Come to Michigan...lakes are NOT crowded at all.

Comparitively speaking from last season and prior. Michigan lakes are DEAD. And for the Great Lake state...that's not good at all. Tons of nice deep lakes to ride. Forewarn though.....fill up your tanks before entering Michigan...regular unleaded is 4.18 this morning and climbing. Thats the main reason for the slump in boats on the water. that and the unemployment rate at 8.5% and the 6th year of a local state recession. This is a perfect opportunity for Ohio, Indiana and Illinois residents to come up and enjoy the waters without the overcrowding.

I will be at Pontiac Lake @ the end of July, and right now $4.18 sounds like a smoking deal!

i would kill for 4.18 sure beats our 4.52 ou here

3.89 here.... You couldnt pay me to go to Michigan...well.... id go for just for a visit...but couldnt move there....... 2 of my old room mates moved out of michigan to alabama.... it must be bad up there if you have to move to alabama to get a good job....

3.89 here.... You couldnt pay me to go to Michigan...well.... id go for just for a visit...but couldnt move there....... 2 of my old room mates moved out of michigan to alabama.... it must be bad up there if you have to move to alabama to get a good job....

Scott, the weather has not cooperated much this year. Alot of windy days.

holy high gas prices batman! I read 3.95 for regular this morning here in VA!

because lake michigan is still 55

im loving the empty lakes.. Michiganders should keep this secret to themselves

Hey, The midwest sounds like a cool place:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=RvY38j7JdCk&feature=related

don't the great lakes have tanker ships going through all the time? They have a Zebra Muscle Problem.

ever been to alabama sean?

lived here my whole life. Gods country right? lol I see your from Aubrun.... I'm trying to go to Lake Martin on Thursday the 26th-29th and stay at wind creek state park

just makin sure you weren't hatin' on us have fun at martin should be a sick trip!

WAR EAGLE!

snap... no you just didnt.... I dont wanna say it... but i'm going to have to now..... ROLL TIDE...

geez it only 3.88 in MN...

THIS THREAD IS A JOKE. MICHIGAN SUCKS. DON'T BOTHER GOING THERE IT'S COLD AND THERE ARE NO JOBS AND THE CHICKS ARE UGLY. STAY AWAY!

**HIJACK ON**
gangster you wouldnt have been driving down kraft by the mvp sporthouse 2 wednesdays ago would you?
**HIJACK OFF**

anyone in northern michigan yesterday (friday) here to experience the best day of the summer yet?? A perfect 75 degrees, zero wind, and the lake EMPTY. Very seldomly do we get off the water when it is still perfect, but after each person in out crew is burnt out from 3 sets, you gotta stop somewhere...

tpj- yes I would have, I drive that road with the boat a few times a week

why would anyone invite more people to their lake?

why would anyone invite people to come to michigan?!?!

I agree with gangstar.... really.. you guys don't want to come to Michigan. There aren't very many lakes to choose from, and the few lakes we have are usually very dirty and polluted. Summer's aren't very nice at all. Plus all the rough water!!! Don't listen to the original poster. It really sucks. Here is some evidence:

gangster where do you ride?

These past three days have been the best weekend I can remember up here as far as calm winds and nice weather go...

I'm on Lake Charlevoix, where is everyone else at?

I was with roddy on Friday.... He isn't lying, it was probably the best day I've seen in a while. By the way dude, I'm still sore

i ride in muskegon on bear lake and in grand rapids on the thornapple river

we ride about 30 different lakes each summer. We spend a lot of time on Reeds, Duncan, Clear, and one secret lake I won't mention because I've only seen one other wakeboat there and it would be glass through a hurricane. There are enough lakes in this region that if you wanted to ride a different lake every day all summer long you wouldn't hit them all before you died.

michigan wakeboarding is like big wave surfing

is it michigan or minnesnota that ha 10,000 lakes?

minnesota

We're thinking about taking the RV and boat somewhere up north for a week. Anyone know of any decently sized lakes that would have good water, preferably with an RV park.

Maybe more north the lakes aren't busy. But in the Metro-Detroit area they are always busy.

wakeborder5 if you went up to muskegon you could camp on muskegon lake (big) ride on bear lake (small) which is just a channel away, then chill in lake michigan, which is one channel from muskegon lake, on either pier marquette which is one of the nicest beaches in michigan or go to the other side of the breakwall and go to muskegon state park which is where you you camp but the beach is much less populated and the skim boarding is real good...

or you could just go straight to lake charlevoix...

Roddyrod,

How are the conditions on Lake Charlevoix? If we go on the weekend will we be able to find good water all the time or might that be a problem. I looked online and saw Uhrick's RV park is pretty close to the water, I don't know if many RV parks will actually have boat launches on site on decent lakes.

wakeborder5, you can only count on rideable water on charlevoix until about 11 o'clock due to the vast size of the lake, lack of protected coves, and the usual wind direction that blows right down the middle of the lake. With that said, on any given morning you will most likely be one of the only boats on the water. Any afternoon water to ride would be found on the south arm which is somewhat protected, but can be a hike from the far ends of the lake.

Another option which is better for all-day riding is Walloon lake, which is only 10 minutes from lake Charlevoix. A bit smaller and shallower, but easier to find calm waters.

Any other specific questions just ask!

Here is my lake and my son taking his first cut:

/image{chayce cutting}

Jamie, is that the lake we rode at a couple years ago when I was up that way? I am going to be making my way up there at some point towards the end of summer. That lake is money...wait...it is horrible, as well as all lakes in Michigan!

Jamie, I am going to be up this saturday for a week and ready to ride. I will probably be out a goody's a couple days. Nice pics by the way!

