Clinton Lake Illinois
 

Does anyone know if the boondock restaurant is getting new docks...I was over at the lake the other day and noticed they were dragging all them out with a tractor....hopefully they are getting new ones!

I have never been to clinton lake, all I know is my trailer had a clinton lake sticker on it when I got it..where is it at? How big is it? How it compare to say loto, or shelbyville..

Clinton lake is just a small local lake, its fun on the weekends but does not compare to LOTO at all...the lake is about 5 or 6miles long...personally I like it better than shelbyville because of the cops down there...they are sooo bad on shelbyville! Clinton lake is a power plant lake, the lake is used to cool it so at any given day in the summer parts of the lake are around 90 plus degrees, it stays pretty warm year around. Its located about 40 minutes west of champaign or about a good hour north of shelbyville. In recent years it has been much more fun then years past due to the increased boats coming up from shelbyville and other areas.

4,900 acre lake. Much smaller than Shelbyville. Not as clean and not as many coves.

http://clintonlakemarina.com/

I slip on Dock 3. Pretty good group of local boaters we raft off with every weekend.

As for the docks at Boondock's, I hope they have a bonfire with them. I've never tied up to them. I just tie up to the ramp docks if I am going to grab some food.

Is your boat yellow or red?

My 280 is all white with yellow and orange stripes...I hated those docks! I usually tied up to the ramp docks too.

I know your boat. Seen it in Housboat Cove before.

Yeah, I am usually out there...I try to go out every weekend I can unless I am at LOTO!

Wimps! I have tied up there many of times with mine when I use to boat there.. lol Now that being said I have not been there for the past 3 years and they were in bad shape then. I would guess they just pull them out for the season, she does not have any money to fix them, trust me on that. She got them for free or they would not even be there now. It would be nice to see newer ones there but I doubt that will happen.

She has a great rib eye sandwich there tho. It's too bad a lot of places on the water don't realize how much business they lose because of bad docks. Capt'n Ron's on the Il River is another example

I was thinking the same thing about Captain Rons!!!:drink:

I boated alot at Shelbyville this summer (2 weekends a month at least) and rarely ever saw water patrol. It was never crowded either which was nice for some train bridge to dam WOT runs :drink:

We went to shelbyville on 4th of july weekend, and we saw that water patrol at least 4 times in the two days we were sitting in party cove..pretty strict about the more then 5 boats tieing up at one time..

There is a lot of water partol on shelbyville, and they are strict about everything! Its too bad because that lake used to be a lot of fun but in my opnion it is not ruined!

You might see DNR on Clinton Lake once a weekend if you are lucky. They just don't have the funding to patrol more. They seem to only target big weekends (Memorial, 4th, Labor Day) now and even then they are sparse. We regularly have up to 10 or more boats rafted off on any given weekend. We have a good crew of boats though so no drama, just good times.

I agree, the water partrol at clinton lake is pretty easy, the only boats I ever see pulled over is little tiny boats with ten people in them and usually they were doing something dumb in the first place! I have been boating on clinton lake since I was unable to walk and I am yet to see any larger boats pulled over.

Clinton Lake is a nice place to boat for a lil while and then tie up with friends. Not much room for running around though. Great for family boating or hanging out. Just my .02s

Ditto :drink:
and your bound to see WP on the BIG weekends and alwayz somebody gettin hurt .last 2 years seems like always someone leaving in a ambulance or helicopter ..

Yeah, you would quickly run out of real estate if you wanted to wind up the OL on Clinton. :drink:

I've never been on Labor day, memorial day, or the 4th of july cause water patrol is bad everywhere those days. I seriously only saw water patrol 2 times all summer long. I did see a blackhawk helicopter circle us in party cove once though :drink:

You must be the Skater that I've heard runs there sometimes :ernaehrung004:

There is a small stunt plane that buzzes the boats in Houseboat Cove on Clinton at least a couple of times during the season. Cool as hell. That is until it ends up in someone's cockpit! :eek: :drink: We also keep waiting for a surface to air missle to streak out the western horizon where the plant is and take it out! :lolhit:

:ernaehrung004:must be :ernaehrung004::boat:

have made some nice passes back by Eagle creek ..see ya in 2011 :drink:

Its been a few years since I was up there. (Clinton) Had a good time untill I got back to the ramps and someone had ran into my boat trailer and scratched it up... (Thanks for the invisible note w phone number whoever!) I havent been back since. However my old boat has been back up there quite a bit this past year from visiting w the new owner. (30 Conquest Enforcer w Red n Yellow Stipes) (Maybe you saw it this past year?) He says its been good times there. Maybe I will take a weekend and run up there in 2011.. besides with the new engine I am building, I will need to get away from the 40mph speed limit down here at Mill Creek for some prop selection and fine tuning. :cool:

yes they just added two new aluminum docks at the boondocks grill and bait, I believe they are 20 feet long

Agreed!!