As Newt knows (he and Jan fished with me once), I live in Michigan and fish Lake Michigan for salmon and trout quite regularly in a 16' lund. It's essentially a large freshwater sea which is littered with the wrecks of a lot of boats and ships, because it can get pretty hairy at times. There's even an airliner out there somewhere which went down in 1950, they never did find it.
Anyhow, the point I'm trying to make is that if you have a boat it's better to err on the side of caution when you go fishing or boating, even if conditions seem favorable. Four days ago an acquaintance of mine, Dave Mull, who edits Great Lakes Angler Magazine, was trolling in an 18' Lake Assault several miles offshore when a series of misjudgments led to its capsize and rapid sinking. Dave spent three hours drifting with a beverage cooler while his three companions - two men and a ten year-old boy, spent four. Only the boy was wearing a life preserver.
I think they were pretty fortunate to survive, even though it was a bright, sunny day with minimal waves. You may read Dave's blog about the experience HERE (Stupid, Adrift and Thanking God for a Coleman Cooler).
Ken