I was flicking lures in the hope of catching a golden perch or two, in reality just the peace and quiet of being on the river is sometimes enough, I love it.

Soon a tinny went past.

I could hear the wave hitting the bank at my feet, the river had under cut the bank and the waves produced a hollow noise, and you could feel the waves beneath your feet.

A house boat followed soon after with similar effects.

A while later, the first of the wake boats went past, the entire section of bank I was standing up started to lift and pound back down as the waves came in under the bank.

The section was four metres long and some 2.5 metres back from the edge of the bank.

I stood back and watched as the lifting bank slowly settled as the waves dissipated.

Then the next wake boat came past…then the next…then the next.

I agree with Sandra Connor (letter to the editor, January 27) that more research is needed.

Obviously the river flow will have the most effect, its impact is felt every second of the day, at frustratingly steady levels, but let’s not pretend that a technical paper is empirical evidence from years of peer reviewed research either.

It would be disingenuous to suggest, as Sandra states, that wake boats are solely responsible, but as the reports mentioned do state “there is no doubt” they do contribute.

No one has the right to use the river as they “see fit”, we have had enough detrimental impact doing that already.

Ross Innes,

Mildura.