Fishing windy days

[GoneFishingLTN]

How do you fish windy days from an aluminumin boat? I have. 2005 bass tracker v-18 tournament and just could not fish deep properly am I doing something wrong? (I am a new boater maybe I’m not fighting the wind or something correctly) do I need the spot lock trolling motor? Is it just a lost cause?

 

thanks for the help/suggestions this is me trying to figure this out for upcoming  tournaments 

[tkunk]

When I'm finesse fishing, I point my bow into the wind and cast directly into the wind. If you don't cast into the wind, you'll get a big bow in your line, and you won't be able to feel anything.

 

You can also troll a finesse bait like a drop shot or a tube across the bottom. On very windy days, use your trolling motor to point your bow into the wind, and try to keep your speed at about 0.8 MPH. With practice, you'll get good at letting the wind push you through high-percentage areas.

 

My favorite method is to drift with the wind and chuck reaction baits like spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and jerkbaits. I cast with the wind and cover tons of water. If I hit a school, I spot lock about a cast's distance from them. When I spot lock, I'll often use my kicker motor to prolong the life of my trolling motor's batteries.

[12poundbass]

I point my bow to the wind set my TM just high enough that the wind is barely pushing me backwards. I obviously control the speed of my TM to how fast I want to drift. Side arm cast keeping the bait low and not directly into the wind but at an angle. 

 

If it's really windy I don't go.

[NYWayfarer]

2 hours ago, portiabrat said:

My favorite method is to drift with the wind and chuck reaction baits like spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and jerkbaits. I cast with the wind and cover tons of water.

Same goes for me when Kayak fishing. When I find a spot that's productive I throw my anchor and stay put for a bit.

[GoneFishingLTN]

5 hours ago, 12poundbass said:

I point my bow to the wind set my TM just high enough that the wind is barely pushing me backwards. I obviously control the speed of my TM to how fast I want to drift. Side arm cast keeping the bait low and not directly into the wind but at an angle. 

 

If it's really windy I don't go.

How do you control being push left and right? Do you keep it on automatic or where you have to keep pushing the trolling motor?

[J Francho]

I know just what you're describing.  My Xpress did that.  My Bullet, not so much.  It's a battle, but you get tuned in, and making the adjustments start to become automatic.  It's a lot of work though!

[gim]

Its difficult without spot lock and even more difficult if you have a lighter boat that can get pushed around more easily.  I don't have spot lock on my bow mount and if its super windy I just simply can't control the boat how I want to.

 

A controlled drift could be a potential option.  Otherwise pick a day when its not so windy out lol

[12poundbass]

3 hours ago, GoneFishingLTN said:

How do you control being push left and right? Do you keep it on automatic or where you have to keep pushing the trolling motor?

I just turn my TM as needed. Like JFrancho said you get tuned in. I even have a wireless TM and only use the key fob. I manage. If I get a fish I'm blown all over and have to reset. The whole thing isn't pretty to watch but I manage. 

[Way2slow]

you have be fishing a tournament and that's the only way your going to catch a fish.  Any other time it's too aggravating to make it worth effort.  I fish to enjoy it, and that's a long way from enjoying it.  If I can't fish with my bow pointed into the wind and use my trolling motor to control the way I want to, I move to another point. 

 

By the way, fishing windy points where the bait fish are getting pushed into them is about the only time I will fish where the wind is hard enough to blow a 20' 2,500 pounds of bass boat around to the point it's hard to control.  However, I have fished points where the wind had white caps big enough to keep blowing the trolling motor out of the water but I was catching some serious numbers and sized fish when doing it.

 

In a light weight, high sided tin boat, you are basically screwed if you need to do anything other than position the boat with the bow directly into the wind.

[iabass8]

Get an Ultrex. Point the bow into the wind and you'll sit still. 

[IndianaOutdoors]

I fish out of a 15ft sea nymph.  Very light and higher sides than a bass tracker.  It's allot of work controlling the boat in wind.  I think most of it is the side to side drift.  My trolling motor can easily pull me into the wind but because the boat is so light it can change direction very easily.  Constant steering of the trolling motor is needed to stay in control of the boat.  I find it best to use the trolling motor to steer a controlled drift with the wind instead of fighting it.  You can always anchor if you want to stay on a spot.  Use an anchor in front and back if you want to keep the boat from turning swinging.  If you have a tiller trolling motor just go home.

