Avoiding The 10 Foot Wakes

[Nolan_Whaley]

My experience thus far, and readings on this forum, suggest main lake points or secondary points for sure as the most steady fishing locations. However, with summer upon us, the huge cruiser boats make these areas virtually unfishable during the day. Early morning, and sometimes in the evening these are accessible, but during the day, not a chance. Thus far i've fished mostly in the Kimberling City area above hwy 13 and the James arm up to little aunts creek. I've run up to piney creek once, and i wonder if that can be a decent way to go. Due to work & family obligations, weekends are definitely my easiest times to get some fishing time in. I'm not looking for exact locations, just some recommendations for some areas where i can go fish when the big boats are swamping the lake.

Are there some of the other creeks i should be looking at where i won't get beat to death?

As an example, i ran up to Big Creek a couple of weekends back, and while the trip there almost beat me down, i had an enjoyable afternoon of fishing for the most part. No huge fish, but some action, and just a few skiers/jet skis. Are there some other areas you'd recommend?

Just looking for ideas getting away from the crowds...

[denjac]

Just looking for ideas getting away from the crowds...

Theres no place to hide !!

[Champ188]

Denny is right — it's a zoo out there on the weekends. Just have to buck and roll if you're going to fish main-lake stuff.

[T-RockJaws]

A buddy and I went up in a creek arm that has a tremendous amount of stick ups and trees in it. We were thinking maybe the big boats and jet skis would stay away from this area. No such luck, we had not been there 20 minutes when we heard the buzz of jet skis coming around the corner. they just zipped in and around all the stick ups. Seems to me like a death wish, but they did it anyway. They were followed shortly by a multitude of bigger boats pulling skiers.

There truly is no place to get away from them. Your best option is to fish the darker hours, just before sun down to just after sun up!

[Jason Essary]

Boys Boys Boys, wait till the sun goes down and then go chasing. Cooler temps and better fishing. Fishing the Mill Creek Friday nighters, last week toke 20lbs. Little off this week, think it toke 17lbs to take 1st. Partner and I had 16lb last week with a 6.5lber (got beat with a 7lber, ) and a 5.80lber this week and toke Big...

Just cant beat fishing nice calm water in the cooling temps.

[Stump bumper]

I look at like fishing nights in January, I just don't do it and I don't fish the heat of the day June thru August. I go out after 6pm or 5am and off by 9. I was down the white in trout water the other day and had four gray haired senior citzens come zipping around me in 8 feet of water and that was 7pm on a Thursday. So you can't get away from them all together but you can plan around the rush hours and peak play times, and if you don't have nearves of steal don't enter a day time tournament this time of year.

[Bill Babler]

Took perhaps one of the biggest waves I have ever taken today on the Rock. Just up the White River past point 9. I never saw the boat that sent it, but looked up and told my client to sit down and hold on. We were drop shot fishing a flat.

It was about 11 AM and the wave, when I saw it coming was at least head high. I turned the boat into it, with the troller, and I rode out the first wave. The second of the series, came completely over the top of my bow and over the top of the graph, which is mounted on a 1 ft. ram mount, that sits a full 18 inches above the front deck. It totally swamped the boat. The pumps came on immediatly and everything in the boat was floating. The third wave of the set also came over the bow, and I am going to say the total, was several hundred gallons of water in the boat.

The Champ stayed perfectly upright and the pumps had it out in a few minutes, but it made my lady clients a bit edgy.

I had one gal that was 82 years young, and reminded me of my mom. She never would let me put her purse in a storage box, had to have it right under her and my feet all day. After the wave, I looked back and her purse was floating and half full of water in the floor of the boat. Everything inside it was wet and ruined.

I took a similar one up at Shell Knob a couple of years ago, but this one was bad. I believe a crusier must have gone up the oppsite side, and I just never saw it.

It did wash out the poop from the white bass we had caught earlier in the morning, so I guess there is always a silver lining.

Be careful out there.

[dtrs5kprs]

I was actually surprised how little traffic was out last week, had expected the worst. Last Monday was actually the worst day I had around Kimberling. Friday was mostly bass boats and smaller, fairly well behaved pleasure stuff until around 10am. Ran from around Mill to Schooner Creek Resort with Wife and both kids (both under 10) and they didn't get "the grips" as much as I did worying about them.

As for areas, I try to launch close to where I will fish, and look for places where you at least have enough room to run around the worst of it, and can try to cut the wakes at better angles. Kimberling is good that way, don't have to get too worked up about running up on something shallow and nasty while running around the cruisers. Some of the worst beatings I've had have come from Viola to Baxter, and sometimes in March/April.

[dtrs5kprs]

Took perhaps one of the biggest waves I have ever taken today on the Rock. Just up the White River past point 9. I never saw the boat that sent it, but looked up and told my client to sit down and hold on. We were drop shot fishing a flat.

It was about 11 AM and the wave, when I saw it coming was at least head high. I turned the boat into it, with the troller, and I rode out the first wave. The second of the series, came completely over the top of my bow and over the top of the graph, which is mounted on a 1 ft. ram mount, that sits a full 18 inches above the front deck. It totally swamped the boat. The pumps came on immediatly and everything in the boat was floating. The third wave of the set also came over the bow, and I am going to say the total, was several hundred gallons of water in the boat.

The Champ stayed perfectly upright and the pumps had it out in a few minutes, but it made my lady clients a bit edgy.

I had one gal that was 82 years young, and reminded me of my mom. She never would let me put her purse in a storage box, had to have it right under her and my feet all day. After the wave, I looked back and her purse was floating and half full of water in the floor of the boat. Everything inside it was wet and ruined.

I took a similar one up at Shell Knob a couple of years ago, but this one was bad. I believe a crusier must have gone up the oppsite side, and I just never saw it.

It did wash out the poop from the white bass we had caught earlier in the morning, so I guess there is always a silver lining.

Be careful out there.

I hate it when you have to watch them come and get you.

[gitnby]

Is there anything that can be done?

Does the Water Patrol or the Corps have any regulations or restrictions on wakes?

Actually, some of the worst I've seen is from the 'smaller' versions of cruisers whose operators don't know what the trim button is for?

It can be very dangerous as many of you have seen.

Not to mention the damage that is being done to the docks and the shorelne!

Is it going to take a tragedy to get someone to address this?