Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations What's the wake in the water

I'm sure you've all noticed that whenever there is even just a little wind blowing over the surface of relatively calm water you many times see a very fast wake going through the water as if there is a speedy fish just under the surface. It sometimes really zigs and zags too. I know that's not fish or any other swimming creature that makes this phenomenon but I don't know what is causing it other than the wind. Anybody have an explanation of how this happens? I sat down by the pond watching this today and realized I've wondered for years what this is but never knew anyone I felt I could ask.

I've wondered too

Yes I do. It's just concentrated winds at one focal point in the water. You'll notice this most when wind suddenly picks up in intensity. Wind is anything but uniform.

Did you know that winds that are caused by major systems of high and low pressure actually don't blow but "suck?" Major storm system winds are caused by the pressure gradient between a high pressure and low pressure system. Air is moving counterclockwise in a low pressue system and clockwise in a high pressue system. They are more accurately pulling rather than pushing sense they they are not blowing but sucking.

Note: Some wind is a localized effect produced by rising warm air etc.

MAYBE...?

I had a guy show me that little wind phenomenon one time and he said, "You know what that is?", and I replied "No, what", and he said...

"Nothing"

And then he smirked at me.

Was his name Theo??

Bruce's pal or Fatty's pic?

Originally posted by Brettski:

OBVIOUSLY I was referring to Bruce's pal, as there is clearly no evidence of any type of flotation device in Fatty's pic!

BZ,

Those are "wind fishes".

Your watching wind.... I thought I was bad watching fish... hahah

I sometimes see tiny swilling winds sort of tiny tornados.

I call them "wind sprites."

Being able to observe the wind's affects on a pond surface is amazing. You can see some neat things when wind blows on a field of grass, but water has like 10 or 100 times the resolution, showing a lot more detail.

You know here is something and its not wind as much as maybe oxigen in the water or something. The floating FA will usually go to one end or the other depending on wind but when the wind stops blowing and is perfectly still this stuff still moves. weird.

Wind from a prior thread.





http://www.pondboss.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=20;t=003563;p=1

It's John Madden;)

Is that a pond boss pond. Looks cool. I want to fish it.

Someone should make a new thread just todays pond pictures,, and once in a while you go out an take pics and put them up. sort of show and tell... hahaha

What are you smoking Joey? :p

Just kidding!

I don't know about ponds but up here in the Great Lakes we have some unusual phenomenon with currents, waves, and the like caused by wind. One phenomenon is occasionally with a very strong offshore wind the warm surface water and the theromocline get blow offshore and the cold water comes to the surface near shore. Then the salmon and trout can come to the surface when they normally are up to 100 feet deep. Makes for some fast fishing at times.

You know, I used to think those little "wind fish" were actually fish, until I was looking at an oilfield reserve pit (large holding area for wastewater from drilling) and saw the same thing. I knew there weren't fish in there! I guess you learn something new every day.

Well Cecil has the best explanation so far but I'd still like to know how a small wind gust can cause the water to rise up in a wake type pattern and zig zag around very rapidly some times. I'm wondering if certain conditions have to exist to get this going. You'd all think I'm bored or something but that doesn't happen in the spring. Perhaps we should have a contest to see who can get good pictures/video of these "wind fish".

Svoberts I think those were GSF in that reserve pit.

I have seen instances when those "wind fish" were BG or LMB or TShad. I guess we need to get old Mudcat Joe to tell us for sure.

small ufo's

Are you sure it is not just someone or something "breaking wind" and it causes your eyesight to temporarily go bad?

I fish a 300'x 1000' lake that runs NS just to the east of a large hill. When the wind blows hard out of the west we get whitecaps on it coming from the north AND south, meeting in the middle..