How far out with an 18ft deep v

[Duraflame]

I have seen all the reports coming in that the main king bite is out in the 150fow range. A few weeks ago, i did well out of portage, IN out about 3 miles, but I think the bite has moved out as well. I have an 18ft deep v Lowe, and i'm thinking about going out of either st joe or s haven. From the depth charts, it appears as that depth of water is about 8 miles out. If the weather is good, how far is too far with a boat this size?

Thanks in advance for those who respond.

[Gnarf]

i have an 18 foot four winns and ive been out to 250 in the right conditions.

You have to check the nearshore AND the open lake forecast to get an idea of whats going on

[Killin' It]

18' Lowe here... been out to 275 last summer

210 this spring....

watch the weather and have a network of boats ect.

I also have a main and kicker.

[N II Deep]

It really depends on weather and your level of comfort.

Be safe and enjoy the lake, respect her. She gets ugly real quick

[mriversinco]

I had an 18' Lund Alaskan which are pretty narrow and went out there twice this spring. The first time there was a little fog so didn't see another boat and that made me pucker some. Both times we were out for a few hours and catching fish but the wind kicked up and the waves started to grow so we packed up early and headed to shallow water.

You're perfectly fine but keep a close lookout on what's going on. Sometimes you only have 15 minutes before it gets nasty and you better be well on your way in if that happens.

[SCUM LINE]

radio and some flares

I run a 20ft wooldridge n been out 15 miles after a few times its all GOOD what made me feel better was the kicker add on

[ekbelt]

18' Lund Tyee - we've been out to 260 twice this year and have been past 300 in the past.

[Ravbowhunter]

I have a 17.5' G3, and I have been out to 250' twice this year. Definately make sure you have a radio. I too have a main and kicker which adds reassurance.

[sherman51]

just make sure you have a good radio and monitor the weather chanel. and sometimes they get it wrong to. so trust your eyes. if its already rough or you see storms common sence will tell you not to go out. but if everything looks good and the weather chanle is giving good weather then its nothing to go out that far in an 18 ft boat.

i had an old 18 ft cherokee aluminum boat that i restored. i fished lake erie for years with that old boat. we were out over 10 miles most of the time we fished. and lake erie can get rough in a hurry. i never once was scared in that boat. but we went out with good weather. but now we did fish some 3 to 4 ft waves. that was called a good walleye chop,LOL. and have idled back in 5 to 6 ft waves. and i dont mean rollers, i mean waves.

just never try going to fast for the conditions. if it gets rough slow down, your boat will ride over some pretty big waves. and fishing that deep i would want about 300' of anchor rope. if you ever brake down you may need to anchor to keep from getting swept out farther. and always anchor off the bow. so the bow hits the waves. so good fishing. now go get some.

sherman

[ALLEYES]

Watch the weather, fill your gas tank, make sure your radio works and go for it if conditions are right.

Also I would recommend a drift sock in heavy seas over an anchor. You are much less likely to take waves over your bow.

[jdeck]

I have a 17 ft not as deep as a Lund or Lowe and have no problem.I have learned though 1to 3ft wave forecast means take the kids bluegill fishing.Turned around twice last year.

.good luck out there,the ruff draft will be on 68

[onlyflyfish4vr]

Good responses from all. I fish a 18' Lund fairly regularly out in the 200-275 range. 115 4 stroke, with bow and transom trolling motors. 3 batteries. I have had my main battery go down and had to pull trolling battery to get in. I also have 2 marine radio's, flares, flag and look at forecast a day out. I do not go out for evening trips/to dark unless I'm with another boat or see boats, especially in spring/ and fall when water temp's. are lower. Last summer I had a boat follow me out to 250' and have him get towed in when he ran out of oil. I carry 2 quarts extra always. Good luck, and safe boating.

