Doable to take a boat in this weather?

[elk yinzer]

Hunting Sunday/Monday/Tuesday. Water temp I'm guessing currently sits in the 40's. Some of the areas I'm looking at hunting and have hunted on foot in the past boat access would make it way way easier. This is pretty far up the lake and it's not a super deep lake, assume it will freeze up quickish.

I know ice formation is highly variable, but I'm thinking at first glance, borderline but leaning no. Safety wise, don't worry I've done a lot of cold weather boating but on the ice-out side, not ice-in. Ice-in is a little trickier and happens more gradually. Not really wanting to tow 4+ hours only to have to leave it on the trailer. 17' aluminum v hull, I suppose in theory I can bust through a little skim ice but don't really want to I'm not worried about icy ramp too much I can prepare for that.

 

[thedutchtouch]

View attachment 76057

Hunting Sunday/Monday/Tuesday. Water temp I'm guessing currently sits in the 40's. Some of the areas I'm looking at hunting and have hunted on foot in the past boat access would make it way way easier. This is pretty far up the lake and it's not a super deep lake, assume it will freeze up quickish.

I know ice formation is highly variable, but I'm thinking at first glance, borderline but leaning no. Safety wise, don't worry I've done a lot of cold weather boating, just wondering if it's worth towing 4+ hours only to be iced out. 17' aluminum v hull, I can bust through a little skim ice and not worried about icy ramp too much I can prepare for that.

It's my understanding that ice will only form if the entire water column has dropped below 39 degrees, so if you are confident that water temps are in the 40s, it should be open water. (But I am not super confident in this knowledge fyi). Are you wondering if that week will be cold enough to drop the water temps? I would think not but wouldn't risk it personally. Hope it works out for ya

 

[BTaylor]

I wouldnt expect it to be a problem to get in and out but you may loose some of the stealth of boat access with crunching ice if you are hunting near the water.

 

[Nutterbuster]

My biggest question would be what's the wind and current.

 

[elk yinzer]

My biggest question would be what's the wind and current.

No significant current to speak of it's a reservoir. Wind could be my saving grace there is supposed to be a steady wind, but let's assume it's worst case and there is zero.

 

[WISCO]

How big is the body of water? Is it a clear lake or stained. Those all are factors that determine how fast they cool down an ice over. What is your plan for making sure you can get in and out of the landing?

 

[elk yinzer]

How big is the body of water? Is it a clear lake or stained. Those all are factors that determine how fast they cool down an ice over. What is your plan for making sure you can get in and out of the landing?

Not overly clear but shouldn't be too stained, probably what I'd call normal for this part of the country, not tea colored like all yinz' glacier lakes up north.

For the ramp I can take a bag of salt and sand which we've had to do fishing early ice-out, familiar with that.

As far as landing the boat to head up into the woods that is my biggest concern, if we have much shoreline ice to speak of I'll be screwed which is why I'm thinking this plan is 50/50 at best and I should probably just hoof it a couple miles and forget the boat. Makes packing for the trip about 3x easier also which the lazy side of me likes.

 

[redsquirrel]

From experience I would be hesitant to take a boat out "blind" in those conditions to somewhere you haven't taken a boat to before. I'm not as concerned with the weather if you're prepared but there are a lot of potential obstacles that could come your way that will make things a big PITA. Reservoir water levels tend to fluctuate. What is the bottom like where you'll get out of the boat? If you ended up having to beach 100 yards from where the shore normally is then your boat will be exposed for everyone to see. Add into that mucky bottom you have to walk through. I'm not saying any of this is your situation but basically be prepared for the unexpected. I have a spot like this that I hunt and I have to constantly stay on top of my water access because there are times where it's not even feasible.