need help for WINDY days...

[FatBoy]

How do you fish in windy conditions?  I'm not talking about a light breeze or a gentle spring zephyr.  I'm talking downright blustery.  I'm talking days when you make a 15 yard cast and you have a 15 yard wide bow in the line.  I'm talking about 6-8" chop on the surface.  

What kind of lure CAN you throw on those days?

[FIN-S-R]

Crankbait (vibe/DLN/DD22)

Carolina Rig (3/4 to 1oz with short leader)

I have even been known to break out the drop shot with a 1/2 oz wt. if the frontal passage gives em lock jaw.

[Banor]

Heavier presentations.  Line drive casts.  

In a boat if I'm not fishing shallow I'll drop shot, C-Rig or tubes and drift fish.  You'll have to upsize your weights to keep contact with the bottom if you are using weighted presentations.

I may be a glutton for punishment but I still like to throw weightless stuff in that, just cast with the wind.

Buzzbaits and walk the dog baits can be productive in the chop.  

Definaley want to be throwing a heavier spinnerbait in that situation.

Remember, the chop is your friend.  Less visibility for bass making it easier to get right up on them or throw noisier baits.  It's been my experience that a good wind (not associated with a cold front) can turn on the bite.  Again I might be insane but it's my PO.

Think about that  overhang you couldnt get under if you are bank fishing!!  Side arm cast and let the wind toss a curve ball under it!!

Or is it a slider?  I hated baseball anyway.

B

[Deuceu72]

You'll all think I am crazy but I have fished a WEIGHTLESS 5in Senko on very windy days(25 mph or more).........I had a trick to it...........I would watch the bow in my line and when the bow started to move the opposite direction against the wind......I set the hook.........without ever feeling a thing. I knew the fish were there just by watching the line move against the wind. In general though, I like to use a heavy jig for the most part as the wind "stirs up the craws".

[SPEEDBEAD.]

I love throwing topwater when the winds get nasty. Heavy buzzbaits are awesome. Keep your casts low and direct.

A crankbait will also work well, keep your rod tip low or even in the water to minimize the effect of the wind on your line.

[FatBoy]

You'll all think I am crazy but I have fished a WEIGHTLESS 5in Senko on very windy days(25 mph or more).........I had a trick to it...........I would watch the bow in my line and when the bow started to move the opposite direction against the wind......I set the hook.........without ever feeling a thing.

How do you set the hook?  It seems like I would need to run backwards up the bank for 10 yds to take out all the slack...

[Deuceu72]

How do you set the hook? It seems like I would need to run backwards up the bank for 10 yds to take out all the slack...

[Shad_Master]

I fished a tournament last Saturday in 35-40 mph winds -- there is no standing timber on this lake and no coves where you can get any relief at all -- IT WAS BRUTAL!!!  There was even one boat that capsized during the tournament (not one of ours, but our guys had to help them out of the water).  The tournament was won on crank baits and spinner baits.  Because of the wind, the fish were stacked up at about 4-6 feet in 8-10 feet of water along the channel edges.  I tried throwing a jig and a C-rig, but couldn't feel anything that was going on.  I caught only one keeper on the day, my partner won the tournament with a 21.25"er and three smaller fish -- there was only one limit out of 11 boats.  I think the advice above is good for a start.

One thing I have done on windy days when fishing from the bank is to set up a modified C-rig using a Senko and two #4 split shots set about 8" to 12" above the hook.  I just let the current blow the Senko around until the fish bites -- as Deuceu72 says, you have to watch your line.

[Vyron]

for me wind ==> spinnerbaits,rattletraps

[tmacdaddy055]

I say you can't go wrong throwing a spinnerbait, its heavy and theres not much wind resistance so ur gunna have a pretty good cast.  Lighter line probably doesn't hurt either

[j-bass]

I live near the coast so the wind is something that I deal with all the time.  What I normally do is pick my locations carefully.  Try to find areas with natural windblocks (trees here, but someplaces may have cliffs hills or other things that will block the wind in a particular direction).  If you can't find a wind block try and find a spot where you will be casting with the wind.  Casting into the wind usually winds up turning your hardest casts into wimpy go-nowhere casts.  Casting perpendicular to the wind sucls too because you may be able to cast where you want to bu the slack line blows off to the side (for me this usually means into a tree or something).  Like me, if you can't beat it, try to use it.

[edbassmaster]

I'm with Vyron...I use a rattletrap or spinner bait in these conditions and usually do well.

[dale]

I keep 2 ancors in my boat and set up up wind from where the fish are holding thus allowing me to fish an area without the line bowing factor. I do have a few buddies that will use a float with a sinko and allow the wind to drift it over weedbeds.

Dale

[basswest1]

I would concentrate my efforts on using fast moving baits..........like jerkbaits, spinnerbaits and crankbaits..........also carolina rigs.

Especially this time of year........dont avoid the wind........find the banks that the wind is pushin water against......all that wind pushes plankton against the shore and in turn baitfish then bass arive...........wind can really start a feeding frenzy on those kind of banks.  Id move real fast.

[Guest avid]

I also live in an area where "breezy" is typical.

On days when the wind approaches 15mph you'll get a nice little chop on the water.  If it's approaching 20 mph your getting little whitecaps.

When it's rough like this, I like spinnerbaits, prop baits and  walkers fished with alot of splash, crankbaits - big and wobbly- and a heavy jig or thick bodied soft plastic like a beaver with at least 3/8 oz. of lead.

[jomatty]

when it really gets howlin i try to stick with cranks and spinnerbaits.  if its howlin and they want it slow its imo one of the toughest conditions to fish in.  i go with a 1 oz c rig or almost equally heavy t rig.  i dont mind fishing in the wind but if it is really windy and i cant fish a spin or crank i dont like it too much