wind and waves........

[finnlander]

is there any way to say how big the wave,s would be on the lake by wind speed. since i live about an hour north of newcastle  it would be nice to know the condition of the lake before driving for an hour. i can always get the forecast for any given city but don.t know if other factors were involved thanks

[LongLine]

Assuming you're going to fish out of Newcastle, I'd guess speeds up to 10 mph wouldn't be too much problem if you have a decent size boat.  A really big factor is wind direction.  10 mph out of the North would probably mean calm water for you.  But 10 out of the South probably means a decent chop.  If I were you, I'd figure to be out at the crack of dawn when it the calmest.  Winds generally pick up around 9:00am.  Weather sites listed on left hand side of site.  (or do a search on NOAA) 

 

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[finnlander]

thank you i have a 19 foot closed bow boat with a 165 hp stern drive.have never been out in lake ont with it so don.t know what it will handle saftely. all i have ever fished is the inland lakes and have no problem with them even when blowing hard. i  hope to be fishing from   cobourge  to pickering and was just wondering what to expect. i guess if its blowing 20 or 25 mph i can pretty well go walleye fishing locally. thanks for the info and here,s hoping for light northern winds

[Don Supon]

I fish an 18 ft'er on Ontario's S side, Port Delhoussie to Olcott. I monitor wind direction and speed to set up an outing. I look for winds of 0-15. Winds of 15 MPH will make it rough, but still fishable for me. Therefore a 15 MPH N wind will find me launching at a ramp where I can get to deep waters quicker and not be so far out.  N winds make it tougher on our side of the lake, so 15 MPH might be too much some days at most of the areas I fish. W winds sometimes make trolling E the only viable option, with pulling gear and fighting waves back to refish a specific area. I quit fishing E winds, but might go out in NE or SE if they are 10 MPH or less. Reverse the conditions for the N side of the lake as far as wave conditions go.

[LongLine]

Look at a map of Lake Ontario & locate your port.  When the wind comes off the land, you'll find the calmest water.  When the wind blows over a large portion of water, the waves will build.  Generally in the morning we have off-shore breezes hence the calmest water.

 

The problem with Lake Ontario waves is that they are generally very steep and close together.  This makes for some very challenging boat handling situations in a small boat.  With my 18 ft'r, anything over a 3 ft chop & I'm gone.  Out of the Genny, I dont like N, or NE winds, tolerate NW and love all the rest.

 

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[Sk8man]

Another thing is that the waves etc. usually become SECONDARY when you realize that much of the time you can't control your boat (direction or speed) properly to catch much of anything and tangles are the rule rather than the exception. It sure can take the fun out of it when the wind cranks up...

[finnlander]

thanks everyone this helps me a lot. so i.ll be looking for light northern winds. and you are right about boat controll  takes all the fun away when all you are doing is trying ot steer the boat. and keep it off the rocks even o inland lakes