# Anyone remember the Platte Bay, Lk Michigan big storm of September 1968???



## 1mainiac

I was fishing out of Pentwater with my uncle we surfed back in and barely made it. There were canoes pontoons and jon boats out in 150ft of water. The waves were big I don't know about 25ft but 10 to 12ft or better in a 14ft boat with a 9.9 Merc all we could do was ride the back of a wave we were not fast enough to get over it. My uncle stood in the bow and yelled directions while I steered. I don't think we caught a single fish.


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## itchn2fish

dardascastbullets said:


> I remember the 'Platte Bay 67 Storm' like it was yesterday. I was 12 at the time. My Dad, his friend Tom, and I were trolling Platte Bay since 1966. We always launched at the mouth at the Platte - depending on what time you arrived there would determine how far of a walk you would have to get back to the launch. Sometimes it was over a mile up the road to find the next opening to park the car and trailer.
> 
> Tom had a 15 foot wood boat with a 15 HP on it. When my Dad and I stopped to pick up Tom and his boat, Tom said that his 15 was running like a top. My Dad took his trusty ole Elgin 2 HP with him (he bought it around 1957-58 if memory serves me correctly). When Dad opened up the trunk Tom said 'oh, you won't need that engine - my motor is running fine'. Dad said 'we are taking it anyway'. I am so thankful that he was so wise for here is the rest of the story.
> 
> We arrived at the mouth around 6 am Saturday morning and we were on the water by 7. We trolled all morning long and didn't get a single hit. We would hang about 16 ounces of sinkers on our lines to get our very precious silver U20 flatfishes to the bottom. Actually, that was about all we could get to cluster on the end of our lines. Down riggers were not on the radar at that time. I used my level wind reel casting rod and my dad had his. Our rods were doubled over as we trolled the Bay. Afternoon came along and still we did not have a hit. I remember canoes, 10 foot john boats, and some other concoctions being out there. My Dad always said they were nuts!
> 
> I don't remember the exact time that afternoon but all of a sudden my Dad said 'we need to get the hell out of here'. There was just a light chop with a very light wind out of the west. He told Tom 'look at those clouds in the west - see the white faced clouds - there is a lot of wind coming'. I remember him saying that like it was spoken yesterday. No sooner than he said that, the wind came up and the clouds were on us. This happened in less than minutes. There was no time to escape the onslaught that was about to happen.
> 
> Oddly enough, we had coho hit on all three rods just as the wind was picking up. The waves were about 3 foot at this time. And my Dad said to cut the lines - we have to get out of here. We cut the lines and there went the U20s. We were in the 'corner' of the Bay at this time about a quarter mile off shore. Tom started to rev up the 15 horse and turn toward the mouth which looked a long ways off. The waves were now so high that I could not see anything but a wall of water surrounding us when we went down into a trough. I was scared for my life at this point. We all had on our life jackets too.
> 
> This is where I thank my Dad for actually saving our lives.....Tom's 15 HP decided to quit as we were just starting to head toward the mouth against the huge waves. My Dad instantly pulled out the oars and kept the bow of the boat pointed into the onslaught of the building storm. The waves were almost coming over the bow when we nose dived down into a trough. The wind was howling now and it was very loud. He yelled to me that he wanted me to grab the bucket and hold onto it because we were heading into shore near the corner. Him and Tom were going to pull off the 15 HP and put the Elgin on while I bailed the boat.
> 
> Water was being peeled off the tops of the waves now. The spray was soaking us and coming into the boat. We neared the shore with my Dad keeping the bow into the waves. I began bailing when I felt the boat slide onto the shore. They began changing the engines and I was bailing for all I had in me. It seemed like an eternity for the time it took to change engines. By now the wind had shifted and was now blowing out of the northwest. Dad just yelled get in! And he started up the Elgin and we started off for the mouth running lateral to the waves just a little ways off shore.
> 
> I remember all of the debris that was washed up on shore. Everything imaginable .... life preservers, oars, broken hulls, alewives, etc. It littered the entire south shoreline all the way to the mouth. There were guys standing on the shore in the mouth and they yelled out to us that we were lucky to make it in. If my Dad had not taken his trusty Elgin 2 HP with us that day we surely would have experienced a much worse demise. My oldest son owns the Elgin now. And he has taken very good care of it. As I have told him about the day that the Elgin probably saved our lives. It still runs and sounds just like the day we were in the storm of Platte Bay.
> 
> The story of the storm was written in a Field & Stream magazine quite a long time ago. I remember reading it in a doctor's office and the author pretty much had the happenings accurately depicted. My Dad served in the Navy during WWII on a Mighty Midget - The LCS(L)#8. they survived a typhoon on their way over to the Philippines. Most of the 7th Fleet did not make it through the typhoon. Dad got his sailing wisdom while serving on the #8. Thank you Dad.


