Windy weather bass fishing

[woodell14]

What is best to use when it's windy conditions outside? Best tactics, lures, etc.

[Team9nine]

I don't know about "best," but Rat-L-Traps and spinnerbaits are two good ones. Tactics: fish the windblown banks and weed flats.

-T9

[Scarborough817]

chatterbaits have worked well for me

[WIGuide]

Anything moving that puts off a fair amount of noise, flash, and or vibration.

[Wprich]

Spinnerbaits

[Airman4754]

3 minutes ago, Wprich said:

Spinnerbaits

Yep. Run it shallow too, like to the point where it is making the water boil above it. You'd be surprised how far they will come up to get it.

Also point your your boat into the wind and roll cast so it doesn't effect your cast as much.

[bigturtle]

1 hour ago, woodell14 said:

What is best to use when it's windy conditions outside? Best tactics, lures, etc.

well, first you would need a lure that you can actually cast in the wind, depending on how strong the wind is. After than, pick something that is darker colored, gives off a lot of commotion (rattle, blades, vibration, etc). Windy conditions are treated similar to low light conditions.

Like the others said, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, lipless baits all work.

for me, a buzzbait and a crankbait work very well in low wind, and jigs with rattles and lipless cranks in high wind.

[Ads7633]

I really like spinnerbaits and buzzbaits in the wind. 

[scaleface]

I like beetle spins or any small spinnerbait fished along extremely windy banks . A  half dozen different species  might be caught . Even the catfish will come shallow to feed . 

[Paul Roberts]

Any appropriate lure to the water and conditions, as long as you can detect the takes.  

[lo n slo]

42 minutes ago, Paul Roberts said:

Any appropriate lure to the water and conditions, as long as you can detect the takes.  

there is a particular spot i fish on a road bed that is absolute money when a stiff SW breeze is pushing hard. i will anchor down in 17' of water and stroke a t rig worm off the drop. they'll stack up and really bite. but you cant buy a fish when the wind lays down.

[papajoe222]

I like using a RocketShad with an Indiana blade one size up from the stock blade.  It's a great combination of spinnerbait and chatterbait.

[bigturtle]

2 minutes ago, papajoe222 said:

I like using a RocketShad with an Indiana blade one size up from the stock blade.  It's a great combination of spinnerbait and chatterbait.

I wish they made a slightly larger profiled rocket shad, maybe 5/8-3/4oz? I really like taht bait but its just so tiny

[XzyluM]

Bladed jigs are quickly becoming a favorite of mine when it is really windy. 

[Further North]

Where you fish is more important than what you use when it's windy.

Find the places where the wind is bashing the bait fish into shore, and if there's a mud line, fish it.

[Bluebasser86]

I fish whatever I need to. Moving baits are easier, but they won't always eat them. I've had days where I had to fish a Ned rig in 20+ mph winds. It's kind of like trout fishing moving water. The wind carries my line and makes my bait parachute off the bottom and I wait until my line stops to signal a fish is there or I'm on the bottom. Bladed jigs and traps are my favorite if they'll hit them though. 

[Bankbeater]

I like to fish a jig on the bank that the wind is hitting.  Size of the jig depends on how hard the wind is blowing.

[Cgolf]

I will still fish the same baits, soft plastics spinnerbaits and cranks on cover that I know holds fish. The only concession I might make is going a heavier weight on the soft plastics. There have been many times that I had to give up on the 80lb trolling motor and just do drifts across cover. This is the only downside to a 16ft aluminum boat, it does not track well with the trolling motor in heavy chop.

[kingmotorboat]

2 hours ago, cgolf said:

I will still fish the same baits, soft plastics spinnerbaits and cranks on cover that I know holds fish. The only concession I might make is going a heavier weight on the soft plastics. There have been many times that I had to give up on the 80lb trolling motor and just do drifts across cover. This is the only downside to a 16ft aluminum boat, it does not track well with the trolling motor in heavy chop.

You know my struggle lol

[WRB]

21 hours ago, woodell14 said:

What is best to use when it's windy conditions outside? Best tactics, lures, etc.

Wind comes in many forms, light breeze to gale force and affects waterways differently depending on the size, terrian and how often wind occurs. Bass tend to strike faster moving lures when they are active and wind can activate a bite.

If the wind is light and only creating small surface waves, no white caps, nearly every type of lure can be cast and retrieved effectively. When the winds starts to push water into bigger waves that white cap, casting lures like spinner baits and buzz baits becomes very difficult, unless casting down wind. Keeping in contact with the bottom or structure with slower moving lures like worms and jigs is more difficult unless the weight is increased. Deep diving crankbaits or lipless crankbaits are a good choice in higher wind conditions.

Tom

[ww2farmer]

FWIW..............just because it's windy, doesn't mean they are going to be jumping in the boat on moving baits, or vice versa, if it's calm, it doesn't always mean you have to go "low and slow". I don't know how many times I have been out in conditions where , by this idiotic "rule of thumb" that a lot fishermen shoe horn themselves with, I would have had a terrible day if I didn't just say to "heck" with what they are "supposed" to be doing in these conditions, and set out to figure out what they really were doing or wanted.

[Paul Roberts]

Biggest trouble for me is strike detection. It's easy to miss fish even in ordinary conditions, but wind playing with your line has an exponential effect. Stuff that helps:

-Get out of it.

-Wind at your back.

-Fish close.

-FC line can help bc it's density bucks wind a bit better and it can sink below the surface film. The worst can be braid bc of its slack-line insensitivity.

-Fish lures that can add tension to the line.

[Bruce424]

Spinnerbaits. Lipless cranks