Fishing When It's Windy Sucks

[guitarglynn1]

Am I the only one who thinks fishing in steady constant wind sucks? It seems like every Sunday the conditions are like this at this time of year. The water is rough and choppy and it is just super annoying and frustrating. It makes every aspect of fishing difficult sand I never catch anything when it is real windy :-/ 

[einscodek]

I think fishing sucked on Sunday in general.

It was cold and the wind was gusting and unless you were suitably dressed.. IT WAS COLD!

It was not a good windy day in that the fish were not shallow.

It wasnt a good day for me neither but it feels like late fall and the fish are generally deep most of the day at least thats where my hits came from.

I was saved from a skunk by catching a dink on a chatterbait.. but I wiffed on several good hits which came lightning fast.. well I fished big baits most of the day so it may have been better if I had gone more finesse.

But yes windy Sunday was a tough day!

[Brian6428]

You guys fishing from a boat or shore? For me the wind normally makes the fish bite better. As long as it isn't too windy to get the boat back on the trailer I will be on the lake.

[Nelson Wormefeller]

I went on Saturday, and it was windy near me too. I just dropped my stern anchor and cast with the wind for a few hours.  

I make sure I have a jacket with a hood for windy days, makes it a tad more bearable because I hate the wind hitting my head.  

I was able to get some massive casts out though because of the wind.

[Zach Dunham]

It has been super windy in the Northeast. It makes for awesome power fishing, though! Just gotta fish with your foot on the trolling motor almost constantly. The water was around 62 last week when I was slamming them on the chatterbait. The water in the lake I was at has decent visibility so the wind helps keep the fish shallower during the brighter part of the day. It also pushes bait to specific areas. You can really kill it on a windy day most of the time.

[ChrisAW]

Same conditions here for me as well. I had some errands to run this morning and was going to head out after I got done, low and behold the wind picks up pretty high as soon as I get home. 

 

I may still go, but I dread trying to fight the wind with my lightweight aluminum deep-V. My trolling motor can't push into winds over 10. So with the direction of the wind today, I have one lake option with a good bank that will keep me out of the wind.. But I hate that lake with a passion.

[boostr]

Just fling chatter baits, spinner baits, and swim jigs. Shore fishing with wind does suck, frequent backlash much...

[A-Jay]

I used to feel the same way but I have since changed my tune.

 

Now I hope for windy conditions (within reason of course)  Flat calm is often though sledding.

 

I hope you can keep at it and find out what works for you on your home waters because believe me when I tell you, once you learn which techniques & baits to present in these conditions, you'll be glad you did.

 

Good Luck

 

A-Jay

[guitarglynn1]

I think fishing sucked on Sunday in general.

It was cold and the wind was gusting and unless you were suitably dressed.. IT WAS COLD!

It was not a good windy day in that the fish were not shallow.

It wasnt a good day for me neither but it feels like late fall and the fish are generally deep most of the day at least thats where my hits came from.

I was saved from a skunk by catching a dink on a chatterbait.. but I wiffed on several good hits which came lightning fast.. well I fished big baits most of the day so it may have been better if I had gone more finesse.

But yes windy Sunday was a tough day!

 

I bundled up yesterday! At least you didn't get skunked like I did. The way my plastic bait was shooting back towards shore every time I cast I think any fish around were probably like hmmm, never seen a bait fish do that before.lol

[guitarglynn1]

You guys fishing from a boat or shore? For me the wind normally makes the fish bite better. As long as it isn't too windy to get the boat back on the trailer I will be on the lake.

 

Shore for me

[guitarglynn1]

I went on Saturday, and it was windy near me too. I just dropped my stern anchor and cast with the wind for a few hours.  

I make sure I have a jacket with a hood for windy days, makes it a tad more bearable because I hate the wind hitting my head.  

I was able to get some massive casts out though because of the wind.

 

X2 on the hood bluegiller. it helps block some of it out. But the wind always seems to blow in the same direction and I am casting against it which is impossible 

[guitarglynn1]

It has been super windy in the Northeast. It makes for awesome power fishing, though! Just gotta fish with your foot on the trolling motor almost constantly. The water was around 62 last week when I was slamming them on the chatterbait. The water in the lake I was at has decent visibility so the wind helps keep the fish shallower during the brighter part of the day. It also pushes bait to specific areas. You can really kill it on a windy day most of the time.

 

Sounds like you have figured things out bro. I gotta figure things out to because it seems like its windy constantly these days. 

[guitarglynn1]

Same conditions here for me as well. I had some errands to run this morning and was going to head out after I got done, low and behold the wind picks up pretty high as soon as I get home. 

 

I may still go, but I dread trying to fight the wind with my lightweight aluminum deep-V. My trolling motor can't push into winds over 10. So with the direction of the wind today, I have one lake option with a good bank that will keep me out of the wind.. But I hate that lake with a passion.

 

I am planning on htting the lake for an hour or so after work today but it is doing the same thing here which is the wind has picked up as the morning has gone on >:-[ I will still give it a shot. Seeing some of these other guys saying they do well in the wind gives me some hope to keep trying. 

[guitarglynn1]

I used to feel the same way but I have since changed my tune.

 

Now I hope for windy conditions (within reason of course)  Flat calm is often though sledding.

 

I hope you can keep at it and find out what works for you on your home waters because believe me when I tell you, once you learn which techniques & baits to present in these conditions, you'll be glad you did.

