Wind direction in relation to waves

[rick2752]

Looking at the forecast and it is only calling for 2-4s with 25knot winds. That doesn't seem right to me. How does the wind direction effect the height of waves and which wind directions are best for us fishing.

[walleye2go]

SATURDAY
SOUTHWEST WINDS 10 TO 20 KNOTS BECOMING NORTHWEST
15 TO 25 KNOTS. SHOWERS LIKELY IN THE MORNING...THEN A CHANCE OF
SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON. WAVES 2 FEET OR LESS BUILDING TO 3 TO
5 FEET.


SATURDAY NIGHT
NORTHWEST WINDS 15 TO 25 KNOTS. A CHANCE OF
RAIN SHOWERS IN THE EVENING. WAVES 3 TO 5 FEET.

SUNDAY
NORTHWEST WINDS 15 TO 25 KNOTS BECOMING WEST 10 TO
20 KNOTS. A CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS. WAVES 3 TO 5 FEET SUBSIDING
TO 1 TO 3 FEET.

This is what I just looked at. Looks pretty narly to me. I would say only big boats might get to shelter behind the islands. But South Pass will be pretty bad. I'm glad I don't have a trip scheduled.

[Buc-Eye]

Rick,
Lookup Fetch or Fetch Length... (The fetch, also called the fetch length, is the length of water over which a given wind has blown.)

The longer the fetch length and higher the wind speed the bigger the waves. So a N,NE,E wind of say 20 mph would make for higher waves in the south passage near Kelley's than say a S, SW or even a W 20 mph wind.

[Century]

I generally fish the reefs area off Besse. In my experience, if the wind is north or east you can add 1-2 ft to what the Vermillion buoy is showing. If from the south or west you can subtract 1-2 ft keeping in mind I don't venture far from shore. I don't trust the NWS forecast much - just try to use it along with other sources to determine what's happening. I like to use the various links at http://www.wbsa.us/index.php?page=denied. Also like to use iwindsurf.com and check the various stations around the west basin