I got a 16 ft and in the lake I go with winds 10 mph or less only. That short ride from the dock can get rough.

...it's not the 'wind speed' as much as 'wind direction' and the 'risk' of gett'n to and from your 'point A' without a change of wind ...if you have 2 out of 3 against you...stay home !!! cheers

(Long-winded advice, but please read). Lake P is doable in a small boat, but be careful. Watch out for winds from any nearby thunderstorms if they form. The sea breeze can also kick in very fast. It gets rough very quickly, and dangerous.

Today my wife and I went out in our 17-ft flat, the wind shifted, and suddenly we had 1-2 footers. With a 2.5 tide range, the current was also very strong. We were nailing some nice drum at the Twin Spans, when suddenly the anchor pulled, and we had literally seconds before being pushed into the pilings. I was fishing right behind the console just in case, started the motor right away, and moved away, no problem. But, I could easily see someone else less aware getting in serious trouble.

We decided being 2 short of our drum limits wasn't worth staying there, and moved to the southshore after some reds.

The Lake can be very deceptive. In a flat, unless the Lake is like a mirror, there will be waves. If you see any whitecaps, its usually too rough for a small boat. In fact, most of the time you are better off (and safer) fishing in marsh in a small boat.

Watch wind direction. A west wind gets the lake rough no matter what. Otherwise, there usually is a protected side. But in variable wind conditions, it gets dicey. Today the wind direction changed from Northeast (3PM), to southeast (4PM) to west (6PM). I know this because I drove against waves three times, and the flat took a slight pounding all three times.

Also consider your expectations. Do you want drum? Lake P has them right now. What something else? Fish elsewhere right now until Fall.

The lake can get ver rough, very quickly because it is so shallow. If you go be sure the weather conditions or good. This time of the year, we get those pop up thunder storms all the time. Watch the weather while you're out there. A lot of big boats have went down out there due to those sudden storms. I have personally seen it go from 1' seas to over 6' in less than 30 minutes.

I forecast wave conditions for a living. Here are the things to watch out for. Lake P gets rough for two reasons: its a large body of water, and relatively deep. Waves need distance to grow (called a fetch). Waves are also 'depth-limited.' Waves can grow to 70% of the depth. Since Lake P is 8-15 feet deep (depending on location), this means waves can easily reach 3-5 feet quickly.

True shallow water (less than 5 feet) actually limits wave growth. They feel the bottom and break (white capping).

And, by the way, I don't work for the National Weather Service. To make money, I actually have to get the forecast right most of the time (but no one is perfect).

I don't do it for a living but, if you pick a day with a 5-10 east wind and a hard fallin tide , avoid the south end of the twin span.

...there nutt'n like a prime E/wind and a F/tide on the E/side of Miss.R in October w/'dem Silver Spoons !!!...( I said 'dat all in one breath)???...cheers

east is right, if the winds and currents are opposite, waves can get large. The mouth of Irish Bayou was bad when we went out for this reason. And, the current is always strongest on the southside (which also makes it a good spot on days with no tide).