Fishing in the Wind

[MassYak85]

When I first started seriously bass fishing I was mostly using rubber worms weightless. I would cast out and watch the line as it sank. I grew to dread ANY wind since it would make seeing line twitches extremely difficult. As I've grown my arsenal of lures though I've come to LOOK for windy days. My two best days last year were on terribly windy days and I learned a lot from them. 

 

1st day: Early spring, typical prespawn conditions. The wind was howling down the main channel and there was a shallow flat we were in a little out of the wind right next to the channel. We had caught some dink bass which I took to be the little males starting to move up and look for bedding spots. Temps were still just above 50 so I assumed it might be a little early for the larger females. I made a cast really far out towards the channel and all of a sudden *tink*, set the hook and landed my PB of 5.4lbs. So as far as wind, the takeaway there was there was a nice transition from rough wind to calmer water. And that was about where I hooked up with the fish. So on windy days I look for those transitions....ESPECIALLY if they also coincide with a change in structure or the bottom contour, like it so happened to be in this case. Unfortunately that day our battery died and blew us into shore, we had to call it quits on what was shaping up to be a killer day. 

 

2nd day: This time it was mid summer and I had caught a nice one up shallow earlier that morning but as the day grew the wind really started to kick up and the shallower bite died out. So we decided to brave the wind and head for open water. There's a very large shallow area that drops into deeper water and the wind was blowing across the whole lake right into it. There were whitecaps and I wasn't getting bit at all. Changed to topwater (whopper plopper 130) and started killing them. First day I had ever landed two fish over 4lbs. My takeaway there was while it's nice to be out of the wind when you can, don't always avoid it unless it's a safety issue. Also I gained a whole new confidence in topwaters in those conditions.

 

As far as casting. It is a challenge but I tend to go with heavier and more aerodynamic lures if I can. The whopper plopper will still let you bomb it upwind. Paddle tails can also be nice in that regard. I like spinnerbaits on windy days but usually I use them when picking apart structure along a wind blown shore. Casting them upwind can be difficult if they have a tendency to helicopter. 

[clark9312]

I'm going to go out and see what happens tomorrow. I can't let wind keep me inside on a 75 degree February day. I appreciate all the tips guys. I'll be sure to let you guys know how I did

[frogflogger]

water temps over 65 - windy - I am going to be using big noisy aggressive topwaters - many over 7's have liked this approach

[bassguytom]

13 hours ago, gimruis said:

 

I've run into this problem a lot, especially walleye fishing.  People will anchor right next to the marker.  I've also had people pick them up right out of the water and keep them.  Not much I could do as it is public water.

 

 

 

 

Let's be realistic here.  Does spot lock really hold your boat in 4 footers when the wind is blowing at 25 mph like others have posted in this thread?  And secondly, is your spot lock on the new Minn Kota Ultrex?

 

If there are 4 footer's with 25 mph wind on a lake I will not be fishing in a bass boat. Come on Forrest! Momma didn't raise no fool! My motor is a Minn Kota Terrova.

[the reel ess]

I go with my buddy in his Tracker and make him fight the wind or I go to smaller bodies of water with the kayak or I go to a couple ponds I have access to that I can walk the bank a little. Or I just do something else.

[TOXIC]

I don't change anything.  Tighten up the magnetic drag a little and throw what I always throw.  Can't let the wind get in your head.  Now when we are on St Clair we have drift socks.  Most of the time just 1 but sometimes 2.  I have a 21 foot Ranger so I can hold position pretty well in the wind.  You can't always position for the wind at your back so you need to learn to throw a baitcaster into the wind.  With a properly set up quality reel, it's not that hard.  That being said I did throw a weightless Senko in 20 mph winds in a tournament and although I caught fish, it was better if I had the wind in my face or at my back.  Side wind with a weightless Senko is tough.  

[A-Jay]

8 hours ago, ww2farmer said:

One of my favorite things to do on really windy days, especially if it's a north or south wind on the finger lakes, as they run north and south and when the wind blows from those directions it's like fishing in current, is to sit down, toss out the c-rig , drop shot, or a football jig behind the boat. I let the wind blow me down the weedline or over offshore stuff while just letting my presentation drag on the bottom, and make small corrections with my trolling motor to stay pointed in the direction I want to be going. I call this the "modified Erie drag" as I learned it from the master of dragging, my buddy Noel.....wnybassman here on bass resource. Lots of big fish, both green and brown have been caught doing this, and a good amount of money won during tournaments while everyone else stacks up in spots to get out of the wind.

 

More than once I have heard the comment at weigh-ins after those windy days "did you see that idiot in the aluminum boat out there trying to fish in the wind"

 LOL ~ "Yup - he's the one cashing the check"

A-Jay

[scaleface]

Cousin and I won a Buddy a tourney anchored for two days on a windy point . Strong north wind , we fished t-rigged lizards around the 18 foot mark . Casting  into and against the wind  ,  keeping the rod's low .

