Is it dangerous to take a small boat on a big lake?

[Red]

I have an 8' Bass Buster type boat with a 30lb TM.  I take it out on lake Waco (8465 acres) all the time.  Now i know this isn't as big as your talkin about but my boat is smaller too.  ;D  The key for me is to stay close to shore, I have traveled over a mile from the ramp with no problems.  But I rarely get too far away from shore, this way if something were to go wrong it isn't a long swim to safety.  Last year I went a LONG way from the ramp to fish a small golf course tank that I can only access from the main lake.  After fishing it for a few hours and I came back to the main lake, I felt like I was on Deadliest Catch!!!  It was windy!!!  I was a bit nervous but my little buster held its own, I had about 4 inches of water on the floor when I got back, but it was a pretty stable ride, that water was splashed in from waves hitting the flat front of the boat.  After that I have a bit more confidence in my boat.  Like others have said, if you pay attention and know your limits, you should be ok.

Cliff

[Gary Crabtree]

I have a 15 foot tracker with a 15 hpm. I got caught on Green River lake when a storm hit. I had to drive into 2 to 3 foot waves very carefully at just the right speed or water would have got in the boat. I feel luck, because I know if the motor quit on me. The boat would have sunk for sure. Flat boats are a rick on big lakes. Flat boats are for rivers mostly. But i’m Not telling anyone not to take them on lakes. I am saying 3 foot waves or more is very dangerous. Put on your life jacket it will be rough.

[Mikeltee]

I've taken on rollers from wakeboard boats in a 20' boat. No way in .... that I would be in a 12'er with power boats playing. If you can hit a no wake cove by riding the shoreline maybe but I would really research it before I tried it. You would think that going at dawn and being out by noon would be ok but the hardcore wakeboarders also go at this time because it's their only opportunity of glass water.

[Krux5506]

My 17' Lund w/ 75hp Honda has seen Lake Ontario countless times. When the wave forecast says 1ft or less, it's go time. When it says 3-5ft, no thanks, I'll stay in the bays. The wildest forecast I've seen  for Lake O in the past few years called for waves over 20ft. Get a feel for your boat and the rest "should" be common sense. Typically I'm cautious when I go out on big water, because I know and have seen how quick things can kick up out there. 

[J Francho]

Fourscore and nine years ago, someone wondered about rough water.  Here's a pic from 22 years ago of me with a Lake Ontario smallmouth.  We fished out of a 15' tiller deep-v.  That day we were dealing with lazy, 2-3' rollers.  If it was white caps, it would be a picture from the bay.  Rollers are one thing, chop is another.

 

[teamfyss]

Anyone notice this thread is from 2010? Haha! Anyways.. there are guys that take kayaks out into the ocean. It’s all about your experience and what you’re comfortable with.

[OnthePotomac]

I check three things on the morning I am going to launch on the Potomac, Weather weather and weather each from a different weather site.  To borrow a phrase from aviators modified:  There are old anglers and there are bold anglers, but there are no old, bold anglers.