Wind: How does it affect your approach to fishing?

[Fishaholic]

If it's just a mild breeze, it doesn't affect my approach choices too much, but if there's a stiff breeze - 20 - 30 mph, then 9/10 times you'll find me on the shore the wind is blowing towards and casting straight into the wind.

It's my feeling that the forage will be pushed to these areas by the current created by the pounding wind and that the predator fish for the most part will be facing the wind, waiting for a morsel to be pushed in their direction.

I also like to fish the inside corners of windswept points too...for all the same reasons.

What are your thoughts?

[Mike Cork]

Im with you Fishaholic. No matter what the strength of the wind is I will always be found fishing in it. I also like to think the majority of the fish are facing into the current being created by the wind and will try to position my boat so that my lure presentation will accomidate this theory.

I don't  believe that all the fish in any given body of water will move to the windy banks but I do believe that the fish in the area of the windy banks will be more likely to feed.

[Fishaholic]

I hear what you're saying...that thing about the fish gravitating to a wind swept bank may have something to do with the fact that I'm primarily a shorebound angler and consequently am probably fishing smaller bodies of water where because of the size of the impoundment, that does happen or occur more consistently...I realize that won't happen on a large reservoir, but in isolated areas within the given reservoir I believe you'll still find it occurs.

[HoosierAngler]

I'm with you Fishaholic! It seems to help me dial down on what to throw, usually a Rat-l-Trap or a spinnerbait.

[Bassnfreek]

I have found that the wind can make a big impact on clear water lakes more so than stained or muddy water lakes! If I am fishing clear water I use the wind to my advantage! Muddy or stained water I look more for calmer water with grass and laydowns! This is how I factor in the wind on my fishing trips!

[BIG PAPA]

I totally agree with what Mike is saying, a  wind blown shoreline will not necessarily have more Bass on it but that the Bass already there will be likely to take advantage of the situation , therefore more likely to be in a feeding mode.

papa

[kevin dahlke]

If the wind is blowing pretty good, then you will find me there. With the disturbance of the water, I feel that it gets the baitfish going and when there is active baitfish the bass usually are not far behind. This also allows you to cover water a bit quicker with faster and bigger baits. Burning a spinnerbait under the surface can activate a feeding frenzy. A crankbait banging along the bottom can really draw some big bites as well. A lot of fishermen will avoid fishing in the wind, but the next time that it is windy, give it a try and you may be pleasantly surprised in what you are catching.   

Kevin D

[Fishaholic]

Just watched a special InFisherman where they discussed wind effect on the bite...one point they illustrated was on any given piece of structure, the fish will move to the windswept side of the structure, so that if you fish a hit and run method, you'll know if you take 6 or 8 casts to the windswept side of the structure without connecting, to move on to the next one.

[Mike Cork]

Very good point. The wind will definitely position the fish on sub structure, which makes it easy for us to target what should be the active fish on the structure with out wasting a lot of time fishing the whole thing.  Some sub structures can be quite large and it would take half a day to cover them completely but if you have a stiff wind then you can key on the most productive areas and then press on.

[SenkoSam]

For me, wind can stir up activity but not always on the windward side. Wind direction in relation to the structures lines and shape can make a big difference. Let me use a rectangular shaped lake as an example.

The smallest sides are to the north and south; the wetlands are along the west shore and contain the most dense and extensive weed beds; ditto for the south shore which is divided by a point. The north point divides a rocky flat in two.

ie. 1 The wind is from the south and blowing waves to the north flat and point which have a depth of 2-6'.
The baitfish aren't there in any large numbers and neither are the bass. The south end is much calmer, but little is going on there. The moderate chop and flow is parallel to the wetlands which contains the most forage (seen with a sidescanner) under and just outside the weeds. If you can control the drift working lures from cover to open water, you get more bites than if you stayed on the points all day.

ie.2 The wind is from the sw and pushing wave around the points. I position myself on the lee side, cast across the point  and work the lure from chop to calm. The waves ares flowing around the point creating a current, just as the south wind did to the west shore. The break is formed by the choppy water running into calmer water and that's where I usually find bass and other species.

ie.3 The wind is from the east - the fish bite least lol  The west shore is blasted by wind and waves and the fish are way back in the wetlands, maybe, but they're not biting.  Time to find bass in the ne and se protected  coves, as well as the current break around the points, but again facing into the wind. The north and south shores have current parallel to them and enough cover to hold baitfish. The west shore has a few docks, but little good structure to hold fish or baitfish.

