Running in Rough Water

[Larry Harp]

We fished our tournament at Lake Sardis in Okla this weekend which is notorious for getting very rough in high winds. It's particularly tricky because the length of the lake runs east/west with a couple of major creeks running off to the north and wide open to the south in addition the lake is full of timber and exposed rocks in unlikely places. A strong south wind makes running the length a white knuckle experience and going north or south a very wet and bumpy ride. I had been on it before in 15 to +20 mph winds but this weekend we were faced with at least 30 to 35 mph winds and I've got to believe that sometimes it was gusting to over 40 mph. To put it mildly if not a little crudely...it was a *****. My partners 20' Skeeter was getting tossed around like a beer can.



On tournament day we choose to stay in the north/south arm closest to the ramp...unfortunately so did most of the 35 boats in our club and another 50+ boats in another tournament. One friend of mine who did choose to run the lake and find some less crowded spots was nearly swamped by a wave he said was a 7 footer:wacko:. When I questioned whether or not it was really a 7 foot wave he said that by the time he got back to work the next day and started telling the story it was going to be a 12 footer:lol:. Anyway, he said, he has been in bass boats for many years (he's the guy that sold me my 591) and it was the first time he was ever afraid for his life. He said he was looking for the closest place to swim to. Evidently the 20' Triton he was in, took a wave over the bow and before they knew it they were ankle deep in water and the bilge pumps weren't keeping up.



I write all of this to prompt a discussion on what to do in these type of conditions. Any tips or experiences you can share to help teach me, and many others I'm sure, on how to run AND stay safe in conditions like I describe. Do you try to get up on plane or do you just try to idle through it and get soaked? We tried both and I'm not sure either method worked. Well, we did live to tell the tale so I guess that's what really matters.



Harpo

 

[Jody Woodruff]

Personally I think the tourney should be cancelled in conditions like that, especially on a lake known to be rough. It's not worth beating my boat up or possibly getting hurt.

 

[Mike Zechman]

Well, I've been in some real rough stuff at the mouth of Ontario and into the St. Lawrence river in my old 18 foot Champ, i have been in some huge waves(not 7 foot) more like 4 foot, and always got soaked, but I tried keepin the bow up and just ride them out, I think its harder to get through stuff like that if your idleing, cuz you have no control of the boat, so I keep it a 10M-15MPH or so and keep that bow up, still got soaked, but the ride was good, and felt safe, then again that was a Champ

 

[Texas Transplant]

I've been in two situations (where I was driving my boat) over the past several years. One on Kerr (N of Raleigh), and the other on Keowee (near Clemson). Both were ugly, but Kerr was uglier.



Day 1 on Kerr (and also the day we tried to practice), the winds were running 35+mph, and we had pretty bad waves and whitecaps (guessing 3-4 feet, with an occasional 5foot + rouge.



My first suggestion is to simply look closely at your map, and decide where 'safe' water is, based upon wind direction.



Second, is NEVER cross open water hoping to get to safe water.



Consider putting it on the shore, if need be, if it get's too tricky.



NEVER assume, that you can control/drive your boat, just because some other idiot is out in the middle of the lake going like a banshee.



Bigger is better - obviously. If you are going to be in heavy water, have a least a 20' boat. I've got one just less than 18 feet, and it's okay for 2-3 foot water; doesn't do well at all in bigger water.



You either have to go into the wave action, or away from it. Trying to navigate 'cross wave', is asking to get swamped.



Into the waves - nose up, but not too much. Try to maintain enough forward speed to be 'on the water' and not 'in the water' (with the hull that is). I'd rather be plowing through the waves at 20-25 mph, then slogging through at 10-15mph (my boat).



I don't like running with the waves, as my boat tends to 'tomahawk' too much (probably due to some degree with the length of course). However, with the waves, the bow is going to tend to ride up the backside, and then down on the other.



Seems as though this should be standard, but that's what I try and do.



