A Mighty Wind's a Blowin': A Guide to Windy Weather Fishing
CRCurley
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How many times have you heard? "I'll fish in the middle of summer or the dead of winter, but I hate fishing when it's windy." I'm not a big fan of it either however, if you can put up with making sure everything is secure so it won't blow away, understanding what the wind does to the water and how t 
he fish react to it can be extremely beneficial.
First off, there are a few things to discuss. Always make sure your trolling battery, or batteries, are fully charged. This is always a god idea, no matter what the conditions however, you will probably need all the power you can get while trolling the shores and trying to maintain stationary positions in the wind.
Anything light or lofty, like tackle boxes and fishing nets, should be secured or stowed low if you're fishing from a boat or dock. Losing your gear or trying to catch a flying bag of plastic worms can get you into some tight spots and might even cause you to lose a fish or worse, take a dive into the drink.
Losing your gear or having to paddle back to the launch is never a fun experience to encounter. Trust me, I've been there. By the way, it's also a good idea to keep at least one paddle in the boat, just in case.
A great new piece of equipment to add to your gear is the drift sock. Specially designed for windy conditions, the drift sock is used to slowly troll or maintain a spot without using a trolling motor or anchor, which decreases battery usage and cuts down on noise created by the troller or the splash of and anchor.
The "sock" is usually made of heavy gauge nylon and attaches to the boat with a rope like an anchor. You just drop the "sock" into the water on the windward side of the boat, as the wind pushes the boat, the sock drags in the water causing the boat to slow considerably and, in some cases, to even stop.
Very handy on those windy days and can be used to drift fish.
One fortunate aspect of fishing during windy conditions is that your favorite fishing spot will probably be less crowded. That is if your favorite spot gets crowded. Another good aspect is that fish can generally be more predictable.
First off, there are a few things to discuss. Always make sure your trolling battery, or batteries, are fully charged. This is always a god idea, no matter what the conditions however, you will probably need all the power you can get while trolling the shores and trying to maintain stationary positions in the wind.
Anything light or lofty, like tackle boxes and fishing nets, should be secured or stowed low if you're fishing from a boat or dock. Losing your gear or trying to catch a flying bag of plastic worms can get you into some tight spots and might even cause you to lose a fish or worse, take a dive into the drink.
Losing your gear or having to paddle back to the launch is never a fun experience to encounter. Trust me, I've been there. By the way, it's also a good idea to keep at least one paddle in the boat, just in case.
A great new piece of equipment to add to your gear is the drift sock. Specially designed for windy conditions, the drift sock is used to slowly troll or maintain a spot without using a trolling motor or anchor, which decreases battery usage and cuts down on noise created by the troller or the splash of and anchor.
The "sock" is usually made of heavy gauge nylon and attaches to the boat with a rope like an anchor. You just drop the "sock" into the water on the windward side of the boat, as the wind pushes the boat, the sock drags in the water causing the boat to slow considerably and, in some cases, to even stop.
Very handy on those windy days and can be used to drift fish.
One fortunate aspect of fishing during windy conditions is that your favorite fishing spot will probably be less crowded. That is if your favorite spot gets crowded. Another good aspect is that fish can generally be more predictable.