Fishing Resources

  Guide Service

By Andrew Ragas

Article Posted: August 21, 2006/ 9:00PM CST.

Wind can be a horrible factor to live with when fishing a decent-sized lake, especially from your boat. However, I am not speaking of windy conditions which enable a boat to be capsized. If you fish in those conditions, you are a fool! The wind I speak of is the type of wind which has waves of a foot or so, and wind which enables you to fish a drift. Windy conditions can be viewed in two ways for most anglers. Either you love it, or you hate it. For me, I love it!  

Wind has its advantages for many reasons. Most of these reasons involve the increased feeding activity from fish. To be more specific, this is what wind can positively do to one fishing outing.

1 - If it's sunny out, wind reduces light penetration [sun's rays] into water

2 - Increases the activity of zooplankton, which results in the activity of baitfish, which in turn, makes the predators (in this case, Bass) more active.

3 - Allows the angler to cover structure thoroughly/ mainly by drifting over a large expanse of sunken structure, or drifting alongside shoreline structure (when wind is going in direction you want to go)

4 - Wind churns up the water which creates more dissolved oxygen, resulting in the increased fish activity.

5 - Wind often sends most anglers back to sleep, or off to other lakes, or even to shelter. But if you can brave the conditions, you can score BIG on Bass, and can possibly have the entire lake to yourself!

For most people, fishing in the wind can be a living hell. Here's a list of reasons and BS excuses as why one angler would not want to stay out on the water.

1 - Wind makes me feed the fish - over the side of boat... yeah, kinda gross!

2 - Wind will capsize my boat.

3 - I don't know what the proper equipment for fishing these conditions should be. My worms will fly off the hook!!

4 - "Andrew, I think we should go back to bed. Too windy!" - My dad, from back in my early days as an angler.

5 - Boat positioning becomes a nightmare.

6 - Backlashes occur. In whichever reel you use.

The reasons as why an angler would not want to fish in the wind sounds like a form of laziness to me.

Anyways, when fishing the wind, there are a few things you need to remember. Mostly relating to proper tackle and boat positioning, here's what should be noted.

Getting to the spots

In two seasons of learning about fishing fronts and wind, as well as utilizing the wind and its offerings, I have found this method as being one of the best for catching Bass. Since I began fishing the wind as much as possible, it has become one of my best friends. Seriously.

< Wind, as seen at this 3,500 acre Northern Wisconsin Lake. Though it may not seem so bad near shore, the winds on this particular June, 2006 afternoon were up to 3-feet when out in the middle of lake. >

When the body of water you're fishing has wind that will drive you crazy, you motor up to the shoreline with ideal structure that is being pounded the most by wind and anchor your boat. Afterwards, ALWAYS cast with the wind.

However, if you want to cover some water, just drift! This will work if the direction of wind moves in the areas you want to fish. Finally, the direction of wind doesn't make any difference. It's just a personal preference. The way I see it, as long as there's wind and waves crashing into shorelines, you better get your boat over there and start fishing!

This doesn't sound that hard. In fact, it's very easy.

Tackle Talk

Besides boat positioning, using the proper fishing equipment is most important for fishing in windy conditions. If you're like myself and enjoy throwing spinnerbaits or crankbaits with baitcasting gear, you need to pay attention. Otherwise, don't read this article anymore.

The main lures I throw when it's windy are spinnerbaits and crankbaits. I use spinnerbaits when fishing water less than 6-feet. This usually covers the first breakline, and always works for fishing directly off shore. Crankbaits come in handy when drifting mid-lake bars, or when in search of suspended fish. With crankbaits, it's best to match the hatch. Apply this to any lake you fish and you will be rewarded. Prior to this, study the forage species first!

On the exact colors and sizes of lures, I try to be specific.

This Largemouth was the first of four consecutive fish in a 1-minute period, all on spinnerbaits

worked over a breakline from a dark and windy evening.

With using spinnerbaits, I try to use heavier sizes. Those that are around 3/8oz or larger work best. As for colors, It varies on the amounts of sunlight that comes with wind.

To be specific on the exact lures to try, here's a brief list of what you should give a try when fishing windy conditions.

The final pieces of tackle that needs to be assessed when fishing the wind is your rod, reel, and line.

For the rod and reel, I have a preference for a 6.5ft med. action casting rod. I use a Daiwa Procaster as well as a St. Croix Premier.

The casting reels you should use must have a gear ratio larger than 6:3.1. This exact gear ratio allows you to have a steady retrieve when working the preferred baits and if the time to burn your baits ever comes, you could burn and fish fast. The reels I use are plain and simple [nothing flashy]/ Quantum Accurist 500PTi and a Shimano Cardiff 200A. However, if you want to go the extra mile as I will be doing shortly, look into the Quantum Energy and Quantum Tour Edition casting reels.

As for the line I stick with 12lb line for spinnerbaits, and 10lb for crankbaits. I am loyal to Berkley Iron Silk [crankbaits] as well as P-Line CXX X-Tra strong and P-Line Floroclear [spinnerbaits].

Other pieces of tackle any fisherman may use is a spinning set-up. Usually a 6.5ft or 7ft rod with a reel spooled with 8-12lb line. This may be used to reduce the amount of backlashes caused by the wind. This is a good alternative to the baitcaster if you're not yet an accomplished caster. If you're not into fishing with spinnerbaits, give jerkbaits a try and if baitfish are in those shoreline areas you're fishing, match the hatch! A few good baits to try are Rapala Husky Jerks, Smithwick Rogues, Rapala X-Raps, and Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows. Those that suspend a bit seem to have an edge for me.

In conclusion, don't let your attitude against wind defeat you. If the weatherman prior to your morning of fishing predicts a windy fishing day, or if it's windy when you wake up at 4:00am, make the best of the weather and try to apply this pattern with your style of fishing.

Here's an example of when NOT to fish in wind.

Just remember people, we aren't discussing fishing through wind-storms, or fishing on lakes with white-caps. This is what both ingredients look like. Pretty amazing that this happened on my very own 23-acre lake this past June. If we were discussing about fishing in such horrible weather, this article wouldn't be written in the first place.

However, remember that safety on the water is always a first priority. If the waves from wind are too much for your boat to handle and if you feel uncomfortable, get off the lake! This is a common sense issue. And if you are a brave soul who enjoys the wind, don't forget to bring the camera and hang on to your hat! It will pay off!