Small boat and big waves

[Bennick16]

 I want to head out to potholes reservoir tomorrow to do some duckhunting but I have a 15 foot deep V hull boat and the wind is supposed to be gusting to 35 miles an hour.  I would like to know if anyone has experience on boating in such high winds and if they think it is doable or if I should try and find a spot to jump shoot.  I have a half mile of open water to get through before I can get back into that protected area  I will be duckhunting. Thanks!

[Pinetar]

 I would not go if you are concerned at all. Your life and others are worth more than a few ducks. Go jump shooting, wait for a nicer day and have fun!!

[92xj]

The fact that you're asking means you are questioning. Don't go. Questioning and hesitation will kill you on the water. Walk in the dunes and find the birds the wind is pushing off the big water.

[Bennick16]

I'm only asking because I do not know the characteristics of water when the wind gets to a certain speed I do not know if I should be concerned or not because I have never gone on a boat when it was very windy. It is not that I am second-guessing myself I am just looking for somebody who has experience with what happens through the water when the wind picks up the 35 miles an hour

[Ridgeratt]

I have seen Sprague lake with 3 footer's on it. Just hugged the bank back to the launch. With all the gear, a dawg, buddy and if your wearing chest wader's perhaps not the best idea. I was already set up when the wind came up so I had no choice.

Along with that on Sprague had my buddy bail over the side of the back with the bow on the beach he filled his waders and we had to cut the straps when they filled with water.

[h20hunter]

Been in some big lake water in my time. You have the gear and confidence in your abilities go for it. When in doubt hunker down then put the bow to the waves and work through it.

[bowhunterwa87]

Dont do it. The waves really load up there and its deff not worth it. I wont even take my 12' there walleye fishing if its over 12mph.

[Pinetar]

Go jump shooting, it is not worth it. Especially if you have not driven boats in rough water with a heavy wind.

I spend over 120 days a year every year driving boats since I was 17 years old, now 52 and a small boat loaded to hunt ducks in big water with a 35mph wind is a bad combination, even with lots of experience. It only takes one bad rogue wave to turn you around and sink.

[Sliverslinger]

Please don't risk it in those winds. It's not the same as what you're talking about, but I was on a boat once and the situation was questionable because of how bad the wind got. The waves got bigger very quickly and eventually capsized the boat as we went over a bar. I spent all night in the ocean fighting to stay alive. 3 of us went in and only two came out. Both of us who made it were extremely hypothermic and suffered from severe rhabdomyolysis. The guy driving the boat was too confident in his skills and navigation ability. water and wind together can be far more powerful than you would ever think.

[Bennick16]

Wow all these horror stories makes me glad I chose to be a pilot and not a boat captain, thank you everyone for your input

[lokidog]

Go jump shooting, it is not worth it. Especially if you have not driven boats in rough water with a heavy wind.

I spend over 120 days a year every year driving boats since I was 17 years old, now 52 and a small boat loaded to hunt ducks in big water with a 35mph wind is a bad combination, even with lots of experience. It only takes one bad rogue wave to turn you around and sink.

 

[rasbo]

jump shoot,there will be other days to use the boat

[KFhunter]

I was fishing out of Homer AK and getting tossed around pretty bad in a 26 or 28 foot cuddy charter boat, then I see two native looking dudes in a 16 foot deep V open aluminum boat with a tiller pounding their way out like nothing.

I have a new appreciation for what a little boat can do in the right hands.  I've also been in a loaded boat wallowing around on the waves threatening to capsize at any minute, that isn't fun either.   If your boat was empty I'd say go for it, but if you have a heavy load the boat won't handle right so no way would I do it.  I've got quite a bit of experience on lake Roosevelt with a 16' deep V,  it all depends on how much weight is in the boat and if you have to go into the wind or follow the wind or cut across,  if I can keep it straight into the wind or follow then I'm fine but I hate cutting across straight so I keep a 30 degree cut instead of cutting across at a 90

Worst was when I volunteered to help chaperone a bunch of school kids on a canoe trip on lake Roosevelt in a gusty wind, that sucked, but no one went in the cold april waters. 

[sakoshooter]

I'm only asking because I do not know the characteristics of water when the wind gets to a certain speed I do not know if I should be concerned or not because I have never gone on a boat when it was very windy. It is not that I am second-guessing myself I am just looking for somebody who has experience with what happens through the water when the wind picks up the 35 miles an hour

Most will depend on the wind direction. And where you're gonna launch. Once you're back in the dunes, you're pretty well protected. You can launch from the Job Corp dike in a couple spots and that'll keep you out of the big water. You can also launch by the power lines in Crab Cr below the spillway from Moses. Or you could hunt Lind Coulee.
That being said - Potholes can be bad when it's windy. I've been on it way too many times duck hunting and bass fishing during storms. One thing for sure, those birds are gonna look for protected areas to sit and if you're in one of these, the shootin could be good.
Always wear your life jacket. You never hear news stories about anyone drowning while wearing their life jackets.

[C-Money]

I have been on the Potholes when she turned angry. Waves came up quick, and they were solid 3-5 footers, stacked up close together. Please go jump shoot or launch from the Job Corps side. Be safe!

[AWS]

I hunted the Potholes Res. out of a power canoe for years and like others have said there are access points all around the lake so you should have no trouble launching and getting to a hunting spot without having to cross open water on the windward side of the lake.  I'm always prepared to spend the night also if I do get caught where the weather is to bad to get back to the landing.  My big fear is fog out on the lake as there are so any guys running GPS coordinates to their blind and they run faster than they can see, I've had a couple of close calls.  I did ave one happy moment when one of the must have entered the wrong coordinates and run their boat about 30' up the bank in the fog.

[Stein]

If you are exposed to 35, it will suck and you will get wet - if everything works out well.  The thing about those conditions is that if you lose power or take on water, bad things happen fast.


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[Bill W]

During my years of duck hunting and fishing I've almost had a boat flipped with me in it when a gust hit the boat.   I have had one rolled down the shoreline throwing everything out.   One year up at the Skagit the wind was so bad we had to tie the boat down on the trailer just to keep it there.  Didn't know until we got home just how bad the conditions were.  It was one of the Thanksgiving storms.

My rule of thumb now is small craft warning mean hunting from shore.  Once it gets close to 20 mph I don't go in the boat.

[jackson7]

I was bird hunting in basin about 3 years ago and ran into some duck hunters who were out in 15 foot boat.
The boat was swamped and the 3 of them were in the water about mile off shore. they were on their backs and the wind blew them to shore. Interesting thing was wind was not normal prevailing wind. Had it been, they would have been blown further out and never made it to shore. They were all shaken up.

[Badhabit]

http://app.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=232-16-600

I don't know if they have changed this law or not. As I read it you cannot launch a boat off the job corp dike from 10-1 thru 5-30. That would leave  the Crab creek launch or drag a boat from the mid dune launch at the end of the road by the job corp.