How to run rough water with Gerald Swindle 

I show all my guys this video before they ever get in one of our boats. Gerald explained this perfectly.

I'll try to watch this again tomorrow when I am sober

Gerald that really came across as a guy who has been there. No stammering looking for words it came off your tongue like its been rehearsed thousands of times in your mind. Thanks for the tips I think I'll be drier in the future.

Spot on ! you cant beat experience for advice, Thanks for sharing buddy and greeting from Greece

Good info. Gman is the man.

Mr. Swindle seems like an outstanding person. I love his honest assessments and his ability to communicate clearly. I don't own a bass boat, but a "multi species" boat. It's a nice V Hull aluminum 16 foot Crestliner Super Hawk from 2004 with a 60 Hp Honda. It's been great to me, even though I was new to boating four years ago when I purchased it used and have really run and dinged the heck out of it trying to learn the basics of loading/unloading, trolling, etc. My greatest fear as an inexperienced boater is wind, especially when I'm fishing up in Wyoming where gusts can commonly ambush you in the 60 to 70 mph range. So this video is really helpful. In my inexperience, though, I'm not sure of some of the vocabulary Mr. Swindle uses. What, for instance, is a "hot foot," and what is a "jack plate"? I can look them up, of course, but I'd rather hear from some of the experienced boaters, plus any other tips for not just how to navigate across the water, but how to fish it in high winds, especially trolling. Great video and thanks!

great tips.. Gman..

Life jacket And KILL switch on every time the big motor is running folks, Please. Can't express that enough

Try a 20.5' nitro z8 at Calville Bay Nevada. I just pulled out of a deep cove after spending the night with my wife, catfishing, wind came up a bit at night but was only due to get up to 17mph at night and Sunday morning heading out 12mph by 10:30. I figured we'd be into bass way earlier than that and would be gone by ten. After a couple coves of work and a couple bass, daddy had to hit up the floating potty. That cove was a deep one as well so water was pretty calm. Some little white caps before getting back in there but it was only 8am. After hopping back on the boat I told the wife it was time to go. She didn't understand why we had to leave so early but I had a feeling. Once we broke back out of the cove, those little white caps were 2ft swells and the wind was blowing the tops off. I knew that wasn't even the main channel we had to hit before heading back to Calville. When we got out into the big body of water heading all the way from the narrows to Boulder city, it was literally an OCEAN. We didn't have our life vests on, and I knew there was no way either one of us could get out of our seats. I told the wife to hold on and told myself to stay calm. I have been running all kinds of boats since I was a kid on that lake. Handled very close to the same water in a 13' Valco with a couple guys over 330# and my dad myself about 360# between the two of us at the time. Every two ft forwards was a foot back. It had a deeper V hull. Bass boat doesn't. If you make it back to tell the story as I am now, you/myself did exactly what was needed to survive. We caught air about 4 or 5 times and came down hard. Other times I was able to slow it up at the right moment to bring the motor down on the other side of the wave. Some sets of waves were closer than others. And there was no run long enough to cruise down the valley of it. Weather reports are key. Had it not been for it being my dad's five year death anniversary and wanting to be where him and I were the closest, I wouldn't have made it a point to go. I don't like water anything over ten mph. My rule of thumb. So even if they're wrong it is more doable. I looked this video up because I'm glad to be alive. Just get tired of everyone saying they've experienced the same thing or worse. If you told me your story I would just say, "I'm glad you made it." Thanks for the video!!!

Awesome information thanks!

Bada$$ explanation on how to ride in rough water 💪🏼👍🏼

Videos like these should be done far more often. I’ve been a co-angler on a lot of boats where my boaters could afford very big boats that they had no business running.

Good stuff G

Thank you... Great advice....

great video

Thanks for the good advice.

I have a 14' F7 with a 9.5 Johnson. I know you got every bell and whistle but this was a really nice vid and showing what you mean.

Good job G Man

Swindle is the man. It seems like he really wants to help people here.

wish I had seen this before I speared three waves this past weekend. "Jesus take the wheel" isn't really the strategy I want to use anymore. Thanks, SIr

Mr Swindle. Great tutorial. I like your presenting style. No hype. I have a 4.2 metre (14 foot) aluminium hull runabout with a 40hp. We often use a waterway that is narrow (about a mile across) and open to the sea at the northern end. It is a popular spot and so we get lots of wake from the boats, swell and waves from the winds. In a boat this size, is it safe to get the boat onto the plane and run over the top of the waves/chop or should we follow your advice here and back off the throttle and trim the bow up? Also, when running into a strong wind on a small boat like this, I often fear the wind will get under the front of the boat and try to flip it. Is this an unfounded fear? Thanks for your reply! Safe boating.

Gman, I know it's been a few years but just watched this cause I had rough water experience. I like what you presented and explained. Do you take the waves, whether you with or away from the wind, at a particular angle for example 45 degrees? Or straight on? Thanks.

Well said...Spot on.

