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Thought I'd throw in a twist I haven't seen on Wafish before,

What bodies of water have thrown the worst big water experience at ya. 

Any where you've wondered what you had gotten yourself in? Said a prayer?

List at least 3. 

The River above John Day ( Lake Umatilla)

The River Wallula Pool

Banks Lake

Enjoy!

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Replies to This Discussion

Chelan. I had just got my boat and was excited to use it. My boat should be at the bottom of the lake, possibly with me right next to it. I think about it every time the wind blows.
Hood River. Hood river, and more hood river.

I launched at dusk in a 15.5ft aluminum to head to the steelhead fishery at the big white Salmon formerly known as underwood. Got beyond the sand point the windsurfers use, and realized i was in trouble.

I couldnt see over the waves, and didnt know how far the Salmon nets extended from the bank. At one point i went over a roller i felt was 5 ft tall.

Never again.

2nd team near death: Priest pool near Mattawa. (This section gets huge fast)
Honorable mention: blalock Islands, near boardman. (If you get caught in big stuff, the islands will save you...but you gotta head in sometime...)

All of my experiences were in said 15.5 aluminum.

The Columbia River! Certain areas of the river get real nasty knowing those areas are key to running it. Some areas to avoid that come to mind are Hood River Washington side of the river at swell city and Oregon side at narrows of Wind Mountain. Another bad area is the mouth of the John Day River.

By far the worst water I have ever been in was at Hood river. April 4 2011 a little tournament called the Cabin fever Classic. Over night the water came up six feet and the wind was blowing at least 30 mph and gusting to god knows what. The high water washed every log, stump and stick off the bank. The day before we had a awesome pre fish and our spot was 15 miles down river. We made it there and it was all for nothing. There are some guys on here that fished that tournament it was real bad.

Honorable mention Lake Mead.

Riffe Lake, I have caught 15lbs. limits there but, it is also a very dangerous lake, high winds, big waves and lots of floating and semi floating wood. The US Navy uses Riffe Lake as a low level high speed approach (see sonic boom!) for its fighter planes, not funny when it happens, funny after!

Washington.  Almost lost it during a tourney when my hat blew off and I let go of the wheel (before my hydraulic steering install).  Threw my ass across the boat and pulled out the safety cutoff...whew!  3 ft waves that were short causing the boat to "hop" non stop.

Riffe.  First boat at blast off, and 3/4 down the lake toward Kosmos hit a "mostly" sunken log out of no-where.  Destroyed my brand new transducer.  Started blowing an hour later and stopped 1/2 hour befor weigh in.

Sammamish.  Blew my engine pre-fishing a week before my 1st ever touranament, than fished the boat launch end for the tourney in March for 8 hours, only catching trout.

A number of years back I was fishing in a WON Bass Pro Am on Lake Mead...I was the am.  Day 1 I drew an unassuming older gentleman and we headed out fishing in his 18.5 foot Champion. 

We spent the day to the west of Callville bay.  Not too long a run, but we were completely sheltered from the main basin.  We were running in and out of these little cuts in the banks all day, completely oblivious to the fact that it was blowing like a stuck pig out there...absolutely howling.

Time came to run back for weigh in and as we emerged from the bay we were in we saw the mayhem ahead of us.  It was like nothing I had ever seen...not only monster waves breaking, but the whole thing was pitching and rolling like the ocean.  I did not own a boat at the time, and had no frame of reference for this.

He looked at me and said "the only way to get through this is to get up on top of em!"  And so we set off...he had absolutely no fear.  The pounding we took was unreal.  I remember repeatedly hearing the engine over rev as the prop left the water.  We speared just one wave, thankfully not too badly.  I remember passing a 21 foot Skeeter like it was standing still.  I wondered what they were thinking about us jumping these waves in an 18.5 footer.

We made it back safely, even though there were several times I thought we were going to die...baptism by fire!

1) Lake Celilo on the Columbia - Honestly didn't think I was making it home one day.
2) Lake Umatilla on the Columbia - Everyone here probably has a horror story from this body of water.
3) Columbia River at Vantage
Umatilla in my buddy's 18-1/2 footer. When the standing water is up over your calves after the first couple waves you spear, it makes for an interesting ride.

When I was down at the Champion factory in Tennessee several years back, I got a chance to ride down to the lake from our hotel with Skeet Reese. He and I got to talking about bass boat handling and rough water. He said that the only time he's been truly sketched out in big water was on Umatilla. He mentioned that even on Lake Erie, it's like a fun roller coaster ride because the big waves are often spaced out in a way that you can ride in the trough.

Chelan- Had some bad ones there and it can get NASTY quick. 

Columbia River- I do not think anything can compare to they type of waves you get on the river. Boardman, Tri Cites. etc. 

Lake Washington- Has kicked my butt a few times. 

I remember the Cabin Cabin Fever Classic that Mr. Heldstab is refering to .

That run to Cascade Locks was a real bear . If I remember right My partner won that deal with a little over 15 pounds . There were a few guys that had to be towed back . I live in Stevenson and have seen it at its worst from Hood River to Cascade Locks but I think the worst on a regular basis is Celilo . I can run the river From Hood River to C/L in my 19' nitro in westerly 30s and get home but not at Celilo . 30s from the west up there gets you 6-8 foot waves and there stacked up real close . High current and heavy opposing winds equals bad deal.

Anything on the river that looks bad from the bank is bad . dont risk it .

Hood River has been bad to me in the past as well.  Launched at the Dalles for an ABA and tried to make it through the narrows; filling my boat with water 10 minutes after blast off and having to turn around and fish locally.

St. Lawrence River (Thousand Islands) got me one day; took so much water into the boat while in shallow water that I found sand in my carpet for years afterward. 

There are other honorable mentions including Lake Isabella in CA fishing out of my friend's boat with our 4 year old sons with us...the waves came up so fast and hard that the top deck of the boat delaminated at the rub rail from the hull, and filled with water.  We literally ran it onto the bank to keep it from sinking.

But the worst experience by far was practicing for the Stratos World Championships on Kentucky Lake.  Beautiful clear day that suddenly had a tornado cross the lake next to me.  The sky got black, hail pelted my partner and I, and the waves were huge.  The waves ripped off my trolling motor, ripped the entire bow panel out of the boat, and only by the grace of God and my lowrance gps were we able to find our way into a sheltered cove without running aground on one of the many rock reefs.

I have only been on the Columbia once and that was when I test drove my boat new. 

 

The worst I seen was at blast off at a club tourny on Chelan.  Before the boats even took off one boat, I won't mention the brand, took on enough water that he said screw it and went back to the dock.  All I was getting was wind spray over the side in my face.  When we took off it was pretty dang rough, only speared a couple, lost a pair of cheap glasses.  2nd would be Potholes.  I think I'll stay off the river unless it's in someone else's boat and they have experience running it.  I don't need my bad back any worse. 

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