What is enough boat to hunt/cross the Ohio River

[Clay]

Here's my question - what is enough boat to hunt on/cross the Ohio River (specifically near Northern Kentucky)?

Here's why I ask - I want to hunt on the Ohio, but the people I've talked to indicate that the best ( or really only good) hunting strategy here in Northern Ky is to cross the river and hunt on the other side. I've got a 15' flat bottom Jon boat with a 25 horse motor that works pretty well on lakes, etc. but I've never had it on big water. Heck, I've never been on big water. Is that guy big enough to cross the Ohio and get me back safely?

As you can tell, I'm a little nervous about getting out on the river for the first time. I'm truely itching to go duck hunting, but I don't want to risk my safety doing it. Any help/guidance you guys can give would be greatly appreicated!

[gregcincy]

Clay, I live in Cincinnati and hunt the big O all the time. I use a 16 ft flatbottom jon boat myself and i am a little nervous sometimes when i am out there. Some days when the wind is not up you could go out there in a canoe, but when the wind is really blowing i usually find myself staying as close to the shore as possible since it is usually a little calmer. I have found the problem is not the hunting itself since i usually set my boat right next to the bank, but its when i am trying to make it from the ramp to my spot that is the scary part. My advice is to hunt, but always be mindfull of the weather. Also another thought is i usually hunt near Petersburg KY. When you put in at the ramp there and go down stream there is a big stretch of river that runs more north-south, yet if you go upstream from there there is a large strech of river that has a more east-west flow, so no matter what direction the wind is blowing you can usually hunt a section of river that is not getting pounded by the wind kicking up the big waves.
good luck and be safe,
see you on the river
Greg

[RutNBuck]

Clay i would suggest before venturing out on the river to hunt, would be to make a few runs in the daylight hours to get a feel of the water and also learn where the logs are and such...3 boys just got dumped in the river i believe in western ky they said all was going well and suddenly a wave came over the bow and quickly filled the boat with water caused it to roll..all made it out safely but lost their equipment which i heard was later retrieved by divers..
from my experience a few (bad) ones DO NOT ATTEMPT THE RIVER if it is at all foggy been there done that scariest thing i have ever done WONT do that again...got totally lost in an area i know like the back of my hand ended up crossing the river headed in the opposite direction i thought i was....river takes no mercy for anyone..
so many times i have seen those logs that look like spears that are only covered by inches of water would poke a hole in a boat .....gosh i get goose bumps just thinkn of how dangerous it really is if you think about it , oh by the way we hunt from a 18 ft'r /20 ft'r (2 diff boats) and i still feel uneasy...all my buds never wear a vest I NEVER would go out there without one one NEVER.....

"A wise indian once said,the more you move the less you will see,the less you move the more you will see"

" I live to hunt, but my wife says i may hunting a place to live"

[mossyhorns]

The scariest thing on a foggy river is to hear the drone of an unseen towboat! It's "draw-up" time for sure then!

[Valley Station]

Dang , That'l pull the boat cushion up off the seat!

[smokensomewigz]

I'll add a story I heard years ago to that. I think this was a friend of my uncle's but anyway two guys were hunting the Ohio. They stopped to put out decoys when a horrible fog rolled in on them. Needless to say they drifted out some. They heard a barge horn way down river and did'nt think much about it. They did'nt realize that the tug was pretty far away but it was pushing a bunch of barges. One of the guys looked-up and right on top of them several feet tall was the front of the barge. Both guys jumped and if I'm right one of them was pulled onto the barge and revived and the other was rescued unharmed. Anyway think about that the next time your out on the Ohio and you hear that horn. [;)]

[Multidigits]

15' Jon boats come in all sizes and shapes. The smallest ones aren't big enough for the Ohio River, or Barkley or Kentucky Lake. Those can have 3-4 waves and often have white caps when it's windy. River boats are wider and have deeper side walls. Most duckhunters pack big loads and this makes it worse. If your thinking your boat might not be big enough, it probably ain't.

[muzzy125acc]

just be safe it not worth dieing over hunting....

[ceohunter]

My wife and I got lost on Dale Hollow lake in the dark on the fourth of July on my jet ski!!!!! These things drink fuel as fast as an alcoholic with his first can of beer on a hot day. Somehow she got us to a dock. Bad feeling, could only imagine it beeing ten times worse in 10 degree weather.