[UPSmallie]

@A-Jay

 

http://www.fieldandstream.com/sportsmans-notebook-seagull-buoy-marker-decoy

[A-Jay]

34 minutes ago, UPSmallie said:

@A-Jay

 

http://www.fieldandstream.com/sportsmans-notebook-seagull-buoy-marker-decoy

 

@UPSmallie ~ That's very useful.

And pretty darn funny.

A-Jay

 

[WRB]

To understand wind look up a Beaufort scale. In terms for bass fishing average size lakes in a boat Beaufort 4 to 8 or from a breeze to gale 13 mph to 40 mph would be what I would call wind speeds we could bass in. Over Beaufort 6 or 22-27 mph you need to use caution and be skilled operating boat, 7 & 8 gale force wind you should be on the trailer.

Anywhere there are white capped waves rolling can be dangerous and common where most of us bass fish.

Gale force wind isn't safe!

Tom

[clark9312]

Well guys I went today and it was rough lol. I'd say the gust were up over 30mph. I got blown all over the lake. I did manage to catch two. The biggest being about 15-16in. I had a good time and it sure beat a day at work

[CTBassin860]

On 2/23/2017 at 1:19 PM, Yeajray231 said:

Bust out that spinning gear.. 

Was trying to throw a weightless wacky rigged senko into the wind with a baitcaster today.That wasnt a bright idea.More overrun today than last season combined.Then i said to myself "i wish i had my spinning gear with me".I did throw the neko rig for the 1st time today though.

[Last_Cast]

I hate windy days.

I tend not to go.

Fishing or not, I don't do wind. Lol

[Ohio Archer]

On ‎3‎/‎18‎/‎2017 at 6:47 AM, Last_Cast said:

I hate windy days.

I tend not to go.

Fishing or not, I don't do wind. Lol

You wouldn't get to fish much around here, then.  There must be a different definition for different regions of what is "light and variable"...

[nameiztaken]

I'm a bank fisherman, and all the fish hang out on the side where you would need to cast into the wind. 

 

Brave it out if the fish are there, I'm in the CA Bay Area, so we have some nasty winds almost all the time.

"Turn them brakes up, tie on a lipless, and SWING!"

[bh91]

I caught my personal best in 40+ wind. I was fishing from shore though and casting perpendicular to the wind.

[Bankbeater]

10 to 20 mph winds I drop a heavy anchor from the bow and drop a smaller anchor off the back to stop the boat from swinging around.  With winds more than 20 mph, depending on the lake, I fish from the bank. 

 

On the flip side of that, if I am on a grassy flat with no obstacles in front of me, I will let the wind move the boat across the flats, and then motor back to where I started from.

[jimf]

It was pretty windy yesterday, I was fishing a power plant cooling lake that is perched to catch the wind and that it does.   Not terrible, but enough to where being in a light aluminum boat it presented challenges with boat control.    First time out, and I'm always rusty with boat control and the like and it took me a bit to get my bearings straight and realize what I had to do was work agains the wind at a setting on the motor that basically just kept me in place while I methodically worked a spot.   I was fishing a TR worm on rip-rap and doing pretty well when I was able to get the boat where I wanted and keep it there for 20 seconds or so while I worked the spot.  

[Choporoz]

This is my first full season with Gliss and I have another lesson learned for fishing in the wind;

 

- when using very light superlines (such as 12# Gliss, or 10# braid) take inordinate care to trim your leader tags as close as possible.  It does not take a whole lot of wind to push your leader knot into a guide on your cast and send a quarter spool of line out between two guides.  This is particularly true on spinning gear in the wind, but you can backlash baitcaster with micro guides fairly easily, also.  Was never a problem for me with heavier lines, but I've become a lot more careful cleaning up loose ends lately, so to speak.

[WRB]

Thought I would bump this topic up in lieu of recreating the same info again.

Tom

[greentrout]

when fishing from the bank, rip rap facing a stout wind straight on or at an angle has been very productive .... the bite is on .... chances are good for a big one, too .... puts your bc to the test  ...

 

good fishing ...

[TOXIC]

I'll add a new tip to this thread.  I routinely fish a weightless Senko in wind (like last weekend with 20mph sustained, 30mph gusts) on spinning gear.  When I can't place the wind at my back or in my face (which makes it much easier), there is a little trick that helps with a side wind.  First do not "loop" your cast high into the air, I use a side arm almost like skipping.  Then, as soon as your bait hits the water drop your rod tip almost in the water.  That will keep the wind from grabbing your line and making that awful bow.  You lose a little of your line watching ability, but it will allow the Senko to sink naturally.  

[Montanaro]

Going out today...

 

Power pole down!

 

Wish us luck

[GreenPig]

On 2/23/2017 at 1:51 PM, clark9312 said:

I'm still going to go out tomorrow just trying to get a plan together. Biggest down side to aluminum is fishing in wind in my opinion 

I fish an aluminum (sailboat)  also. Spotlock & auto pilot has totally enabled me to go fish no matter the wind.