They Could Have Been Killed On Erie! 2024
Sam reply :
A friend from Roanoke, Virginia, who is a fantastic bass fisherman and his partner, a physician, made it to an open tournament on Lake Erie in July and lost the boat and had to be rescued.
Before the practice day launch another competitor offered one of his water socks to my friend who graciously accepted it. The water sock would slow the boat in case it got caught in the wind. Launch was no problem and the two guys headed into Lake Erie for the first time.
On the lake the swells got to four-feet. They had no problem with the four-foot waves other than never had fished on such waters. But they bobbed and weaved in the swells along with the other guys practicing in the same area until, all of a sudden, they looked up and water was above and all around them.
Eight-foot swells showed up with no warning. There were no increases in the wind; no storms; no weather warnings. Nothing. Just eight-foot swells.
The water came over the transom, flooding the engine compartment and the console area. My friend and his buddy held on as the second wave crashed over the transom, adding more water. My friend grabbed a five gallon bucket he had on the boat and started to bail as he knew his bilge pump was not powerful enough to get rid of the water.
The third wave crashed into the boat, ripping the seats out of the boat and causing the transom to go under. The motor by now had cut off so my friend grabbed the water sock and his three Steez rod and reel setups ($3,000 in value) and the guys got out of the boat and held onto it's side as the rear end went under and the only thing causing the Champion not to totally sink was the foam in the bow and that the compartments were closed and enough water did not get into the front compartments to sink the boat. He lost his $400 iPhone as it flew into the water.
Lucky for my friend and his companion that other bass boaters saw what was happening and made a distress call to the local authorities who got in contact with the rescue boat and sent it out. When the rescue boat arrived the two guys were still holding onto the side of the Champion and bouncing in four-foot waves. The eight-footers disappeared as fast as they had arrived.
The Champion bass boat and two fishermen were towed back to the ramp. The tow boat operator told them that this is not the first time he had to rescue guys who had never fished Lake Erie. Seems he rescued three on one trip a few months earlier.
So what happened? According to the tow boat captain when there are big storms across the lake the lake produces these large waves, like tidal waves, that slap across the lake. Guys who fish Lake Erie know to turn their boats into these big waves. My friend had no idea and he was hit in the stern. Once you get hit there is very little you can do but hope for the best.
The captain continued to tell my friends that the pros fishing Lake Erie have two or three bilge pumps on their boats. Guys from Virginia, never having to face such water, do not.
What happened to the Champion? Total constructive loss including the 225 HP Mercury motor. The water destroyed all of the motor's electronics and the boat suffered too much hull damage to be repaired safely. But you have to give Champion credit, she did not sink. My friend lost over $1,500 in tackle and his two Lowrance side scan units plus his MinnKota trolling motor.
I have never been on Lake Erie and don't have any plans to do so. When I watch the Great Lakes tournaments I have never heard or seen of this phenomenon nor have I read about it in any bass publications. Any of you guys and gals out there that know about this please share the details with us.
Just thought you all would enjoy the story. Looking forward to your posts.
slonezp reply :
The Great Lakes are unforgiving. There are over 6000 shipwrecks which should tell you something. A 20' Lund went down a couple years ago perch fishing out of Waukegan Harbor in IL. in 2ft seas that went rogue. I've been caught in some nasty stuff on Lake Michigan. One time, I was sure I was going to die on the lake with my son, who was around 5 at the time. We were salmon fishing and I saw a storm coming in. Started heading back but we were too far away. It over took us. It took all that I had to navigate around a mile or so in 8-10 foot seas in my dads 24' Pro Line after getting caught in the storm. The boat sustained some damage after the windlass had come loose and the anchor smashed into the hull. We made it back to the marina a little shook up.
wnybassman reply :
Sounds to me they may have had the drift sock off the transom, a big no-no on the big water. I always have mine off the side. It is amazing what a small bassboat can roll up and over that way. I have been out in 6-8 footers, and although it is tough to move from spot to spot, fishing in it ain't too bad.
slonezp reply :
On 9/1/2013 at 4:37 AM, wnybassman said:Sounds to me they may have had the drift sock off the transom, a big no-no on the big water. I always have mine off the side. It is amazing what a small bassboat can roll up and over that way. I have been out in 6-8 footers, and although it is tough to move from spot to spot, fishing in it ain't too bad.
That's what we speculate took down the Lund.
wnybassman reply :
And BTW, you do have to know what the weather is like on the entire lake as waves do travel the length and width of it. And rollers after a big storm can take a day or so to settle out again.
A-Jay reply :
Using a “drogue” (water sock) on your own boat in anything other than fairly calm conditions is a dangerous and ill advise practice; regardless of where it is secured on the vessel. Because the device will radically change the way your boat reacts and responds to the sea state, a vessel operator who is unfamiliar with the devices use and design can easily get themselves in trouble quickly.
