How fast can you be out of the house and on the water?

Provided your batteries are charged and the wife is out of town - how soon can you be on the water from the time you decide to go fishing?

I just got my boat this year and my daughter decided she wanted to go fishing with me. It took us about 60 minutes to be underway on the lake (10 miles away) which gave us 1.5 hours of fishing time. A lot of that time is driving and walking the 500 yards to and from the launch though. I thought it was fast, but I'm a newby.

Any tips you have to keep your boat ready to go? I'd like to get more trips in during the week this year so I'm planning ahead right now.

Will

Depends. Back when I kept my tackle in the boat (boat is for sale, so it is empty right now), I could be on the water in 30 minutes max. All that was needed would be to hook to the truck, toss my two batteries in, then drive 15 minutes to the lake. From the time I walk out the door until the boat is floating and the truck parked was usually around 30 minutes, provided I went to Allatoona. Other lakes differed, but only in driving time. I often fuel up on my way home, or since I have portable tanks, on a different day, when I am getting gas for the truck, so that isn't an issue.

about 14 minutes to be under power on the water. My boat is usually always ready to go..

I'm right there with Bugpac.I'm only 2 miles away from the river .Some days I go fishin before I start work.My boats always ready to go.

I can be on the water in less than 5 minutes but I live on a lake and have my pontoon in the water so that doesn't really count.

For trailering fishing.....in my opinion the best thing you can do is have your loading and unloading procedure at the ramp down pat. My buddy and I know our responsibilities when we hit the landing and who's in charge of what. It gets us in and out of the water quicker than anyone else around. When I know I'm pressed for time, I'll also make sure the boat is loaded the night before with everything I need so when I get home is connect the boat to the truck and go.

Now, the real question is, How fast can you have a fish on the hook when you decide to go fishing...

Decent lake 2.5 miles from the driveway... so 15 mins max.

Wow! I see I have been leaving fishing time on the table here. I think I'm going to move the boat in the garage and keep it loaded up and ready to go. Rignt now it's outside so I keep my tackle, poles, life vests, etc in the garage. Funny, I only have a 3 car garage and park 0 cars in there. Time for a cleaning!

As to launching, compared to other's I've seen, I can launch very quickly all by myself. Somehow I learned how to back a trailer decent enough. I just have to unstrap, attach a rope, double check plug and make sure the key is in. It helps having another person, but since I fish with different people a lot, I just let them hold the rope after launch and pull the boat out of the way. If they help, I end up double checking everything anyway. Almost forgot the plug with my father in law because was helping him with a strap. The only lauches I've seen faster are the tournament guys who get it in and out in about 10 seconds.

When I go fishing I do not go for short trips. I will be out on the water at 4am and stay until 10pm if I do not spend the night on the water. I will pack my stuff the afternoon/night before and leave the house at 3am. When I return home I will unpack the next day. I have even done this while fishing from my canoe.

Well, during the summer when our boat is at Legbrkrs house, I can be there in 30 minutes, then hook up the boat, and drive another 15 minutes to the closest lake (Shabonna, about 50 miles west of Chicago, but only 10 minutes from Legbrkr's where we store the boat) ------ so, about an hour and a half to launch

Now, if Popeye ever asks me again to go with him in the Chain of Lakes (northern Illinois), I get up at 3:00 am, drive about 2 hours, meet him at the launch and we're out by 6:00 am. - but, alas, I haven't heard from Popeye since he accused me of cutting the line when he had that 5 pound bass up to the boat and I tried to land it for him ------ I swear Popeye, I didn't cut the line - you just didn't have it hooked good enough to boat it.... :?

Faster then i can type my response here :mrgreen:

If I use the boat it takes about 15 minutes to load it up and hook it up, unless Jake helps - then it takes a little longer

I can be on the fox river in 15 min.

I can be on my local lake in 15mins. I usually have the boat loaded up the night before so in the morning I am can just hook up and go.

I am in the same time frame as bassboy1. Try to keep boat loaded and ready except for batteries.

Doug

If i take the ranger out i can be to the bigger lakes in about an hour and when i take the little boat out depending on what lake. Anywhere between 20 to 40 minutes

I can be here in about 15 minutes. N 37 20.361' W 80 45.444'
And here in about 1 hour. N 37 1.679' W 80 39.089'

https://mapper.acme.com/ and copy/paste coords above to check it out.

Doug said:

I am in the same time frame as bassboy1. Try to keep boat loaded and ready except for batteries.

Doug

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I'd love to have an onboard charger, and not have to worry about carrying batteries (PITA to load/unload), but the parking situation here doesn't allow me to put the boat within a reasonable distance of any power to run extension cords. I was planning on running conduit to an outdoor plug right near where we park the boats, but that has never happened.

If I go to the closest place I am right around the 45 minute mark from deciding to go to actually getting in the boat. If I go to the lake I am looking at 1 - 1.5 hours for the closest one.

I leave everything in my boat except my fishing tackle..sometimes if I plan on going ahead of time I will put it in the truck the night before to help out.

At least an hour and the lakes are all 5-20 minutes away.

Jim said:

At least an hour and the lakes are all 5-20 minutes away.

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Hmmmmmmmmmmm :mrgreen: