In Search of Smooth Water: Finding Your Go-To Wake Spot

Finding the perfect spot to cruise is the first step of every great water sports adventure. But how do you know where to start?

From our experience on the water, there are a few handy tricks that can help you find the glassiest water, wherever you roam. Just keep reading as we share our top five tips!

Ask around

New to the area, or perhaps visiting on vacation? Whenever you get the chance to chat with local boaters—at a café, local marina or even your Vortex boat dealer—be sure to ask about the local scene. Where do people go fishing, raft-ups, or wakeboarding? And what times tend to be most popular? Knowing the local routine brings you one step closer to choosing a time and place where there’s less activity—perfect for that smooth, glassy surface we love as boarders, skiers, and tubers.

This step is helpful even if you’ve grown up in an area your whole life since it can clue you into the spots and secrets you might not have picked up in your own experience. In any case, it’s worth a shot!

Once you start to familiarize yourself with space, take your understanding even further. Knowing the rough shape and makeup of a lake, for example, and all its individual bays, coves and beaches can help you figure out a perfectly-tuned spot for you.

Over at Lake Powell in Arizona and Utah, for example, Bullfrog Bay and other more northerly locations on the lake are popular for sports. That can be helpful to know, since much of the lake is also a beloved get-together destination, causing busier waters. Or over in Minnesota’s Lake Minnetonka, those seeking some peace and quiet (and their best chance at finding glassy water) ought to head to Halsted Bay, where a unique shore shape and out-of-the-way nature makes it less susceptible to crowds and wind.

Pick your perfect timing

During the early parts of the morning and evening, you can typically expect to find less wind and weather action—which is good news! Unlike surfers, who love a bit of weather to work up a good swell, wakeboarders, tubers, and skiers benefit most from smooth, glassy water where the wake is most in your control.

As another perk, opting for morning or evening sessions lets you enjoy an emptier lake, giving you room to spread out and perfect your maneuvers. (We love mornings especially since they give you time to have some fun and then enjoy the rest of your day by lazily floating around or grabbing some lunch…)

Look for protected coves

Protected coves, bays and channels on your favorite lake can offer a quieter, glassier experience since they’re out of the way of both wind and other boaters. Trees and other natural structures, like rocks and bluffs, can keep the wind at bay, too, so the wake is totally in your control. Just be sure that the secluded spot you happen upon is wide enough to give you room to roam, without rocks or underwater stumps getting in your way (this is another simple thing to ask your fellow local boaters about).

Carve out your corner on the water

As always, look out for your fellow boaters on the water! A little courtesy goes a long way. One helpful thing you can do is carve out individual sections on the water so that a small stretch of lake or river space can be more easily shared. Circle around the same zone after each run so that you don’t accidentally veer toward other boaters’ wakes and vice a versa, and you’ll enjoy the smoothest water possible.

Take a cabin vacation

We could all use an excuse for a cozy cabin vacation on a beautiful lake! If you’re serious about enjoying the water at its smoothest, your best bet might be to stay the night (either by camping or renting a cabin for the family) and hit the water first thing in the morning. You’ll save some time of course… but that view is what it’s really all about!

We hope that today’s tips help you find the wake zone that’s perfectly pristine… ideal for cruising, boarding, skiing and just about anything else you have planned for the day. Be sure to share your own tips (or photos of your favorite, glassy-water hideaway) in the comments below!