Wind
Wind can be a fisherman's friend or enemy.
Wind makes current and the current concentrates plankton and
baitfish in the downwind areas of reservoirs. Current is usually
only one or two percent of the wind's speeds, most anglers overestimate
the wind-induced current. The two keys of fishing current is
fishing downwind and fishing behind objects that will help block
current.
The wind helps put oxygen in the water. This makes the bass
more active. Wind can sometimes make bass bite topwater plugs
in winter, but really strong winds can push bass down deep. Bass
in murky water are more easily effected by strong winds because
they are usually shallow and the wave noise effects their lateral
line senses and hearing.
Steady winds concentrate baitfish near shore, and we all know
wherever the baitfish are at, the largemouth aren't far away.
When bass are near shore I like to use lures that allow me to
fish the water quickly, these lures include lipless cranbaits,
spinnerbaits, shallow-running crankbaits, and topwater plugs.
Strong winds will sometimes force the bass into deeper water
because of the turbulence made my waves. When the bass are in
the deeper water they are usually harder to find because they
are more spread out. You can usually find them around mid-lake
points and really almost any deep-water structure. If the bass
are around points Carolina rigs, spoons, and jigs are my "go
to" baits. If the bass are around timber you can use a variety
of lures depending on how the bass are suspended on the structure.
Usually vertically jigging spoons and weedless jigs around the
structure helps bend the poles and tighten the lines, but you
can also you deep running crankbaits and spinnerbaits.
Boat trails through vegetation tends hold a lot of bass during
light winds. Bass will stay on the downwind side of the vegetation
waiting for the current to push baitfish through the channels.
Usually baitfish imitation lures will work best in these situations.
If you are fishing on the main part of a river you can find
bass on the backside of obstacles in the water. Bass hide behind
these obstacles to escape the current. Fast moving baits like
crankbaits and spinnerbaits work best because the bass are more
active because of the higher oxygen level.
So don't forget use noisy fast moving lures like spinnerbaits,
cranbaits, and topwater plugs, and always cast upwind and retrieve
back downwind. The key to fishing artificial lures is to mimic
real bait. You'll never see natural bait moving upwind. Fish
behind objects that will block current in rivers and fish windy
banks on lakes. If you take the right notes you'll be an excellent
windy day fisherman.
Chris Stevens
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