summer weekend isn’t my idea of fun.


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

I was there Friday Morning for a few hours and it was already a mess with pleasure boaters and nothing even close to what weekend traffic is on a nice weather weekend.

There is no way I would take a small boat south of 36/37 during the summer months on a weekend


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## Catstalker1956 (Feb 25, 2013)

I was there Saturday from 5:45am to about 3. I put in on Howard Rd. I did go south and boats were flying by. I pulled in a cove and started fishing when boats came in and parked around me so I headed back north.

When loading my boat to leave a large group of bikers pulled in and blocked the exit for about 1/2 hour. Not sure what was going on there. By the time I was leaving they had started pulling out.


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## dgfidler (Sep 22, 2014)

I have a 21 ft walkaround cuddy that I mainly use on Lake Erie. I take more waves over the bow on Alum Creek than I do on Lake Erie. There’s something different about the waves produced by the wake surf boats where the waves are so close together that my bow dips down and scoops the second wave in the set if they pass closely in front of me. I’ve been trolling the south pool some this year and was surprised the first time this happened. 


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## AKlo (Apr 19, 2016)

Holy cow, I'm really glad I read all this. First year off the bank in a canoe with a little 30 lb trolling motor. Have not experienced anything near this big, but haven't seen Alum on a weekend either. I would probably go felonious if I lost my gear and swam to shore, nevermind if my kiddos were with me. I'm usually not more than 50-100 yards from shore though....not sure if they're going inside that. Don't plan to find out......thanks to all.


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## Rustynails (Jul 20, 2017)

I hit alum Saturday in my 16 ft v, put in on the east ramp south of 36. Got dicey as I headed north but ended up in a cove with some biting nice crappie so I never made it to the safe zone. I need to do a little homework and find a ramp north of 36. That was my first time there and plan to go back.


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## Morrowtucky Mike (May 2, 2018)

Rustynails said:


> I hit alum Saturday in my 16 ft v, put in on the east ramp south of 36. Got dicey as I headed north but ended up in a cove with some biting nice crappie so I never made it to the safe zone. I need to do a little homework and find a ramp north of 36. That was my first time there and plan to go back.


Howard road is your only option north


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## Fishingisfun (Jul 19, 2012)

https://www.ohiogamefishing.com/threads/small-boats-on-alum.330633/reply?quote=2480499
I had experienced crazy wakes on Alum and could not understand how some boats threw the wake waves they produced. I had not heard of Water bladders in your boat so it throws a larger wake!?


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## gumbygold (Apr 9, 2013)

Fish any time before memorial day and after labor day. During the summer I usually put in at first light and I'm heading out by 10. Even then I have water skiers at 7:30 am.


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## Rustynails (Jul 20, 2017)

Thanks Mike, I saw Howard road on the map but it didn't show a ramp so wasn't sure.


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## Morrowtucky Mike (May 2, 2018)

Rustynails said:


> Thanks Mike, I saw Howard road on the map but it didn't show a ramp so wasn't sure.


It’s a no wake zone all the way south to 36/37


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## scioto_alex (Dec 30, 2015)

Griggs is like that with the wake sports, too. It is legal to operate a weighted speedboat of unlimited horsepower up to 40 mph, on a mixed-use reservoir that serves as the city's drinking water supply.


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## deerfarmer (Apr 21, 2012)

If you ever wondered how some boat can make huge waves check out this link.


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