Table Rock Wind

[Billfo]

I see from weather reports that the wind on Table Rock is 48mph.. Can someone please post a picture of the white caps so I can see what I am missing ? Also what does this type of weather do to boat docks ? My boat is up on a lift- I assume the wind is rocking the entire structure and slammig boats in slips not on lifts..

Thanks,

Bill

[motoman]

Nobody has any pix?!??!?!

-

I'm with you Bill, I'd love for someone who lives on the water to setup a 24 webcam out their window. It would be cool to see how things look down on the water when we're away.

[abkeenan]

You want to see how the weather was that day the Branson Belle ran aground. Look at that WIND! The guy in the video who is an employee of the Belle says it was even worse earlier on in the day when before/during it was beached. Check it out.

[skeeter]

You want to see how the weather was that day the Branson Belle ran aground. Look at that WIND! The guy in the video who is an employee of the Belle says it was even worse earlier on in the day when before/during it was beached. Check it out.

Thanks for the link to the video. I think that was taken the next morning (Sunday)it seems ?

Yeah, the wind was worse Saturday and whomever made the decision for the Belle to leave her dock has rocks in his head. There was no way they were going to be able to control that high-profile barge in those winds and now they are claiming (?) they lost power... Hope that helps in the inevitable lawsuits as there were reports of five people with medical conditions having to be evacuated Saturday before the rest of the passengers who were stuck overnight. That was a risky operation for the first responders due to winds blowing spray and icing everything over. They were realy lucky the boat didn't drift into and strike the dam. They had divers down yesterday inspecting the hull for damage and it checked out OK.

Steady winds all Saturday afternoon and evening never lower than 35mph on my weather station and it recorded a top gust of 54mph. Tops of the rollers were blowing off horizontally and if anything wasn't tied down securely it is long gone.

[Cajunangler]

I was on the water the day the Belle ran aground. I had seen it from the Indian Point area making a turn very close to shallow water where the lake makes the hard bend at the north end of the dam area. Even then I thought it was playing with fire by getting very close to a bouy marking shallow water.

But as for the waves, I would easily say there were 3-5' rollers at the north end. This was between 12noon and 2:30pm when the winds were mostly coming out of the west and southwest. My 19' Bass Cat had all it wanted when I would change sides of the lake.

As for wave action around docks, I have to believe there couldn't be any. I mean there are "no wake" bouys everywhere there are docks so surely Mother Nature respects those. I guess I have an issue with these as more and more of the lake gets lined with docks and everyone that owns/uses them expects no waves to hit them. That makes it very difficult to run up some of the fingers in a timely manner if you are trying to make the most out of a fishing day, especially this time of year. Sorry, but I think lakes should be governed by the folks that ride in boats and not those wanting to use them as parking lots.

[Sam]

I mean there are "no wake" bouys everywhere there are docks so surely Mother Nature respects those. I guess I have an issue with these as more and more of the lake gets lined with docks and everyone that owns/uses them expects no waves to hit them. That makes it very difficult to run up some of the fingers in a timely manner if you are trying to make the most out of a fishing day, especially this time of year. Sorry, but I think lakes should be governed by the folks that ride in boats and not those wanting to use them as parking lots.

Sorry, but I've got a different opinion on that. I think a 30 mph speed limit on the whole lake would be the best thing that could happen, plus no-wake areas near any docks.

I could run from one end of the lake to the other if I wanted to spend my day running instead of fishing. Instead, I seldom go more than a mile or two from wherever I put in. Fishing one area of the lake steady and in detail is a lot more productive for me than running around all over the place - and if you can't find fish in a couple of miles of water, well, you might not find them 15 miles away either. You're sure not gonna catch any while you're going 60 mph.

Of course, while I'm doing that I constantly get bounced around by wakes from party boats and bass boats with big motors running flat out. It's "There goes another one, I'll get in one more cast before the wake hits" all day long. Besides the safety issue of running boats at high speed on a lake shared by many others, those wakes damage docks and boats in slips, erode the banks and muddy up the water, and often make it real difficult to fish. They spook the fish, too - lots of times I've had fish quit biting when boat traffic gets too bad. At the least, getting hit with wakes and motor noise all day in what should be the relaxing outdoors is downright annoying. As my grandpa would have said, "There ain't no use in it!".

