My recommendation is to watch the weather and if you don't have to go out in big waves, don't go...but if you do, here are some tips for you!
1.) Make sure to ALWAYS wear a PFD (Onyx A24 IMPULSE Lifejacket: goo.gl/Xb0f8W)
2.) ALWAYS wear your kill switch
3.) Make sure your bilge pump works
4.) Make sure to lock down your gear so it doesn't get beat up/ruined
5.) Trim 1/4 way up, hydraulic jackplate down and run under a controlled speed
6.) Run the troughs when possible and try to run into the wind (wind blowing at your face) if you're able - this gives you better boat control.
7.) When running with the wind at your back, directly into the waves, slow down and maintain control over the boat
8.) DON'T RUSH - DRIVE CONTROLLED, RELAXED AND TAKE YOUR TIME
Be safe on the water folks!
Pursue your passion
-BRN
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My back hurts just watching this hahahah
Truth! It was rockin and rollin out there for sure
Even with my Tracker GRIZZLY 1654 MVX Sportsman with a tiller 40, hunting out in the Long Island sound can get rough, with how thorough you were in your explanations, it makes me feel more confident when I encounter some rough waters that I can get home safely! Thanks for the video!
I can definitely imagine that it'd get rough out there! I'm glad I can help you out man! The biggest thing is just taking your time, being cautiously relaxed/calm and keeping the boat under control
Keep an extra kill switch on board. If the operator goes overboard the others on the boat can start the motor to provide assistance.
Brandon Mahaffey this is an excellent tip - and something I’ve never thought of
Perfect advise especially offshore! Too many people will learn this the hard way. There are currents off shore that quickly separate the man overboard from the boat but the kill switch lanyard is with the man in the water!
Good info love that you showed the wheel.
Definitely gives a different perspective to help you understand how I'm handling the boat to stay in the troughs or managing the wheel when I'm going over the waves
Great video Ben... I'm glad to see that my 20 year old boat handles the waves about as good as bigger/newer boats do.
Thanks Joe - Yeah, I think most boats handle as well as the driver can take on the waves
The safe and comfortable way to navigate high seas without all the drama is to just adjust your speed to stay on the back of a wave and ride it in. No frantic acrobatics needed.
Shut up
yeah and take 10 years to get anywhere
@@bradmetcalf5333 I knew someone said this shit when I saw that comment
Thanks for the tips.
I see your skill and all good for speed! Only one i was always taught to keep my hand on the power. That was by my dad who had all his children on board.
Thanks so much Adam. Yes, throttle control is super important. I actually have a HotFoot where I can control throttle the same way you would a car accelerator which is why I’m able to keep two hands on the wheel as well
I can greatly appreciate your video and the truly life demonstration....just a reminder that if you were thrown into the water and became unconscious, an inflatable may not turn you over in the water they way a Type I USGC PFD will....God Bless!!!
Yes type 1 Offshore PFD's turn you over in the water however the disadvantage is that they are bulky and hard to swim in so hopefully a boater is near to rescue you.
Awesome content man! Thanks! Cheers as always!
Thanks Matthew!
Always great to see you wearing your inflatable life jacket!!!
+OnyxOutdoor Always!
When u reach the top of wave u power off ... So u don't jump off it ... Power up again... Reduces impact on boat and body and makes .....
Good information particularly safety and securing everything before getting underway. The last thing you want to do in 4 or 5 footers is strapping your rods down and leaving the helm. One thing, pumps are designed to have water flowing thru them. If you turn on the pump for an extended run and don't take on water you can burn out a pump motor. Dry pumps run at a higher rpm and temperature. Only run the pump when you know you need it. If you spear one and take on 50 gallons, turn the pump on. Jus' sayin'.
Thank you so much. Now i have practice and it works.
