Fishing in the wind

LGBASS20LB · Post by **LGBASS20LB** » Fri Jan 03, 2003 9:30 pm

Is the fishing any good in the wind? I've been fishing when it has been very windy and i never seem to catch anything? Is this because of the water being disturbed by the wind or some other thing that bass pick up on ???

Rodney Birditt · Post by **Rodney Birditt** » Fri Jan 03, 2003 10:45 pm

When I fish in the wind, I find a point and face the wind it's hard to cast into the wind depending on how hard it's blowing but the results payoff 90% of the time because the fish are also facing into the wind waiting for bait fish to be blown their way. So my answer would be yes wind is good as long as it's no hurricane force wind.

P.S. Have good trolling motor and batteries.

Sincerely Yours...........
Rodney Birditt Aka: (Fishhead)

d.mcgarry · Post by **d.mcgarry** » Fri Jan 03, 2003 11:16 pm

Please define wind,ie direction and force? I always try to fish into the wind and a ripple always makes it a little easier. Wind effects boat control and casting ablilty. Wind can frustrate and it will effect presentation,ie lure weight and selection. The wind question is answered in Dave Hawk's 100 years on Bass. I have had times when the wind pushed grass or other slop on to the arear I was fishing or pushed against the current and tide slowing the bite down. Good Bassin Dan Bass

brianc · Post by **brianc** » Sat Jan 04, 2003 1:05 am

"The wind is your friend" - the wind is more often an ally than an enemy. It puts fish in predictable locations, much like current.

Many guys will shy away from the wind for sake of an easier presentation in a calmer area, however a wind beaten point or bank can be the ultimate hotspot. The wind does many things for you - it disrupts the surface so fish dont get such a clear look at your bait, it tends to push baitfish up into defined areas, it stirs the bottom up and consequently gets the crawfish moving, and it creates current "edges" where fish can feed easier.

Especially in warmer water, dont be afraid to jump on the saddle and do battle with the wind!

johnnie crain outdoors · Sat Jan 04, 2003 2:00 am

As always, the pro staff have answered a great question about the wind. I love fishing in the wind, except when it's from the east or northest. These are usually hard times, wind from the east, fish bite the least, I believe that old tale. While I don't like full blown gales, I have won tournaments fishing when the waves were splashing my kneecaps, trolling motor on high, going nowhere and bilge pump working overtime. Those events wern't fun, tornadoes going through. As for your average wind, I much prefer that over a calm day, it does seem to activate the fish, I'm not sure the wind really blows bait fish into an area, here's why, I think that bait fish could easily escape the current by going deep, I feel they move into the wind swept banks seeking plancton to feed on just as the preditor fish move in to forage. Lots of guys disagree with me on that subject and I respect their opinion and they respect mine. Bassin' is like that. In windy situations I ALWAYS opt for a crankbait or spinnerbait. These baits are easier to use than a worm or jig in the wind and since the fish are active, they are more likely to chase a bait. Use the spinnerbait just below the surface with a fast retrieve, dig the crankbait into the bottom to replicate a crawfish. Good advice about fishing into the wind. It may be easier to drift with the wind, but large numbers of fish won't see your presentation or it will look unnatural to the fish, going against the flow. The only time I avoid wind is during the very early spring, I want to fish calm, sun drenched banks and pockets. Didn't mean to write a book, just trying to help. Good post! Johnnie Crain, Iowa Pro Staff

Don House · Post by **Don House** » Sat Jan 04, 2003 3:25 pm

I agree with the rest of this great Pro Staff. Wind can be your best friend, and your worst nightmare. But more times than any the wind is the key to my success. Wind places the bait fish in easy to find areas, such as along the clam sides of boat docks, beaver dams, trees anything that will make the flow of water change from the rest. Just go out and keep trying it will pay off.. Good Fishing

