Who's around St. Louis?

[acatitude]

what does every one have against LOTO??? or is it just folks with little boats??? im not even sure if my 26 cat is big enough for LOTO. any comments

[Zaairman]

what does every one have against LOTO??? or is it just folks with little boats??? im not even sure if my 26 cat is big enough for LOTO. any comments
1. It's dirty as shit.
2. It's crowded as a mofo. There isn't one open space of land along the shoreline, unless you're on the main channel.
3. The main channel. Going out in anything less than 30' on a Saturday after 10 am will get you killed. Maybe not killed, but, your ass will be hurting and you'll lose your fillings.
4. Overfished, overpopulated, and full of idiots who don't know how do drive a boat.
5. Drunk boaters. EVERYWHERE!
6. There are hardly ANY no wake zones. Even in the coves by the docks, you can go as fast as you want.
I could go on and on....
True, it is a little boat thing also. We got down there on a Friday afternoon, and I went out for an evening cruise to do some skiing and tubing. It was still rough as can be. However, I can go out on the Mississippi River or Table Rock Lake at 3 on a Saturday afternoon, and it won't be nearly as rough as my Friday evening adventure.

[XJBones]

1. It's dirty as shit.
2. It's crowded as a mofo. There isn't one open space of land along the shoreline, unless you're on the main channel.
3. The main channel. Going out in anything less than 30' on a Saturday after 10 am will get you killed. Maybe not killed, but, your ass will be hurting and you'll lose your fillings.
4. Overfished, overpopulated, and full of idiots who don't know how do drive a boat.
5. Drunk boaters. EVERYWHERE!
6. There are hardly ANY no wake zones. Even in the coves by the docks, you can go as fast as you want.
I could go on and on....
How true this is.......and I live on LOTO. We "locals" (with sensible boat sizes) stay off the lake on the weekends from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
I have been from Bagnel dam to Truman dam and to the boating extent of all but one of the main arms of LOTO and there is a lot of fun to be had on this lake. It's just hard to find if your boat is under 26' and you only get here during the weekends.
Bones

[Zaairman]

XJ, where are you at on the lake? Last time I was there, we were at about the 2.5 mile marker, and my great uncle used to own the big tan house where the 5 mile marker is located...

[switchin'addiction]

1. It's dirty as shit.
2. It's crowded as a mofo. There isn't one open space of land along the shoreline, unless you're on the main channel.
3. The main channel. Going out in anything less than 30' on a Saturday after 10 am will get you killed. Maybe not killed, but, your ass will be hurting and you'll lose your fillings.
4. Overfished, overpopulated, and full of idiots who don't know how do drive a boat.
5. Drunk boaters. EVERYWHERE!
6. There are hardly ANY no wake zones. Even in the coves by the docks, you can go as fast as you want.
I could go on and on....
True, it is a little boat thing also. We got down there on a Friday afternoon, and I went out for an evening cruise to do some skiing and tubing. It was still rough as can be. However, I can go out on the Mississippi River or Table Rock Lake at 3 on a Saturday afternoon, and it won't be nearly as rough as my Friday evening adventure.
He pretty much nailed it!!

[acatitude]

xjbones what else can you tell me about LOTO. is my 26 cat to small for that lake non weekend days??? ive seen around the osage beach area. any info appreciated. also is my boat to big for table rock??? all I hear is jets on there?? thanks all for the input

[XJBones]

xjbones what else can you tell me about LOTO. is my 26 cat to small for that lake non weekend days??? ive seen around the osage beach area. any info appreciated. also is my boat to big for table rock??? all I hear is jets on there?? thanks all for the input
BC,
You should be right at home on LOTO. Cats seem to do so much better in most of the rough water we have here (unless you are trying to get that last few top end MPH as some air time will be encountered). There will still be times when you wised you stayed at the dock, but a 26' cat will get you by great.
Boats on LOTO keep getting bigger. Many of the v-hulls run 32-38' with big block twins. The go fasts aren't the wake problems we get. It's the 38-50' cruisers that really tear things up. Most of these idiots don't seem to get the concept that plowing down the lake with the bow up kicks up 6'+ waves that tear the crap out of every thing they pass by.
Table Rock isn't nearly as commercial. I haven't had any recent boating time down there, but plan on exploring it next season. What I have seen of it seems to be much less crowded and most traffic is smaller boats than we deal with on LOTO (though big boats can still be encountered).
Both TR and LOTO are big enough lakes to keep you busy exploring them for a full season. LOTO has its restaurant establishments and party/bar stops for the night life (not to mention Party Cove were nearly anything goes, while TR is a more family friendly, laid back, quiet, and picturesque lake with more shore and water to explore without the crowds.
HTH
Bones

[acatitude]

Thanks Bones, as I said in other thread I'm trying to sell my howard before I move there. Im thinking the market for a 26 cat isnt that high at loto area. But if anyone around there wants to buy it I'll deliver it, lol.( its in Nov. ***boat mag if anyone's interested and in spam here) thanks for the info. I kinda figured I would be looking at 33 ft and above cat for LOTO. I assume thats probably to big for TR?? and surrounding smaller lakes??? damn you guys ned 2 boats over there, now thats not a bad idea, lol.. what MM do you live BY? Ive looked at couple places over by laurie, seemed a little quieter then being on osage beach side

[Zaairman]

Your 26' will be a bit small for LOTO, but it'd be fine out on Table Rock. You can find ANY type of boat out on Table Rock at any give time of day. The biggest boat I've seen on Table Rock (Besides the Branson Belle) was a 35 - 40' cigarette boat. It was the only one on the lake in our general area...

[XJBones]

Thanks Bones, as I said in other thread I'm trying to sell my howard before I move there. Im thinking the market for a 26 cat isnt that high at loto area. But if anyone around there wants to buy it I'll deliver it, lol.( its in Nov. ***boat mag if anyone's interested and in spam here) thanks for the info. I kinda figured I would be looking at 33 ft and above cat for LOTO. I assume thats probably to big for TR?? and surrounding smaller lakes??? damn you guys ned 2 boats over there, now thats not a bad idea, lol.. what MM do you live BY? Ive looked at couple places over by laurie, seemed a little quieter then being on osage beach side
Laurie area is a quieter area. The Osage arm from about the 35mm and on gets more "livable" if you don't need to get to a job in the Camdenton or Osage Beach area. It's also a more reasonable area for real estate costs.
Talking Real Estate cost with someone from Cali is a bit hard though. I was just out in San Diego, then up to Palm Springs where my Mom lives the first of the month. For what a 2000 sq foot house costs there I could get 3500-4000 sq ft with a large lakefront lot around here.
I live up near the 9 MM of the Big Niangua (towards Bridal Cave). It used to be a quiet area, but the addition of about 800 condo units within a 10 mile stretch of lake from my house has me looking for a new place to drop anchor.
Bones
The Boat:
http://images19.fotki.com/v27/photos...299/SW3-vi.jpg
The Obsession:
http://images7.fotki.com/v110/photos...144/139-vi.jpg