What causes this

[catchNgrease]

I see it from time to time. The winds moving slowly across the lake but there are spots that it doesn't affect. In the picture the flow is coming top to bottom and the wind is coming top right to bottom left at about 6mph. The water is about 5ft there.



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[Foxy Jig]

looks like the remnants of a boat wake

[SuperDave336]

I've seen that before too. Not sure the answer, I always assumed it was just the gust of wind.

[catchNgrease]

Just me and another crazy on the water that early.

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[DockShootinJack]

Currents would be my guess

[Mstr Dan]

Currents would be my guess

I was thinking thinks like currents from creeks and such. Also I read they may be caused by currents moving in the same direction as the wind is blowing. So no opposite friction of wind on water. ?


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[silverside]

Maybe the channel

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[Rojo]

When I worked in the North Sea all the lifeboats had gallons of fish oil in them. If needed after abandoning ship you punched a small hole in a can and let it drip overboard or thru the bilge. The oil reduces the friction of wind on the water calming the sea near the lifeboat. Regurgitating Sea Trout cause a slick like that, possibly feeding fish up stream regurgitating fish oil? Also oil seeps from the ground, not a lot of people know that. Thousands of barrels seep from the North Sea floor annually.

[skeetbum]

Normal wind patterns in your case is my guess. Trout do cause the same effect but it’s a bit different in appearance. Trout and feeding fish disturbing bait in salt water cause spots of slick water and not so much long outstretched calm areas. We call em slicks down here in salt water.

[ClearCreek]

In the limnology (the study of fresh water) world these areas are called Langmuir streaks and here is what causes them:

Result of water flowing is a series of rotating spirals with the direction of rotation alternating between spirals These counterrotating spirals or vortices move water across the surface towards regions of convergence.


ClearCreek