All the time I hear guys talking about huge waves on the big lakes like Mead, Clear Lake, Powell, etc. I hear 5 foot, 8 foot, even 10 foot waves mentioned. I believe that with enough distance, a large wave could be generated in fresh water, but I would really like to see a picture of one on a western impoundment (no great lakes pictures please). Even a picture of a legit 5 foot wave would impress me. Anyone?

The biggest wave I have ever seen was on clear lake and it was perhaps 3.5 feet. Many boats came to weigh ins that day with trolling motors ripped off, fish finders gone and with stories of spearing waves and flooding the entire boat. It was rough but it was not 5 feet.

dood how are we suppose to take pics of 5ft+ waves on the San Joaquin or Clear Lake. I'm usually to busy trying to navigate home safely.

It would be interesting to see if anyone has anything.

I've gotten air on some 4-6 footers on Okeechobee. :)

Needless to say, your probably glad you weren't in the passenger seat, but for me....it was the most fun ive had in a boat. My Triton soared like an eagle that day.

Oh...you wanted pictures lol and a western impoundment

Do the wakes created by huge boats on the Delta count? I survived many of those on the Delta. In my little boat when Im on the trolling motor up front its like trying to ride a bull when those waves hit. Most times I just get down on my hands and knees!!

I cant say Ive ever seen 5 foot waves in fresh water either. But it depends on how you measure it. The face or the back of the wave, quite a difference. The biggest waves Ive seen in fresh water have to be at Clear Lake. Theres been many a night where I only made it 100 feet from the boat ramp before turning back around.

Another experience comes to mind. Fishing Trinity at night. There is no shoreline development at Trinity, plus you have steep mountains. Fish on a moonless night and you cant see nothing, and I mean nothing. One night there was huge waves, it was all I could do to hold the boat. But, I couldnt see the waves coming in total darkness, and I was taking on water every time the nose dipped over a wave. That was very uncool and actually dangerous. I dont think Ill ever do that again (side note, my buddy dumped a toad that night slow rolling a spinnerbait down deep).

I got into some bad north winds at Lake Guerrero in Mexico. The guide is driving an 18foot tiller steer boat. We were making the trip across the mid lake area into a tough cold front. I'm sitting in the front seat, my buddy is in the back seat and the guide is standing next to the engine. I cannot see the water, from my position of white knuckling the sides of the boat, when we crest the waves. He's cutting the waves at a 45 degree angle, and can then basically "surfing" down the front face. That guy could drive a boat, never been happier to get back to camp. Con't know how tall the waves were, but didn't care to measure them. :-)

Those rollers on the main river from the yachts at the delta are worthy of a good measure of fear. Cris and I were coming back the other weekend and we saw a fat one coming. I was glad that Cris just took her off pad and we plowed up and over at about 10mph. That was a legit 4-5 foot boat wake. Where was the camera :)

Ugh, Delta boat wakes! In a fed tourney last year we were coming back up from Disco, when we got to the first bridge 3 cruisers came through in a row on pad. Yeah... apparently those things can get on pad! The first two sets weren't too bad but by the time the third set got there on top of the huge rollers they create the nose of our boat ended up about a foot and a half from the bottom of the bridge! Couldn't tell you how big those waves actually were except that they were too big! x(

You can't tell me no one has pulled in to a cove and taken some pictures of giant waves before. If I ever see a 6-8 foot wave on a lake, I promise I will take a pic.

lol if you ever see 6-8ftr's in your boat. The pics will be for your insurance company :+

Who's got pics? There has to be at least some clear lake locals that have takin pics from there dock?

Here's a picture of 4 footers on Mille Lacs in Minnesota. I was taking a picture of a loon but the wave covered him up. No pictures of western waters though. too busy trying not to die.

I have been in much worse waters on Mead. The worst was coming out of Vegas wash in a nasty storm. Not sure how big but while gowing over the crest of the waves at a 45 degree angle, the big motor was submerging and the bow was only a couple feet over the crest. Not sure how big like I said but John Murray and Byron laughed at me when I got to their house. John said it looks like 10 footers out there. I'd imagine he was close.

http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/5711-wave.jpg

OK, this is Lake Lanier in GA. This was July 2006. Lots of 25-35 foot cruisers run around on this lake, especially in the Southern heat.

I pulled up to fish this bridge, and snapped this pic of a saltwater going vessel coming by me at full steam...NOT a 6-8 foot wave/wake. More like a 2-3 footer...but still rattles the heck out of a 19 foot Ranger standing still.

The biggest waves I've ever seen on the water...probably were at the Columbia River in the BassMaster about 6-7 years ago. Crazy barges throwing huge rolling wakes, and then the wind from the Gorge going against the current....it was a "standing wave" of sorts.

The Delta...well the craziest thing I've ever seen on the Delta, besides huge boat wakes by tankers...clearly > 3 foot wakes...was when a tanker went by about 3-4 feet of water suddenly sucked out of the river...just all the sudden we lost a bunch of water and the tules went dry and all this as the tanker went by. It was crazy. We didn't damage the boat or anything, but I could see how that could be a problem if you were over rock or riprap and you lost 3-4 feet of water in an instant...the tanker went by and the water came back up. I'm not a mariner, but, think thats called the draft or whatever from a ship.