One feature that is a must on these is a “dump rope”. It’s a separate line which enables the operator to reverse the direction of the pull in order to “dump” or release the strain on the device making it possible to pull it in by hand (without using the boats motor to gain slack). When using one without it, or being unfamiliar with its use, once the wind and or sea state is significant enough and engine power is lost, the only way to stop the unit from doing what it’s designed to do would be to cut it free. The waves described by the OP are a dangerous situation without the complications brought on by the drogue. And to be clear here, you can sink your own boat with an improperly designed or rigged drogue in waves much less.
Best part of the story is that they lived to tell it; Doesn’t always happen.
Btw the Great Lakes – should be considered “Oceans” by bass boat owners.
A-Jay
slonezp reply :
On 9/1/2013 at 6:12 AM, A-Jay said:Using a “drogue” (water sock) on your own boat in anything other than fairly calm conditions is a dangerous and ill advise practice; regardless of where it is secured on the vessel. Because the device will radically change the way your boat reacts and responds to the sea state, a vessel operator who is unfamiliar with the devices use and design can easily get themselves in trouble quickly.
One feature that is a must on these is a “dump rope”. It’s a separate line which enables the operator to reverse the direction of the pull in order to “dump” or release the strain on the device making it possible to pull it in by hand (without using the boats motor to gain slack). When using one without it, or being unfamiliar with its use, once the wind and or sea state is significant enough and engine power is lost, the only way to stop the unit from doing what it’s designed to do would be to cut it free. The waves described by the OP are a dangerous situation without the complications brought on by the drogue. And to be clear here, you can sink your own boat with an improperly designed or rigged drogue in waves much less.
Best part of the story is that they lived to tell it; Doesn’t always happen.
Btw the Great Lakes – should be considered “Oceans” by bass boat owners.
A-Jay
Oceans are more forgiving. Waves and currents are more constant for the most part. The Great Lakes can turn on you on a dime. There is no reason to use drift socks on an everyday tin or bass boat with the advent of GPS enabled trolling motors like the Terrova or Powerdrive. I used drift socks on my dads Pro Line to slow the boat down to less than 3mph during trolling. We were always under power when we used them. I'd be weary to use them when actually drifting, but it is done all the time. To each his own.
Sam reply :
The guy told me he had never used drift sock. I wonder if the sock played a role in the disaster as you guys wrote. Very interesting.
A-Jay reply :
On 9/2/2013 at 1:51 AM, Sam said:The guy told me he had never used drift sock. I wonder if the sock played a role in the disaster as you guys wrote. Very interesting.
If it was deployed during rough weather- there's no way it helped.
A-Jay
Dwight Hottle reply :
Sam I have fished erie for about 10 years now. After having read your post I could not understand the 4 foot swells suddenly becoming 8 foot swells & then disappearing. All this happening without any storm or wind. The swells are always left over waves from previous wind episodes. The only thing I can think of is if a freighter was in close proximity to them. The swells decline in size as time passes without any wind to stir things up. The drift sock if attached to the transom could very be the problem.
With a bass boat you really have to pick and chose your time on erie because when the sh t hits the fan it can get nasty really quick.
aquaholic reply :
The end of a rogue wave? Isn't that what they think took down the Fitzgerald?
tomustang reply :
Always made me leery of taking the boat up to erie
Sam reply :
On 9/2/2013 at 3:53 AM, Dwight Hottle said:Sam I have fished erie for about 10 years now. After having read your post I could not understand the 4 foot swells suddenly becoming 8 foot swells & then disappearing. All this happening without any storm or wind. The swells are always left over waves from previous wind episodes. The only thing I can think of is if a freighter was in close proximity to them. The swells decline in size as time passes without any wind to stir things up. The drift sock if attached to the transom could very be the problem.
With a bass boat you really have to pick and chose your time on erie because when the sh t hits the fan it can get nasty really quick.
Dwight, you may be right. My friend said the tow boat captain said it was caused by a big storm on the other side of the lake but I like your freighter theory better.
What this highlights is the danger of fishing any body of water for the first time. I have maps of all of the waters I fish and am always amazed at the number of people with boats that do not have any maps nor have they studied the maps before heading out.
And even after studying the maps I have knocked my lower unit goofy by hitting something not shown on the map or when I took a "short cut" and hit a stump. It doesn't take much to clobber your boat and motor on any body of water and you have to be prepared for all emergencies at all times.