Yes, I thank my father also. We could swim like fish, and I though we were going down that day. One of my most vivid childhood memories. Loved reading your very well-written account of your experience on that day. Thanks for that.


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## itchn2fish

To da top......This memory is forever engraved in my mind. What a horrific day for many. We got lucky. Brother Buzz (on M-S.com here as username "trowoot) was there in the small Pere Marquette fiberglass boat with me, my dad, and a co-worker/friend of my dads. That storm came seemingly out of nowhere...


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## toto

Can't say I remember the storm itself, or being there, but have heard about it several times over the years. Here is another article on it:'

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/98942859.html


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## BUCK6060

I was not there that day, but I and two other 18 yr old Ohioans were there the week before. We rented a small rowboat with a very small motor at the marina on Portage Lake. We went about 2mi off shore and trolled among the big boats. When we hooked up on our only fish the big guys crowded us off our spot. The next week all hell broke loose, and I was off to college.


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## Robert Holmes

I remember the storm.Bigger boats became very popular shortly thereafter. If it was not a bigger boat you did not take it out on the great lakes. It was unfortunate that some people died but in the long run it educated lots of fishermen.


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## itchn2fish

I just spoke with my brother (on this site as username "trowoot") about this event that we were in the midst of. He, too, remembers it very well. We were very lucky that day, as the motor stalled, as it did after a long time trolling, & we had a heck of a time keeping the bow into the waves with my dads friend using the only paddle we had in the boat & I using a water ski as a paddle. Waves were crashing over the transom, & I was certain that we were going down. Then my dad finally got the old 65 Merc. to fire up, & we ran for the shore, running the boat right up @ a rather high speed like others were doing as there no time to de-launch. Whew! Others were not so lucky...


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## Worm Dunker

I wasn't there but I had a buddies that fished that day. They just ended up beaching the boat. They caught a limit (2 guys) using the other hot lure back then. A chrome beer opener with a treble hook on the square end of the opener and 6 oz. of lead 4 ft. ahead of it. We've came a long way from then.


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## itchn2fish

Yes, we made home-made lures at times also....some worked well, some lacked that good wounded-minnow action.......


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## cireofmi

This might be the same article that is linked to in the first post 
http://www.manistee.com/hooked-on-salmon/


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## itchn2fish

Thanks for the new link, cirefmi


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## us18188

I was not born yet but my great grand father owned a small marina in Frankfort back then, Jacobson Marine. Yes, there was a bath tub that actually went out and the Coast Guard made him turn around in the channel. My father was honored by the Coast Guard for rescuing people and boats alike the day of that storm along with my Great Grandfather. That day is not talked about often in my family but i have met alot of the Coast Guard men and women stationd in Frankfort then. A lot of people and boats were lost that day. But truth be told, if it floated and could have a motor on it, it went fishing.


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## itchn2fish

Yes, and hardly anyone except for seasoned boat-people had marine radios, CB radios, or even a transistor radio aboard in those days.....that darn storm really came upon us quickly. Looking back, even we were rather careless & reckless with 4 people aboard a small (12-14 foot) Pere Marquette ski-boat out on the "Big Lake"....man, the Coho seemed bigger back then....more food......


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## kingfisher 11

The history of this storm would make a great movie.


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## Doghouse 5

kingfisher 11 said:


> The history of this storm would make a great movie.


Yes it would! !!!


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## fishingmonster

Does anyone have any pictures this would be cool to see?


