Windy Conditions

[Bender]

I finally got out to the lake across the street from my house after 3 weeks of living there. Map I fished for about 6 hours and not even a bite. I tried everything I have and moved around a lot. There were some other boats and they weren't catching anyhting either. I think maybe because it was pretty windy. Any tips to help in the wind?
This was also my first time using a bait caster (other than in my yard) and I think that I am getting a lot better, by the end of the day only bird nests if I tried to cast overhand.

[chuck n]

Here's my 2 cents. I'll usually head for the shoreline where the waves are breaking. The wind will push forage to the shallower water and hence the bass will follow. Also with the chop, it cuts the visibility down for the bass so they won't spook so easily from the shallows. I almost always use a spinnerbait in these conditions. It's a quick way to find aggessive fish and then you can always try something different once you've located them. Confidence is a real big factor in catching fish. I've got boxes full of baits but I only use a handfull day in and day out to get my limit. Give me a spinnerbait and some flukes and I'm confident. Yah, once you get confident with that baitcaster, you'll realize you can spend more time with lure placement and presentation which will definately increase your chances. Go get'em!

[JB]

Chuck,

\ thats some pretty sound advise, wtg!

I always grab the spinnerbait and buzzbait on windy days to start out with

[chuck n]

Thanks JB. It's a little breezy and cool out there right now and I'm getting goose bumps cause I'm heading out to my smallmouth hole in a couple of hours but then again I get goose bumps when it's hot and calm too.LOL Must be just that experience of being out there. Gotta love it.

[454ss]

Man i wish i lived across the road form a lake. how big is the lake? How many ppl live around it?

[bassthumb32]

Chuck N Was Right Go To The Bank Where The Wind Is Blowing. I Use Flukes More In This Case Than A Spinnerbait But Thats Up To You. Whatever You Have More Confidence With.

[Fishie]

Jigs and Cranks are also good on windy banks. If you got structure like fence rows that are getting hit by waves flip a jig to them. The waves will dislodge crayfish from the rows and make the bass more aggressive.

[zooker]

spinner bait rules the wind buddy.fished one in hurricane force winds- 70+mph gust- and i caught fish on it . even if the blade had enough gas behind it to get were i wanted it to the line would have a 30+ foot wind bow in it.

hey i have gotten pretty good at seeing a light bit with this much of a wind loop.


zooker

[JB]

I like to use the 3/4 ounce spinner with one big willow blade in heavy wind, and keep my cast at a "side arm" level low to the water, that way if I have to put a cast into the wind, my chances of backlash are reduced.

The heavier weight of the lead on that spinner plus the big blade make for a slower retreive, theres no sense in running it fast in big wind, the waves make a good chop and a perfect senerio for the "blade"

[lizardsrule]

I like to find sharper drop off banks, rock preferrably, with the wind blowing into it, and crank it. Chuck N's advice was excellent I will 3rd or 4th it.

Lizards

[pig n jig]

Bender, Chuck and the gang already gave you alot of good advice,I have a bit of a different twist to it. When the wind blows, I go shallow as the others do , but one thing I look for is a strong water current pulling around a point or anywhere there is a water current seems to produce more fish for me.A easy indicator is what I call the mud line. Near shore the water will get dirtier from the waves beating the banks, where there is strong water current pulling, it will look different than where there is no current , it won't be real dirty but a dark green color to it.That is where I have the best luck finding alot of fish in a smaller area.I really like fishing a senko on slack line in the heavy current. I stretch the senko out while dunking it to release the salt so air stays in the holes where the salt was to make the bait ride high in the water so it fishes over the fish and not under the fish. I hope this helps. P N J

[KH.]

this may seem wierd but wal-mart has these crankbaits by this company called renagade.thier really good when its stormy.in fact thats the only time i use it.i started getting when i was 9 years old.i had a tight budget(thier only 2 dollars so i get two or three)because they break, easily when you hit a rock on the cast or something like that.

[Rebbasser]

One thing I do in addition to what the others have said is keep a spinning rod with a trap tied to it handy. I call it my wind rod. I've been out when the wind was strong enough to blow the hair off a dog, and with a spinning rod I can throw it into the teeth of the wind without worrying about a backlash. The trap is low profile so it cuts the wind well, too.

[Mac1]

I bought a wind sock from Cabela's and it works exceptionally well for slowing your drift. We tied it amidships and then used our trolling motor occasionally in very short gentle bursts to adjust the drift to keep us near the weed edges. Just my two cents.

[bassthumb32]

i like to fish those kind of areas too pig n jig i think the baitfish get the feeling that they are hiding better in the muddier water.

[Bender]

Originally Posted by 454ss

Man i wish i lived across the road form a lake. how big is the lake? How many ppl live around it?

The lake is about 250 acres with half of the shore covered by houses. There are a lot of flat areas that are 3-5' deep. This is where I spent most of my time. I didn't try a buzzbait since the surface was so choppy but I will next time. I did throw a fluke in there but without luck. I will try to get out again this week even though it has gotten colder. Thanks for all of the help!

[Curado]

I love it when it's windy cause I love to throw a spinnerbait on windy banks and it's dynamite when the winds blowin good.

[Rebbasser]

Originally Posted by Mac1

I bought a wind sock from Cabela's and it works exceptionally well for slowing your drift. We tied it amidships and then used our trolling motor occasionally in very short gentle bursts to adjust the drift to keep us near the weed edges. Just my two cents.

Mac, I recently got one of those. Haven't needed it so far, but I know I will.

[lizardsrule]

Originally Posted by Mac1

I bought a wind sock from Cabela's and it works exceptionally well for slowing your drift. We tied it amidships and then used our trolling motor occasionally in very short gentle bursts to adjust the drift to keep us near the weed edges. Just my two cents.

We used this on lake Erie, and it did make a big difference.

Lizards

[pig n jig]

A drift sock is the first thing a fall fisherman will need, when fishing the steeper bluffs on the mainlakes. buy a next bigger size than they reccomend for the boat length if you haven't bought one yet. p n j