The only spot on the east shore, is the outflow that has current funneling toward and over the dam and through the gates. The area is calm, but current exists on either side, over hard, sandy flats containing submerged weeds. Baitfish are present on the flats on either side and spinnerbaits or traps can work the are to catch a few.

My home lake was used as an example to illustrate my opinion that a wind-formed current-break is key and that a calm area can hold more fish than wind blasted areas, depending on their depths.

Mid lake humps are a toss up, but I prefer a warm wind pushing water over them and then try to find forage schools with the sidescanner. I will anchor after marking the area with marker buoys.

Sam

[Fishaholic]

Calm areas can hold more fish, but it's been my experience that the more aggressive fish are in the areas blasted by the wind.

With patience and finesse, you can catch the other fish, but then you have to take into consideration whether or not time is a factor.

As to the "wind from the east" saying...and the "wind from the north" saying, my response is simply BS. There's always fish to be caught somewhere, but it's the puzzle for us to decipher...after all, they call it Fishing, not Catching.

[bass1cpr]

 The old saying wind from the east fish bite least,wind from the west fish bite best.Wind from the north don't venture forth,wind from the south blows the bait in the fish's mouth, isn't really about wind. It's the frontal passages that create those winds. North and east winds are usually unstable frontal passages, west and south are usually more stable frontal conditions. Barometric pressure does have affects on the feeding habits of bass and other species.

[Fisher With Pride]

wind affects alot
ive caught fish in the wind before but it is rare
fish dont rly like( bass) to come to the mid of the water during windy days over here
the curent gets stronger and the bass dont rly move so hre it is hard to fish in the wind
i would say from the advice i have gotten get a heavier bait to cast out and then let it sink for a litle then drag if needed

[Sc Bassin]

WOW 30 knot winds, I'll be cleaning my equipment on that day. The fish will position its self facing the water movement & it's best to bring the bait toward the fish. That is not always possible so use the best angle you can. I would rather be fishing than picking out a professional override.

[silversalmon]

I am with you Fish, I will throw into the wind and fish that bank that it is hitting. That is where all the bugs end up, that is where I am

[cable guy]

always remember when the wind is crashing into the banks someone will be catching fish throwing a spinnerbait,you can bet on that,i willbe one of them

[earthworm77]

I always fish windblown areas

[Steve_W]

I love fishing wind blown points. I look for a point where the wind is blowing across the point,then I come from the backside casting into the wind and coming across the point,where the point starts to drop off is where the fish will stack up waiting for the bait fish to be blown across the point and maybe injured in the shallow water and blown across to the deeper water(great place to put the limit of keepers into the boat).
then don't forget the calm side of the lake (a good spot is a good spot wind or not)
I use them throughout the day to take a break from the wind ( also helps keep the T-motor battery good for the whole day)

[RRogue]

I hate fishing in the wind!What I like is a light ripple on the water.I think it improves my odds at catching bass (my home lake is fairly clear).

[pegleg]

I'm with you RRogue I don't care to fish in a strong wind. The biggest reason is that I fish from a row boat and its hard to position my boat quietly. Some of the lakes I fish are pretty clear and a chop on the water makes it easier to sneak up on the cover I want to fish. I don't mind a breeze on the lake but if its blowin hard I'll launch the boat on the up wind side of the lake and tell my wife to pick me up at a ramp on the other side later in the day.

[Creel Limit Zero]

 

Had to revive this thread, thanks to all the tips here, I had a good day on the water.  I usually would have given up with the wind picking up today, up to 20 MPH, but I gave it a go and had some success.  Here is what I did.  This is copied from my fishing report from MD state fishing report board...

After that the wind picked up dramatically, so I decided to try the few things I remembered from the thread.     One was to look for structure that the fish will be able to get relief from the wind and current caused by this wind.  Well the second cove I went in had several large boulders in 8-10 feet of water.  So I C-rigged a worm to get it down and threw it just past the boulder, and jerked it, then let it settle, right past the side of the boulders I thought the fish would be holding.  Fourth cast, bang, a nice 3 pounder. 

The other thing I remembered was to cast into the wind, and drag it across some wind swept points.  Well there is tiny little rock island north of the libery road bridge.  I went up there with the same carolina rigged worm and cast into the wind, and dragged it past the points, hit another 3 bass there.   

Thanks to all the contributors, and thanks Ultimate Bass!   