Lanier drive by:



http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/5715-brownswave.jpg

i know you didnt want to see any great lakes pic but this one was too cool .Lake Superior surfing.i bet that waters cold.

http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/5722-226downwave.jpg

Here a some shots supposedly of Tahoe. When I was there last winter, there were some good sized wind waves on the East side of the lake, kind of a wild ride coming back to the ramp, never saw them break though. I'd say the first 4 are fake, well not fake but not Tahoe, but the last one looks real.



http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/5725-Leandro.jpg


http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/5726-Emery1c.jpg


http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/5727-Mary1.jpg


http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/5728-MaybeMax.jpg


http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/5729-surftahoe1.jpg

>Here a some shots supposedly of Tahoe. When I was there last
>winter, there were some good sized wind waves on the East side
>of the lake, kind of a wild ride coming back to the ramp,
>never saw them break though. I'd say the first 4 are fake,
>well not fake but not Tahoe, but the last one looks real.
>
>
>
>http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/5725-Leandro.jpg
>
>
>http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/5726-Emery1c.jpg
>
>
>http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/5727-Mary1.jpg
>
>
>http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/5728-MaybeMax.jpg
>
>
>http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/5729-surftahoe1.jpg
>
That guy in the second pic, much less the rest of them, isn't setting up for a barrel at Tahoe! LOL Looks like SD to me- You have as much of a shot of catching a fat Mac at LJ as you do getting a head high bowl in Tahoe. Guy stinkbugging in the last photo might be on some crappy big lake or sea somewhere, nice style for that clown= Gotta love the R dot on the first pic, somewhere close to LJ That kid needs to dig in his heels and hit the lip like a man- at least you know there are fat checkers lurking on the boils in the background- }(

probably not Big Rock, maybe a girlie day at Hospitals or something? Marine Street comes to mind
At least the kid in #2 is styling

Rob , I have experienced lots of 4-6 foot waves in fresh water and never thought to take a picture either .

Been to Mead twice seen 6' waves both times( thought I was going to die both times)

fished Clear lake one spring with a strong north wind blowing and lots of 4-6' waves thru the middle section of the lake

Delta in spring of 99 gale force westerly winds and outgoing tide and was running san joaquin river main channel between fishermans cut and B&W (Moke river) and the whole river was 5 swells with an occassional wave of 6' that would always seem to break over the bow no matter how I tried to time powering over it .

one time in november 97 @ Don Pedro I was fishing in Big creek and a major winter storm was forecast . These big gusting winds came up blowing in from the south . The waves went from around 8" to 3-4-5 feet in a couple of hours . I couldn't believe it because I had never seen anything like that at that lake before.

I've seen worse waves at lake Castaic than those shown at mill lacs. After a system moves through so. cal them canyon passes really funnel the wind through, couldn't quite measure them at the time but I would say I've seen at least 4 or 5 footers on lake castiac, and have heard lake Isabella can't get much worse.

Hey Rob.
I have been on some windy days at clear Lake But, the only day I was truely afraid was one day on Don Pedro years ago... The waves were moving from Rogers creek up into the mouth of Big Creek and the mouth of middle bay. The wind that day was already bad enough in the morning. I told my buddy this is the kind of days they may close the lake if we are going to do any fishing at all lets go and see how it is. We went out from Blue oaks and fished the back of Graveyard, It was the only area blocked by the wind of any size. We started catching fish and having a good time as the wind got far......worse. We started talking about how bad it was and thought we would wait it out and see if it would calm down. NOPE, it got even worse the waves looked like Big Ocean waves crashing on the opposite side of the lake. I have fished many break waters so I know what that looks like. The wind was so loud through the mountain trees, I have never heard it that way before. The wind at times would come over the mountain and punch down on the water and create spray that would then get picked up by the wind and looked like a water sprayed whirl wind. We wanted off this lake at this point. So we tried to make it back, It took us Over 1 hour to get from Graveyard to Blue oaks. That run takes maybe 4 Min on a normal day. We were going backwards as we crested the waves, If I went any faster we would spear the next wave. There was no little white caps just giant white lines. My boat is only 17' There was that much room plus in-between waves. It almost felt like we were going to go over backwards at times. It was not like anything to this day I have ever seen. When we made it back, Thank GOD, The ranger said How did you guys make it? We said we crawled. They did close the lake that day. We were told there was one more still out there. Mc Clure closed that day also. The ranger said one guy washed up at Mc Clure that day too. I will say at that time I was not thinking of taking a pic of the waves. It would have been cool. I don't wish that experience upon anyone.
Don.

Here's your wave :)~ My dad took this picture when he worked for the Navy. Taken in the Greenland sea :) I personally think you can drive an Allison through this while drinking a martini :) LOL



Mike

http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/5754-wave.jpg