Obviously, the best thing is to simply not launch, at certain times. Big BFL on Santee Cooper about 2 years ago, where several boats were lost, and about 30 had to be 'rescused' (where they beached their boat). Tourney should have been re-scheduled, but that's another story.



Tex

 

[BJ Laster]

trim it high and let it fly

 

[Troy Murphy]

I fish in the gulf as much as I can. To stay safe we the watch the wave forcast and winds.

I stay out of anything above 3ft. I can run in 3-5s but you can't fish in them.

I run a Tundra, it does best with the bow high and throttle varies 1/4-1/2. Even a Tundra will get you wet from time to time.

Also, try filling the live well for extra weight in the rear. This helps to soften the blow some.

Troy

 

[Larry Harp]

trim it high and let it fly

Youth....what a wonderful thing.



One more story from this weekend...

On Saturday, practice day, which was a pretty rough day but not as bad a Sunday, we were going back to the dock at the same time that a couple of guys in a Tracker were heading in. At first thought it was a PT-185 and was thinking about my old PT-185 and how it handled rough water pretty well even if not so smoothly. When we got closer I could see that the two guys were not just wet but were dripping wet and instead of a PT-185 they were in an old Pro 16 with the steamroller bow. :wacko: Remember we had our hands full in a 20' Skeeter ZX. UNFREAKINGBELIEVABLE!!!



Harpo

 

[Jim B]

I boat in rough water a lot, its just a fact of life up here on the big lakes i boat on. Being near the coast we almost always have big wind to deal with.



In really rough water experience is EVERYTHING when it comes to being safe and being able to deal with big waves. Knowing what your boat can and cant do is another very important factor. Running rough stuff IMHO is 90% driver 10% boat. Off the top of my head i cant tell you how to run waves like that because i wasnt there. You will never find conditions are exacly the same lake to lake. You have to read the conditions and operate accordingly.



Off the top of my head there are some "tips" i can give you

1) Take BJ's comment/advice and throw it right out the window. Doing that in the wrong water will get you hurt or killed. Try that on Champlain when its blowing hard and you will go home in a body bag. If the waves are close together and you can get on top of them and run thats one thing but if the waves are spaced far apart you can belly slap one with the hull and crack it, flip the boat, spear a wave etc. Knowing your boarts limit is key. There arent too many bassboats out there that can run in "real" 2' waves or bigger without slowing down.



2) Let the hull do the work. too much up trim will really make for a rough and dangerous ride. If you fell the hull wanting to jump out of the water trim it in a littel so that the hull grabs more water. In small waves it will make all the difference in the world.



3) When the waves are really big and im taking it slow i like to "quarter" them instead of taking them head on. It helps keep the spray down and will help keep you from spearing a wave.



4) A hot foot really helps in rough water. since you constantly have to play with the throttle the hot foot really helps.



5) When its really nasty, slow down. Getting wet is always better then hurt.



6) stow anything like rods, electronics etc. If its truly nasty and you stuff a wave they can and will be ripped off the deck. The last thing you want to get is a crankbait to the face after stuffing a wave( happened to a friend of mine once) ort get hit by whats left of your fishfinder.



8) If you dont feel comfortable in the conditions dont go out. No fish is worth getting hurt, killed or busting up your boat.



I can think of only two times where i truly felty i needed to get off the water due to the conditions. Both times i couldnt see over the crest of the waves when i down in the trough between them. One time was in my little 15'7" champ and the other in my 882. When the waves are that big ( these were true 4's and 5's) there isnt a bassboat made that can run them wide open safely.



Hopefully Mac and Mini will chime in, id bet those two have more rough water boating experience then anybody here.

 

[Edward Lea.]

