Favorite Trailering Destination:

[magicalbill]

So....

This is aimed at KY Grady, Smoky, Leecoil, and any other members here who primarily trailer their Gradys.

What is your fav place? Lake? Ocean? The place you always go back to or want to return to? In my trailering days, it was Lake Cumberland, before I went exclusively to SW Fla Gulf waters and finally to Lake Michigan.

 

[Ky Grady]

Well, being as I'm from Kentucky, you'd think Lake Cumberland would be my go to spot since it's an hour away. I actually don't go there much, maybe 2-3 times a year. I hate the weekends there between the Ohio Navy and the weekend warriors, there is no courtesy or on water etiquette at all. When I visit other bodies of water, I'm always courteous since I'm the visitor, not so on Cumberland.

We enjoy the Gulf coast of Florida from Venice up to Tarpon Springs,,, love just cruising and sandbar hopping. The Keys were nice this year, loved fishing for Mahi, marked that off my bucket list, but it was a short visit. South Carolina is my real happy place, Charleston area feels like home since I've been down there for so many years, 39 and counting. I do both freshwater and saltwater sometimes when I'm down. Mainly freshwater though. Lake Erie is another nice place I've been going the last few years, quicker to get to over SC, and the walleye aren't bad.

So I guess to answer Magicalbill, it would be SC as my go to place.

 

[blindmullet]

I live on the WC of Florida and trailer all over the state. One of my favorites is to stay out on Little Gasparilla Island. You can only get there by boat.

Most of my fishing is in Tampa Bay to out around 50miles.

Scallop out of Homossasa...just got back.

Mini-season in the Keys...didn't go this year.

Tarpon in Boca Grande during our Little Gasparilla trip.

I would like to do the Bimini trip out of Ft. Lauderdale....still on the bucket list.

 

[Paul_A]

http://www.pinellascounty.org/park/sutherland_bayou_boat_ramp.htm

Less than 5 minutes from my house. I love the convenience but not a fan of the ramp. Poor design doesn't allow me to step off the boat onto a dock so I have to climb over the bow rail. Need to get one of those trailer ladders .

 

[Mr Mac]

While we haven't trailered our Overnighter yet, aside from bringing it home, we will be trailering from Bradenton, FL to our favorite destinations we used to go to in the past with our other small boat. Those places include Pensacola, Naples and Port Canaveral, FL. We will now add The Keys to our list of places to go for great fishing opportunities!

 

[magicalbill]

Well, being as I'm from Kentucky, you'd think Lake Cumberland would be my go to spot since it's an hour away. I actually don't go there much, maybe 2-3 times a year. I hate the weekends there between the Ohio Navy and the weekend warriors, there is no courtesy or on water etiquette at all. When I visit other bodies of water, I'm always courteous since I'm the visitor, not so on Cumberland.

We enjoy the Gulf coast of Florida from Venice up to Tarpon Springs,,, love just cruising and sandbar hopping. The Keys were nice this year, loved fishing for Mahi, marked that off my bucket list, but it was a short visit. South Carolina is my real happy place, Charleston area feels like home since I've been down there for so many years, 39 and counting. I do both freshwater and saltwater sometimes when I'm down. Mainly freshwater though. Lake Erie is another nice place I've been going the last few years, quicker to get to over SC, and the walleye aren't bad.

So I guess to answer Magicalbill, it would be SC as my go to place.

Interesting: Rarely do I read anything on S Carolina from you, unless, I've just missed it. I remember the Erie reports & pica along with the Fla stories, of course. Thanks for the kickback.

 

[Ted R]

Lake Michigan, Manistee Michigan for Salmon Fishing.

 

[magicalbill]

BMullet:

I know all those areas well. I lived on Ch Harbor for 9 years. Great boating in that area except during mid-to-late summer when the freshwater runoff turns the near shore waters brown-ish. As you probably know, it's worse from Sanibel into San Carlos Bay with the Caloosahatchee outflow from Lake O.

