To understand how best to navigate around Puckaway, it's worth understanding the lake's dimensions. The lake is shallow, averaging 3 feet in depth with the deepest point being 5 feet. The lake is also rather large with 27.6 miles of shoreline and being about 7 miles across east / west and 2 miles across north/south at the widest point.
The lake is somewhat bordered by WI Hwy 22 which runs north/south west of the lake and WI Hwy 73 which runs north/south east of the lake. County Hwy C provides access to the north side of lake, while County Hwy B and H provide access to the south side of the lake. Most of the roads don't actually run along the lakeshore, so your best bet to explore the big lake is in a boat.
The lake's shallow depth somewhat limits what kinds of boats you'll see tooling around the lake. Pontoons are the most common and are probably the most ideal way to get a good look at the lake, go fishing, watch birds, or just move between Marquette and the other stops on the lake like the Log Cabin or Good Old Days restaurants.
Jon Boats and Fishing Boats are a fairly common sight as well. During duck hunting season, shallow water craft with mud motors thunder their way across the lake to access the cattail beds on the western end of the lake.
The water is shallow enough where I launch, that I often start by rowing before dropping the trolling motor in.
I use a small aluminum jon boat with a trolling motor to explore the lake. Given the lake's size, a trolling motor doesn't get me very far very fast. An outboard is definitely the way to go maximize your ability to get around the lake.
For those inclined to exercise, kayaks and paddle boards are a fairly common sight as well.
Whether tooling around in a small jon or kayak, water conditions matter. Smaller boats do better when the lake is still. And you need to stay aware of traffic. A pontoon boat generates a fairly significant wake for 12 foot jon boat to overcome.
No comments:
Post a Comment