Just my opinion, and everybody's got one of those, you know.

[Stump bumper]

Sorry, but I've got a different opinion on that. I think a 30 mph speed limit on the whole lake would be the best thing that could happen, plus no-wake areas near any docks.

I could run from one end of the lake to the other if I wanted to spend my day running instead of fishing. Instead, I seldom go more than a mile or two from wherever I put in. Fishing one area of the lake steady and in detail is a lot more productive for me than running around all over the place - and if you can't find fish in a couple of miles of water, well, you might not find them 15 miles away either. You're sure not gonna catch any while you're going 60 mph.

Of course, while I'm doing that I constantly get bounced around by wakes from party boats and bass boats with big motors running flat out. It's "There goes another one, I'll get in one more cast before the wake hits" all day long. Besides the safety issue of running boats at high speed on a lake shared by many others, those wakes damage docks and boats in slips, erode the banks and muddy up the water, and often make it real difficult to fish. They spook the fish, too - lots of times I've had fish quit biting when boat traffic gets too bad. At the least, getting hit with wakes and motor noise all day in what should be the relaxing outdoors is downright annoying. As my grandpa would have said, "There ain't no use in it!".

Just my opinion, and everybody's got one of those, you know.

Sounds to me like you would be happier on Bull Shoals, not trying to be mean or anything just stating the facts. The water skiers and party boats don't seem to like it out in the middle of God's country but sure is a lot nicer to fish.

[Sam]

Sounds to me like you would be happier on Bull Shoals, not trying to be mean or anything just stating the facts. The water skiers and party boats don't seem to like it out in the middle of God's country but sure is a lot nicer to fish.

Yep, I'm not trying to be mean either - but I figured that out a long time ago. I make eight or ten trips to Bull Shoals for every one on Tablerock. Sometimes fishing conditions lead me to Tablerock anyway, but that's when something's going on that makes the catching outweigh the aggravation. I can put up with a lot when I'm catching fish.

[Cajunangler]

I have no problem with anyone stating their opion, that is the great pleasure we all enjoy in this country. And yes, I do like fishing Bull Shoals a lot more than I do TR but it is double the road miles to the areas I like. I also try to avoid TR from mid May thru October 1st to eliminate frustration with pleasure boaters. With that said, the only things I had hoped to convey with my comments were 1) I don't see the need for all the "no wake" buoys when mother nature often creates more havoc than any boats can 2) I think the landscape of a lake is far more appealing without all of the metal, styrofoam, and hanging boats all over the lake and 3) it is frustrating to try and run up some creek arms on the lake (ie: Aunts Creek, Indian Creek and others) and be required to idle the last quater mile due to no wake signs. As to lowering the speed we can run, I can only say that most boats traveling at 30mph throw more wake than the same boat does at higher speeds. That doesn't answer the issue of safety and I do agree that a lot of boats are running faster than they probably should, but I doubt any speed limits are going to be placed on lakes.

I almost forgot, I do try and launch close to where I want to fish, not only to save fuel but to reduce time running the boat and maximize fishing time. As I stated above, my complaint is the reduced speed up the creek arms causing significant delays in getting to the backs of them. We accept that in lakes like Toledo Bend and Lake Fork because running far up their creek arms usually means you will need a new lower unit, not the case up here.

[KC Trout Fan]

I have been bass fishing Table Rock for a couple years now. I really started fishing seriously 3 years ago, got a 19 ft basscat a year ago, and am a novice boater at best. I have experenced these waves as well and too dont like them. My biggest gripe is the size of the pleasure boats. I strongly feel that there should be size limits on the baots on any lake. Some of the 30 plus footers were not built for lakes and i often joke that they are "oceanliners" on Table Rock. There is no reason for a boat over 30 foot to be on a lake. The wakes not only cause fishermen like us headaches but cause damage to property, erode shore lines, and damage habitats for the marine life. Until this problem is addressed all of those factors will suffer, including us fishermen. Saying that, I know good and well that is a lofty propisition that most likley will never happen. Just my 2 cents...