+respect life I’m glad!! That’s what it’s all about is practicing and getting the time behind the wheel to understand how to drive the rough water!
great video! thanks for the advise any help or advise is always welcome i live close to the great lakes and im going to get into boating as soon i can! maybey i will see you out there...
Absolutely! The Great Lakes can be super intimidating but if you pick and choose your days and drive safely, you'll be good to go!
Awesome man, glad you did this!
Thanks man - I thought it turned out pretty well and could help some people out when they have to drive some rough water
You where whippin that thing, I learned some things and glad you did this. I guess with time on the water and practice it will come to.
Mitchell Vanderhoff b
Don't do this out at sea. You'll regret it after your first wave.
Was going to say, trim the motors up?? While going almost 30 knots? Recipe for a capsize. I’ve gotten my prop out the water almost a hundred times. I’m not a race boat, you come off that throttle or your bow is going to be sky high😂
my ride for lake Michigan near shore smallmouth is a 17 lund deep v fishermen i just dont feel safe in a bass boat on lake Michigan good tips Ben 👍
I don't blame you one bit! I've told myself that if I get a new boat one day, it'll be a Bay-Style boat where it has a center console and deep-v with a casting deck like a bass boat. A bass boat just doesn't hardly cut it in these big waves!
Tom Starcevich most bass guys on erie won't go out of the harbors. But on the other hand there's days so calm people will be a mile off shore in kayaks
The Lund Pro-V Bass boat would be a nice option.
man,thats just 1 feet of wave,do that in 3 or 4 feet of wave and let me know how you do 25 mph in that wave.,
Gone 30 MPH in 3-5's on Lake Erie in my 16.5 boat. Got video of me going 35 MPH in 1-3 footers
👍. We just went out in small 4-5ft white caps in our 21ft Maxum on the Hudson River. NO THANK YOU! We lasted about an hour and made it about a mile. My back, my legs, my arms etc are killing me.
@@BBBYpsi anything over 3foot is just over Idle for me and listen to my wife ooh and ahhh!
@@jcmac7709 does not take much for my back to hurt these days. Being a sr. citizen now lots of aches & pains
I use to fish what a thought were big lakes. Then I had a day on Chesapeake Bay as a rider where I thought there was a good chance I could die. Then I had a day like that on the St. Lawerance as a rider. I'll run 1-2 ft chop. I'm trying to learn how not to destroy my boat or die in big water 4 to 6 ft waves. I'm not use to 10 mph winds making giant waves. I just want to make it back to the launch
As a Lake Erie Bass fisherman I can relate to this. I have been here more than a few times. Never head out in 2 footers thinking your bass boat can handle that... Yes, it can but the waves on the great lakes go from 2's to 5's in 10 minutes. As a Sandusky Bay Duck n Goose hunter the same applies. You go from calm to mother nature flipping on the wind switch and swamped in 45 seconds. GREAT VID! You did well. You have people waiting for your safe return. Wear your Onyx PFD and come home to your loved ones.
Jimmy Mesler thank you! I appreciate the comment! Yes, always wearing a life jacket is so important
@@brnowak_fishing Make sure bilge pumps are working and go slow and use your head. We have people waiting for our safe return my friend
Great info 💯
Good stuff, Ben! When I'm in my bigger boat, I spend my time on Lake St. Clair and though it's not technically a Great Lake, it can get pretty rough out there.
Yeah, St Clair gets very rough as well! St Clair is a mini Great Lake in itself and it's no joke
definitely would love to see a 2nd video diving super in depth on what you're looking for like you discussed at the end of this video! as always keep up the killer work man!
Thanks for watching man! I'll have to do a 2nd video and go a little more in depth to try and show what I'm looking at while I'm driving
Good information. I don't own a bass boat but the same information still applies. I mainly fish on Oneida Lake in NY, and it can get rough out there real fast. It's an inland lake but it's exposed to the wind on all sides and it's a relatively shallow lake. Very rare to go out there and have it be glass calm. The conditions are also usually totally different once you get out far enough to reach the buoy marker line. The conditions you experienced in this video are about what I see on Oneida on most days. Pretty typical to see 2 to 4 footers. It's more common for it to be worse than that than calmer though. I fish on that lake a lot with a Lund Tyee which handles it pretty well.