Sam reply :
On 9/2/2013 at 8:05 AM, tomustang said:Always made me leery of taking the boat up to erie
X2. You ain't going to find me on Erie, as a boater or nonboater.
wnybassman reply :
In the nearly 20 years I have been fishing Erie, I can't recall a single instance where I thought throwing out a drift sock was a bad idea. And I've been out in some ugly crap over those years. In most cases I still think it helps keep the boat in a way where it rides the waves better, and that is sideways. Most, if not all bassboats, will turn nose first if without a sock because the outboard acts as a drag and a rudder. As discussed, the transom into the waves is bad. Bow into the waves is a little better, but every boat I ever had still takes water over the front while drifting if the wave frequency/height is just right.
I have been out in waves, and it usually starts when they get to be about 5 feet or so, where there is a bit of back current on the back sides of the waves. The sock will briefly go under the boat as the boat moves backwards but quickly go tight again once forward momentum is gained again. I've never noticed this to be threatening either.
I very rarely have waves come over the side while using a sock, but often have waves come over the side without a sock while me trying to keep the boat sideways with the trolling motor, even on small local lakes.
I've never really had the situation where waves/rollers grew big all of a sudden then dissipated just as quickly. Every time I have been out in waves I should have not been out in, they always grew steadily for the most part or were like that from the get go. Rouge waves are very real though, and you usually hear those coming from a ways away. I suppose the original story here could have been a few rouge waves in a row, but usually they are single waves every once and a while.
S Hovanec reply :
Possibly a seiche.
http://web2.geo.msu.edu/geogmich/seiches.htm
http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/weather/weather_news/Seiche-Lake-Erie-tsunami-swamps-Lake-County-marinas-this-past-weekend
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/09/high_winds_cause_lake_erie.html
Sam reply :
On 9/3/2013 at 3:20 AM, S Hovanec said:Possibly a seiche.
http://web2.geo.msu.edu/geogmich/seiches.htm
http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/weather/weather_news/Seiche-Lake-Erie-tsunami-swamps-Lake-County-marinas-this-past-weekend
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/09/high_winds_cause_lake_erie.html
Fantastic information. Never heard of a seiche. Sounds like what may have happened. Thanks for sharing.
S Hovanec reply :
I have friends that lost coolers and equipment to a seiche while shore fishing on Erie. Water rose about 4' and was gone again in minutes.
Sam reply :
On 9/3/2013 at 5:59 AM, S Hovanec said:I have friends that lost coolers and equipment to a seiche while shore fishing on Erie. Water rose about 4' and was gone again in minutes.
Unbelievable! Thanks for sharing.
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
I'd say there is a reason Dwight fishes out of that big walleye boat and not a "bass" boat.
This would serve as pretty good confirmation of that decision.
J Francho reply :
Never heard or seen of anything close to this. The only thing I can think of is they drifted onto a shoal, where the rollers can turn to breakers, due to the shallower water. Storms would be my biggest worry. Here's two videos from Monday, from Lake Ontario. This storm was moving around 50 mph. I just outran it going 70-75 back to the ramp. The lake and bay were glass just 20 minutes prior. My big water spidey sense kicked in, and I'm glad I listened.
Sam reply :
Wow! Glad you made it back safely.
I would think a weather alarm system you can put on the boat to give you an alert for bad weather moving in would be a good option.
I have been considering getting this unit for my bass boat to receive weather alerts while fishing:
http://www.basspro.com//Chaney-Instruments-NOAA-Weather-Alert-Radio/product/12031305010342/
Two years ago on the Potomac I got out of the water as a friend called me and let me know big storms were heading my way. Otherwise I would have never known they were driving fast towards my position as I don't look at the weather radar on my iPhone while fishing. Glad I got out of the water as the storm was a big one with high winds and heavy rain.
After reading your post and seeing those videos I think I will pick up a unit ion my next trip to BPS.
Thanks for sharing and giving us a dose of reality.
J Francho reply :
Sam, a weather alarm system would depend on a meteorologist actually sticking his head out the window, instead being buried in computer models. That, and keep in mind these storms can be VERY localized.
We didn't even get wet, though the ride back was limited to about 30 mph on the highway, and the boat was filled with marble sized hail. Fun stuff.
Dwight Hottle reply :
On 9/4/2013 at 9:29 PM, SPEEDBEAD. said:I'd say there is a reason Dwight fishes out of that big walleye boat and not a "bass" boat.
This would serve as pretty good confirmation of that decision.
As long as I'm catching smallies out of that boat it is a BASS boat, right.
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
LOL, you know what I mean.
Bankbeater reply :
The great lakes are inland seas. There is no way I am getting on one of those lakes in a bass boat.
Sam reply :
Did you guys hear or read that Day 2 of the BASS tournament on Lake Erie cancelled today's day due to 25+MPH winds and 5-7 high waves?
Ike is in the lead and everyone will fish on Saturday.
