"Dan Krueger" wrote in message
nk.net...
Dan J.S. wrote:

"Dan Krueger" wrote in message
news
Dan J.S. wrote:


I have a 25 foot pontoon boat (bennington). Trying to decide where to
dock it for the 2006 season.

Choice #1. Madison, Wisconsin - Lake Mendota. For most part, very quiet
lake, good swimming, best 4th of July fireworks in the Midwest. bad - 2
hour drive from my house, no restaurants, not much boating to do except
for the two lakes.

Choice #2. Fox River, Illinois. In McHenry, Illinois. 15 minutes from my
house, great restaurants on the river, 50+ miles of boating. Bad- lots
of traffic on the river, people drive like crazy, lots of drunks, it
would take me 1 hour plus of boating to get to a good swimming hole.


To throw into the mix, I have a 3 month old baby boy, so driving to
Madison is really not the best of options. On the flip side, I feel
boating could be safer in Madison.

Any thoughts on this?

It sounds like you have a trailer and tow vehicle so you could always
look at smaller, closer, lakes like Shabbona (sp?) and Koshkonong (think
I got that right!) and still have the flexibility to trailer to other
areas for special events like the 4th of July?

It's been a while since I lived up there (McHenry County) so I don't know
which lakes still have dockage available. I kept my 18' bowrider on
Brown's Lake in Racine County for four years. The "marina" was sold,
torn down, and now a few nice homes are there a few steps from Hwy 11.

I guess you have written off Geneva and Delavan?

Dan


Geneva and Delavan make the fox river look good. They had a study a while
back to determine why the waves are so strong on Lake Geneva. Belief was
because the lake is an east west lake. Turns out, the reality was because
of all the boat traffic.

Thanks for the other suggestions. To trailer this pontoon boat is a major
pain in the ass. I have a truck for the towing, but a minivan for the
family. It just makes more sense to leave it somewhere and use the
minivan to get to it.

It's a tough area to find a good place to boat. That's why I kept my boat
in Burlington. Are you in McHenry County? If you are farther south I
have another option - the Illinois River. I fish there every year in a
tournament but that is in late March or early April. There is very little
boat traffic then but I don't know how much it increases when the season
hits. Unlike the Fox, there are few places to eat and drink.
Here's a link that will give you an idea of the area...

http://www.spring-valley-walleye.org/curent.htm


Dan

Thanks Dan. Yes I live in McHenry... I might check out the Illinois River
too... thanks everyone for some good alternative suggestions...