How to fish for bass on WINDY days???

[mlvaj]

Just wondering how you guys would fish for bass on windy days? I was out yesterday and I couldn't get the boat to stay still out on the main lake (trolling motor not strong enough) so I figured I stay in the bay and see if I could come up with some decent fish. Well, I ended up getting some one pounders fishing docks but nothing much. Do the bigger bass stay out where the wind is or are they just shut down? Any tip is appreciated.

[RK]

Hiya -

This is going to sound nuts, but - as long as it's not so strong that you can't control the boat, I love fishing on windy days. Wind gets the whole food chain in gear. Gets fish up out of thick cover, and makes them a lot easier to get at, especially on clear water.

When I'm fishing wind, crankbaits are really a good option. Get the wind behind you and you can launch them a mile, you can cover water fast with them, and they are dynamite on active fish. In shallower or around cover, spinnerbaits are just as good. If you have to fish precisely (cold front or something) it's tough if you have to try to fish soft plastics, so keep casts short, or better yet, fish vertically along a deep weedline with a drop shot, short Carolina rig, or split shot/Mojo rig. Amazing how many bass you can catch right under the boat, even in 7-8 feet of water.

You have to be on your toes with boat control, and when you're concentrating on presentation, boat control and keeping on a spot it can get hectic, so liberal use of markers to mark points, etc., helps a lot. But if you can handle the wind, you can have some dynamite fishing. Some of my best bass days ever have been on cloudy, windy days throwing cranks in August and early September.

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[sickembass]

fish coves downwind ! as the wind enters the cove, watch the shore line... the wind will lap up against the shore... here is where the fish arrrhh!

be ready they'll be big and probably all species of bigger fish.

reason: all the bait fish are washed up into this area due to wind and current.

Big Bass ! ~ Big walleye / suageye

also same areas.. look for flats where the wind is hitting in cove " not the mouth of cove or inlet "

again where wind bends around into inlet and hits the shore.. is key.. you will have more hits than you know what to do with

[CALVINIST]

I'm going to get out in my float tube tonight. Works great in the wind!

[TR21]

Plastics or jigs work well in wind, just use heavier weight.

Some of my best days have been with Texas rigged worms and 1/2 oz worm weights or 1/2 oz. jigs and pigs. I agree, it can be a bit hectic on the trolling motor casting and keeping position but it usually makes for some memorable fishing. Just watched,again,the BASS out on Lake Erie fishing for smallmouth in 20 mph winds and dropshotting trying to maintain position and keeping spots. They were battling 4-6 ft. waves but most of them just clobbered them. So it is possible just more patience needed.

[Lunker]

I second RK. Crankbaits and spinnerbaits on the windblown sides. Fishing plastics(besides heavier jig type presentations) can be good but tend to be a little frustrating unless using heavy presentations.

[SledNeck]

windy days are the best days for bass

[MN Shutterbug]

windy days are the best days for bass

And the most tiring.

[Ray Esboldt]

Yesterday was a poor example of how good fishing can be on windy days. Wind that is attempting to stabilize a high pressure system after a strong low is not so good. That may explain why it was difficult. General wind or wind that proceeds a low are great. I love waking up to humidity and wind.

Cranks are a great choice, but if you can position the boat in such a way or use the wind itself, the jig bite can be awe inspiring. I might bump up to a 3/16 oz. jig in the wind, but I still want a slow fall. I've had fish swirl the surface in 10ft. of water while inhaling a jigworm in the wind.

Don't be afraid to anchor and be patient in the wind. The fish are on the hunt and will reposition frequently. Putting yourself in a high percentage spot can be money, but you need to be patient, and have a big anchor.

[river rat316]

Just bring your boat to a river in the spring and try and hold in the current, even better if there is wind pushing you around, even better if you are in a jet and have nothing holding the back end down (lower unit) and windy days on a lake will be a peice of cake. The only thing that gets tough is trying to figure out boat position on spots to take advantage of wind with your casts, casting a spinnerbait into the wind is not very fun.

Some of the things you can do to Minimize a underpowered trolling motor are control your drift with the wind (works well when casting spinnerbaits with the wind) you just have to use the big motor to go back up and reset your drift. Use a small wind sock, it will slow down your drift and help your control. If you have a really underpowered tm you can pretty much forget fishing jigs and plastics unless you do what Ray suggested and anchor, alot of the time I have mine ready to go on the front deck and will pitch it out when I get a bite just to see if there are more in the area you can pick off with a slower presentation.

Or you could just get Agapes 109lb thrust MG he has in the classifieds for $200 I picked one up from him last time he sold one for the same price and had it on my river boat for 3 years, was the best $$ I ever spent, but now my boat I have now is a bit small for 3 batteries.

[mww24]

wear rain gear. just kidding although helpful. someone mentioned drift socks. very good idea. another thing you could do. is turn your trolling motor around backwards and go down wind with the trolling motor slowing your drift down.

[Infishquinn]

Anything horizontal is preferred until you locate a mess of fish, then a heavy jig or texaposed plastic. Don't forget about the lipless cranks, they can be a great option to try. In my opinion horizontal baits really shine in MN on windy, rainy, or cloudy days. Luckilly they are the least frustrating things to throw then too. I don't have much success with horizontal baits on eutrophic MN lakes unless you have wind, clouds, or rain. Once in a while I'll get on a good crankin' bite without those conditions, but MN fish don't feed on bait fish as much as they do in the South. The wind blown side is typically the preferred side, as it blows bait fish in and gets everything churned up. If you are just out for fun and aren't that commited to finding the big girls for a tourney, or your tm isn't powerful enough, fish the calmer water, there will be some fish to be caught. Another good option is to go out on a river, there is typically much more protected water.