I have heard from surfers who have surfed the Great Lakes that a person is not as buoyant as they are in salt water, so it takes a little more effort to maneuver.

Lakes around my parts smell nothing like the salty Gulf. East Texas lakes usually are muddier and have more vegetation than the rest of the state. They can sometime smell a little fishy. The Texas Hill Country lakes are clear and clean with their limestone filtered water. They usually smell cool and clean to me. They are also much deeper than East Texas Lakes.

I have seen 4-5 foot waves during storms on East Texas lakes, and I have heard of bigger. They say the water sloshes back and forth across the lake (The same effect when my kids rock back in forth in the tub and splash water on the floor). The water actually rocks out of the lake. Boats have been sunk during those type of storms.