Paul-A:

You must be on or near Tampa Bay. Nice area there as well. As a kid, I would run out to Egmont on decent days in my little OB runabout. Gees, that was a whole other Lifetime ago.

Mr Mac:

Naples was an easy run for us down from Charlotte Harbor when we had East winds, or light onshore winds. Pensacola & Vero I've never visited.

The Keys are familiar to me. Again, it's a 180-190 mile run there by water and it was doable in 4-5 hrs given decent conditions. We would dock in Marathon and snorkel on the reefs at Sombrero & Looe. There is a good public ramp at Marathon just East of Seven Mile Bridge, plus there's a marginal ramp at Island Fish Company, (Gulf Side.)

Your Overniter will trailer easily with a 1/2 ton truck, and you can see all those places your looking at with a 10-12 MPG price tag. Hope everything goes well!

 

[magicalbill]

Lake Michigan, Manistee Michigan for Salmon Fishing.

Know it well;'

Vacationed and worked at Portage Point Inn as a teenager. Ran my boat from Onekama to Charlevoix and would anchor in the protected East sie of South Manitou.

I don't fish, but I hear the fishing's good for salmon.

 

[Ky Grady]

Magicalbill,,,, I've been going to SC so long, it's just second nature to me. Florida and Lake Erie are somewhat new to me so I guess I post about them more. Lake Erie is a spur of the moment trip as long as I don't have a stiff North breeze, 3rd year for Erie, 5 hour run. Florida is a one time a year trip that started when I bought the Grady, so 4 years so far 12-14 hours depending on destination. Like I said SC, specifically Santee, is a 39 years and counting, adventure for catfish primarily. It's the boys trip every October, I'm sure you've seen me post about that. 7.5 hour run for that.

 

[Ky Grady]

Blindmullet,,,, Bimini is on my bucket list as well!!! SmokyMtnGrady has made the trip twice with his 228,,, we've been discussing another run with both boats. We should try and coordinate a Great Grady Bimini run in the future. There are a bunch of logistics to work out for me coming in from Kentucky. I'll have to fly the wife over to Bimini, she won't do well on the boat out of sight of land for that long, the queasy's get her.

 

[magicalbill]

Now that you mention Santee, yes I recall several stories on that run. I was scratching my head for a minute, as I follow you regularly. I always enjoy the trips, pics and recounts.

I remember now you posting a pic of a large catfish at the dock with a friend of yours. I also recall Lake Santee being fairly large?

 

[ItalianAngler]

I'm on the Chesapeake, which I really do like for many reasons. So many places to visit, lot's of spots to hide in foul weather, for the most part forgiving if you ground, for the most part... Annapolis, St. Michaels, Tilghman, Deale, Solomons, N. Neck of Virginia. Stripers, Reds, Cobia, Macks, Blues, Specks to name a few! I've done the run up and through the C&D to Ocean City to spend the week, had a massive BFT breach 100 ft from the boat as we rounded Cape Henlopen. Every year I do an overnight or two with my son to target cobia, we stay on the Grady. Lot of memories have been made on her, and only a little puke here and there.

I too would love to someday do the Bimini trip, i've read all about it. Just need to get the 282 down there.

 

[Mikesbimini]

I’m down in Fort Lauderdale and have had my 1998 Bimini 306 for a year now. The Bimini trip is 50-60 miles for me but I have not did it yet. Would like to know if you guys ever plan one. I do plan to go this summer perhaps a few times.

 

[leeccoll]

Well I have been planning on trailering over to the California Bay Area to do some ocean and bay fishing, but it's crazy all the campgrounds are full because of the Covid effect, and reservations are near impossible for me.

I really enjoy hearing about everyone's trips, glad when I see posts on them!

Up here in the mountains, drought conditions have made hard to get to any usable boat launch, and as I write this the air quality index today is over 300~hazardous