Like everyone else said, you really have to pick your days. Not sure how far you have to travel. I fish out of a 16 ft tiller but have off all summer and live 20 minutes from the lake so when it's nice we fish and when its not we stay home.
The Port Colborne weather buoy is a pretty good indicator of lake conditions. Not sure how big your boat is but anything over 15 out of the W SW S is going to be pretty sporty.
Ran spinners and meat @ 1.0-1.5 all year with great success off bottom bouncers and inlines. It's all about repeating your pattern. Linecounters are pretty essential to success with this type of presentation.