I read a lot of posts talking about LOTO being very rough. Is this just during the shoot out due to volume of traffic? Look like would be nice lake to visit, but I don’t enjoy boating in a washing machine.

It's mostly rough on the weekends. During the week it's not as bad. If you can swing coming during the week in September, after labor day and schools are back in session, it is smooth boating. And everything is still open on the water.

Weekdays are fine, once you get an influx of cruisers out, things will change, after you get past the 38mm it never seems bad

The thing is, in the lower mm’s, you could have a cruiser a couple miles ahead of you, their wake goes out, hits a cliff, and travels back out in the channel, those are the ones that sneak up on you when you least expect it.

Like everyone else has said; LOTO normal conditions 0mm (Dam) to the 38mm: Weekdays: no issue, Saturdays: big water this is during Memorial Day to Labor Day. Shoot out: BIG WATER

That being said,In all instances Saturdays if you go early and come back later in the evening, no issue. You really just have to pay attention, and if you are in a smaller boat and it gets rough in the main channel, just hug one of the sides. lake arms: Niagua (Big and small) and after 38mm is rarely an issue. Also there are literally thousands of coves, so if it gets too rough, just pull into one of the coves and hang out a bit or find one of the 200+ restaurants/Bars or resorts to visit.

Don’t “not come” because of rough water. Even during the summer, it is usually just Saturday afternoons that things get pretty stirred up. This idea of rough water keeps many from enjoying what the lake has to offer. Do not let it get in your way!

What I’ve researched looks like a Great Lake with lots of restaurants and lodging just read a lot about water. Dumb question; the dam is 0mm and markers indicate distance from dam?

Yes

The OLD after Shootout water. It is no longer this bad due to a 14 mile long no wake after the races.
Holiday weekends in the main channel from the 6-30mm are still close.
During the week, it is it fine for any 18 footer.

Really depends on size and type of boat.... 28+ foot boats with twins and real vee's (ex cobalt) seem to do well here...

parents brought deck boat to my place before they moved here, it was absolutely terrible. They now have a 30ft cobalt.

Water can be very confused at times... even making steady 2-3s in what I can only describe as a grid....

if you can boat on lake Michgan, LOTO should be fine.

Is the dam in the southern part of the lake? And how would a 28 Pantera with twins handle it?