Wouldn't you think the BASS and FLW people would pull their heads out of their fannies and not fish those Great Lakes? There are so many other places to fish without putting the guys and gals in peril.
J Francho reply :
Quote
Wouldn't you think the BASS and FLW people would pull their heads out of their fannies and not fish those Great Lakes?
Please, it's some of the best fishing in the Northeast, if not the country.
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
Any lake is dangerous Sam.
I can recall crossing Kentucky Lake a few years ago at the mouth of Blood River. S to N wind blowing right up the lake. I wouldnt want to venture a guess as to the size of the waves but it takes a lot to freak me out and I was freaking out.
They might just have to allow time to safely get back or they can chance it. Play ball!
MarkH024 reply :
On 9/13/2013 at 7:15 PM, Bankbeater said:The great lakes are inland seas. There is no way I am getting on one of those lakes in a bass boat.
My father in law has a 38' Sea Ray in Burnham Harbor-Chicago. Even on a boat that size in 3-5 footers gets dicey really fast.
I was on an inland lake 7,500 acres in size on my 17.5' Ranger and got caught up in 2-3' waves. Scared the hell out of me. And that is a small lake in the grand scheme of things.
The Great Lakes are amazing but unforgiving. I agree with John, some of the best fishing in the upper US for multi species. I think Dwights catches on Erie speaks for itself in the bass category.
J Francho reply :
Do a search for "Burnie Haney" - he's documenting some truly remarkable catches in the Eastern Basin and Bays of Lake Ontario that aren't quite Dwight material, but pretty darn close. Remarkable really, for a smallmouth fishery that was considered toast. Check his youtube videos and PDF reports.
Going out in Ontario and Erie isn't dangerous. You MUST pay attention to the weather systems, not only in your planning, but through out the day. If there is something approaching, assume it's coming directly at you, and get back to harbor. I think of it the same as I did when kayak fishing - read the wind and waves, and have an exit strategy planned before you shove off. Probably about the farthest I travel from any safe harbor is about 10 miles, and even then, I'm rarely more than 2 miles off shore. 10 miles may sound far, but really, that's only a 10 minute run in calm seas. In rough seas, maybe a half hour.
I will say this, Lake Ontario is deeper, and barring sudden, extreme winds, takes some time to get kicked up. Erie, the minute I see foam on the tops of waves, I'm headed back to the Buffalo boat harbor.
wnybassman reply :
A buddy was out yesterday prefishing for our club tournament out there tomorrow. Took a wave a little too hard.
Sam reply :
On 9/14/2013 at 3:06 AM, J Francho said:Please, it's some of the best fishing in the Northeast, if not the country.
Yes, J, if you live through it!
J Francho reply :
If you want to fish the Great Lakes, you pick your days. By not fishing today, the pros picked their day.
Sam reply :
Hope Ike can hold on and win the event. He needs a win.
mddrew88 reply :
This isn't really related to the story on Eerie, just one of my own scary accounts.
When I was about 12 I went bass fishing with my parents and brother on a local lake here in Texas. We had a 16' bass boat, not ideal for wicked conditions let's say that. We fished until we started to see a weather system coming overhead and decided to pack it up. Motor wouldn't start, we were stranded dead center of the lake. Rain, heavy winds and waves start to come while we all got more and more nervous. After a while my parents started to freak out and made both me and my brother turn away from the storm and watch for boats.
What they didn't tell us was that a tornado has touched down on the lake becoming a water spout. We would have been really SOL had someone not come to our rescue and tugged us back to the ramp. How he got us back in those waves we still don't know.
Anyways that's my fish story of the day. 
gravestone reply :
On 9/2/2013 at 1:51 AM, Sam said:The guy told me he had never used drift sock. I wonder if the sock played a role in the disaster as you guys wrote. Very interesting.
If he had the driftsock tied to the back of the boat it's highly likely. Growing up on Longisland and fishing the LI Sound and ocean it was common to hear of boats sinking cause they anchored off the stern.
Ohio Dave reply :
I love Erie: its a wonderful, challenging place to fish for sure: but you just have to respect her: storms come up fast and mean
everyone who is out has stories to tell of how fast this lake can be turned on its ear in a heart beat
I got to see six water spouts form as a massive thunderstorm grew right in front of us while taking a class at Stone Lab (Ohio State's Erie research station) on South Bass Island (actually a tiny island just inside put-in bay)
I worked the radio reporting the spouts and their directions while the captain gave me a crash course in operating the big boat and how to keep her safe if something happened to him in the storm. the forecast by the way was for a 20 chance of a passing shower. That was before doppler radar was common and no cell phones yet either LOL
the bigger bass boats are safe on Erie but you must know the weather and know how to handle the waves
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