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New Boat Owner - Lake Lavon Monday - Advice
#13309932
10/13/19 12:43 PM
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 351
iFloat
OP
Angler
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OP
Angler
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 351 |
New to us bass tracker. Family of 4. Going to put in Monday afternoon. First time at Lavon, first time in Boat. Where to launch, and advice? We are McKinney side of Lavon.
Don't want to travel far on the water. Just wanna get boat and lines wet. Put around for an hour or 2, come home.
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Re: New Boat Owner - Lake Lavon Monday - Advice
[Re: iFloat]
#13310039
10/13/19 03:13 PM
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 137
happycampr
Outdoorsman
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Outdoorsman
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 137 |
Here is the park closure report... I am on Mckinney side as well and have always been partial to Clear Lake Park. Haven't fished Lavon lately but used to hit the shoreline and flooded timber just north and south of the ramp as well as the island. Do yourself a favor and get the Navionics Boating HD app for your phone to give you insight on potential fishing areas and hazards... at $15 its way cheaper than a broken prop or a skunked outting! http://www.swf-wc.usace.army.mil/lavon/https://www.navionics.com/usa/apps/navionics-boating
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Re: New Boat Owner - Lake Lavon Monday - Advice
[Re: iFloat]
#13310085
10/13/19 04:13 PM
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 351
iFloat
OP
Angler
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OP
Angler
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 351 |
Clear lake looks like the best spot. Twin groves park, and the whole north end of the lake looks very shallow and full of timber?
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Re: New Boat Owner - Lake Lavon Monday - Advice
[Re: iFloat]
#13310088
10/13/19 04:18 PM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 10,559
Jarrett Latta
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 10,559 |
Take your time whatever you do. Make sure you have all your lifejackets, throw cushion, working running lights, bilges, drain plug, etc. It's easy to forget 1 item that could ruin your day or put you in a bad situation.
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Re: New Boat Owner - Lake Lavon Monday - Advice
[Re: iFloat]
#13310094
10/13/19 04:25 PM
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 736
T-Gauntt
Pro Angler
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Pro Angler
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 736 |
Collin park charges to launch but has best amenities on the lake. It’s also the safest place to run out of. Stay on the south end of the lake and you’ll be safe from any of the dangerous timber.
As for the fishing just throw a crankbait around any rocks you find and you’ll catch em
-Taylor
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Re: New Boat Owner - Lake Lavon Monday - Advice
[Re: iFloat]
#13311064
10/14/19 01:22 PM
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Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 1,476
T-racer @ Mallard Marine
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 1,476 |
When I lived in Melissa, I launched up at twin groves on 380 all the time, BUT If you have not been up there and do not know how to run through the stumps, don’t launch there. Launch further south like Ticky creek. Everything down there is more or less wide open.
Mallard Marine Nacogdoches, Tx 936-225-3244 - Authorized Sales/Service Mercury Outboards - Allison Boats
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Re: New Boat Owner - Lake Lavon Monday - Advice
[Re: iFloat]
#13311323
10/14/19 05:18 PM
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 754
5PounderOnAFrog
Pro Angler
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Pro Angler
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 754 |
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Re: New Boat Owner - Lake Lavon Monday - Advice
[Re: iFloat]
#13311347
10/14/19 05:40 PM
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 40,432
CCTX
mapquest
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mapquest
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 40,432 |
1st time in this boat Launch wherever you have the most wind protection Make sure batteries fully charged Bring a paddle or two just incase Prime the bulb prior to launch Make sure drain plug is in Life jackets on Don’t accidentally pull the kill switch when you go to the motor to prime the bulb and spend the next 30min trying to figure out why the boat won’t start Make sure the trolling motor doesn’t have a safety switch you need to flip down for the trolling motor to work Have fun
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Re: New Boat Owner - Lake Lavon Monday - Advice
[Re: iFloat]
#13311358
10/14/19 05:49 PM
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 351
iFloat
OP
Angler
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OP
Angler
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 351 |
Great advise all. We are loading up about to head out. We'll holler at ya later.
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Re: New Boat Owner - Lake Lavon Monday - Advice
[Re: iFloat]
#13311736
10/14/19 11:21 PM
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 351
iFloat
OP
Angler
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OP
Angler
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 351 |
Well. That was an experience.
