The Yelon and Waukegan Harbor statement that there is an accessible kayak launch is false. The…read morelaunch is 30' into the lake, tied to a revetment that users cannot access without walking through 3' of Waukegan Harbor water. it looks like it was destroyed by winter ice. Don't go there.

Great place to fish or just be out in the water relaxing. We got a charter & went fishing in Sept…read more 2018, fortunately for us the weather was great. It was trout season so we caught some huge Lake Trout(see pics) that we ended up grilling that night. Was told by the Captain that salmon season is in June so definitely will be coming back for that. You're welcome to bring your own snacks & drinks, check with your charter to see if they allow booze on board. Happy Fishing!

Today, my boyfriend and I rented a paddleboat for an hour. The weather forecast indicated rain…read morewouldn't start until 1:00 PM, so we thought we had plenty of time. However, around 12:20 PM, the sky turned black. We immediately turned around and began pedaling back to the dock as fast as we could. While we were heading back, a safety staff member on a speedboat approached us. He told us we had to return to shore but added that he couldn't tow us in--we had to pedal all the way back ourselves. While we were already doing that, the storm was rolling in incredibly fast, and it was a genuinely scary experience. As we finally approached the dock in the storm, we saw two teenage employees who had been assisting people earlier. One of them looked right at us, but instead of helping us secure the boat, both boys ran back into the covered checkout area and completely ignored us. As we struggled to park and tie up the boat in the pouring rain, not a single staff member stepped out to help us dock safely. Meanwhile, at least 10 employees were crowded inside the checkout area. As a person of color, I am unfortunately always hyper-aware of how I might be treated in certain environments. I have visited this forest preserve many times, always thought it was beautiful, and was so excited to show my boyfriend around. To be treated with such a lack of care was incredibly disappointing. When we spoke to the male manager, he explained that they are required to clear the water during storms. My boyfriend clarified that we had no issue with leaving the water; our issue was the complete lack of staff assistance to help us dock safely in a dangerous situation. The manager offered us a "rain check" for a free rental, but missing out on time wasn't the issue--our safety was. No one seemed to care that we were the last ones out on the water. I hope this forest preserve implements a better emergency protocol, because storms on the water can quickly become life-threatening. I guess my question is if the staff are closely checking the weather , why even let people still go out on the water ? Instead of saying "hey there's a storm that is going to be rolling through , we are holding back on rentals at this time for safety reasons " .

Independence Grove is such a nice forest preserve with lots of things to do especially in the…read moresummer time. Beautiful trails to walk/run along but they also have a playground for kids. They have a beer garden and snack shop. They also have water activities that you can rent like paddle boats and kayaks. It's just a nice place to go solo or with friends if you are looking to connect with nature for a bit.

Captain Rick sure knows his business. He is very professional and delivered on the services and a…read moregreat haul of fish!

Unforgettable Father-Son Salmon Fishing Experience…read more This was our first time salmon fishing on the lake, and it couldn't have been a better experience. From the moment we booked, everything was smooth and professional. Captain Rick made the process easy--he was responsive, informative, and his communication was excellent every step of the way. Before the trip, he thoroughly explained what to expect and answered all our questions. Once we were out on the water, his instructions were clear, easy to follow, and made us feel confident even as first-timers. Captain Rick's expertise and patience made a huge difference. We ended up catching our limit, which was the icing on the cake. The value for the charter was excellent considering the quality of service, gear, and overall experience. I would absolutely recommend this trip to anyone--from beginners to seasoned anglers--and we're already looking forward to going back again!

Offshore contacted Eddyline and changed their order with them so I could have two matching colored…read morekayaks, a Caribbean 12 FS and a Caribbean 14 FS, and delivered them to my home in Noblesville Indiana. My local Eddyline retailer was unable/unwilling to do the same. Great communication and pleasant demeanor. Highly recommend Offshore in Lake Bluff.

