You'll be okay in that area. Its sort of difficult to find shallow enough water to really get in trouble if you stay near or in the channels.

Near Wyandotte the only things I can think of to worry about are buoys (they sneak up fast) and Mamajuda shoal. MJ is east of the northern end of Hennepin point (north end of Grosse ile). Stay away from that.

 

Stay away from this shallow area. Specifically the south half of it. There are motor parts down there lol

 

I use humminbird electronics with the lakemaster chip and have for a decade. I have never run aground or ruined a prop on the DR, probably just jinxed myself. The maps are good and the river is a major shipping route. If you stay within the marked channels using bouys and your GPS you will be fine. Obviously a lot of the fishing is done out of the channel. Most places are fine. If you are not sure go slow. There are a few areas on the lower river that require extra caution with rocks/obstructions basically immediately off the channel, but mid and upper river are pretty safe in my opinion, just watch your graph and stay in the deep water when running fast.

 

Thanks!

 

Here are a couple other spots on the lower to watch out for. Not sure if you will make it down there, but I am sure others will look at the thread as well.

 

Northern tip of sugar too. I was pretty far away from the island and took out my driveshaft three years ago.

 

This time of year it is important to also keep an eye out for trees and other debris coming down the river...

 

I'll second watching out for the bouys. Belanger launch also gives you an option to fish Zug Island and make the run up to RenCen areas. Nice looking boat.

 

I'm planning on fishing the river this year for the first time in my own boat. I'll be putting in at Wyandotte and probably sticking pretty close to there until I learn the river a bit more. Can I rely on my electronics to point out shallow water and hazards? I'd prefer not to learn the hard way with my new boat - done that in the past in my younger days.
View attachment 949186

Sweet boat! I’ve been looking at that one in a side console.
All good info here from experience, if on plane just stay mid channel and between the bouys and you’ll be fine.

 

Thanks! I've had several boats over the years and this Lund is my favorite. The 150 pro xs is a great motor, and there's a lot of fishing room in the 1875. A Pro V would be nice, but I don't have Pro V money! Very happy with the Impact.

 

I will be more concerned when I get back to retrieve my boat , what happened to my truck and trailer

 

Won't have to worry about that at Wyandotte...

 

If you decide to launch out of Ecorse , beware of the shoal just outside of the ramp . Go right or left . Navionics is a great app to review depths .

 

As already stated, use the Navigational charts on your graph to show you where the deep water is. Not too many trouble spots in the Wyandotte Ecorse area but it only takes one.

SW corner of Mud island and the NW corner of Grassy Island are probably the 2 biggest problem spots in that area. Give a wide birth to those 2 spots or just stay in the channel in those areas and you’ll be fine.

 

I love paper charts, just to go over & over and study, lol....I'll add a pic....a lot of boats will blast right across from Wyan. ramp and clip that NW corner of Grassy....on this chart it's "TR" for mast or tower, was a range light I think, and another SW of it, there's concrete poured in the line the chart shows, the South stretch is more a rock rubble and runs in a line too....haven't heard of any hitting either in a long while, but it's a no, no, esp. in lower water....

You can run across the N. end of Grassy, but you have to hug the island as the concrete ends right before the NW corner....the lines on the S end of Grassy are a pipeline that runs from BASF to Fighting Isl. across that shallow water, and it's 1/2 exposed laying in the sediment, tore up a prop on that....but again it's not an issue till you have lower water....

All good info so far....cheers....hope the pic. is good, lol....

And Northish end Mamajuda, never go West of shipping buoy and never cut East/West, lol....even in higher water !.....

 

I worry more about the idiots than hitting the bottom...

 

I remember looking at satellite images back in 2009 and Mamajuda actually had sand islands sticking out of the water and there were a bunch of birds resting on that spot. Hasn’t been like that since, but it just goes to show you how shallow those spots really are. Every summer I see big boats blasting over that spot and I cringe.

