OK, this is Lake Lanier in GA. This was July 2006. Lots of 25-35 foot cruisers run around on this lake, especially in the Southern heat.

I pulled up to fish this bridge, and snapped this pic of a saltwater going vessel coming by me at full steam...NOT a 6-8 foot wave/wake. More like a 2-3 footer...but still rattles the heck out of a 19 foot Ranger standing still.

The biggest waves I've ever seen on the water...probably were at the Columbia River in the BassMaster about 6-7 years ago. Crazy barges throwing huge rolling wakes, and then the wind from the Gorge going against the current....it was a "standing wave" of sorts.

The Delta...well the craziest thing I've ever seen on the Delta, besides huge boat wakes by tankers...clearly > 3 foot wakes...was when a tanker went by about 3-4 feet of water suddenly sucked out of the river...just all the sudden we lost a bunch of water and the tules went dry and all this as the tanker went by. It was crazy. We didn't damage the boat or anything, but I could see how that could be a problem if you were over rock or riprap and you lost 3-4 feet of water in an instant...the tanker went by and the water came back up. I'm not a mariner, but, think thats called the draft or whatever from a ship.

Lanier drive by:



http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/5715-brownswave.jpg

Attachment #1, (.jpg file)