We spoke with Sam from Offshore, regarding repairs to our Zodiac boat…read more After much discussion with Sam his integrity became apparent in that his honest opinion was that spending additional money to repair this boat would not be worth while. He is to be commended for his honesty in appraising the return value for the expenditure for the need repairs. He took the time to honestly evaluate our Zodiac boat rather than turn just a "quick profit". We honestly would not have know the difference. He runs his business in a forthright manner to be commended in this day and age the "Quick Profit". Thank You M. Jens

This lakeside club is the gem of Highland Park! The cozy clubhouse on Lake Michigan with canoes,…read morekayaks, sailboats and friendly members of all ages is our favorite place to be in the summertime.

This place is a hidden gem that's underutilized. For less then $300 bucks, a beachfront clubhouse…read morewith a huge deck including grills, tables, kitchen, showers, equipment, storage, and free to use club equipment such as kayaks, paddle boards, windsurfers... I'm here almost everyday. I can't understand why this place isn't completely packed with members all summer.

Van Patten Woods Forest Preserve is an excellent place for a picnic, fishing, canoeing, biking and…read morea tranquil walk. The wide gravel path is 2.5 miles around the beautiful Sterling lake. It's shady with many trees and also nice and breezy. They have nice private picnic areas right on the lake front along with a couple restrooms. It's a great fun day out for families!

Easy hike we took the Yellow Trail. Kid friendly, playground and restrooms are available. The trail…read morehad some cool wood chairs around the trail.

Thank you Captain Jake and Ben. You guys are awesome! this was an amazing fishing experience!!!…read moreThey are extremely knowledgeable and help you out with all of your questions regarding fishing. We ve had so much fun.5 stars.

We booked our trip with Matt and were looking forward to it. It started out with Matt asking us to…read morebe there at 5 AM sharp in Racine, WI (I guessed they moved their location up North but that's good) so that we can start fishing early. And we did. Too bad Matt didn't bother to roll in until 6 AM. At 5:15AM we called and he said to stop by the fish cleaning station and he'll pick us up soon. 30 minutes later we called again and he hung up on my brother (Captain Matt must not be a morning person! Ha!). And it only went downhill from there. The real kicker is Matt's attitude. I don't know if he had a bad day or what (he actually was better towards the end of the trip) but it doesn't really matter. This could have been a lot of fun for all of us but we felt like he didn't want to be there (and yes, he did try to reschedule for another day the week before but Saturday was the only day we could do this). If he didn't want to go, he should have just cancelled the event. We would've found a different venue. As we got on board no one bothered to ask who's fished before and who's new to this. No rules were explained, no tips, no anything. Just "sit down, let's get this over with" type of approach. It's a shame because it had potential. The fishing part of the trip was fun and we landed 15 fish in 8 hours. Most of them in the first couple of hours which makes is a shame we couldn't actually start when he told us we would. They cleaned up the fish really nicely and quickly right on the boat. We actually enjoyed watched the crew do this. Pretty cool. I'm giving Matt and his business 2 stars because Yelp's description of two stars - "Meh. I've experienced better." sums it up perfectly. We'll go fishing again, just probably not with Matt, though :) So, in short - this could have been much better if the crew brought a good attitude with them on Saturday. Hopefully they will consider this next time.

I had reached out ahead of time to see if they do fancy mocktails so I wouldn't just be stuck…read moredrinking a sprite on board. I quit drinking years ago but still want to have fun and fit in. The beverage manager assured me that they do offer a selection of crafted mocktails - so I was expecting a menu or at least the bartender having some knowledge. I asked and the bartender just pointed out the juices that they have. Now a lot of local establishments have created mocktails that have unique mixes to them that I don't know. So when he was pointing to the different juices I didn't even know what to ask for. He only suggested a Shirley Temple. So all in all, I was stuck drinking a Sprite and didn't feel to fit in. I didn't have much fun.

