Windang lake

[Kaneo]

Hey guys!

Has anyone been up to windang lake for a fish the past few days? I plan on taking the tinnie up for the first time. Launch at the caravan side park boat ramp, head in towards the bottom of the lake just as it opens up and have a fish there just not sure how shallow it gets before the drop off I always see boats down there. Might go try my luck down there and hopefully get a few fish on instead of sitting there without any action! 

Cheers, Kaneo!

[Fab1]

It gets down to about 1/2 metre.This is one of those times when careful navigation will get you through.You will see other boats similar to yours go through from the channel into the main lake.

If you launch from the berkley ramp you won't need to worry about the shallow part.Just a thought.

cheers.

[Kaneo]

5 hours ago, Fab1 said:

It gets down to about 1/2 metre.This is one of those times when careful navigation will get you through.You will see other boats similar to yours go through from the channel into the main lake.

If you launch from the berkley ramp you won't need to worry about the shallow part.Just a thought.

cheers.

Last time I launched at burkeley fished the main island hid behind the island from wind, it picked up real hard and there Wass that much wind making small waves in the lake and scared the shit out of me with 3 of us in a 3.2m tinnie and a 8hp sccary 10 minutes getting back !!!

[Fab1]

2 hours ago, Kaneo said:

Last time I launched at burkeley fished the main island hid behind the island from wind, it picked up real hard and there Wass that much wind making small waves in the lake and scared the shit out of me with 3 of us in a 3.2m tinnie and a 8hp sccary 10 minutes getting back !!!

Yeah,it gets dangerous real quick in the wind as you've found out due to the very shallowness of the lake.You'll get through the shallow section mentioned above easy in your boat navigating with caution.

Not to sure if it's me,but I wouldn't have 3 in that boat with an 8hp for the same reason above.It's hard to escape the weather when it turns nasty.Maybe you can upgrade it a little when the funds permit to a 15hp for that added bit of power?

Take care out there.

[Kaneo]

6 minutes ago, Fab1 said:

Yeah,it gets dangerous real quick in the wind as you've found out due to the very shallowness of the lake.You'll get through the shallow section mentioned above easy in your boat navigating with caution.

Not to sure if it's me,but I wouldn't have 3 in that boat with an 8hp for the same reason above.It's hard to escape the weather when it turns nasty.Maybe you can upgrade it a little when the funds permit to a 15hp for that added bit of power?

Take care out there.

Yeah two people from now on otherwise it's to hard and can get dangerous! Also I don't have a license and the legal size engine for my tinnie is 8hp max!!! Once I get confident with reversing and putting the boat in and retrieving I'll upgrade but I get to worried as it is with a small boat haha. 

[Ric001]

I've been in the lake quite a bit and as Fab said the wind can make it really nasty. The channel needs you to keep a eye out as .5m and a bit of chop will see your prop hitting the bottom. 

Be safe and don't overload or go on extended runs from the caravan park. That is also a hazard in itself as the tidal flow there will see the channel markers lying down. 

The channel moves a fair bit after big rain periods so even the channel markers can be misleading. 

Cheers Ric. 

[Fab1]

3 hours ago, Kaneo said:

Yeah two people from now on otherwise it's to hard and can get dangerous! Also I don't have a license and the legal size engine for my tinnie is 8hp max!!! Once I get confident with reversing and putting the boat in and retrieving I'll upgrade but I get to worried as it is with a small boat haha. 

There's nothing to be ashamed of in terms of worrying when first getting a boat.We all do to some degree and even skippering a small boat can seem like your the captain of the queen Mary.

Im a firm believer that confidence on the ramp comes from having a set plan,doing things methodically,and concentrating on the task at hand blocking any external distractions for the few minutes it takes to launch/retrieve.

Combine these things with practice and you'll get good at it very quickly.

What issues are you having on the ramp that we may be able to help you with?

Ric gave you some good info there too and I would like to add that at the Windang bridge ramp on an outgoing tide the cross current you can get at the ramp is very strong and will push your stern down tide quite strongly towards the sea making it difficult to retrieve your boat.

There's a few ways around it and I'm assuming your winching on by the discription of your boat.

Firstly you can tie a rope to the starboard rear and front of your boat to help control it by the rope when the tide pulls the stern round.

Angle the rear of your trailer so it faces downtide then bring the boat up to the rear trailer roller.

Bring the boat up to the rear trailer roller with the stern facing up tide on a 30-45deg angle to give you time to winch it on before the boat swings round down tide.

Clip the winch strap on and physically pull the boat onto the trailer a bit keeping tension on the strap while you walk over to the winch and start winching.(My method.)

On thing all boaters should know is their boats draft which is the amount of water it can float in when fully laden which im betting even most of the guys on here wouldn't have a clue.Am I right guys?

I see your in Campbelltown and if you want me to come down with you to the ramp to help you launch/retrieve let me know and I'll try to make it happen inbetween all the stuff I've got going on.

Cheers.

1 hour ago, Ric001 said:

I've been in the lake quite a bit and as Fab said the wind can make it really nasty. The channel needs you to keep a eye out as .5m and a bit of chop will see your prop hitting the bottom. 

Be safe and don't overload or go on extended runs from the caravan park. That is also a hazard in itself as the tidal flow there will see the channel markers lying down. 

The channel moves a fair bit after big rain periods so even the channel markers can be misleading. 

Cheers Ric. 

Good tips for him mate.

[Kaneo]

I'll have to double check the weather and tides on the weekend. Supposed to be nice weather light winds in the morning. Also I have been notified about an air show down there hopefully it isn't to packed at windang lake.