[Ouachita]

I'm convinced wind energizes otherwise stale water with new oxygen, and that attracts baitfish immediately to the best water, and that's usually going to be a wind-swept shoreline, especially one with large rocks to break the water up. I'm pretty disappointed not to have wind on a fishing trip. On quiet days the fishing is just tougher, the fish easier spooked. I can get right over bass in wind churned water and flip to them 10 feet away. I only lose options like walking the dog with a topwater and a few other lures that wouldn't be noticed in competition with waves and milky water.

When the wind is too high for staying out in it I head for one of several island groups where a couple of islands funnel water through a narrow strait. No matter which wind direction, there will be two making the perfect funnel that catches baitfish getting close to enjoy the activated water and gets them swept through the funnel to the lee sides. That's where I wait for LMBs to follow the baitfish through. There are always some shallow water bass already there coming in from downwind our out of a creek expecting to intercept baitfish blowing in off the main lake. If the wind holds up strongly, the bass keep coming and the feeding frenzy continues until the wind stops. On the backside of those islands, usually positioned in a side pocket facing the strait I'm out of the stronger wind but benefitting from it. That can be some of the best bassing to experience. Once the bass are there it's just a matter of finding the perfect lure that gets plenty of hits and hooks them well enough to boat them.

Jim

[avid]

I still haven't quite got the fishing figured out when it's windy.  Down here in SE Florida the wind can get pretty strong, especially if a t-storm is blowing in.  I have my worst succes in these conditions. One thing I will try differnet from reading this thread is to cast over the fish and retrieve the lure in the direction they are most likely facing.  The more I think about this the more I realize that this is what has worked best for me.
thanks for that advice.

[Ouachita]

I rarely cast directly upwind in strong wind. That easily fouls the lure and gets me some backlashes the moment I stop concentrating for the perfect cast. I cast low and at an angle to the wind, most often 90 degrees to it or downwind. If across wind I use wind current to drift the lure slightly downwind to be more natural with prey movement. I might drift with the wind to keep the lure in the best attitude, then motor back up for another cast and drift. If downwind I'll let a lure work away from me as much as practical, drifting down current if it has some action or topwater appeal. If the primary forage is baitfish in a rough lake I don't worry about needing to make a lure always follow the wind since when being pursued by bass the little fellers tend to swim in whatever direction needed to escape hungry bass.

When the water surface is messed up it really isn't necessary to have long casts since bass can't see you like they can with a clear surface. That's a good time to fish vertically right over bass, flip, or pitch short distances having positioned right among the fish. The churning surface provides excellent cover for them much like a floating mat of vegetation, blocking light yet exciting them.

With little or no line being whipped by wind I can feel strikes much better, so I hold the rod tip on the surface or below it. A 7 foot rod really helps there. Good boat positioning is critical. I try to hold the boat still pointing into the wind to minimize rocking it. If allowed to bob up and down strike detection is minimized and I lose contact with the lure, not knowing what it's doing.

Strong winds often indicate a pre-frontal weather condition which signals a feeding frenzy. Once a front moves across the bass will change position in the water column or go back into cover or relate closer to structure, harder to pin-point. When the water calms back down after front passage the bite usually drops off until I can figure out what they did about that. The same is true hunting. Just before a storm or front passage deer, turkey, squirrels, you name it are out foraging, sometimes scampering around, much easier to see moving in dense woods. Afterwards the deer recline on high spots, the one knob in the middle of a flat. If they move they are stealthy since now they lack the cover of a noisy surrounding. Animals match their movement to whatever their environment affords them security-wise.

Jim

[Ouachita]

I can't remember a tournament that didn't have at least one day with a lot of wind. At first I was very discouraged, thinking about giving up rather than take risk or try to learn to feel strikes better under difficult conditions. But I learned it is essential to master windy fishing, or quit tournament fishing. Until then a tourney angler is handicapped on that day, outfished by competitors, and there is little or no chance of catching up on a post-frontal day. It takes too much time to re-locate fish.

If strike detection is too difficult try using heavier, bulkier lures like spinnerbaits that give direct vibrating feedback. If the vibration stops, set the hook. I'll admit it's extremely difficult to use a plastic worm or jig then, but there are plenty of alternatives, like Rattle Traps, spoons, most diving crankbaits that keep the line tighter. When the water temp is hot that's the time to burn that Trap. If there's a strike you'll know it even if a gust raises the bow 5 feet in the air. Well, that's my limit, time to quit, but I have caught large bass with the boat doing wild things. It usually takes a partner yelling "PLEASE get off'n this here lake." to make me give up.

Jim