I understand that for sure! Those shallower bowl style lakes get rough fast! I bet that Lund is awesome out there
Great video. Only thing here on TVA and Cumberland river lakes we can’t run troughs and 45s always.
Thank you for posting this wish I would have seen this instead of learning the hard way on sturgeon bay. Ever since then every time I get out on big wakes Or rollers I freak out any advice on how to calm the nerves when I'm out there. Thanks
+adam trost I hear you man...the biggest thing was the seat time in bad weather and learning how my boat performed in it. My biggest piece of advice is to just start slow. Never go faster than you're comfortable and really focus on reading the waves and just take your time. Never try to rush back - if you have to run 2 miles out of the way to run the trough and then run 2 miles back to hit the trough back, do that. Just try to stay calm, make good decisions and take your time :-)
That's why bass boats don't belong in rough water.
seth simmons fax’s
thats why you dont get a bass boat
that's why you learn how to drive it right
@@Ryantube007 yeah but why, you can just check the weather unless you are going from island to island or something being in those swells doesn't sound like a good day.
@@Ryantube007 if there are 3 m swell id be extremely careful because it can go from big rollers to breaking waves in moments
thanks sir. thia is a good a good thing to no. god bless
Thanks Heath! God Bless
Good video. Personally I fish Mostly in freshwater including a lot of bass fishing and I run a bay boat with trim tabs. Hard to beat imo for castability and running big water and safety in big water. Drafts under a foot. Low to the water for casting and landing fish. Has scupper drains to drain water even if the bilge pump were to break. Stand up console so I can see where I’m going in big water and don’t get waves to the face. And actual trim tabs make an unreal difference in adjusting boat angles side to side and front to back for running big water.
Super super good info. I've been looking into a bay boat, but for now, a bass boat will do. Bay boats just seem to be the way to go when running the Great lakes and big bodies of water that can get so rough
Pretty good brother. I am impressed with your skills.
Thank you!
Good video. Not much info on this kind of thing. Been in a few scary situations off coast of North Florida..
+Gee Clock thank you! I bet it gets really bad out there sometimes!
You need to do one with video of the waves in front of the boat
In the northern gulf of mexico when the forcast is 2'-3' seas, we add those numbers together because you will likely see a 5' wave periodically. Likewise in 1'-2' seas you will encounter a 3' wave periodically
Correct me if I'm wrong but running your bilge pump dry will over heat and burn the pump out. I don't run my bilge pump unless it's actually pumping water. My buddy's boat has an auto feature on his bilge pump. It runs on a float. If a certain level of water gets in his bilge the pump comes on til the water level drops.
Good tips i got caught in some unexpected wind from the north on lake Michigan about 2 to 3 foot waves had no choice but to go against the waves to get back to the harbor i have a 16 foot alumacraft with a 25 hp honda had a wet ride and boat but made it back kinda fun but scary i had it at wot lake Michigan will turn on a dime with strong winds from the north or south just head in when it gets windy not worth risking your life
I grew up on Mackinac Island, lol Im used to big water...… I love it... good vid, thanks for shareing
Good video. Definitely would like to see one video when it is reallly rough like you said it usually is out there.
Yeah, I’m gonna try to shoot something this spring to hopefully shed a little more light on it for people and help some more people out if I can
Thanks, looking forward to it.
I agree with all of this except for the bilge pump running. This can burn out some types of pumps.
Good point for sure
Yea, you don't run pumps dry. At all.