I really liked this. Captain Steel and Siris were W. I really would recommend this and also those…read morelow reviews are not that real. Boat wasn't cancelled and I really liked it. 9/10

My Son and I stayed at Ol Pine Lodge in September. The pictures of the rooms/cabins were really…read morenice but they were even better than we expected. The beds were so comfortable and everything was clean and fresh. We sat at the lakefront fire pit and had a wonderful time. Fishing off the dock was fun, and the only disappointment was that some huge fish broke my line and took my lure...I thought the pole might break. We wanted to take the kayaks out but ran out of time. Highly recommended.

From the owner: We are a family owned vacation rental lakefront/beach property. The vibe at Ol Pine Lodge is…read morefamily friendly, relaxing and will be a great place to kick back and relax at the lakefront. Bring a boat and dock it at our piers. We have kayaks available upon request to allow you to escape early as the sun rises on the lake.

Unfortunately I have to give Bay Marine a low score due to poor customer service by salesman there…read moreby name of Ron I purchased an expensive boat there a couple years back and can't get him to replace a simple part under warranty. I am thinking of replacing my boat soon but it won't be from Bay Marine I guarantee that. I'll leave a more detailed explanation on the Crevalle owners site . John W

BEWARE OF BAY MARINE! I NEVER complain as I am a small business owner for over 25 years and deal…read moredirectly with the public. I understand that mistakes happen and good businesses work to honor their word, written agreements, and protect their reputation. I only write this after exhausting all options other than the filing of a lawsuit (pending) to get a fair response from Bay Marine. Despite me sharing open information on my concerns/damages backed by a professional experienced mechanic, video, and photos, and written work agreements, they have refused to fix the damages to my vessel which are running in the $30,000 range. Dishonest service: I paid for their "concierge" launch service which was a joke as they didn't complete the scope yet refused to rebate for work they admittedly did not do. Failure to perform agreed written work orders. There is no evidence in the vessel and no evidence provided that they completed the scope of work (winterization) properly. Signficant damages resulted as I had to replace 6 air handlers, a water pump, and two thru-hull glasses that were damaged by freezing. But Matt (owner) is a gem.. he claims that the equipment was "old" and just mechanically broke down (all at once lol). oh yeah and that the antifreeze they use breaks down in 12 months and doesn't provide protection... (i stored with them for two winters but it ran just over a year in time). Can you imagine your car freezes every year even though very few people replace the antifreeze annually? no it does not nor is it rated to do that... any excuse will do other than the truth apparently. You will be pleased to know that Matt says they do all their work "perfectly"... Unapologetic breach of promises: to research the cause of damage and determine what was damaged from freezing, the owner, Matt and I agreed that i would hire a third party professional mechanic (who they have used and still use). Matt said he will rely on those results. nice, right? That mechanic has 20+ years of expertise in these matters. Said mechanic concluded (and I shared a recorded video of same with Matt) that Bay's lack of performing the hired scope of work almost certainly resulted in the signficant physically damages to my vessel while in their custody. Yet after receiving said documentation, they refuse to reimburse for repairs or further respond. They hide their insurance. Everyone ask up front for their insurance company that backs their work as they hide their insurance carrier info. and refuse to share it when there is a claim. Nice and honest approach. the game seems to be that you must file an expensive lawsuit just to get that information. Seems like a honest approach to you? List your boat for sale? and yes, I had my $500,000+ valued boat actually listed with them during this time. they were going to make money no matter what but they are apparently just too disingenuos to make things right. RUN AWAY! BTW: It is unclear on who now owns Bay Marine and whether current ownership or prior is "legally" responsible for all this. But I did also communicate with the current manager of service who refused to help in any way. and the people that "worked on my boat" are still there so BEWARE!. My material communication for resolution was with Matt (at the seeming direction of all involved over there). Matt claims to be the owner at the time of my service work but Matt says he now "owns" the Sales business. We all want a trustworthy person representing us in the sale of our property. think very carefully before listing with Matt! a few photos attached... but i have plenty more.