[Bluebasser86]

Wind is a way of life here and I fished out of a 16' aluminum for a lot of years. Put the biggest TM you can get on the front, point it straight into the wind, put your head down and fish. It takes time to learn to fight the wind and fish at the same time, but it can be done. 

[Catt]

What kinda winds?

 

5-10, 10-15, or 15+?

 

What kinda body of water?

 

Like @J Francho mention "It's a battle, but you get tuned in, and making the adjustments start to become automatic.  It's a lot".

 

Personally I use a hand controlled trolling motor, I know it goes against everybody but it works for me.

 

I lock the trolling motor down so it doesn't turn without strong input from my hand or knee. I have 2 Big Foot switches, one on each side of the deck.

 

[TOXIC]

Ever tried a drift sock?  I go to Lake St Clair every year (for the last 15 years anyway) and wind is a constant concern.  If we are drifting and fishing deeper than 8 feet, out come the driftsocks (1 sometimes 2) to slow the drift and then you just do minor corrections with the trolling motor.  If we go shallower, then power poles will hold us in place to fan cast then we just lift them up and drift a little and anchor again.  

 

 

[crypt]

like Catt, I also use a hand controlled trolling motor. for me it's about control. have tried foot models but love a hand control model better. it's what works for me.

[WCWV]

I love the wind and have been fishing out of aluminum boats for years.

A good stout TM is a must.

As many have said, I point my bow right into it cast into the wind. If the wind dies down a little, I'll turn side ways as to get more push, and the turn back if the wind  picks back up.

A good wind during the mid day always means it's about to pick up for me.

Don't fight it, use ot to your advantage. 

[flatcreek]

On October 17, 2017 at 7:43 PM, Way2slow said:

you have be fishing a tournament and that's the only way your going to catch a fish.  Any other time it's too aggravating to make it worth effort.  I fish to enjoy it, and that's a long way from enjoying it.  If I can't fish with my bow pointed into the wind and use my trolling motor to control the way I want to, I move to another point. 

 

By the way, fishing windy points where the bait fish are getting pushed into them is about the only time I will fish where the wind is hard enough to blow a 20' 2,500 pounds of bass boat around to the point it's hard to control.  However, I have fished points where the wind had white caps big enough to keep blowing the trolling motor out of the water but I was catching some serious numbers and sized fish when doing it.

 

In a light weight, high sided tin boat, you are basically screwed if you need to do anything other than position the boat with the bow directly into the wind.

I've had some real good days on Clarks Hill with the bass chasing blue backs on the wind blown points.Some days you just gotta fight the wind and chunk that fluke

[WRB]

There is wind and then wind with white capped waves. Big waves pick up the boats bow and pull the trolling up to where the prop pops out of the water, can't control the boat in that situation unles the shaft is long enough to prevent the prop cavitation.

Standing on one leg and operating the TM with the other foot in a aluminum bass is a lot more difficult than a heavier glass bass boat. Slower control movements instead of fighting to control the boat every second is the secret to fishing while controlling the boat in the wind.

I have been doing this for decades in several different boats and always use longer shaft TMs with foot controls, it's tiring ands lots of practice. If you can afford a spot lock type TM that would make things a lot easier! The most difficult tasks are retying and keeping on a small off shore spot.

Good luck.

Tom

[DINK WHISPERER]

Like stated above, try a drift sock out. They do work...

[Further North]

It's almost always windy here and I've only owned aluminum boats...but other than an early one with an under powered trolling motor, I don't have this problem.

 

If guess it's because I run 36 volt trolling motors that are GPS enabled (Terrova & Ulysses in my case, but there are others that'll get it done as well.)

 

I think a lot of people go light on trolling motor thrust...but a lot of people think I'm over doing it with 112 lbs. If thrust on an 18' foot aluminum boat...but I don't worry about wind...

[WRB]

Every bass boat look the same from the front seat where we fish from. You fight boat control or master it, today's GPS controlled TM's shorten or eliminate that learning curve.

Tom

[Further North]

9 hours ago, WRB said:

Every bass boat look the same from the front seat where we fish from. You fight boat control or master it, today's GPS controlled TM's shorten or eliminate that learning curve.

Tom

...and they let you fish, not spend your time on boat control...

 

I've had both, that was the deciding factor, right there.