I live on Lake Erie down near Sandusky in Ohio. You should come down and hit some serious walleye on our lake boat (SportCraft 250 Hardtop) and then we'll have to come up there and learn a little more about bass fishing! Seeing you go mach 10 through those waves was giving me a heart attack lol. Our rig maxes out at 30mph WOT, so we're never really going over 22mph or so, haha.
Haha thanks for checking out the vid! I’ve heard the walleye fishing on Erie is insane! I’ve never been on Erie for walleye or bass, but have to make it out there sometime!
Quick Question....What type of Phoenix are you running? I just ordered a 921 the other day with a 250.....Hoping that will be enough to get on big lakes like that......By the way Thanks for this video!! Very Very Informative!!!
+secure152 I’m running a 920 - that 921 will be amazing! That’s an awesome boat!
3 footers can be really rough in the western basin because of how shallow it is & the cross chop that goes with it. I know because I have dealt with it for years. 3 footer in western basin is same as 6 footer on Lake Michigan
just like lake erie. and the long point bay
Could you please do another video so I can see how you run the trough and the whole nine to keep myself safe with your experience thank you.
Those vests work. Does yours have the pill? Mine blew up in my truck toolbox from all the humidty this one day. Mine as well been raining. I go in the Gulf alot. Anyway. Those type of vests are much better than others for short term. I wouldnt want to be capsized 50 miles offshore with one though
You have to change the pill. It has an expiration date!!!!!!
I fish lake Erie all the time in a 17 foot aluminum semi deep v. Trying to run like that is a bad idea. It only takes one good speared wave. No need to hurry. Keep the bow up a bit and go slow. Ride the trough if you can. 45ing is alright too but still not fast.
What exactly is “on pad” I think you mean on plane but not sure?
Wassup bro I been watching a few of your videos where are u from
+Lonnie Smith What's good man?! I'm from Michigan, thanks for the support
Good ride. What kind of Phoenix bass boat is that?
Thanks! It’s a 920 Pro XP!
I ran my 1988 16 foot crest liner fish hawk in Lake Erie like this and cracked the transom on both the port and starboard side.
Were you running full throttle when you were filming the video? it sure looks like your would have sore muscles when you get back home.
Turning down into a trough suddenly seems like it'd be a good way to hook a boat?
Great explanation Ben! You scooped up that lucky hat in no time, ha!
Thanks! Couldn't let my lucky hat get lost to the sea - that thing's been too good to me!
As someone who is growing up tuna fishing 100 miles offshore on the east coast in bigger waves it’s better to take it real slow in
Yeah I don’t think that was 2-3 rollers
When you're fishing in rough water are you still trying to 45 the waves with the trolling motor or are you pointing right at them? Sweet vid!
+Shane Ziegler thanks for watching man! When I'm fishing rough water, unless I'm drifting, I'm pointing the nose of the boat directly into the waves. When you're coming up on a wave though, on top of It, let off and it'll help you not to take water over the front of the boat
Ha ha come over to western Australia Perth we have the Indian ocean common day in summer is the Fremantle doctors (southern wind ) and 4 to 5 metre swell
That’s intense
You bass boat guys are a different breed.
Yes - for sure!
Thumbs up alone for wearing PFD and addressing the killcord
What I think a lot people don’t think about in regards to life jackets. If you were to go overboard and injured an arm or leg, good luck trying to tread water
If you got knocked unconscious with that life jacket on you would drown. How would you activate it if your unconscious?
What a beast
Good video and great tips but it would have been easier to understand if had the forward view. Thanks for creating.
I agree with you - The forward shot would have really helped out. Thank you for watching!
u should look into Stabicraft 2100 Frontier! have get some hydraulics suspension seats.., plus with a Stabicraft u wont need to worry about steering lol looks like u almost flipped over 😦😦😦 Stabi4Lifer!
my buddy used to take his 14 foot aluminum and cant remmeber but maybe a 25 hp outboard 9 or 10 miles offshore there and come back full of walleye until one day he got caught and has seems split so bad in the boat i cant beleive he ever made it home needless to say he never did that again .