My wife and I got caught out in the middle of the lake when a storm front came in. We were fishing and having fun and not paying attention and it was on us before we knew it. Were in a 16 foot v-bottom aluminum with a 20 HP tiller Johnson, one of the old bare aluminum boats. Yeah it sucked. I do not know how tall the waves were but when we went down in the trough all we could see was angry water. I had the wife lay down in the bottom of the boat in the middle with her PFD on and a throw cushion under her head. I stayed as low as possible to keep my weight centered( as well as me). Then I just used the throttle to climb over the waves at about 75 degrees. Head on was just slamming us down hard on the hull when we crested the top of a wave. We finally turned and managed to run with the waves sort of like surfing them, it was just to damn hard on us to take the pounding from going over the waves. I used the throttle to run down and to the right at a angle that kept us between the waves. Luckily they were long rolling waves and I managed to ride one trough pretty much all the way into shore. We got lucky and hit a bay and beached it. I was never that scared again. It took a while to stop shaking, I really thought we were going to go down out there. I always keep a check over my shoulder now. I also believe having the wife lay down on the floor in the middle of the boat kept it from turning over more than once. That is something that probably would not help in a big glass boat.



The surfing part is what we used to do in small boats in San Diego harbor. We would go out and ride the bow waves of the big cargo ships coming into port. Not smart but 17 is invincible right.

 

[Thomas Mc Innish]

I am with Jim B. I was out yesterday and the wind started working up so we went back and fished the marina area we put in at. We were out of the wind, dry, and still caught some fish.



If I were fishing a tournament under the conditions I was yesterday I would find some safe water to fish close by. That may end up being doing the merry go round thing in a cove with other boats, but at least I will go home in one piece. The other option would be to put it on the trailer and wait for draw prizes at the weigh in.

 

[Dewey Leggett]

Keep the front of the boat up whatever you do. That has always been keey to me. I had my Z20 almost straight nose up a coup-le of weeks ago in real 4 and 5 footers. Once I got in the troughs, I could not see out. It was scary. It was a SLOWWWW ride, but I've taken a couple over the bow before and I don't want them todo that again. SO I keep that bow up no matter how slow I go.

 

[Mini]

Jim B just about nailed it. The best advice I can give anybody that fishes BIG water (and by big water I dont mean big lakes....little lakes can get BIG) is to have your boat ready for it. 2 bilge pumps are mandatory. The higher the GPH the better. Secure trolling motor, etc....You will spear waves. The first one I did was in a Winner 1790 (17'9") and it was full to the tops of the seats. You cant panic, you have to let the water drain, run your pumps and if it is at all possible have your partner bail water. Keep the nose up and run slow. If running slow isnt an option (and times it isnt....boat traffic, width of the troughs, impending weather, etc.) you need to RIDE the waves. Many trim and throttle adjustments, steering adjustments, and complete awareness of your surroundings are needed. You have to read the water and DRIVE your boat. Dont hold a course and throttle/trim setting...you will break something.



When "plowing" into waves with the nose up regardless of your angle of attack (I like to think of it as if you are making your 20 foot glass hull a 24 footer with the nose height) you still need to drive it with the throttle/trim. When cresting a wave and before the "slam" of impact, let off the gas and "float" the boat back, you should have enough momentum to hammer it the rest of the way down the face into the trough and part way up the next face. Angling your attack on the waves is a great idea, but dont try to force a course. You have to take what the water gives you and if it means tacking to get to your destination, thats what you have to do. If memeory serves me right, you usually cannot go faster than 20-25 miles and hour while tacking (in the slow direction). The other direction you can usually run the troughs to gain "ground" to get closer to your destination. The dangerous part to me is switching headings while tacking.....if not done quickly and efficiently it can be dangerous.



I would add more, but I am getting tired and need some sleep. It really is easier to show someone, but it is tough to explain it.



Also dont forget that stowing your rods and depth finder is a great idea.....just the stuff on the bow though. I couldnt drive in the rough stuff without a depth finder and a GPS (especially with a map cartridge) to plan on the fly where to run and where to plow.



