Bass-minded Posted January 23, 2012 Posted January 23, 2012 Why can't I seem to catch anything on windy days! Quote
Super User Jig Man Posted January 23, 2012 Super User Posted January 23, 2012 It may be your technique or the way you control your boat. I catch a lot more fish on windy days than I ever do when the wind isn't blowing. My best days are when the wind has been blowing for 3 days from the same direction. 1 Quote
james 14 Posted January 23, 2012 Posted January 23, 2012 Wind blows plankton which the shad feed on. Look for places in the lake where it'll collect...windblown points, coves, etc. It can be very good in the summer when oxygen levels are low and the sun is bright. The wind churns up the water to add oxygen and the ripple cuts down on light penetration. I won a tourney this fall on a BAD windy day. Water temps had just dropped into the 70s which triggered a shad spawn and the wind was stiff out of the East for a couple days. We hit the west bank with traps and shallow cranks and SLAYED the bass pulling 4-5 pounders out of 4ft waves. The rest of the field stayed out of the wind and got skunked. Won by 13lbs. The wind is good for fishing but bad for boat and lure control. 2 Quote
Super User roadwarrior Posted January 23, 2012 Super User Posted January 23, 2012 Some say wind is your friend, but it has never been a friend of mine. Quote
Red Posted January 23, 2012 Posted January 23, 2012 The wind is my enemy. Not because it makes the fishing bad, but I am in an 8' Pelican so even a sleight breeze blows me everywhere. The fishing might be better on windy days, but not for me!! Cliff Quote
NCLifetimer Posted January 23, 2012 Posted January 23, 2012 James 14 nailed it with his first sentence. Its more comfortable to stay out of the wind, and if you usually do your probably on the opposite side of the lake compared to the wind while the small aquatic life, shad and bass are on the other side. Quote
NCbassmaster4Life Posted January 23, 2012 Posted January 23, 2012 Wind blows plankton which the shad feed on. Look for places in the lake where it'll collect...windblown points, coves, etc. It can be very good in the summer when oxygen levels are low and the sun is bright. The wind churns up the water to add oxygen and the ripple cuts down on light penetration. I won a tourney this fall on a BAD windy day. Water temps had just dropped into the 70s which triggered a shad spawn and the wind was stiff out of the East for a couple days. We hit the west bank with traps and shallow cranks and SLAYED the bass pulling 4-5 pounders out of 4ft waves. The rest of the field stayed out of the wind and got skunked. Won by 13lbs. The wind is good for fishing but bad for boat and lure control. Agreed. You just have to know how to follow the plankton and baitfish, what I do is get on a point or cove that is protected by the wind and cast into the wind,usually get productive bites or catch. Quote
Super User K_Mac Posted January 23, 2012 Super User Posted January 23, 2012 I have had fantastic days fishing in the teeth of the wind. I have way more trolling motor than most would on my boat for this reason. On the other hand I have been soundly out-fished by others fishing in areas sheltered from the wind on days when I was working hard to catch fish in the wind. My point is sometimes the wind is my friend, other times it is not. It does add to the work load of maintaining proper boat control. It is just one piece of the puzzle of finding what works on any given day, in my experience. Hang in there Bass-minded. One day when you find them stacked up on a wind blown point or bank you will forever change your mind about fishing in the wind. Good luck. Quote
CTD6677 Posted January 23, 2012 Posted January 23, 2012 I've definitely caught some of my biggest fish while fishing wind-blown banks. Traps, cranks and spinners will a lot of times win out for me on these days. Quote
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted January 24, 2012 Global Moderator Posted January 24, 2012 Sometimes it's all about fishing with what the conditions allow you to fish with and windy conditions are one of these times. It's nearly impossible to feel a bite on a jig or a soft plastic bait when the wind is blowing hard. It is difficult to hold the boat still. It's tough to cast a light crankbait. So don't do it. Choose a bait that best fits a windy situation and you will be successful. Heavier plastic crankbaits Spinnerbaits Topwater (Spooks are great when you have to cast into the wind) Lipless cranks These are all baits that are easy to cast and you can feel the bite when in windy conditions. You can also cover a lot of water when fishing with them. The wind always blows here. I hear of guys complaining about 10-15 mph winds but we're usually begging for days like that! I've spent too many days fishing in 20-30mph winds to count. One of my best days last year it was blowing over 30 and gusts up to 45. We were lucky that they were eating spinnerbaits and rattletraps because that was about all we could fish! Quote
flippin and pitchin Posted January 24, 2012 Posted January 24, 2012 I don't mind some wind but when it takes all my effort just to control the boat and waves are crashing over the bow, I get crabby. Some wind is very helpful. It can position the fish, breaks up the surface and get plankton moving around, creates some current and if it's to your back you can cast as far as you want. On the Columbia River, it gets so windy at times it's down right scary. Nothing like a sailboarder going by you at 50 MPH. Quote
Bass-minded Posted January 27, 2012 Author Posted January 27, 2012 I have to admit that I have caught the biggest fish of my life ( thirty pound catfish ) on a windy night and my biggest bass on semi-windy day. Thanks Quote
dcorp Posted January 27, 2012 Posted January 27, 2012 I fish from a kayak mostly so windy days are like my arch enemy. I end up fighting myself, the kayak, and my line all day.... Quote
Super User Hooligan Posted January 27, 2012 Super User Posted January 27, 2012 Come to the Midwest, it never blows here. Well, never under 15, anyhow. I fish a lot of lakes in east Texas and SW Missouri/N Arkansas that are either relatively protected or aren't used to seeing high winds. I was putting in on Rayburn one time, and getting all sorts of crazy looks, and people in disbelief that I would launch in "these conditions." It was only blowing about 10 with gusts up around 20 or so. It was pure pleasant. The same happens on Table Rock all the time. I'll launch up around Kimberling and run 7 or so miles and people can't believe I'd do it in those waves. I've done it for so long I know how to use it to my advantage. Learn to use it and it will be the best thing for you. Fight it, and you forever will. Quote
IneedAnewScreenName-972354 Posted January 27, 2012 Posted January 27, 2012 I fish from a kayak mostly so windy days are like my arch enemy. I end up fighting myself, the kayak, and my line all day.... LOL, a long time ago I did all my fishing from the front of a 10' john boat powered by "me" with a short paddle. Somehow the fish knew when I had only one hand on my reel and the other on my paddle and windy days compounded the problem. Quote
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