Lovely video if i wanted to see a steering wheel and no actual waves.....not a boat i would recommend for the great lakes....where you are correct 3 footers is a calm day.
Have you got petals instead of throttle?
+kotsos bobis Yeah, there's a pedal on the floor
flowers have petals.....wow are you lost
The video looks as if you are driving faster then you need to be going ! I believe you always need a safe speed ? With nose of the boat up . I have many years on Great Lakes ,However never in a bass boat with very low side walls .
I agree that the key is maintaining a safe speed. The biggest thing for me is being able to get on pad so I can try and read the waves and work to keep the nose up. The biggest problem I think a lot of people have, especially those inexperienced in rough water is driving so slowly that they actually let the waves control the boat - that’s a recipe for disaster to come over a waves and let the backside drop you into the next wave. Just maintain a controlled speed so you can keep the boat up on top of the waves
Just a question if you fall and hit your head and went over BOARD who pulls the ring to inflate your life jacket ?
It’s an auto inflatable :-)
MICHAEL W SUDZIARSKI - You’re not too bright are ya?
Interesting for sure, I've been on the St Lawrence a dozen times, it's a different beast compared to inland lakes. I haven't been on any of the great lakes yet.
Heck yes, St Lawrence is a beast no doubt
THANK YOU
to me, that was dangerous, taking the trof in a breach position is scary to me. thats actually what i avoid doing. on the other hand, excelent racing video,lol.
Will the bilge pump burn up if there’s no water?
Yes
Yes
I fish out of my 12ft aluminum boat. The worst water I was in was about 3ft rollers right before a big storm. Going with the waves was literally terrifying. But coming back, I trimmed the motor down and just road on top of them. That was most frightening part of riding in the boat ahha
Dude, the idea of being in a 12 ft boat in 3ft rollers spooks me! Getting on top of waves is a great way to do it for sure. The hardest thing is just staying on top of them and not dropping off into the side/front of that next wave and getting soaked!
Yeah, it was insane. There has been so many occasions where I have almost swamped the boat. Even when big cruisers go by, it gets crazy!
William Bannister I was out in 3-4 fters at sea in a 14ft cathedral Hull boat with no electric tilt and trim now that shit is scary, could not go into the waves only way back was to surf the waves back
So now that it's a year and a half later, how many stress cracks from all that?😂 and I'll vouch for your 3 footers. You can tell by the way the boat was bouncing that those weren't tiny swells.
Hahah yeah, it was actually not a fun ride. I hate driving big waves, but when you want to fish big water, it’s just part of the game. Let’s just put it this way, I haven’t sunk my boat yet and my back isn’t broken, so that’s a win
We do things differently in the ocean and intercoastal.
damn a 250hp motor to that small boat... we also have a 250 motor to our rib, wich weighs in below a ton. ours make about 45knots. how much does that one do?
+Micke Yeah - it's a big motor for a small boat - it goes about 63knots (73 mph) right now
holy f**k.
im running only 200hp in a 22ft cuddy. thats way too much for that hull
Agree. That's just ridiculous for that small of watercraft. Probably illegal.
Overkill on the motor,what are you afraid the fish might outswim you?.
You kept mentioning getting on pad. just to be clear, I think you meant getting on plane. if someone really tried to run that on pad it would not turn out well. Not picking anything apart, I just don't want a novice to be confused. Great vid!
Yeah - that's a good distinction, thanks for pointing that out!
Where abouts in Michigan do you live
Mid-Michigan Area up by the Tri-Cities
Heavy 🍺
Need 5 to 8 foot waves
Do they make boat seatbelts?
No, because if it flipped you wouldn’t be able to get out
Ever thought of getting a multispecies boat like a 621 ranger or something similar? Ranger now makes a bass boat on that same hull that is a deep V bass boat made for deep water.
