shabbona lake 10hp limit

[rich mc]

it has been changed  down in springfield to be a no wake lake.  now you can plan on one of illinois highest  pressure lake to get more.

[Bart Durham]

Won't that mean less boat traffic and less boating pressure? Perhaps more kayaks?

[rich mc]

everyone predicts much more boat traffic by bigger boats  more guides will offer shabbona  as a trip , possibly more organized tournaments as motor use kept them away . musky anglers have pushed for this 10 yrs ago

[Andy C]

Now you can use a big motor, just operate it at no wake speeds.  Will increase the pressure from bass boats for sure.

[Eric]

I was kayaking back in the no-motor zone and a guy with an aluminum boat with Wisconsin stickers fired up his small HP gas motor and had it pretty much full throttle. Front end of his boat was at a 30-40 degree angle as he traversed the cove. I was waiting for him to hit a submerged stump and go flying!

The things you see when out on the water!

Remember when comedian George Carlin said, "Think of how stupid the average person is, then realize that half of them are stupider than that!"

[Tom L]

Frustration sometimes makes people do stupid things, not that I condoled.  

[Rob G]

Does it make sense to allow a 10 or 15 hp motor to run along fully open and not allow my 50 hp to run at no wake ?  I can guarantee you that it's the 10 hp that will be more destructive to the shoreline and likely dump more contaminants into the water.  I for one wish that all lakes that have horse power limits would allow for no wake of larger motors.  And if the DNR see a larger motor not abiding by the rules, I hope they nail him to the wall so as not to close opportunities for other more conscientious fishermen.

[Andy C]

10 hours ago, Rob G said:

Does it make sense to allow a 10 or 15 hp motor to run along fully open and not allow my 50 hp to run at no wake ?  I can guarantee you that it's the 10 hp that will be more destructive to the shoreline and likely dump more contaminants into the water.  I for one wish that all lakes that have horse power limits would allow for no wake of larger motors.  And if the DNR see a larger motor not abiding by the rules, I hope they nail him to the wall so as not to close opportunities for other more conscientious fishermen.

 

 

There aren't enough officers available to enforce the rules as it is.  I've been on lakes in southern Illinois that allow larger motors to run at idle/no wake (very subjective and no one follows those rules anyways).  IMO, the 10 hp restrictions keeps the big boats off the water making for a much more peaceful experience. If it's not broken, don't fix it. 

[Mark K]

On 10/28/2021 at 10:26 PM, Rob G said:

Does it make sense to allow a 10 or 15 hp motor to run along fully open and not allow my 50 hp to run at no wake ?  I can guarantee you that it's the 10 hp that will be more destructive to the shoreline and likely dump more contaminants into the water.  I for one wish that all lakes that have horse power limits would allow for no wake of larger motors.  And if the DNR see a larger motor not abiding by the rules, I hope they nail him to the wall so as not to close opportunities for other more conscientious fishermen.

I think the OP is more concerned about an increase in pressure on an already crowded lake.  That would be a downer especially if you live real close.  

 

[Rob G]

On a similar note of unethical behavior.   We have a county lake here with a 10hp limit.  Many years ago, I'm not sure if it still holds, a Mercury 10 hp and a 15 hp outboard motor were of the exact same size.  The only difference between the 2 was the way it was carburated.  Well guys were buying a 15 hp and the girl who had a Sign Shop just down the street from the marina, had the Merc 10 hp decal down perfect.  Many guys were having her produce one and slapped it on their 15's.   The owner of the marina told me if the DNR ever looked under the cowling of those motors entering the lake, you would hear men crying from all the way to his place a few miles away. Ha

[Mark K]

10 hours ago, Rob G said:

On a similar note of unethical behavior.   We have a county lake here with a 10hp limit.  Many years ago, I'm not sure if it still holds, a Mercury 10 hp and a 15 hp outboard motor were of the exact same size.  The only difference between the 2 was the way it was carburated.  Well guys were buying a 15 hp and the girl who had a Sign Shop just down the street from the marina, had the Merc 10 hp decal down perfect.  Many guys were having her produce one and slapped it on their 15's.   The owner of the marina told me if the DNR ever looked under the cowling of those motors entering the lake, you would hear men crying from all the way to his place a few miles away. Ha

I am not a  boat person but I remember hearing about 9.9s being under rated by the manufacturer for hp. 

[joshw]

I agree it will add more boats and pressure to an already highly fished lake. I do also agree a 9.9 at full throttle will cause more shoreline erosion than a larger outboard at idle. A simple fix would be a 5mph rule for larger crafts with higher horsepower motors. 

[rich mc]

most boats dont have speed speedometers. see how well the 55mph signs work on the highway.only good thing is that the area has two conservation cops  the defintion given by the cpos is no wake means going at the slowest while still making forward progress.