Spending a day at the lake is many months away in some parts of the country, but when your daughter got to visit the home of one of her college friends last weekend she was treated to a boat ride on the bayou. She has been on ski and wakeboard boats before and has even spent some time on a pontoon boat and personal watercraft like jet skis. This was the first time, however, that she was on a small fishing boat. Her southern hosts, however wanted to show her the joy of being on the bayou in December and really wanted to surprise when they went out to check their fishing lines.
As your daughter tells the story, she gave the others in the boat something to laugh about when she excitedly pointed out that there were fish hanging from the trees!
When the southern hosts stifled they laughing they explained that the fishing lines they were checking were called jugging. In some parts of the south, this style of fishing is called limb lines, but both terms refer to lines that are hung from trees that self reel themselves in when there is a bite. With these lines that are like yo-yos, they really do create a spectacle. The fish then hang in the air, and to your daughter who is from Nebraska the effect looks like literal fish hanging from trees.
Pontoon, Fishing, and Patio Boats All Serve Different Purposes in Different Parts of the Country
Whether you are enjoying an early evening sunset on a patio boat at your family’s cabin in the south or you are a northern who has to ice fish through the winter to wait until the patio boat can be retrieved from storage, there are many times when the memories that families make on the lake will last forever. In fact, from boat rentals to boat purchases and investments in patio boats and personal watercraft, there are any number of ways that a weekend at the lake can be full of adventure.
Many families find a way to spend time at the lake no matter what time of the year it is. From Christmas weekends around the fire place and away from the activities at work and school, for instance, many families protect this kind of tradition. And while summers at the lake may be more exciting with long afternoons of wakeboarding and jet skiing, there are still plenty of ways to enjoy your time on the lake in the winter. Consider some of these facts and figures about the many times when families find themselves looking for a way to be at the lake, no matter what time of year it is:
- More than 87 million U.S. adults participate in recreational boating, so it is important to know that the boats that you use are ready to go when the warmer weather arrives.
- Younger participants are also increasingly interested in water activities. For instance, 19.6% of Millennials participate in water sports, according to a number of recent research projects.
- Overall, statistics from the year 2017 indicate that 13.4% of the U.S. population participated in water sports.
- In comparison, In 2016 there were approximately 2.91 million U.S. participants in wakeboarding alone.
- Until advances in the 1980s changed the way they jet skis were designed, participants had to stand up to ride the first jet skis.
- Today, jet skis, depending on the model, can accommodate one to four adults. Even with more weight on board, motor sizes can allow the craft to reach high speeds between 15 and 60 miles per hour.
- Wakeboarding ropes are usually longer than wakesurfing ropes. For instance, the ideal wakeboard rope is between 52 and 78 feet.
- To wakesurf, the surfer trails behind a motorboat on a small surfboard that is typically five feet in length.
The winter weather has arrived in many parts of the country, but there are still many places where families still find a way to celebrate Christmas or the New Year at the lake. In fact, there are many families who live their most memorable moments on or near the water, no matter what time of year.
