Walleye fishing is nearly in full swing on all waters in the State of Michigan; excitement is in the air, people are going fishing, and the boat launches are being utilized to full capacity. All great things for our economy and for our mental well being; there is nothing better than a day of fishing with family or friends; a full livewell is just a bonus. I hope you are as fortunate as I and have already had a chance or two get out on the water.
A lot of planning and preparation can go into a fishing trip for a day or for a week; one thing that is often overlooked is boat ramp etiquette and protocol. Mentally prepare yourself for a crowded boat launch facility; follow these simple guidelines and have a great trip.
When launching:
1. Make sure you have everything ready when you get to the ramp stall to back the boat into the water. If you are not ready and clog up a ramp stall, it can really slow things down, and potentially upsets other boaters. When arriving at the ramp if you are not ready to launch pull off to the side and get everything ready. This is not the time to be in a rush; take your time, be calm, and mentally go over everything you need to do before putting the boat in the water. Many of trips have been ruined by forgetting to put in the drain plug, or worse yet prematurely unhooking your boat from the roller trailer and ending up with your boat lying on the pavement. The fish will still be there if you have to take an extra 15 minutes or so; some of my best walleye trips were when I did not put baits in the water until after 9 a.m.
2. When everything is ready proceed to the first open launch stall and begin to back the boat down the ramp. Make sure if you have a roller trailer you do not unhook the boat from trailer until the stern is in the water, you can unhook much sooner if you have a bunk trailer. When backing down the ramp if it is dark turn off your vehicle headlights. Your headlights might be in another driver's eyes and blinding him.
3. When launching with a partner one person should back the boat down and the other person should be in the boat. When the boat is in the water the person in the boat should start the engine and back away from the dock leaving room for the next vehicle and boat to launch. The driver of the vehicle then drives the trailer out of the water, parks the vehicle, and returns to the dock to be picked up by the boat driver. When pickin up the vehicle driver slowly approach the dock; the bow of the boat should be able to get very close to the end of the dock and the vehicle driver can step into the bow of the boat. When doing this you might get some strange looks or even a nasty comment or two; but trust me this is the proper way to launch a boat. Here is a link to the Michigan Boater's Guide that affirms my launching tips; Boat Ramp Courtesy
4. Only when launching by yourself or with people that are not licensed to drive a motor vehicle should you tie your boat up to dock after unloading it off the trailer.
When loading:
1. When loading with a partner one person drives the boat up to the dock and drops off the vehicle driver. The boat driver then backs the boat away from the dock and waits for the driver to return with the vehicle. Only tie up to a dock if you are alone or with companions that are not licensed to drive a motor vehicle. The line to launch and load is formed by vehicles with trailers, not by boats in the water.
2. When the vehicle arrives the driver backs the trailer into the water and the boat driver gently drives the boat onto the trailer. Do not throttle above idle speed to move the boat farther up the trailer, this washes out the launch ramp. When the boat is on the trailer the boat driver then gets out of the boat at the bow area and steps onto the trailer; then connects the winch strap and winches the boat the rest of the way up the trailer. The vehicle driver can also back in a little bit farther if needed to make cranking the boat up easier.
3. When boat is all the way up and onto the trailer the vehicle driver then can pull the boat out of the water and drive away from the ramp stalls to secure the boat and any belongings inside. Do not just pull up a few feet onto the ramp with the boat out of the water; this can create a back up to launch and load. If you need to pull the drain plug do it away from the ramp before you proceed to drive home; contary to popular belief you do not need an incline to drain the water out. Simply driving home and the surge of the boat on the trailer as you accelerate the tow vehicle will drain the water out.
I hope everyone has a great walleye opener this coming weekend. Please refer to the boater's guide if needed, and remember the line at the boat launch is formed by vehicles with trailers, not by vessels in the water.
Ed Clements: Team Starcraft