[sherman51]

Good responses from all. I fish a 18' Lund fairly regularly out in the 200-275 range. 115 4 stroke, with bow and transom trolling motors. 3 batteries. I have had my main battery go down and had to pull trolling battery to get in. I also have 2 marine radio's, flares, flag and look at forecast a day out. I do not go out for evening trips/to dark unless I'm with another boat or see boats, especially in spring/ and fall when water temp's. are lower. Last summer I had a boat follow me out to 250' and have him get towed in when he ran out of oil. I carry 2 quarts extra always. Good luck, and safe boating.

we were going out on lake erie 2 yrs ago, and the oil line for my remote oil filter came loose on the bottom and lost our oil. its not always somebody just not checking things that causes them problems. but anyway we were out about 6 miles when the motor started to make noise. we stopped and found the problem. i hung the distress flag and set and watched as several boats just passed us by and didnt even stop to see what was wrong.

then i got my son on our cell phone back in the campground and he went to the marina and got oil, then went to the launch ramp, and started asking people to just drop the oil off. he said he asked about a dozen boats before he found one willing to bring us oil. he said some of them even mumbled things about people checking oil before going out on the lake. i had a brand new motor and checked the oil regularly. the line just vibrated loose. i tried my best to get the guy to take some pay for bringing the oil out. but he was a good guy and wouldnt take anything.

about 10 yrs ago we had a fan belt brake and had to be towed in. but thats another story in itself,LOL.

but now i carry a 5 qt jug of oil and a couple of extra belts. and last year i found out about boatus towing insuarence. so i get that now also. but for what it covers its great. they will bring you oil or gas and all you pay is for the oil or gas, or they will come out and give you a jump start, or if need be they will tow you in. i got this and i got the trailer assist and my membership dues was all less than 100.00 per year.

one year i even blew the o rings in my power trim pump. so i have an extra pump and a spare prop on my boat. i guess i need an alternator and a starter on board. but i only have so much room,LOL.

sherman

[grumman184]

18 ft Grumman deep v here was in 200+ this year. And I've been caught in 4 to 6 footers in 90 feet and crapped my pants. But in reality ur boat can handle more then you.

[Duraflame]

Thanks to everyone who contributed. I really appreciate your advise and experience. I do have a good marine radio, and I'm going to get some flares before i head out. I do not have a kicker, but i sure wish i did. About a month ago, I ignored some wind reports down in Portage IN, and I got caught in some 4 to 6 footers on my second time out ever on the boat. I was very white knuckled and soaking wet after about 1.5 hrs of battling the waves head on to get to port, which was about a 5 mile jog, but it was parrallel with the beach. The waves were so stacked, that my prop kept come out of the water, which was freakin me out. I was shocked how quickly the waves built up. I won't ignore the weather reports ever again. The positive side is that I learned what my boat is capable of, and how to handle the tight and tall chop. I was amazed that not a single drop of water came out when I removed the plug.

Thanks again,

[jimcr]

I am on the Wisconsin side and fish in a Tracker targa very deep 115 opti 15 kicker + a trolling motor, Have been out 16 miles on the right day. 358 FOW. Make sure someone knows where you are and when to expect you back , keep an eye on the weather. carry a cell and make sure it works along with your radio. I have seen it go from flat calm to 3 footers in less than 5 minutes, in a small boat fish with care out that deep.

[todd.v]

I have a 18 targa tracker and have been quite deep as well. all info here has been great. I also beleive 2 types of navigation are manditory- compass and gps with chip. I have had fog roll in in the straights and I was glad I had both.

[sherman51]

it seem we all just have your best interest in mind. everyone has semmed to give you dood solid advice. your boat will handle some big water if it has to. but if your not having fun then you shouldnt be out there anyway. back when we first started fishing the big water we used a 16 ft for along time. and i remember walking the beach a few times just because it was to bad to take that little 16 ft out there. we just enjoyed a day on the beach. but there was alot of other days we not only fished with that boat but caught alot of fish.

if you get caught in rough water it sounds like you have already learned alot. just dont panic and slow down. there are more good days than bad days. so just pick the right ones.

sherman

[pentwater bite me]

Ira Hayes drounded in a ditch.Always be careful no matter how far offshore