Roddyrod is right...go to Walloon lake for a full day of riding. Last Saturday...my home lake...630+ acres....I shared the lake with one small aluminum fishing boat. That is why I created this thread. This is really odd...my lake is always busy on the weekends. But not this year. Residents are not really even crusin in their pontoons hardly. Yhea the water temp is cooler this year.. I was out in boardshorts and rash...still not freezing...been in much colder water. I liked having the lake butter to myself..that was awesome. We'll see what happens once the 4th rolls around with traffic.

Scott firman,

where exactly is Walloon lake and are there campsites nearby? Me and Wakeborder5 would like to find a good lake up north that isnt crowded like ours.

It is up by charlevoix north of traverse city. It is huge and the water is absolutely awesome. Let me check for you about campsites. I know there are plenty in traverse city....but that would be a little drive from walloon. another great lake to check out is Torch. It has been brought up once before for a Pro tour stop. Great butter there. torch is in that same area..there is campng there. it is south of walloon but just north of traverse city. That whole northern west corner is a great place to visit. If you are bringing your girls...have them go shop travers city or hang at the beaches there. Pro volleyball tournaments in julyon the beach. kite boarding on the bay with rentals near by. Spencer....I'll send you a private email..on walloon. We have friends that live on the lake and we visit them quite often.

Gotcha, that would be a nice trip up there then. I'm pretty sick of getting up at like 9am to get a session in and having to share the lake with the skiers.

And thanks again Scott.

Jeigh, the last picture is the lake you were at. Definitely give me a call if you come up!

Ryan, I’m in Florida on business until Monday. I’ll give you a call next week.

Scott Firman…., BUTTER??? On Torch? Torch may be one of the consistently rough lakes I’ve ever been on. It’s 20 miles long and the wind blows right down the length of it every day. However, it is probably the most amazingly beautiful water I’ve ever seen! That picture of my kid floating is in Torch. The picture shows pretty true to life color too…..

Jamie, What would be your recommendation for a lake if me and a couple riders were going to come up there for a week?

Jamie...must of been on the end where the wind started...lol...haha. My in laws have a place on torch and we boarded everyday. Granted it was towards evening. But it was smooth the location that we were at. Walloon has water like that as well. Super nice. Ill have to venture down torch a little more to see how rough it gets. i find out in a couple weeks...lol

Scott, yeah... try checking out the south end, by the sandbar! In the middle of the day, you could potentially sink your boat. Big ass Baja's and Scarabs everywhere!

Spencer, If you are coming to the U.P., I'd probably recommend Lake Michigamme. It's about 30 miles west of Marquette, and has many islands and bays... you can always find some calm water. Also, there is a great campground at the east end.

Has anyone heard of Elk Lake i believe it is Next to Torch lake up by Traverse City?

Elk lake is absolutely beautiful. Again, it is like Torch, though.... long and narrow and it runs north-south, so the wind blows along the length of it most days. If you are going to be up in that area, look for smaller lakes, and if possible, ones that run primarily east-west if you want calm water.

michigan is without a doubt the worst state to ride in. all the wind from lake michigan and the sea walls bounce the rollers back and forth.
plus all the tubers....

Could not agree with Russell more.

you guys just need to ride with someone that knows where the good ridings at. No way in hell you're finding good water on lake Michigan, and sure enough I haven't seen a single tuber out on a lake in northern MI yet this year...

Someone needs to help me find a lake up north that i could travel to with a campground either located on the lake, or really close by.

Gull lake is BEAUTIful

Where is Gull Lake?

Spencer on Lake Charlevoix there Young State Park and Whiting County park both right on the lake. You will find better water off the shore of Whiting, but they're both really close to each other, just a straight shot across the lake. Also, like I said earlier, Walloon is only like 10 minutes from Young State park giving you another option.

Roddyrod- for the record, I've ridden the big lake a few times when it was near glass. Went out the channel at White lake in Whitehall. That said, Michigan sucks and no one should come here. I've heard Georgia is all the rage

lake michigan is glass about 5 times a summer. one time i rode from right outside the mouth of whitelake channel to right outside of muskegon lake channel. youll be able to find glass everyonce in a while but dont ever count on it

Never rode the great lake. Seems to unpredictable. Might have to try it sometime when it is smooth. There has to be a few times in the bays when it is nice and smooth. have been there when it was...just not prepared to launch into at that time. So it is all about the timing for sure. But with ALL the lakes in Michigan....you do not not have to drive far to drop your boat in...that is the plus about Michigan. Just an expensive state to fuel up in. I forewarned Gerry Nunn to fuel his rig before entering Michigan. He was amazed at the cost of fuel difference from Ohio, Indiana..for comparison. And that was last year. Michigan is One out of eight states that has a fuel tax....But we are the ONLY state that has a percentage based tax...so when the price goes up..so does the amount of tax we pay at the pump. Just a lil FYI. Can not spur tourism with those incentives. But we have awesome water to ride on for sure.

Yeah, we aren't really considered any of the great lakes. Lake Charlevoix seems like a good option. All we're looking for is a lake where we know we will be able to get calm water and an RV park on, or near, the lake.

If you want to wakeboard, do NOT go to Lake Charlevoix! It will be a waste of time and money (pulling your boat up there to watch it float)! Its big cold deep and rough because of wind. There are way better spots in Michigan to ride.

What lakes would you suggest?

Kurt thanks for all the lake suggestions man!

To my riding buddies, don't worry I did not tell them our favorite spot.

Kurt, do you think you can PM me the names of the campgrounds on the lake you told me about. It would be much appreciated.

Gordie is right Gull IS UNBELIEVABLE to my knowledge the only white sand lake in the state.
Its about 18 minutes away from me and huge. Took the Bu out there. To bad the wallies made so rough you couldn't even surf.

i would suggest my lake, but thats the thing, I ride there

We're taking over your lake then.