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Not so obvious launch rule

I really ticked off a guy the other day at the launch. I’ve only had a boat for 2 years so I’m still figuring things out. I have not seen this issue addressed here in the couple years I’ve been following the forum, so here it is. Maybe this will help someone.

So two of my little kids and I were done with our boat ride and we motored back to the launch. This particular launch (not on Lake Erie) has 3 ramps. When we arrived, 2 were pulling out boats while the 3rd was vacant. So we pulled into the 3rd and tied up while I went to get the truck.

On my way to the parking lot, another truck arrives at the ramp with an empty trailer and the driver starts yelling at me, all red in the face. I walked over to find out what’s his problem. He says I took his ramp. He’s really mad about it!

I’m confused as to what boat he’s going to try to pull out because there weren’t any other boats there when I pulled up to the dock. But I look over to the water and sure enough, there’s another boat waiting in the wings.

Well I’m not in any hurry and I’m not all worked up like this guy. I told him I’d move my boat and he could go first, no problem.

But he keeps yelling. He said I’m supposed to tie up at the courtesy dock off to the side and then go get my trailer. He said the ramp belongs to whoever gets their trailer there first.

Silly me, I thought the dock by the restroom was for people to go to the restroom without blocking a ramp.

I’ve used about 20 different launches across 3 great lakes and multiple inland lakes and rivers on nearly 100 trips to the water so far. But I’ve never seen any signs posted about who gets to use the ramp first. No one has ever told me any such thing before. I’ve had people cut in front of me now and then when it’s really busy, but nothing a little patience couldn’t fix.

So my first thought was that it’s really arbitrary to say the first one to get their trailer to the ramp gets to go first. You could just as easily say that the first one to get their boat to the ramp should go first. In fact, I will block the ramp a lot longer if I have to park he boat way off to the side and walk to the parking lot from there, block the ramp with my truck, walk all the way back to the courtesy dock, drive the boat over to the ramp and then take it out. That’s about as inefficient as it can be.

But after further thought, I realized there is only one lane from the parking lot to the ramp. Trucks have to go in single file. So if all the ramps become occupied by people who then get their tow vehicle stuck in line behind others, we have gridlock. The trucks in the front of the line wouldn’t be able to put in or take out because in their way would be boats belonging to trucks behind them in the tow vehicle line. And most of the launches I have been to do indeed have a single file lane from the parking lot. Come to think about it, I have seen gridlock once or twice.

So the guy was right. As inefficient as it is, the ramp does belong to whoever can get their trailer there first.

Many thanks to the one guy who clued me in. I wasn’t being a jerk on purpose, I just figured you must be in the restroom, or waiting on stuff from your car, or trading out riders or something. I was just trying to get out of everyone’s way quickly. But I was wrong. My apologies to anyone I may have cut in front of.

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7-12-2025 Walleye

spreader no bling, golden worm harness got 4 keepers today, the white perch were really chewing up the crawlers.
4 shorts, but not by much.
I shadowed one of the head boats, two were in the area.
A first for this dog, caught a double keeper walleye on the spreader. ! Here is the drift for those who want it, SW of G can.
Back soon,
Water Dog

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7/11 walleye

I fished east point of middle bass. From the can to north bass. Mayflies have cleared. Now you can actually see the fish on the screen. Marked tons of fish. Started with harnesses, but thanks to a slow bite, and 1 particularly ornery catfish that tangled a couple lines I switched to spoons on dipseys. Caught cats sheep, and walleyes. Everything was big today. No shorts at all. Only managed 4, but all very nice 20-24” fish. Was following north of the shoal staying in 30fow average. The walleyes preferred monkey puke. Running #1 setting at 50-60’. Mostly targeting 20’ depth. Running 2.5mph. My bite shut completely off by 10:30
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7/10 Trip, what a difference an hour makes

Fished Thursday in a triangle between G and F can on the range and Green Island, with a crew of 3. Kept mostly out of the pack boats. Had pretty fast catch’s on the Fourth and the days before and after, so I thought we had it dialed in from last Saturday. Did not set up until about 7:45, with little to no wind, and a flat lake. Ran 6 #1 dipseys with spoons. Trolled for the first 3 hours in the same area with sometimes no strikes for 30 minutes. Around the fourth if you did not check your lines every 10 minutes, you were probably dragging under size eyes or white perch that were not big enough to trip the release. We had 6 eyes boxed after 3 hours. A friend moved out near Rattle, but the move did not change his bite. Tried changing everything up to get the bite on. So at 10:45 the bite took off and we finished our limit before Noon. Could hardly keep the 6 lines in the water, lots of shorts and white ones also, the port 3.5 setting Dipsey was just plain on fire, with a Copper back Yeck Super Muffin set at 60′-62′ back. So my question is this, did anyone fishing this area have the same bite? The marks were identical from the Fourth. It was a full moon day and had a small weather front move through the night before with rain and lighting, possibly accounting for the slow early bite. The best solunar times were listed as 10:36AM – 12:36PM, so that could have been what changed the bite or did we just stumble onto some hungry aggressive fish? Your opinion please.

PS Tried perching on 7-5 and tried a few favorite spots in 2 hours, but no perch to show for our effort.

A beautiful day on the lake!

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SE of G can 7-11-2025

many boats working the area today, head boats, drifters and trollers. White perch were on fire, sheep head too, but no yellow gold or walleye, some hoots and hollers from some of the boats, but not many. 22 fow moved several times but a no go for the walleye. I have not caught one yellow perch during the drifts, did catch 3 gobies.
looking for the yellow gold to return,
Water Dog,
be safe and use the life jacket
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July 6, 2025 Walleye on Fire!

two hours today, 6 nice eater walleye
using a spreader (no bling), gold 3/4 oz erie dearie, and a golden worm harness. (one I made)
all caught walleye , the spreader caught 3 keepers!
all of the lures caught the walleye!
drift between .7 to 1 mph (nice breeze but some bounce)
my father use to call this the lake Erie chop.
head to the SE side of G can out from the Portage River , hit 18 fow then started the drift, overall 6 shorts, 1 sheep head, a big catfish, and 3 white perch (no yellow gold, yet)
3 head boats were working it and some trollers, but most were drifting. gut pile report is mayflies.

Will try to hit it soon, wife likes the walleye better than the yellow gold.

Be Safe,
Water Dog