Let's go to the lake

The well-versed veteran of the water sat back and squinted into the sun as a soft, sweet breeze from the stone-bluffed shoreline swept over the churning craft. The murky, jade-colored water rolled and lightly clapped against the boat’s hull as it idled in a calm, wooded cove.

This isn’t a pristine scene from the pages of an epic sea novel. This moment simply described 20-year-old Ball State student and Indianapolis resident Dustin Lockhart about eight miles south of IU on Lake Monroe. Although just out on a cruise on his family’s speedboat, he and his friends often rent double-decker party boats, hike on miles of marked trails or camp out at the popular Paynetown beach.

“If there’s something that needs to be said about coming to Monroe for a day or so, it’s that you’re gonna have a hell of a time, and you’re not gonna run out of things to do,” Lockhart said.

And with nine boat-launch ramps, over 300 campsites and three large beaches, Indiana’s largest lake truly does have a massive variety of recreational activities to choose from. One of the biggest draws for college students during the summer is the popular boat-rental facilities including the Lake Monroe Boat Rental company and the Pleasure Craft Marina. These friendly facilities offer a variety of vessels for rent: single and double-decker party pontoons, Jet Skis, fishing boats, canoes and even paddleboats. Prices vary based on the amount of time used and the type of watercraft. Rentals are allowed for people over the age of 18 with a valid driver’s license.

For those not looking to spend their precious cash, there are plenty of affordable activities to choose from. The Paynetown beach offers a sprawling area of sand and swimming during the day, and a “modernized” area for overnight campers. This area contains restrooms and various other domestic amenities.

Allens Creek provides a “primitive” environment for free camping under the stars, if you’d like a little more adventure. Here, campers can set up on a first-come, first-serve basis and enjoy the sandy beaches, deep forests, and wide-open sky. Paynetown beach, however, is still an enjoyable and busy area for people of all ages.

“College kids and the older folks make Paynetown pretty popular during the summer months,” Paynetown beach’s supply store Manager Damon Cappy said. “There are always tons of IU kids during April, May and June.”

But even with an expansive 10,750 acres of lake to explore, the area still retains an intimate small-town charm.

The Lake Monroe Boat Rental company and the Fishin’ Shedd, a quaint supply store just across State Road 446, have been operated by the Shedd family since 1968. The lake wasn’t even completed until 1965, when the Army Corps. Of Engineers flooded the area now known as the Lake Monroe Reservoir, in order to help control flooding in the area. Although the original owner Richard “Dick” Shedd passed away in 2000, his wife, daughter and son still manage both places of business. The small, wooden Fishin’ Shedd sells groceries, boating supplies and even fishing starter kits for less than $30. The friendly, family-owned business also sells water tubes and various other recreational toys for the lake.

“We just celebrated our 40th anniversary this past April here at the Fishin’ Shedd,” laughed the soft-spoken Barbara Shedd. “Business has changed a lot over the years, but the lake is still much the same.”

Although there are plenty of activities to choose from around Lake Monroe, many of the employees caution college kids from abusing alcohol at the lake. If caught driving a boat while intoxicated, the offense is recorded as a boating while under the influence (BUI) and is held against your auto vehicle driver’s license. For those over 21, a 0.08 percent maximum blood-alcohol level is still applicable.

For many, the lake is more about what they aren’t doing, rather than what they are doing. Whether it’s the forest’s sweet, spring smell or the occasional glimpse of a deer right off of the weaving interstate in the woods, the lake’s gorgeous aesthetic environment has drawn many “easygoers” to the lake for years. Dedra Hawkins, a middle-aged, raven-haired woman from Lawrence County, fishes two to three times a week just to take a break from the fast-paced world outside of Lake Monroe.

“I go out on the lake really just to be out in the open — in the environment,” Hawkins said. “Catching a fish out there is really just a bonus to the whole experience!”

Back on Dustin’s speedboat, he was enjoying the best of both worlds. He was sitting in the quiet cove with his neck back and body reclined; just hundreds of feet away was the distant sound of growling Jet Skis and laughter from a packed double-decker “partytoon” boat. As the midday sun grew more radiant, the fearless skipper tied up two rafts side by side about 20 feet behind the boat — pointed to it, looked at me — and assured me that I hadn’t “experienced anything on the lake yet.”