 

Good Luck

 

A-Jay

 

A-Jay, after yesterday I was thinking if I step out and it is like that I will just turn around next time. But if you say you can have success in the ind it gives me some new hope and I will keep trying. 

 

What types of things have you figured out when it comes to dealing with the wind? Thanks for offering some encouragement :-)

[ThatZX14Fella]

I never get bites when it's windy. I set my more brakes on the reel and try to use smaller baits so I don't have to pick backlashes out all day but the fish never bite for me.

[einscodek]

No doubt wind is good but in the conditions we were fishing on Sunday.. it wasnt just the wind.. the general conditions were not so great but the bites were still there..fewer but there under those conditions

In addition, the wind makes the surfaces temps even colder

gotta be on yer toes when the bite comes in coldwater

[Brian6428]

Shore for me

Yeah that can make it a little tougher. Just make sure that you're properly dressed, and maybe give fluorocarbon a try. I find fluorocarbon to be by far the most sensitive line when there's any kind of wind. Lastly, like Z Dunham said, try power fishing. Chatterbaits, square bills, spinnerbaits, and sometimes buzz baits. One day here I had a day that was so windy (easily 30mph gusts) that the only thing i could throw was a square bill, but they were aggressive and I caught a lot of fish.

[RSM789]

Visited my brother in Breckinridge over the weekend & they have a small lake near their house. Unfortunately no smallmouth, only trout. Used a canoe to catch six browns on Saturday, but the wind was gusting 20-30 mph on Sunday. I tried to take the canoe out & it looked like a 3 stooges movie. Absolutely zero control. After 45 minutes, I gave up, beached the canoe and walked up the inlet stream. Found a few nice pools and caught 4 more browns. I am a horrible stream fisherman, I probably spooked 20 fish.

Looking foward to getting back to my Pond Prowler, calm SoCal days and largemouth bass. Trout are okay but they fight like a 10" Senko rigged wacky style.

[Bluebasser86]

If you hate fishing in the wind never move to the midwest. Not many days I'm on the water that it's blowing less than 15mph. The flagpoles were bending and bouncing around today it was blowing so hard. 

[guitarglynn1]

Yeah that can make it a little tougher. Just make sure that you're properly dressed, and maybe give fluorocarbon a try. I find fluorocarbon to be by far the most sensitive line when there's any kind of wind. Lastly, like Z Dunham said, try power fishing. Chatterbaits, square bills, spinnerbaits, and sometimes buzz baits. One day here I had a day that was so windy (easily 30mph gusts) that the only thing i could throw was a square bill, but they were aggressive and I caught a lot of fish.

 

I broke out the thermals already It is showing heavy wind, maybe snow, and rain for this Sat so I will get a chance to put the power fishing to the test and I will try the fluoro as well soon as I pick some up. Thanks for the info buddy

[guitarglynn1]

Visited my brother in Breckinridge over the weekend & they have a small lake near their house. Unfortunately no smallmouth, only trout. Used a canoe to catch six browns on Saturday, but the wind was gusting 20-30 mph on Sunday. I tried to take the canoe out & it looked like a 3 stooges movie. Absolutely zero control. After 45 minutes, I gave up, beached the canoe and walked up the inlet stream. Found a few nice pools and caught 4 more browns. I am a horrible stream fisherman, I probably spooked 20 fish.

Looking foward to getting back to my Pond Prowler, calm SoCal days and largemouth bass. Trout are okay but they fight like a 10" Senko rigged wacky style.

 

Lol! Its funny because where I was fishing Sunday a guy came on one of those wind sail board things. As he was gearing up on shore near me I was just thinking to myself that this is not going to go well. He eventually set his sell along the shore way out there and paddled back in. he was just falling of in the water every couple of minutes. 

 

I like calm hot days. hate the cold with a passion! But I sure wouldn't mind catching some trout :-)

[guitarglynn1]

If you hate fishing in the wind never move to the midwest. Not many days I'm on the water that it's blowing less than 15mph. The flagpoles were bending and bouncing around today it was blowing so hard. 

 

Then the wind i was crying about is probably like a nice day with a slight breeze by your standards.lol I gotta figure things out when it comes to fishing in the wind and I am sure that will help me change my tune a bit.

[rhino]

I was planning to fish this coming Saturday but the weather forecast shows winds at 25mph with gusts up to 35mph. So I'm planning to slip out Friday afternoon before the front moves in.

[Sam]

Some suggestions when the wind is aggravating you.

1.  Use a spinning rig.

2.  Cast low to the water.

3.  Go deep with your plastics or crankbaits as the bass will hold to structure when it is windy.

4.  As mentioned above, spinnerbaits and Chatterbaits may be the baits of the day.

5.  Add sunscreen to your face to help prevent sunburn but realize you will get wind burn.

6,  Look for areas out of the wind. The bass will be looking for calmer water, too, so try to find the bass in areas where the wind is not a factor.

7.  Make sure your trolling batteries are fully charged as you can wear them out on windy days.

8.  Be watchful of where the wind is blowing your boat. You can get into concentrating on fishing and the next thing you know you are up against the bank.

9.  Use common sense.  If it is too windy; the wind is from the east; or the gusts are getting stronger - go home.

[Trek]

  The wind can be your friend. It pushes bait and makes current. So long as it's not to rough of there I like some wind. This year I added power poles to my boat and man are they nice. They save on the battery when it's real windy. I can drop them in the water and fish a brush pile on a windy day just like your fishing off a dock. They cost to much but they sure are nice.