I will tell you about a time during a 16 mile run in Saginaw Bay coming back from the Charity Islands to the launch in Wildfowl Bay where I had to sit on the front deck, between the consoles to sheild the driver from the water that was coming over the side/front of the boat from waves and wind just so he could see the GPS/depth, both bilge pumps running full tilt and the livewells running full tilt and locked shut. It was a harrowing ride that took over 75 minutes in sometimes 10 foot waves and at times we could see bottom between the waves. The water depth averaged probably 8 feet with most of it shallower than that (waves dont get as big in shallow water, there were 17 foot waves reported at a weather bouy 45 miles NE of us in Lake Huron). We had to navigate around 2 shallow water wrecks and an area called the middle grounds where it averages 4 feet deep, all rock and sand with some boulders as big as the boat. You couldnt run the troughs in less than 12 feet of water or you would bottom out. That was a turning point for me. We bent a steering plate on the Yamaha outboard on our intial idle out of what was 2.5 feet of water when we started fishing and it was less than 2 when we left 3 hours later (the water in the bay was tilting like a tide). The only reason we went is because I thought we could break a tournament record. We came in second place and were the only boat to make the run into the big water. The winner was the only other boat to leave the bay (we launched in Bayport, MI) and he ran around the point (south) of the bay and caught 5 bedding smallmouth and came right back in. We ran to a stretch of be

 

[William H. (Bill) Barham]

All of that kind of water scares the heck out of me.. I've had two very scary experiences. One on Conowingo Reservoir in Maryland fishing a tournament and the other was on Lake Anna fishing a tournament. I don't want to stretch this out but the year/years involved were about 1973 or so and I had a Lowe 14' Jon boat rigged out and I had an 18 h.p. Evinrude on the back. Not really safe for big water but it was what I had and I was expected to fish.

I didn't know Tex then so trying to cross a body of water is exactly what I tried to do and shouldn't have. I did ok for awhile and then the odd wave every now and then would break over us. We had about seven smallmouths in the livewell that soon were swimming around in the boat. What scared me was my depthfinder. It was a Humminbird Super 60 and every time I looked it was spinning around and around with no detail which meant to me it was at least 180 feet deep there.:huh: We finally got back to the little creek we had launched from and my boat was filled with water completely up to the top of the gunnel's. Thank God for good floatation.

Second time on Anna I was in a small creek across from the launch when a guy in a pretty large Boston Whaler came by warning people that some BAD weather was on the way. We thanked him and continued to fish for a bit and then said we better leave. Just about as soon as we got everything stored away the guy in the Whaler cruised back into the creek and said he wasn't going to try crossing and he beached his boat. If a big Whaler couldn't make it I certainly wasn't going to try. We didnt get back to Sturgeon Cr. Marina until well after dark when the wind died down.

We released all of the fish we caught earlier but found out it didn't matter because the tourney was rigged and all of the organizers and participants were caught for cheating.

I didn't fish any more tourneys after that, except some smaller ones, and I also fished smaller water, I think.:lol:

My brother talked me into taking my 14'er to Fletcher's Landing on the Potomac River a year or so later for the Shad run which I had never done. After about 1/2 hour I was bored as all get out so I rigged another rod up with large white Big-O and started throwing that around. I was anchored in the middle of the Potomac facing the incoming current and on the third cast I caught a three lb'er. Man, I didn't even know there were bass there. Well, the heck with shad darts, I got the anchor in and started plugging away. I would say that in the three hours or so my brother and I had, we both limited out two times over with GOOD bass.. I was giggling all the way home. The next time I went there it was a slack tide, the bite was off and the airplanes drove me crazy and I never went back.. Had almost all of the Potomac to yourself in those days. As you know, it can get quite rough out there so when I had to go alone I went to Nanjemoy Creek which was sheltered and the only other person I ever saw an eeler with a barking Black Lab. More people out on the water now huh?

Sorry for the rambling. I just caught myself reminiscing.



Uncle Billy

 

[fatrap]

Now here's some rough water. This is where I lived so staying home and out of the rough water wasn't an option.

fatrap

 

[Greg J.]

:wacko: Thanks for the memories, lol.