Fishing The Wind??

[Bass Tracker]

Hi All,



I will assume atleast some of you like myself HATE fishing in the Wind..But Since sometimes we have no choice I was wondering what your approach is when you know the lake is going to windy??



Lets assume 10-15mph winds in this time of year, what would your approach be? and no this isnt for a tournament or anything, just a day off of work tommorow and the wind seems to be calling for 10-15mph.



Other than finding a protected cove how do you all deal with boat positioning and finding fish? I would think 1-8 mph the fish may remain shallow, staging etc. but 10-15 mph they would find deeper areas outside the shallows?



Thanks all



-Jason

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Repeat after me, " I love the wind, I love the wind" because if you don't you are defeated before you even hit the water. Mentally you have to accept the conditions and make the best out of what you have. Don't fight the wind, use it to your advantage. Lets face it there are no trees growing in the middle of most lakes and that means that you will have wind more often than not. Wind itself doesn't effect the fish after all it's not blowing underwater but if the wind creates currents, eddys, breaks, etc., then use them to your advantage. Wind blown points are always a good bet. Unless the wind is in the dangerous category, fishing protected areas just takes you away from the fish. They don't need to be protected. Bottom line, I use the wind to help me fish and do not fight mother nature. Places like St Clair, driftsocks to help control the situation but you never get in a fight with the wind because it will win every time.



TOXIC

 

[Mini]

I aint skerred of no wind! (unless its blowing over 35mph)

 

[Teri C.]

When it's really windy, I fish the points of the coves and bluff walls. The bluff wall is starting to be my favorite for extreme wind. I put the boat about as close to the wall as I can get and then I use the trolling motor on like speed 5 (meaning leave it off and then tap it when you are getting close to the wall) to help keep me parallel. I pitch a worm or a jig with at least a half ounce weight right against the wall ahead of me and let it drop. There are usually ledges that the fish hold on and your bite will come within the first 5-15 ft of the fall. My water there is usually 30ft deep or more. Usually just a slight "tap" or watch your line (not too good at this yet).



Recently, I have tried to fish deeper water when it's really windy by using my electronics to find fish then I just start chucking different things out (deep diving cranks, jigs, c-rig) to see if I can get anything to bite. I am not expert but I usually feel pretty comfortable in those areas when the wind is so bad that I don't feel I have great control over the boat.



My hair always looks smashing after a good windy day on the water!

 

[Mini]

Mine too teri, mine too.

 

[Andrew Zuber]

I've got a solution for both of you...

LOL LOL

az

 

[TOMMY RICH]

South and West winds are easier to fish because they are not usually associated with cold fronts.

Like Tox stated...use em' to your advantage.

 

[Bass Tracker]

Yes these are as of now, 12MPH from the South, SouthWest.



Thanks all for the tips.

 

[Eddie Payne]

I heard Edwin Evers put it best one time, fish into the wind, you have better boat control. Sure it will eat batteries after a while. Also when the wind is blowing into a bank, the baitfish get blown up to. The last month or so with a southeast wind, the birds have been stacked up along the bank picking off baitfish. And where there is bait.......

 

[Teri C.]

I never used to fish the muddy water along the shore where the wind was blowing. Always thought the water was "too dirty" to hold fish. Boy was I wrong. On several occasions I have seen boaters pull hogs out of that muddy water. They are right above...bait fish.



I hate fishing with a spinnerbait but became a believer in a tournament where my boater started throwing a spinnerbait to the edge of the grassline, especially on points, when the wind kicked up. I started throwing one too and hooked a few myself. My lakes here don't have alot of grass but if I find it when it's windy I throw a spinnerbait to it and I will run it threw the grass if I can.

 

[Ken Neeley]

Double-fluke rig onto a wind-blown point....Yeeehaaaw!!!

 

[Jim B]

Double-fluke rig onto a wind-blown point....Yeeehaaaw!!!

Replace that fluke with a spinnerbait and your onto something.....

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Neeley, you and that crazy double fluke rig:lol::lol::lol: Next it'll be a tube rigged above a dancin eel and a nose hooked Banjo minnow trailer:lol::lol::lol:



Teri, a pattern on Lake Anna in the summertime when all of the pleasure boaters get out there in force is to fish the mud line along the bank that gets created from all of the wakeboard boat wakes. The mudline usually comes out about 3 to 5 feet and you position your boat parallel to the bank and throw a crankbait along the mudline so that it wobbles in and out of the muddy water as you retrieve it. Largies will SMASH it. Shoot, there goes another one of my secrets.



TOXIC

 

[Chris F.]

10-15 mph is calm here in Kansas!!

 

[Ken Neeley]

Tox,

Wait until you see my new bed-fishing rig in a couple of weeks when you're here....it's gonna be crazy!!!



And....weren't you there when Nick and I schooled you boys on the double-flukereeno???

 

[Texas Transplant]

Hey, I've used a double fluke rig before. Great action and works! Leave my drinking/wing eating buddy alone!



Tex

 

[Dan J.]

The wind is your friend!! We smoked'em today, burnin' 1/2 oz. keel weighted spinnerbaits with little willow blades, until the wind died. Drove a bit in the calm looking for any breeze and had to switch up to plastic in brush and deep Fish Head Spin dragging. (16+lbs. best five, all earlier from windy points.)



Position your boat into the wind and make long casts diagonally cutting the wind (quartering away) to the target up on or real dang near the bank. Big fish only need a few inches of water to live/hunt. In my area the fry and shad/herring spawn is up on the banks and totally at the mercy of the wind. Fish will position themselves to intercept these easy targets with the wind crashing waves down on them and slopping up the water. (Remember, pigs LOVE slop!) This turbidity disorients fry and makes easy pickings for hungry bass. (Spots the case today.) Make sure your TM and batteries are adequate and try burning a blade on windy, main lake points and see if your opinion of wind might change. Good luck!

 

[Bass Tracker]

Thanks alot DAn. Going to try this for sure. I will update