Windy Days Strategy

[JB]

So ya hit the lake for a 8 hour day of bassfishing, got the trolling motor working fine, the batteries are all charged up, and what started out as a 10-15 mph wind about 8:00 in the morning, by 10:00 has changed to a sustained 20-30 mph wind..what type boat control do You use for the rest of the day?
A. Drift with the wind and cover water as quickly as possible
B. Take boat and point it towards the wind, and stand on the trolling motor
C. Avoid the windy coves and main lake, and hunt for calmer waters
D. Fish as normal and use a much heavier lures
E. Put the boat on the trailer and go to the house

The Kicker? after cruising the lake, you discover the wind is swirling and there's hardly anywhere thats OUT of the wind

What Would You Do?

[IL.bassin36]

I'm gonna go with B. Throw answer C. in there so you can take a break. Fighting heavy wind is tiring as heck.

[JB]

It is discouranging I agree and frustating to the boat handling

[nb1226]

I usually do B and fish the wind blown points and humps, if that doesn work Ill do A, then C if all that fails then E

[JB]

Ya almost need two trolling motors hooked up to fight that kinda wind.
I'd throw out the option to anchor, but not many of us carry/or use them.

[pig n jig]

Jb, find a stretch where the wind is pushing up on it good, position the boat to where the clean water hits the dirty water and drop anchor, so you can fish lateral to it,without having to stay on the trollin motor.Stay in the murky, or slightly stained water just outside the mud line.When I fish across the wind current,I can cover more water and I seem to get better results than if I fish with , or against the wind.P N J

[JB]

pnj,
that is a good strategy and i used it often, just trying to get members to think alittle so they don't get frustrated in wind n hit the ramp n trailer.
The mud line is a science in itself..many times people see it an avoid it, however as we all know it provides cover for a ambush spot for bass.
Plus once you really study the mudline, you will discover sometimes the sandy/murky mudline is actually only a few feet deep , and bass can hover directly under it, in the more clearer water.... on the other side of the coin, the mud line goes from top to bottom, and you key in on the break to clearer water. Its an overlooked tactic by many, i read about it years ago and just had to go out and try it , now its part of my arsenal..
Any lures come to mind? mines the heavy spinnerbait, cruise it through the muddy water, comes out in clearer water..hey its worth a shot on those windy days..a 3/4 ounce spinnerbait with gold blades is my first choice

[lizardsrule]

Originally Posted by JB

So ya hit the lake for a 8 hour day of bassfishing, got the trolling motor working fine, the batteries are all charged up, and what started out as a 10-15 mph wind about 8:00 in the morning, by 10:00 has changed to a sustained 20-30 mph wind..what type boat control do You use for the rest of the day?
A. Drift with the wind and cover water as quickly as possible
B. Take boat and point it towards the wind, and stand on the trolling motor
C. Avoid the windy coves and main lake, and hunt for calmer waters
D. Fish as normal and use a much heavier lures
E. Put the boat on the trailer and go to the house

The Kicker? after cruising the lake, you discover the wind is swirling and there's hardly anywhere thats OUT of the wind

What Would You Do?

You forgot to bring a spare battery rotfl I will usually go as straight into the wind as possible, boat positioning isn't as much of a problem when fishing alone, when you only have to worry about yourself getting casts in. I do hunt for calmer areas, and you can find them, maybe not smooth, but at least calmer. The size of boat vs trolling motor is also a big deal here. I now have a oversized trolling motor for my little boat, so I can get into any wind, unless it's a hurricane, and then I'm going with option E Of course you could also use a small anchor to slow your drift, or as you have stated, just throw a 5 gallon bucket over, or the drift sock(I don't own a sock so that's not a option for me though). If it gets to me too bad, then I again go with option E, but that's pretty rare, I will start cranking a lot more though. And usually have the spinning gear in hand LOL.

Lizards

[pig n jig]

JB, A Wave worm Bamboo stick on 17 lb test non flourocarbon line, with a a 5/0 Mustad hook, no sinker ? Why ?

[JB]

let that wind/wave action make that bait move in a classic U movement pnj, now move to the front of the class!