Michiana lakes at low levels

Doug Shoemaker has lived in Syracuse for six years, and he's never seen Lake Wawasee as low as it is now.

"The worry of damaging your boat is a big concern for people. You gotta know the lake and where the shallow parts are," Shoemaker said.

He manages The Frogs Tavern right near the lake and says the low levels have watered down spirits. The tavern has become known for its open water church service on Sundays, but the area's extreme drought has kept people ashore.

"Hopefully we'll get some rain soon. We probably need a couple of inches or so, so we can start boat service again," Shoemaker said.

Normally the lake is a full foot and a half higher with boats numbering in the hundreds, but lately, there have been less than fifty.

And at Lake of the Woods in Bremen, the water is even lower than at Lake Wawasee. Timothy Troyer has been boating in Bremen since he was a child. He remembers the lake level being at least three feet higher than it is now.

"It's crazy low. People around the channel have boats sitting in the mud, and can't get out," Troyer said.

He's had to take more precautions while out on the water, and says, if it doesn't rain more soon, he might have to stop going all together.