Ugh... Wind...

[BigBassin144]

Hey everyone. For the last few days we have had nothing but cold north and east winds 10-25mph. In fact, right now the wind is 23mph and out of the NE. I know that north and east winds are not the best for fishing, and IMHO, neither is 25mph winds.

What do you guys do when the winds pick up and the temps to the opposite? Normally I'd just not go fishing, but I'm getting bored with looking in catalogs and website at fishing stuff I can't afford. And I'm REALLY tired of looking at the fishing stuff I have (that I also couldn't afford) just sitting there. As some of you may know, we have four season here in Ohio: Summer, Almost Winter, Winter, and finally, Still Winter. Anyway's I'd like to get some more fishing in before we pack away the bass gear and start preping the ice fishing gear.

Thanks, once again,
BB144

[JB]

Try the rattletrap and spinnerbait, both are the best lures to fish in the wind
Try the windy side of the pond.

[carolina-rig-01]

the big thing that all guides around here say about our local lakes "find the wind and you'll find the fish". when it is up there at 20+ mph it can be tough to fish but it is still your best bet. like jb said a rattle trap is a good bet as is a spinnerbait or crankbait.

[BigBassin144]

JB, with 25mph winds, the whole 1/2 acre pond is windy. the thing is we have no weeds or anytihng in the pond so there is nothing for the wind to blow around in the water.

Unfortunately, I only have one Rat-L-Trap. Lost my other. The one I have is a floating one. Wait! I do have one more, My 1 1/2 oz musky rat-l-trap.
Thanks for the advice guys!

BB

[JB]

Any time the wind is over 15 mph, it makes for some hard fishing and boat control. This weekend in the midwest the wind is supposed to die down, after two days of 30+ mph gusts . I'd crank and then crank some more.

[carolina-rig-01]

bigbassin...wind will do more than just blow stuff around in the water. it can also cause water to become more colored (around here on these clear lakes this is huge), it also will let less light penetrate the water, this can also make fish more active.

[Mac10]

If you are shore fishing, you want to fish the downwind side of the lake or pond, especially if its been windy for some time. In other words, fish the part of the lake where the wind is blowing into your face.

If the wind blows long enough in one general direction, it blows the zooplankton (minnow food) over to that side of the lake. Minnows feed, then the bass come in and feed on the minnows. Also, when you reel in your bait, it's now going in the same general direction as the wind and the current the wind may be causing, seeming to be more natural to the fish.

Three years ago, here in Tennessee, we had a wind that lasted a couple days. It blew across the lake steadily during the daytime and blew against the rip rap along a roadside at the edge of the lake. One fellow made one pass with his bassboat casting a medium sized spinner bait having a silver fat willowleaf blade (also called a turtleback blade), a chartreuse lead head, and a white/chartreuse skirt. He'd trimmed the skirt a little and used a rounding cut to mimic the curve of the hook, and probably left it a quarter to a half inch longer than the hook. He was casting at a 45 degree angle to the rip rap and in one pass, caught and weighed three bass. The first was 3 pounds, the second went 5.4, and the last one just over 7. Boat control was difficult, but he managed to do well nonetheless.

I'd suggest, even though you will be throwing out instead of into the shore, that you still try the 45 degree angle casting.....move one step along the shore after each cast, and move slowly. Try to wear dull colored clothing to match your background. The angle casting covers a variety of depth as you bring it in.....try different speeds of retrieves as well as pausing occasionally, just mix it up until you find the best one.

[brushhog]

Great advice Mac. We have the same seasons here in Central New York, I like throwing a spinner bait into structure on the wind blown bank, the one the wind is blowing into. Try anything that makes some noise and can be bounced around a bit in structure

[Charles E. White]

Here's an article I wrote several years ago about fishing in the wind. Hope it helps.

Fishing in the wind is really a pain sometimes, you get backlashes
and you throw your lure out and it lands about 10 feet in front of you. Fishing in the wind is just horrible... or is it?

A friend and I went fishing in California one time after I told him about a little lake I liked to fish. When we started out to the lake it was a little chilly but by the time we got there it was freezing. I don't ever remember of it being so cold before and the wind had to be blowing 30 miles an hour.
I wasn't dressed real warm but my friend was wearing a coat. I started to get out of the truck and that wind and cold hit me and about froze me to death in a matter of a second. He said he was going ahead and try fishing since he had a coat and we drove to the lake. I sat in the truck thinking how he has to be freezing and what a waste of time fishing would be especially in all this wind. Well, about 5 minutes later, here he comes hauling this bass in that went over 5 pounds. You can understand my amazement in seeing that bass he's holding. He was a happy fisherman and I was warm but no fish. So, let talk about what the wind really does besides being a pain and giving you backlashes.

First, a wind will will shake larva from the weeds and grass. This is the baitfish's prime food. The bait fish will be eating and guess what? So, will the bass.

Wind will make the waves hit the shore and cause muddy water. Bass will use the muddy water as an ambush point. They usually stay at the different color water edge where it turns from muddy to stained.

Wind can move warm water to a different location or if it's a northern wind can move the cold water to a warm water location. If the warm water is moved then you're in luck. Visa-versa isn't the best for catching bass.

Light will be lower in the water as wind reduces light penetration. The same reason we fish in early morning or at dusk will be a benefit to our fishing. One other thing the wind does is puts oxygen in the water which in turn can cause the fish to start biting.

So, as you can see there are many advantages to fishing in the wind. Here's something I see all the time, even by some pro's. They take their boat and go as far as they can then drift back using the wind to bring them back to a point where they started. This is a mistake, you want to fish in the wind. The reason being is you want to fish slower not letting the wind blow you past your lure before it even lands in the water.

I like to fish spinnerbaits when the wind is blowing hard, for one thing it is easier to detect a strike. I fish it more like a worm though then the usual method of a spinnerbait. I let it drop and use the tip of my rod to move it then let it fall again. I work it just fast enough to keep it from dragging the bottom.

The next time you want to catch some bass and you think the wind is blowing too hard, just think of some of the advantages it produces.

Not trying to be a know-it-all just thought it might help!

[Wags]

Quick question in regards to fishing in the wind. How often do you guys throw an anchor in and fish a particular spot for a few minutes as opposed to fighting the wind with the trolling motor. If the later is the preferred choice,...any advice on the best ways to maneuver to boat to optimize your time.

[lunker-lander]

Hey BB144, got an addition to your speil. It's also been windy(10-30 mph)for about 2 days straight at my house. I was wondering though,(after getting my two Scumfrogs, with complementary hat, in the mail),does topwater work well in the cold, windy, top of the water column?

-ll

[BigBassin144]

Charles, thanks for the article, that did help.

Wags, I am Shore bound so I can't help ya there.

LL, I have never tried topwaters in the wind. What kind of scumfrog? The only Scumfrog I use in the Bigfoot frog.

Thanks for all the help,
BB

[Bender]

For me top water is best with a small ripple from the wind, not the huge 30 MPH stuff we have been having.
Also I threw out my anchor the other day in the wind, but it wouldn't stop the boat. I was fishing alone and needed to retie a couple of things. The 15 lbs. did slow the boat down, but sometimes it is just extremely tough to fish in the wind.

[flbassman]

Big spinnerbait. Nuff said

[zooker]

spinner bait
nuff said...

zooker