Fish & Rain

[WillTheThrill]

does it affect how they feed? Looks like I gotta tourney in the rain! Help!

[Stew]

During a sustained rain, pay close attention to what the wind is doing, line that with what we know about Bass behavior in relation to wind and cover, and you'll be on the right track.

[WillTheThrill]

Thanks for the tip Stew!

[JerseyFisher]

How do bass behave in windy situations?

[Bgolladay]

Thats what i was about to ask lol

[keithdog]

I've often found that on windy days, bass will often move out and prowel around more. Especially when it's overcast. Overcast windy days can be killer casting a spinnerbait on weedy points and shallow flats. Bass get more agressive on windy days. I believe the reason for this is because on windy days, visibility is down and the smaller fish are struggling to maintain their movments in the choppy water and bass by nature take advantage of whatever conditions will give them the upper hand. I've found that to be true with other preditor fish like pike and walleyes. A wind blown shoreline will stir things up and often you'll find a feeding frenzy going on. Remeber when fishing isolated structures, fish will usually be facing upcurrent waiting for food to wash their way. So place your boat so your lures come to the bass the same way. It's more natural to them. A shallow crankbait worked through cover is a great choice. Also, a jerkbait like the xrap worked irratically over the tops of cover like a minnow struggling in the wind blown current can be killer.

[nofearengineer]

That's good stuff, Keith. I'll be sure to try to incorporate it into my fishing more than I do now. Usually, windy fishing to me just meant not being able to wear my hat.

[Stew]

Originally Posted by JerseyFisher

How do bass behave in windy situations?

Keith speaks well here. Here is some of the science that backs up what experience appears to have taught him.

I would only add that leeward points, indentations, and other anomalies will tend to be hotspots due to the movement of both bait and suspended sediment into those areas.

I don't know which lake you'll be on, whether it is normally very clear or not, but especially in situations where the water is normally rather murky, that will exacerbate during ongoing wind, sometimes very considerably depending upon the bottom type and the duration and speed of the wind. In the most usual cases, you'll probably want to gravitate toward lures in colors appropriate for actively feeding fish in murky water and low light. Spinnerbaits with painted blades and/or crankbaits would be my first choices

Also, larger Bass may be slightly deeper than their sisters, depending upon the overall depth. A 3/4 or even 1 oz spinnerbait with the blade arm pinched downward toward the hook about a half-inch to one-inch from normal may be helpful, since both the weight and the mechanics of the bent down arm will facilitate greater depth while still allowing good retrieval speed for reaction strikes. I like to modify lighter spinnerbaits by tightly wrapping and then crimping down a layer or two of lead wire around the hookshank (not the bend), because it allows for greater downward drag and thus slower flutters during any pauses because the weight is distributed better; plus, any plastic trailers threaded over it won't budge.

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