Went to clear lake boat ramp. There is no dock at the ramp. I couldn't figure out a way to launch the boat, and get my family on, and then get back on the truck when it was time to go... without a dock... am I supposed to beach the boat somewhere?
So, the other suggestion was Collin park. We drove 30 minutes across the lake to this park. Cost us $15 to launch there.
We pull up and a family is trying to load up a pontoon boat. This lady struggles for 15 minutes or so to load in the cross wind. Eventually she nailed it and we were up.
I pull us down near the water, I get in the boat and ask wife to finish driving us back down. We immediately jack knives the trailer on the ramp. Pulls forward, tries again, and nails it. I get the motor started, pull the boat around to the dock, and in the wind, do my best to hold her steady until the family gets on board.
They load up, and we cut her loose headed up wind. We give her heck for 5 minutes or so, cut the motor and try to fish the sandy bank back down towards the boat ramp. The wind is blowin us all to heck, we finally get everyone a fishing pole while I fight with the trolling motor. Couple minutes later my wife sticks a treble hook in her thumb. I'm trying to help her, while our 6 year old is smearing worm guts all over the relatively clean boat carpet up front.
Meanwhile the trolling motor is going crazy, the darn thing is foot controlled, but it won't stay strait. Every wave that comes, and the dang motor goes wherever it wants to, or spins in a circle. If you try to keep your foot on the thing, it will just throw you around, and you'll lose your balance. I just abandon all hope of fishing or helping them fish, and I have to grab the foot pedal with both hands, kneel down, and just try to keep it pointed down the bank with the wind at our back, and boat pointed to the ramp. This can't be right can it?
We're cruisin right along, and hear a big splash. Look back and the 9 year old had cast his pole into the lake. It had a bobber, so we circled back around twice (missed it the first time), scooped it up, and headed back to the dock. I motored up to the dock in very shallow water, wind blowing us against it. Wife ties us on. We get off, I go get truck, back it down the ramp. I run back over, start the boat and start a 10 minute process of trying to get her loaded.
11mph cross wind. Took me 5 tries I think to get it straight enough. We attached the winch, she cranked us the final little bit, she let go, winch smacked her wrist. We lock the winch, she gets in truck, drives us up the ramp, we buckle down, and we're on our way back home.
Heck of a deal.
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Re: New Boat Owner - Lake Lavon Monday - Advice
[Re: iFloat]
#13311852
10/15/19 12:47 AM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 10,559
Jarrett Latta
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 10,559 |
Welcome to owning a boat. What you experienced won't be last time and the boat ramp fiasco is pretty much every trip ha. You'll get better
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Re: New Boat Owner - Lake Lavon Monday - Advice
[Re: iFloat]
#13311864
10/15/19 12:52 AM
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Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 169
BigVes
Outdoorsman
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Outdoorsman
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 169 |
Tickey or Lavonia ramp would be best. Lot of people like Collin park but I refuse to pay $15 per launch or pay the big annual member fee to launch my boat there when I can launch at Lavonia for free
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Re: New Boat Owner - Lake Lavon Monday - Advice
[Re: iFloat]
#13312229
10/15/19 01:21 PM
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 351
iFloat
OP
Angler
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OP
Angler
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 351 |
Does Tickey have a functioning dock to load up on?
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Re: New Boat Owner - Lake Lavon Monday - Advice
[Re: iFloat]
#13312254
10/15/19 01:40 PM
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Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 150
Los Lagos
Outdoorsman
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Outdoorsman
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 150 |
Tickey does not have a dock, we beach to the west of the ramp and load there, for slow there are a few submerged rocks in the area.
We run a Blue G3 with dual poles and fish that ramp regularly say hi if ya see us, Black Jeep or Red Tacoma as tow vehicles.
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Re: New Boat Owner - Lake Lavon Monday - Advice
[Re: iFloat]
#13313488
10/16/19 03:53 PM
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,052
bassnman
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,052 |
The trolling motor problems you describe sounds like 2 problems. 1) Once it is down it shouldn't pop up at all so maybe the latch isnt catching. Make sure you let it drop down rather than just softly lowering it. 2) If it turns on you when you turn the power on, you probably have a bent shaft.
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