Man what a day I hope your message will help someone out on that ramp. Also had the same trouble on the ramp at the Gville river bridge some years ago only had to replace the tire.
WARNING!!!! The boat ramp at Goose Pond has a HUGE hole/drop at the end of the ramp. XOMan and I got out to do a little fishing yesterday morning only to have it turn into a 17 hour fiasco! It all started at 0400 on the ramp at Goose Pond. Putting the boat in the water, the trailer fell into the hole at the end of the ramp. Trying to get the trailer out of the hole, we sheared the axle to the trailer off right at the wheel housing. Well with no one around we managed to drag the broken trailer back up into the parking lot and decided to go fishing until we could get a hold of someone at the marina to help out.
Got on the water before the sun came up and managed to put 21 nice fish in the live well before having to leave to get the boat trailer fixed after our mishap at the ramp. Every fish we caught was a keeper, no shorts. BG blue ice, and monkey milk were the colors for us using 1/24 and 1/32 jig heads. They wanted a real slow presentation and just a steady retreive. Sometimes you'd feel the thump and sometimes they were just there.
While trying to get tied to the bridge, I also managed to loose my cell phone in the lake. Well, if that wasn't just more fun to the day at hand.
We got back to the marina and they had a used trailer that XOMan wound up buying. They were great and helped us out a bunch! When we were talking to the guy at the marina he said we were about the 12th person to drop an axel or destroy their trailer on that ramp in the past year. Apparently all the big bass boats when putting their boats back on the trailers have washed out a huge hole at the end of the ramp and if you go too far down the ramp (now marked by yellow poles), you're in that hole.
So we got the boat on the new trailer and hauled everything back to Madison and picked up my truck and then headed to XOMan's place to drop boat and new trailer then headed to TN to get another flatbed trailer to go back to Goose Pond and retrieve the broken trailer from the parking lot. Got there and two guys were getting ready to head out and they gave us a hand to get the broken trailer up onto the flatbed trailer. Thanks guys, that was huge last night. Hope you caught a livewell full! Then is was back to Harvest to drop the trailers at XOMan's place.
Man those were some tough 21 fish yesterday. Finally walked back in the door to the house at 2045 last night. Needless to say I was whipped by the end of this one.
Man what a day I hope your message will help someone out on that ramp. Also had the same trouble on the ramp at the Gville river bridge some years ago only had to replace the tire.
Great report
Man those kind of days make you want to stay home. Glad you got to fish. Fished Guntersville Wed. came home with 42. had a good time with family.
I guess since you went during the week you found a spot under the bridge. The last 2 times I went on the weekend I could not get under the bridge. One morning I got there at 4 AM and there was 12 boats under there and another morning there were I think 14 under there. I fished just out away from the bridge on the point and caught a few. If I had about 10 rods out when the shad came through for a few minutes I could have killed the crappie but it only lasted a few minutes and they were gone. They ran that point real hard for a few minutes.
I am sorry to hear you had so much trouble at the ramp. It seems to me like if the marina knew there was a problem with that hole and several people already lost trailers that they would have fixed it. I think they should offer compensation for those who went off since there was no warning signs. I am also glad you told me before I try there again. Is the hole all the way across I wonder or just in a certain area? Are you okay to load as long as you do not back real far down?
Great report - you prevailed! Sorry you had such an experience. Hope you don't have another day like this for a long time.
Triton 190FS, 200hp Optimax, HB 798C HD & War Eagle 548LDV, HiTek, 30hp Mercury, HB 998C HD
Fishing is a privilege...catching is a bonus. Enjoy each precious moment we have to experience our great outdoors!
WOW! what a experiance.....glad you got everything back home OK.
I have spent most my life fishing........the rest I wasted.
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I’ve seen some guys setup their trailers to float, I guess now I know why!
CS I think you'd be okay as long as you don't go past those yellow poles at the end of the launch. Don't know if that hole is across the whole thing or not. As you look at the launch, we were on the Right side.
Hate to hear about the bad experience. I've seen quiet a few trailers back off the end of that ramp in the past couple of years. Some come out ok with no damage and others weren't so lucky. Saw a couple folks that called in wreckers to pull them out. On the other hand congrat's on a nice catch.