Last summer coming back to Wyandotte from Dunbar. We were in the smaller channel along Grosse Isle heading north. A bigger cabin cruiser decided to pass us and he was well east of the channel, right over top of Mamajuda! We tried to wave him over but he didn’t pay us any attention. He stayed on plane, heading north, and never touched a channel until he got close enough to Grassy island. I still have no idea how he didn’t lose his outdrive and wonder if he ever realized how lucky he was that day?

 

I remember looking at satellite images back in 2009 and Mamajuda actually had sand islands sticking out of the water and there were a bunch of birds resting on that spot. Hasn’t been like that since, but it just goes to show you how shallow those spots really are. Every summer I see big boats blasting over that spot and I cringe.

Last summer coming back to Wyandotte from Dunbar. We were in the smaller channel along Grosse Isle heading north. A bigger cabin cruiser decided to pass us and he was well east of the channel, right over top of Mamajuda! We tried to wave him over but he didn’t pay us any attention. He stayed on plane, heading north, and never touched a channel until he got close enough to Grassy island. I still have no idea how he didn’t lose his outdrive and wonder if he ever realized how lucky he was that day?

I believe someone with good writing skills could write a book about Mamajuda alone, might be a smallish book, lol but interesting....was a farm once that I recall with the lighthouse keepers family living there.....and a girl I think was born & raised there too, good book called "Our Downriver River" talks about lower 1/2, I'm sure you could still find it....

I have and will always maintain, that it needs a hazard to boating "sign" structure, despite all the modern electronic tools available for navigation....not all boaters can afford it & I always hear about all the rich A**'s who deserve to hit it....personally I don't give 2 chits either, lol....but it is the innocent kids & folk just along for the ride I care about, just saying....

Maybe one out of 30 boats pay attention when you wave your arms, lol....I pulled a sailboat off it once in late Oct, good thing they were going slow, lol....It's literally right next to a WOT shipping channel.....it needs a warning marker, and has ever since they took down the old tower light, imo....

 

Have you read the entire thread about launch ramp and blowing past the pack etiquette? It’s a fun read…

 

A lot of good tips and warnings have been posted. Whenever I'm on the DR ,I have a rule of thumb; never go fast in areas less than 10 feet deep. People have been using this river for several hundred years. Who knows what lurks in the shallow areas.

 

I'm planning on fishing the river this year for the first time in my own boat. I'll be putting in at Wyandotte and probably sticking pretty close to there until I learn the river a bit more. Can I rely on my electronics to point out shallow water and hazards? I'd prefer not to learn the hard way with my new boat - done that in the past in my younger days.
View attachment 949186

Nice Boat

 

I'm planning on fishing the river this year for the first time in my own boat. I'll be putting in at Wyandotte and probably sticking pretty close to there until I learn the river a bit more. Can I rely on my electronics to point out shallow water and hazards? I'd prefer not to learn the hard way with my new boat - done that in the past in my younger days.

When fishing a new spot first thing I do is mark a waypoint where I'm launching from, if you don't use tracks turn it on... take a safe route at slower speed and end of the day save the track and color code it.... the next time make the track visible and still lay down a new one. Then you have the original one you can follow at a higher speed with confidence!
I try to save tracks every coupla trips then I can turn visibility off on some if it gets too cluttered... and then you still need to watch for floating trees and other debris. Other boaters? Lotsa crazies out there stay out of their way.... I just want to fish not get run over! Good luck!

 

Keep the vhf on 16 and learn your lights.

 

Watch for the rowers please, absolutely no wake at at all around those kids and stay wide, they do not wear pfds...

The schools host Regatta's and close down parts of the river at times but it only affects people launching mid and fishing lower.

 

Absolutely, watch out for the Ecorse rowing crews especially before daylight. Years ago I launched my boat at the Ecorse boat ramp before the sun came up. As I was idling away from the ramp I suddenly noticed an Ecorse row crew and their coach in a small motor boat dead ahead and on a collision course with my boat. It was still dark out and they had no running lights to warn others of their presence. We didn't come real close to a collision, but I shutter to think what could have happened if I wasn't paying attention. Keep your head on a swivel stay safe and have a great time.

 

Anyone interested in teaching a newbie the area towards the end of the month?