No wake will preserve Lake Macbride's bank

I enjoy the renewed great fishing at Lake Macbride State Park. This is primarily due to the tremendous amount of underwater fish habitat structure and bank protection that was installed throughout the lake by public funds.

Motor restriction limits currently in place are not in the best interests of the majority of fishermen and boaters who would like to use the lake. A no wake at any time is the only logical way to preserve the lake's bank structure.

While I am restricted to using my electric trolling motor only during summer time (due to larger than a 10 horsepower motor on my boat), I have witnessed many heavily loaded pontoons and smaller boats with 10 horsepower engines operating at full throttle causing a huge wake which destroys the banks of the lake.

A friend of mine and I fished Lake Sugema for the first time in southeast Iowa shortly after it opened in the early 1990s. My friend and I, not knowing the no wake restriction, mistakenly opened the throttle and we were stopped by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. We were asked if this was our first time on the lake and we responded that it was. We were informed that the boat's registration number had been recorded and that this was our only “free one.” A hefty fine would be imposed with any future infractions of this law.

Make Lake Macbride a no wake lake without horsepower restriction and make the abusers pay a very heavy fine for violations.

Pat Davidson

Cedar Rapids