Take my little boat (17ft) out in a 20-25mph wind.....you will feel like your in the Bearing Sea. ...then get in a real boat(20+ft) and you will feel like your on a cruise ship.

I could take a nap in a 20ft boat in those waves. Honest.

GETTIN' DEEP IN HERE.

I've been afraid twice in a boat.

1. Sam Rayburn late duck season. We were running 3-5'ers in a 16' flatbottom.

2. Was a storm on Sam Rayburn in a Thursday Evening Tournament. Winds Kicked up to 40-50mph storms as it was getting dark. Not being able to see the waves in the rain/dark made it hairy.


TTT wasn't that bad. Just took a little driving.

Been in rough water twice .
first time , I was really young , my uncle lived on the west coast and had a 14 foot Boston Whaler . He rigged down riggers on it to salmon fish in the pacific ocean . He took me out when I was thirteen , no life jackets , he didn't know how to swim and we where on 10 foot swells at about 7-10 seconds apart , 10 miles out . I was to young to realize how stupid this was and I was to sea sick to care .
Second time , I was in the California Delta , late fall and a huge northern storm blowing in . We had to fight 4-5 footers in one of main channels , with the wind and the driver had zero experience . Took an hour to reach the dock . Scarred me to death and my wife was pregnant with my first kid (mikereils5er) , wasn't sure I was going to see his birth .

Grew up fishing tournaments in western new York on Lake Erie and other northern lakes. When the lake would get ugly we would do the "Lake Erie Crawl", get your nose up and work it back as best you can..more than likely not on the pad. Since moving to and all through the south, I've found rough water and rogue waves that demand respect. If I had to choose, I would def rather go into the waves rather than with the waves. Keeping the motor trimmed just so you have throttle authority and the means to get your nose up is what I try and do if I'm going to attempt to run the big water.

Maybe it's the boat. Mine is a much smoother and dry ride driving into the wind with the bow down. With the wind, it's going to get a little rough and you're going to get wet.

Sshhhhhhh!

I've driven in really rough water on Erie, Okechobee, and KY Lake for many years and thought I knew how to handle it. That is until I rode for three days a couple of weeks ago as a Marshal with 3 different Elite Pros at Toledo Bend. Those guys are good! The ones I was with, Jeff Kriet, Jordan Lee and Mark Davis taught me more than I could ever imagine about driving in rough water. I was very impressed with their driving skills, not to mention how much I learned about different fishing techniques. Multiple lessons I will never forget.

Steez I thought you loved fishing that boat on the lower end of JP in a 25mph south wind???

PM Sent

I do now......ULTREX!!! Makes me have bug uns again. Like when I was 20. Spot lock and a mustang and I'm ready.

Those waves looked like a good day in Texas. I applaud what he was trying to accomplish with the video.

I remember a 3am run on the cali delta in flip flops with Matt, caught em but froze my toes running against the tide.

Yeah, I thought it was funny. I never even saw a whitecap.

May be the boat. Or it may be me slowing down when my back starts getting jarred.
Water like in the video isnt much of a problem any way you go. A 20-30 mph wind in open water on most of the big lakes around here is a crawl for me.