How do you cope with the wind?

[SV1000]

Boat positioning...

Lure selection...

Wind drag on line...

It's 18 gusting to 24 in my area per NOAA.

[rondef]

I anchor my boat use heavier baits and keep my rod tip down after I cast.

[SV1000]

What baits do you like in strong winds?

[GobbleDog]

Anchor up, stand on the back of the boat, and fish down-wind, but when it gets upwards of 20+ mph I'll start looking for sheltered areas. It's difficult to feel the worm bite when the wind gets that strong, not to mention keeping the bait in one place.

I agree with Rondef about keeping the rod tip down to keep the bait still.

[Wayne P.]

I fished in winds like that yesterday. After the air temp got to about 60-65 with the water temp at 51 early, the down wind shorelines got up to 57 degrees. I just positioned the boat facing upwind or quartering with the trolling motor and cast downwind. I used a Chatterbait, spinnerbait, Trap, and wacky rigged finesse worm. The bass were active on those wind blown banks. It's a great pattern for locating bass.

"Let the wind be your friend"

[EastTexasBassin]

The waters I fish are full of trees, so I tie two ropes on two trees that are about ten feet apart, making a triangle which helps to hold the boat a bit more steady.  I hate it when the boat turns and moves side to side in the wind.  I use c-rigs with a heavy weight, spinnerbaits, rattle-traps, and jigs.  Sometimes in the wind I find that the bass are suspended in the top 3rd of the water column, in which case I stick to the spinnerbaits and rattletraps.

My favorite way to fish is with weightless plastics such as senkos, ikas, or kreatures and although it can be done when casting down wind I get easily frustrated with this - especially if the wind is changing directions.  Its good that it gets windy sometimes because it forces me to try other things.

[Tokyo Tony]

I generally just make sure there's no slack in the line when my lure hits the water by reeling quickly and lowering the rod tip.  Then when the line is straight and on the surface, I'll begin to work the lure.

Boat control?  Usually I'm either in a canoe or a 'toon, and I'll just use the anchor all day and go from spot to spot.

One thing to consider that if there's enough wind to generate a slight current, the fish are generally going to be facing the current.

[ohiobassmaster93]

im not to sure about boat positioning but i like a spinnerbait..the heavier the wind or current the heavier spinnerbiat i use

[Catt]

When facing windy one must consider is it windy because of pre-frontal conditions, post frontal conditions, or high pressure blue bird sky conditions. Each of the above mentioned conditions require different approaches to try and scratch out a limit.

Pre-frontal conditions are the easiest to address because the bass should remain active until the actual day of the front. One should be able to catch bass in protected coves and on the back side of points. Just as mentioned wind blown points can be very productive but my I suggest you approach from the backside working you're way toward the end where the wind comes around the point.

Post frontal and high pressure conditions are a little more difficult to unlock due to the fact the bass will be highly inactive. The key areas will remain the same but you should plan on fishing real slow and tight to cove.

Bait presentations would be any thing you can cast easily with out back lashing; usually heavier lures. One should also consider fishing deep instead of shallower because deeper bass are less affected by frontal conditions. Due to safety factors I would avoid main lake structure and instead concentrate on deep structure in areas with tall trees or high banks that offer protection from the wind.