Wind direction when working a shore

[Guest the_muddy_man]

Hey I was wondering how does wind direction effect how you would fish a shore from a boat? Other than drift direction Im talking about. Does it affect where the bait fish go?

[Bankbeater]

I always try and hit the bank that the wind is blowing into. The wind will blow food floating on the surface to the bank and pile it up there for the minnows. The bass will follow the minnows.

[Matt Fly]

I believe "bankbeater" has a firm grip on the subject matter.  

[Guest the_muddy_man]

thanks fellas Me and my fishing partner love to fish shallow We dont fish competitivley so fun not numbers are important to us We are trying to figuure out, on the lake we fish most,wheter sun or wind is more important

[John Cullum]

Always fish with your boat going into the wind. It's harder to cast but it is more natural for the bait fish to be moving with the wind then against it. Also if your having trouble casting into the wind down size your line and use spinning gear if possible.

The wind cherns up the bottom too. Exposing crawfish and other bottom creatures the bass will eat. Jigs and crawfsih colored cranks are a real good bait for windy blown rocky banks.

Wind is a huge plus in clear water. It breaks up the surface and makes it harder for the fish to detect if it's artificial or not. It will also ball up the shad into a cove or creek. Anytime this happens after a few days of the same direction wind you can bet the bass and other fish will be there feeding. Baby One Minus and spinnerbaits are a good bait to use. If the wind isn't blowing to hard a Sluggo type bait is also a good choice.

In the early spring wind can also be a big help. The sun is warming the surface faster than the water below. If you get a few sunny days and a stiff wind blowing the wind will move the warmer surface water to one side of the lake. Hopefully it'll blow it into a cove or bank. This water will be a few degrees warmer than the rest of the lake and that can sometimes be the differance between catching fish and not catching fish.

The only condition I try to avoid the wind is in real cold,muddy water. I usually try to find a non-windy cove. The wind stains up the water that is alreay muddy making it harder to catch fish.

[DR_Bass]

Yea, the wind gets the plankton moving, which in turn get baitfish moving, which in turn get bass to moving.  This makes it a good idea to always fish windblown banks.