Wind effects on location of fish in a river

[bronzeback]

I know wind can be a key factor in locating muskies on lakes, but do any of you know if wind can be a factor when fishing a river? After looking at tomorrow's forecast of 20 mph wind with occasional gusts to 40 I decided against fishing a lake because my boat just isn't built for that kind of beating.

Where i'm fishing is a narrower stretch in the mississippi than most and i was just curious if any of you knew if wind could play a big part in finding a fish or two tomorrow.

[Rmac]

I like wind for muskies, however I havent fished rivers much. One observation I have made on rivers is that it is really nice when it is blowing against the current so you can work back up-stream. I am not sure what I would do with 20mph going down-stream. -Probably just stated the obvious but just my observation, maybe look for angles on the river where you can work back up-stream.

[JRedig]

The only issue i've had on rivers is the funneling effect making the wind worse than it would be in a wide open area.

I can't really comment on how it affects the fishing as I haven't contact a muskie on the 'sippi this year.

[bronzeback]

Thanks for the input guys.

And yeah I'm expecting a few stretches with the funneling effect but with that comes a few stretches that will be practically windless so i think it's a good trade out.

I was hoping someone would know if a windblown shoreline or a windblown side of an island or brush pile would make a difference.

I'll just have to do the research myself and come back here with teh results.

[bronzeback]

The results are in. We fished today from about 2 pm til 9 pm we had our best luck (only luck) at the very end of a long stretch where the wind had been funneling down where there was deeper water and a very large tree in the water. For some reason there were multiple fish patrolling this area and after fishing there for 15 minutes another guy in my boat had hooked up and lost a 45+ fish boatside and then 3 or 4 casts later boated a mid 30's fish. We left the spot and went down river and came back to it again closer to sunset to see if the 45 he'd lost was still around. We never saw that fish but less than 100 yards down river my friend hooked into a 50 inch fish which made it to the boat.

All in all it was worth it to fish a day with all of this wind. And pictures of both fish will be posted in the Muskie Photos thread promptly.

[b1gf1sh1]

i know i'm late but maybe it helps next time.

this is based on my experiences on rivers. i fish them almost exclusively these days (20 years). 35 total. too bad grandpappy amos aint around anymore. he could hear and see a fish breath in 20 FOW, i swear.

theres so many variables it's hard to pin down a ''windy day'' to answer. but i'll cover a few. in rivers just like lakes muskie are where they're prefered food is. on a windy day on a river those baitfish hang where food is and where they can still swim or rest. some of the food is particles that blow of shore into the water. just like lakes. but with current the places it will go are enhanced. in lakes it is carried out, falls in the water and swept by waves untill it sinks to a depth it's not affected. rivers... not so. it can go anywhere.maybe florida and out to sea if on the 'sippi basin.

but if you study the area your in it's pretty easy to determine it. eddy's nearby are an obvious choice to look. i like to fish the edges of eddy's more when it's windy. if you can find an eddy that's formed by a partially submerged point that's a goldmine. bugs, bugs, bugs. good baitfish food. also particles will be on both sides of the point. upside eddy and downside slack. edges where the current picks up again and turns in after that point produce well for me. anywhere from 50 feet to 100 yards or more. depends on the areas. sides of islands, outer edges of bays next to islands or walls or other like structures produce. theres so many things. but eddy edges, or interior, and some kind of point or submerged structure work for me. where the baitfish are theres muskie if they want to eat.

don't forget rocks. especially near shore or submerged humps. might be plucking crayfish off the bottom. throw a bucktail.

[riverkid21]

I caught that 50 inch fish off the backside of a submerged rock point eddy. And we moved fish in the other areas you listed. Thanks for the input and the next windy day we will have to focus on those areas.