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## itchn2fish




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## fisheater

I found this link, i wanted to read what was written at the time.
http://archives.chicagotribune.com/...6-fishermen-drowned-in-lake-squall/index.html


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## Quack Addict

That storm predates me by a couple years. I remember hearing some old timers talking about it when I was a kid. They said people parked their cars on the beach and on the bluffs the night after the storm with headlights facing out into the lake to help guide boats in that made it through the storm.

In my time fishing the Great Lakes, I have seen some absolutely crazy weather related stuff happen, but nothing like the stories from 1967/68.


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## itchn2fish

Thanks for this link, fisheater!


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## fisheater

itchn2fish said:


> Thanks for this link, fisheater!


Glad you liked it. I appreciate the thread and all the information and photos you have provided. As a paddler, this thread is always in the back of my mind.
Regards,
Bob


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## itchn2fish

Anyone else remember this day? - Eric


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## itchn2fish

My father & I reminisced about this last night. What a day that was. Thought we were going down for sure when the motor stalled. He said that he was scared for us, but I knew we'd make it to shore as we were excellent swimmers. & I wasn't scared at all.....well......maybe a little.......


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## Clum

cedarlkDJ said:


>


All these years and the boats still cant stay away from us shore guys, they got the whole lake..


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## itchn2fish

Clum said:


> All these years and the boats still cant stay away from us shore guys, they got the whole lake..


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## itchn2fish

I do hope that this event NEVER repeats itself...........prayers for those that lost their lives this day.........


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## Far Beyond Driven

Came close about ten years ago. Thunderstorms in St. Joe in the spring during the coho fishing, 103 mph winds at the Coast Guard station. Some places to the south there's no place to beach as there's vertical walls of steel and cement, I know at least two boats ended up swamped on shore.


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## mincmi

Have been reading old Record Patriots putting together a collection on the birth of the salmon, starting with the issues with all the dead alewives on the beaches, and how crazy it was in Frankfort when the coho started showing up for my son to read.

I was just 7 that year and we had just moved to Frankfort from the UP in July and ended up living on Michigan Ave. just a block from the pier.

Attached is the local newspaper following the storm that year which also has a couple of blurry pics.

Tragic day, but thankful for the opportunity to grow up there and at that time.

Attached also is a Thanksgiving Day column I wrote from 2012 about growing up and fishing there. 

Hope those that stumble on to these enjoy them.

Happy Thanksgiving.


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## PRU2

mincmi said:


> Have been reading old Record Patriots putting together a collection on the birth of the salmon, starting with the issues with all the dead alewives on the beaches, and how crazy it was in Frankfort when the coho started showing up for my son to read.
> 
> I was just 7 that year and we had just moved to Frankfort from the UP in July and ended up living on Michigan Ave. just a block from the pier.
> 
> Attached is the local newspaper following the storm that year which also has a couple of blurry pics.
> 
> Tragic day, but thankful for the opportunity to grow up there and at that time.
> 
> Attached also is a Thanksgiving Day column I wrote from 2012 about growing up and fishing there.
> 
> Hope those that stumble on to these enjoy them.
> 
> Happy Thanksgiving.


I stumbled on them and enjoyed them. Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!


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## Martin Looker

My Dad wrote me about it as I was somewhere in the Pacific doing my duty. He said there were many people out there who knew nothing about the big lakes and the weather systems.


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## Skinner 2

I remember the storm abd hearing about all.tje boats and fisherman. Some of my dads buddies fished there.

I recall dads buddies buying small boats and taking them there to sell. Long as they would float they sold quickly.

Ive been caught in three storms on Michigan. Not as bad as this one but bad enough. Ludington bath house in my 1972 Starecraft Mariner. 

My boat was surfing the waves if it would make it over.. then about dive under once it hit the bottom of the trough... at one point point I was stuck on a wave and dad was yelling to go faster... I couldnt 50 hp was wot. And we just rode the wave. I yelled back that I couldt and tjat.he didnt see what was in front of us... he yelled I cant see what was behind....I looked back and a large wave was breaking at the base of the outboard. The white water towered above us...

A large charter boat came by and cut in front of us creating a trail we could ride on and follow him in. 

After getting to tbe docks I realized how bad my feet hurt... somehow I think we were trying to dig toenails into the floor through our shoes...

CG was out picking up people... I recall a large sailboat turned turtle when the wind hit.


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