How would this do on Erie

[oh-fish]

I'm looking at getting this bass boat its 17' with a 150hp how would it do on lake erie for some bass and some walleye fishin out a few miles

[MIbasser]

You have to pick your days and watch the weather/wind. I've seen guys in jon boats out on Lake Michigan but I've also seen guys in 40'ers get to the pier head and turn around.

If I knew I was going to fish Erie a lot, I would look for a 20' boat.

[oh-fish]

ya i was looking at this 20' stattos with a 225 too but it jumps up almost a grand and im on a little bit of a budget. but it would probably be worth the extra

[Bender]

Yeah, what MIbasser said. I haven't been on Erie too many times in my boat (18'6") but even when picking the days and watching the weather you can get caught by some waves. Erie is very seldom ever calm. If you plan just on fishing close to shore then maybe, but if you plan to run to different reefs or to the islands I would want a bigger boat. Some guys even go so far as to say that no bass boat should be on Erie. I don't agree with that but you have to be careful.

Here's a couple pics of Erie for the guys not familiar with it:






And a video on a relatively calm day: http://www.strimoo.com/video/1489760...aceVideos.html

pics are hotlinked, I hope they work

[basstastic]

You can also get the deeper V haul on tracker boats for erie. I had a twenty foot ranger and wouldn't run very far from shore and always had the weather channel tuned in.

[Bender]

That's a good idea, if Erie is the only place you are going or where you will be most all the time maybe look into a walleye style boat. With a tight budget the Ranger 600 series is out, but aluminum should work fine.

[nofearengineer]

I have only owned a boat for a year, but having gone out in some 2-3 footers on KY Lake last year (wild ride), I can only imagine the waves on a truly big lake when the weather gets up. I wouldn't even consider taking my 18' boat out on Erie, except for maybe bay fishing, and if the weather was nice.

I agree with the other guys...get a deep V walleye or "multi-species" boat, 20 foot at a minimum. Just my opinion. I'm not afraid, just not stupid.

[Cavs1123]

I agree I would go with a V-Hull Boat.

[rrw4258]

Well, i feel the need to chime in here:

I have been fishing on the co-angler side for the past year or so now, and every tournament fished has been on Erie. I have had the privelege of fishing out of everything from a 16' Bass Tracker, a Pro Craft 190, Ranger 520 and a Ranger 620. I will tell you this: don't come underpowerd to Erie. It can get hairy out there REAL FAST! Depending on the boat you're in can matter a whole lot. Fishing the lake out of that Bass Tracker was dicey but fishing in 5 footers out of a Ranger 520 or 620 was a breeze (ok so not a breeze, but it was easier)... That Ranger 620 is like a monster truck. It was a walleye boat that the guy had converted with a back deck to be made into a bass boat.

In our tournaments, whoever i pull for a boater will ask me if I am fine with fishing big water, and if I decline them for fishing the "big stuff" I have the option of fishing with someone who is staying close.... I will admit that I was intimidated at first by big water, but since being on the lake for a year now, I am not afriad of going out in anything. We were going idle speed down the channel from a launch ramp in a marina and when we went past the break wall when we saw 5 footers. My boater looked at me and said you wanna go or not.... i instantly said "Boogity, Boogity, Boogity, lets go..... It can get hairy at times but good boat driving helps so much on the big water.

As for your question, a 17' with a 150 will work, yes, but not very efficently. It will make for some dicey situations in big water, and on Erie you never know what you in for. My advice would be to save some more money and get a bigger rig to fish in the big water more effectively.

Ryan

[lilmule]

Ky lake norm is 2 1/2 ftrs,wind creates even more,any big rough body of water the norm is at least a 20fter.
Yes ive been on ky lake in a 16 ft john boat,but calm as could be that day,and almost all those bodies of water can kick up fast,ive gone out in 3 fters and came in off plane with them over 5 ft.
Install extra bilge pumps for when it does hit the fan,and use common sense if its to rough park it if possible.

[Abbeysdad]

SSV hull rules, but I think I'll stay in the smaller Finger lakes and typically <= 10mph wind.
I'm an admitted novice, but I don't think 2-3 feet in boat length means much in the great lakes in bad weather - it's still a small craft.