Eat Sleep Fish

MMT · Post by **MMT** » Sat Jan 04, 2003 4:56 pm

I always used to say "wind is the enemy", of course this depends on how you approach it. It is funny how in a tournament, you can watch the magority of the field seeking the clam lake areas to avoid the wind. Not me. I go right for the wind blown banks. Here the chop has dirtied the water up a bit, super oxygenated it and pushed baitfish close to a predictable ambush point for bass. The bass will be facing the wind and you have a classic textbook area. Guys just don't like to fumble with their boat control, I guess that is why many stay away from the gales. Case in point- this past season we had a tournament on a lake that is known for numbers and an occassional brute. 25mph winds, heavy rain and sleet at one point all but dictated a tough event. I was the only angler who ventured off the fish in the wind. Everyone else stayed in the "lee" area. Had I not dropped a 2 lber in my trolling motor, I would have had over 11lbs. But I finished with 9lbs and the win. Second place was under 2lbs. I had a one two punch of a spinnerbait and a Spit n Image all day. I caught close to 40 bass while most guys zeroed, I had to fight through all of the guppies to get a keeper. The problem I see is guys are so bait locked into one type of lure...say a senko or a worm, that they can't fish it effectively in the wind.

6.54BASS · Post by **6.54BASS** » Sat Jan 04, 2003 7:48 pm

I guess there is a "bonus" to living in Nebraska, if there is no wind on the lake, then wake up from the nap and go fishing!! The wind never seems to stop here. If I am "fun" fishing, I will try to find a spot as out of the wind as possible just for a little more enjoyment. If it's in a tourney, I look for the wind blown banks and points, they just seem to be more productive for me.

Eric · Post by **Eric** » Sat Jan 04, 2003 8:04 pm

Most times wind can be a real positive element. It breaks up the waters surface allowing the sunlight to be filtered giving bass almost the same security as cloud cover, wind will create current and put bass and bait in predictable areas, it will at times create enough turbulance to stain the water ( normaly close to the bank ) and disorient baitfish, giving bass the edge.

But what about the negative affest of wind? Obviously if it is associated with a strong cold front and dropping the water temp it can put bass into a negative mood. There are other factors along with wind that when combined can make fishing very tough.

The one particular situation that comes to mind is wind and tidal waters. Normaly tidal waters are surrounded by terrain that is favorable for wind. ( flat, swampy and non -mountainous. ) In my opinion the worst conditions on tidal water is when the wind is blowing against an outgoing tide. This causes the water to back-up and doesnt allow the tide to go out as fast. This can kill you in a tournament. To much water and the bass get back into places where they are hard to reach or get spread out. Tidal bass are notoriously non aggressive during slack tides and the wind will sometimes lengthen the time of dead water. So too can the opposite be true if the wind will not allow the tide to come in.

My personal least favorite element that wind may cause is extreme water conditions. Im talkin waves boy!! Anyone that has been 30 miles from the launch when the wind picked up to 30-40 miles an hour on a large body of water knows what I mean. A half an hour run in the morning may take over an hour, and besides the obvious safety concerns it drasticaly cuts your fishing time.
This past year during our state classic on the Cheasapeake bay we had 20 - 35 mile an hour winds blowing up against the outgowing tide. This is big water and the tide fighting against the wind made it a little scary. I was about 25 - 30 miles from the launch site and across the bay when it got real bad. I left my area ( thankfully with a limit ) 3 hours early. What is normaly a 20 - minute run turned into a quest!! It took me 25 minutes to travel 3 miles! I cant say how big those waves were but they swallowed my 20 Skeeter like a rubber duck! For ten minutes or more ( felt like forever ) I only had a glimpse of land, not because of my distance offshore, but because the waves created huge walls of water that just surrounded us. At idle speed I had to run both bilge pumps constantly to keep the water out of the boat. And I never speared a wave, the wind was just blowing the tops off them and it was like someone was standing over you with a hose.

When I returned to the launch some called me crazy, but I am too competitve to ignore my fish. All that said, wind can be a killer to both fishing patterns and anglers. Please use caution when fishing big water in wind, if I had to decide whether or not to cross that water again I dont think I would do it.