Sad to say, but many anglers view the wind in the same light as would-be Lance Armstrongs.Cyclists hate headwinds.
Anglers must work harder in a breeze to control their boats.
But, the wind is a fisherman’s friend. Active fish concentrate on the windy side of a lake or reservoir where the food chain goes wild and walleyes can use their keen sight and lateral lines to their advantage. Even at midday, the wind creates dim conditions because it reduces light penetration.
You’ve all seen days when wind blows onto a structure. You hammer fish. Then, the wind stops, and so does the bite. If the wind changes direction, action picks up on different structures that are being hit by the brunt of the wind.It’s the classic good news, bad news situation. Fish are biting where the wind is whipping, but controlling your boat and fishing well under those conditions can be a big challenge.
A few boat handling tips can help ease the hassle.
Years on the water have proven walleyes are selective and finicky. They tend to avoid chasing lures or bait. Like all predators, they’d rather their food come to them. That allows them to save energy for growing and reproducing. As a result, more walleyes are caught under 1.5 mph than above. That explains why the most productive tactics are often ones that put a bait right in their face. Vertical presentations include jigs, Lindy rigs and slip bobbers. Horizontal presentations include trolling, bottom bouncers and drifting with jigs or rigs.But sometimes, the wind moves a boat faster than the desired speed. There are tools you can use in that caseâ¦
- Trolling motors. In a slight breeze, turn the bow of the boat into the wind to work contours of structures. When buying a boat, equip it with the most-powerful trolling motor and the longest shaft you can for your purpose. Autopilot trolling motors like MinnKota’s new Terrova are great aids to set the direction which you want to move the boat in. Back trolling with a gas tiller motor offers even more control in stronger breezes. Be subtle. Make minor adjustments in speed, not major ones.
- For console boats, utilizing a gasoline-powered kicker motor gives you additional power in order to neutralize the wind speed. A bow-mounted trolling motor can then be used to steer side-to-side.
- Drift socks like Drift Control and Wave Tamer. Never leave the dock without one or two in the boat. They can slow the boat to a crawl even in stiff breezes. (Get the size right for your boat. Too small is no good. Get two sizes.) Drift socks are used most when drifting flats. To insure a straight drift the larger drift sock should be attached to the front portion of the boat. Put the smaller one on the stern. Without a drift sock, the bow will often catch the wind and push it downwind.
To precisely drift a contour, tie a sock from the stern, turn the bow into the wind and use the trolling motor to stay on the edge. A drift sock from the rear while drifting with the wind also slows the boat to allow more casts to productive spots.
Forward trolling with the wind: If the boat is moving too fast, tie two identical drift socks off the forward cleats so they are open at mid-ship. This tactic can cut boat speed 30 to 50 percent.
A harness buoy is a great accessory. Just release the harness buoy to get the drift sock out of the way when you are fighting a big fish. Return for the drift sock when the fish is safely in your net. Another advantage: the buoy has marked the place where the fish took your bait. Where there’s one, there could be more.
Anchoring your boat in one spot is the ultimate form of boat control. Drop anchor when you find the spot-on-a-spot, and in places where you have a high degree of confidence that walleyes are there or will show up soon. For example, anchor over that rock pile on a point or where coontail meets cabbage. That could signal a fish-attracting change in the bottom content. Or, it might be a washed-out area in a wingdam.
While anchored, you can move the boat to new fishing areas by simply moving the rope from one cleat to another.Use a heavy Navy style anchor. Have plenty of ropeâ as much as 100 to 150 feet. Too little rope and the anchor won’t hold. It’s best to have two anchors onboard.
Even sitting still, the wind can give your bait motion. Cast weighted slip bobbers like the Lindy Pro Series into the wind and let the breeze blow them back to the boat to cover a larger area.
- On the topsy turvy, bouncy world of a windy lake, GPS is a great tool. Speed measurements are far more precise using satellite technology. Check how fast the boat is moving as soon as you catch a fish so you can replicate the speed.
You can vary the speed and direction of your baits in other ways, too. When searching for suspended fish, troll with the wind and make S-turns to vary the speed. Outside lures travel faster, inside lures go slower. Stall your baits once in a while, too. Sometimes that’s all that’s needed to trigger a bite.
Don’t be a steady eddy when casting jigs or crankbaits. Any muskie angler will tell you that. Vary your retrieve speed and direction. Rip a crankbait and let it stop. Pop a jig (pop-pop-pop), then let it fall, then drag it. Move bottom-bouncers up and down the edges of structures while reaching back to tap the bottom.
Learn to use the wind. Don’t fight it. In the end, you will win.By: Ted Takasaki and Scott Richardson