I was going 30 MPH in my 16.5 foot boat in 3-5 footers on lake Erie going back in. Handled it without a problem. Then again that is why I got a StabiCraft

G man Rocks

Well said ...g man

Going to install 2 Hot Foots in my 30’ cabin cruiser now.

You made a good video

It’s best to angle into the wind and waves and not go directly into it. Even cut back and forth if u have to like a sailboat would. Take ur time and do not go direct into or with the wind for dryness and control. This is the consensus around the Great Lakes for high wind/waves anyway

2:57 best sound

All sounds good but I was always taught to trim down in rough water to keep the bow down and let it cut through the waves with the length of the “deep V” hull. Otherwise if there is less of the hull sitting in the water it is going to get tossed around on the waves. That was regardless of upwind I’d downwind. But that being said, they also taught me to stay on low throttle, just enough to make headway over the face of the waves and power off as you slide down the back, always aiming for a 45 degree angle. I guess they were teaching me what to do in really rough water and big waves, maybe in a medium chop this method here is better. I was told to avoid getting broadsides by big wa bed at all costs, for obvious reasons, so I avoid running the troughs unless the waves are moderate.

How is the best way, if you do not have a Atlas Jack plate? Thank you as always for the great tip.Thank you G PMA

My issue in really rough water with a hot foot is not being able to control the throttle. Sometimes the power of the water causes me to move and unintentionally let off or feed throttle.

I don't have an option for a hot foot I have a tiller tracker Grizzly 1760 Sportsman

Sometimes with a big boat you can run on top of that chop and not feel a thing.

How do you position your bass boat motor without a jack plate.

I love lake "rough water"... Is like a perfect glass day in the open ocean.

Great advice going into the wind now show what your going to do when you got to go back to the dock with 4 ft. Waves and the wind to your back. Go to lake Erie for a week or two. You'll get a new meaning of riding the waves.

😳Where are you just casually driving around at in Toledo Bend? I don’t even have good luck in boat rows

True dat.

I usually just floor it and tell everyone to hold on.

Gman going to rap one of them big stumps out there not in the boat road

👏🏼

🤘

common sense aint taught in high school...nor is it common

Around here the Bass-Turds just go faster when the water is rough... They say if you go 75 to 85 you just glide on the top of the waves almost not in the water... But my boat is to small only a 18ft Ranger it will only a little over 50... So I have to go slow... To stay Dry...

Alas no audio😢

If your nose is high, how do you see what's in front of you?

Pretty good for a billboard (im jeolous)

Off shore fishers are like “rough water? That’s like glass”

this works good on my rowboat always take a fat friend named Jack why the wife is rolling it's hard to keep her in the paddles

How do you see in front of you when your boat nose is up that high? More dangerous

Never had this problem in a walleye boat. I just hammer down and send it in any condition.

HIT THE LIKE AND COMMENT TO HELP PUSH THIS CONTENT FURTHER... E-Z

Must be different in a bass boat. My deep V rides better with the bow a bit lower to let the V cut the waves instead of pounding the flatter bottom when I'm doing head in waves, On following waves (With the wind) it depends on how short or long the peaks are apart, but speeding up can allow me to skim over the tops just fine or I can slow down and follow the backside of the wave (Never over take the wave) and NEVER let a wave catch up to your stern. I'm used to 3-6 footers (sometimes I get caught in 7-8 footers) though and maybe this is different as well. Sometimes riding the troughs is just plain fun.

I thought you were suppose to stay out of the trough? 🤔

get a 4 stroke low end torque and great control

That didn't look that ruff, looked like a good walleye chop.

Or let fisherman use the proper tool for the job: An actual deep V multispecies boat.

buy a stabicraft 6mtr you will be able to do 50 miles an hour on that water no problem at all

Rough water can get dangerous real quick if you don't know how to handle it. *Catching Bass for Cash*

Keyword SAFE! Way too many boaters out there that don't know how to drive😮 I wouldn't be a co-angler for nothing with some of them numbskulls😊

Step 1: Don't buy a bass boat if you fish big water.

Good tips...But are bass boats really that bad on "rough" water? This lake is N O T rough. I saw 1 white cap. Maybe 1 footers? I get it with the concepts being described though....thank you for them. Thumbs up. Not subscribed because of product name hawking near the end--- sponsor $$? meh- unimpressed with BASS constantly hawking product

Get rid of the stupid Toyota hat....

There's no voice no vocals on this video how can anyone gives a thumbs-up I can't even hear what he saying

“Trim at a 1/4 %of the gauge” lol freshwater guys have to have gauges to tell them what their motor is trimmed at?😂

That boat sucks in rough 😂 water. You have to keep the bow up on that garbage scow to keep the waves from coming over. A large following sea would swap you instantly. You should not give advice on navigating rough water, on the odd chance that someone would listen to you. You should title the video “ How to stay dry on a no free board,flat bottom,garbage scow in rough water” 😂