I've thought about it but don't like the idea of having a raised gunnel. The deep v bass boat Rangers look pretty sweet, but if I get another boat I think I'm going to go with a Bay style boat like they run in Florida
All you haters out there sitting at home on the couch watching this video you guys are rude he's just trying to help someone out think about what you're saying next time it might be your video that's getting Shitwrecked by someone like me and trust me there's a lot of useless videos out there to the guy that made this video thank you I'm sure you helped someone as for myself when it's rough I'll stay on the shore
John Baisden thank you John! It’s just a matter of guys not understanding the point I’m trying to communicate or living in areas where they’re not fishing in bass boats on big water. Thank you for the support man!
@@brnowak_fishing anytime my friend and thank you for the info I live in East Tennessee on a 33000 acre Lake I've been on the water in two and a half foot Whitecaps in a storm and I know it can be dangerous so I appreciate your video thanks again and great fishing
+John Baisden thank you!!!
Cool video
Thank you!
Other than. That great video
I appreciate that - thank you Matt!
And then there's me who goes balls to the wall 😂😂
hahaha well that's one way to do it :-)
Lol me too, in a 16ft flat bottom Jon boat conversion. I smack waves like they are my bitch, lol
It's all good man Maby you can take me fishing some time I want to catch a real river monster
i work at sea in Scotland and that let me tell you is not rough.. thats not big waves.. its actually amusing watching this video just because youv clearly never seen a big sea in your life. on a daily basis we have waves coming over the top of our 42ft boat, and we still dont call it rough water!
Ewan MacLeod ocean waves and great lake waves are 2 different beast, read up why great lakes are dangerous.
I know lad I fish down in south west Ireland that’s considered a very nice day down here
Dara Duggan yeah Ireland get way bigger waves then England or Scotland, proper Atlantic waves
This is for bass fisherman you can’t compare the ocean to bass fishing lakes. That’s rough water for a bass boat.
When I read the word Scotland...I immediately thunk of 80ftr's. Jeez yall have some nasty water and by nasty I mean scary. Well. Maybe knot for you tough Scots
What happened to your talons?
I sold them - I am using the money to buy an Ultrex here soon!
What boat are you running?
Ethan Engbrecht sorry I just saw your comment - it’s a Phoenix 920 ProXp
At 6:56 you almost lost it you even stopped talking lol that made my cheeks tighten up
6:53? Saw that too...whew
Here is my own suggestion: how about using something other than a bass boat for the Great Lakes? If you can't even handle these one foot waves, you shouldn't be on an inland sea.
+Serge L If I were gonna buy a new boat I'd probably end up with a Bay Boat like they use down in Florida. Also, this was more for demonstration than for really running big waves, but these were still 2.5-3 footers trough to crest
@@brnowak_fishing no one measures trough to crest those are like 1 foot or less
@@zackstark4768those are definitely taller than a ruler. quit being a dumbass
@@zackstark4768 How is the height of a wave measured? A: Wave height is defined as the difference between the highest point, or crest, and the lowest point, or trough, of a wave. Wave height is usually measured with buoys, which are loosely attached to the ocean floor and float along the surface of the water.
@@JTfishing6130 You must be using the Liberal Ruler. Those tend to exagerate greatly for ones benefit
WOW
This is still a bit unsafe I would not go that fast I would trim a bit out so I stay above the wave so I won't go nose down at full speed
was searching for this comment haha
thats not full speed. thats like 35, full speed on a phoneix is 78, he might have got up to 50 but not full speed
These "rough water" are considered nice and calm in Hawaii
Get a Lund Tyee or Barron
Lot of wrk. Takes all the fun out of fishing
Aren't those electronics interfering with your view?
With the way their mounted, they don’t come up over the console which is perfect because being short, it lets me see over them without issue
Rough 😂😂 my bath water runs faster and higher than them waves
🤣 i agree that's not rough that's a beautiful day on the water.
Yoy made a nice video