windy weather fishing

[Richard]

OK guys I need some help. Generally my fishing is fairly good. But when the wind kicks up and the waves get to be larger than say four feet my fishing falls way off. What do you guys do in large wave conditions to entice the bite.

 

Richard

[momay4000]

To be honest, I absolutely detest fishing in rough water > 4-5 footers b/c the fun factor really goes down the tubes. When it starts to get rough, all the junk lines off boards get pulled in, and I'll run only my two riggers and two dipsies. Nothing down the chute either as the rough conditions make it too hard to turn and that's when the tangles start. Having the tighter spread makes it a tad bit easier to turn.

 

I fish the exact same lures as when it's calm, but my catch rate also goes down b/c it's so much harder to maintain speed. If you feel that you must stay out there, work a tighter spread and try and maintain your speed as best as you can going with the waves (simply for comfort reasons) or at most a 45 degree angle to the big waves. To go directly into the waves really makes it uncomfortable to you and your crew.

 

I'm not sure this helps, but my guess is your fishing dies down b/c your speed is probably all over the place from the crazy currents that seem to accompany the bigger waves.

 

Good luck and be safe,

 

Chris

[tlox]

In weather like that I keep it tied in the slip and my bite consists of chicken wings. I've fished enough in 4 footers to know I don't like it.

[NickR]

Let em rip! I've had some of

My best days in bs weather. It is a total pain though. Driving is a ****- netting is a ****- setting out a full spread is a ****. Putting scales on the deck takes the annoyance out of fishing in those conditions but when the bite is off you regret it every time! You never know though that's why they call it fishing.

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[Has Been]

I also have some of my best days for kings in rough seas. I  seem to do best w/ my dipseys on those days.  Driving the boat properly,especialy  into the waves is critical.I get as many hits going into it as with. I run 2 or 3 on riggers 10-15  ft apart & 2 dipseys for no tangles & easy to land fish, but that is my usual spread.

Edited March 5, 2014 by Has Been

[rolmops]

I usually go down to either 2 downriggers or one copper. As for steering I try to run the wave troughs which helps me keep a straight line.

Edited March 5, 2014 by rolmops

[Zebedee]

I like longer lines when the wind kicks up.  Having shorter leads causes some crazy up and down action on your lures that probably don't look natural.  By having longer leads, some of this up and down action is taken out.  Last year during the Sodus Pro-Am (Very Rough) we had a lot of fish come off the bottom to look at our presentation only to return to the bottom again.  We had removed our junk lines for fear of a tangle.  When we put a copper down the chute, that was what finally fired.

 

Chris makes a very good point about tangles.  To avoid this, I'd suggest picking a line and working one direction for a long period of time.  When it's time to turn, you may need to pull lines (especially junk lines on the inside of the turn). 

[Gill-T]

Wind and waves in the spring usually means a NE is blowing off the lake (very common).  Not only do you have to battle the waves and boat handling issues, but colder mid-lake water starts to mix with the warming western basin water.  Most guys will run west and try to get into the warmer Niagara flow.  I would say "in general" I run high baits off boards when this happens and look for the warmest water.  There are times however, I am dragging fish off the bottom in the same conditions.  When staring at a blank screen I would suspect fish are high out of the cone or on the bottom so a high/low game would be in order.  During the summer, the highly productive epilimnion (upper water layers) will have lower O2 levels than the metalimnion (mid-lake layers) because the rate of O2 usage by the food web will be less than the O2 production by phytoplankton.  Fish will find temps and O2 levels more friendly at or just below the thermocline in a layer called the "Deep Chlorophyll Layer"  (DCL).  See the LOLA report.  When wave events happen in the summer, the thermocline can get "wrinkles" or "waves" in the layer lessening the hard structure edge of temperature and O2 gradients.  The result is fish such as kings that which typically stay at or below the thermocline, can now head higher in the water column because conditions allow them to do so.  In the summer when waves kick up......I will fish higher.  Putting a bait down 60-70' now becomes productive in July or August.  WOW.....I just spewed a bunch of crap there! 

[G-Daddy]

I find something else to do like change the oil, take the grandkids to a park, take my wife out to an early dinner - something, anything other than being beat up by big waves.  The boat can take a lot more than I can any more.

[momay4000]

So as you can see from this post, fishing in high seas is very straightforward:

 

1.) Guys have their worst and best fishing is stormy seas

2.) Guys fish both deep and shallow

3.) Guys fish their boards, others pull them in

4.) Guys fish into the waves, with the waves, and at angles to the waves

 

 

I hope we all narrowed it down for you......lol

 

Good luck,

 

Chris

[Sk8man]

Over the years I have fished in just about everything including snow storms in February and breaking my way through the channel ice to get out there (Seneca) but have come to the conclusion that with the exception of perhaps derby fishing it usually isn't worth the effort and more to the point the frustration and aggravation involved in boat and speed control.  When tangles become the "rule" rather than the "exception" it takes most of the fun out of things and in my view it just isn't worth it anymore. There is always another day!

Edited March 5, 2014 by Sk8man

[Blue Knight]

One thing I haven't heard mention on this post  is safety. When I worked on Peel Police I spent the odd days on the marine unit if they were short handed. I've had to pull a few bodies out of the lake. One thing I would never do is go out there solo in four footers even in the 26 foot Campion. There isn't a fish in this world worth risking your life for. I lost a good friend out there!

[Diversion]

So as you can see from this post, fishing in high seas is very straightforward:

 

1.) Guys have their worst and best fishing is stormy seas

2.) Guys fish both deep and shallow

3.) Guys fish their boards, others pull them in

4.) Guys fish into the waves, with the waves, and at angles to the waves

 

 

I hope we all narrowed it down for you......lol

 

Good luck,

 

Chris

Richard, this post says it all, should probably print it out and put a copy in the boat   

[Hooked on Kings]

One thing no one mentioned is using trolling bags, this really helps calm the bounce and helps with speed control. I still don't like fishing in rough seas but if the fish are biting I'll hang in there. 

[Sk8man]

I think Chris was right on the money

[LongLine]

About 2 hours before the 4 ft'rs, my boat is back on the trailer.  Ain't no fish out there worth the issues you can run into.  The fishing was better yesterday anyways and they'll be out there next time.

 

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[Roughrider IV]

I tried something last year you might consider, point the boat into onshore winds and cruise out at a comfortable speed for an hour and troll back. You wind up at the same spot and if it's hot fishing you can always redo route. I get about 3 hours trolling each time.

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[rolmops]

I tried something last year you might consider, point the boat into onshore winds and cruise out at a comfortable speed for an hour and troll back. You wind up at the same spot and if it's hot fishing you can always redo route. I get about 3 hours trolling each time.

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That only works if the winds come from the north. Most of the time, at least when I fish that wind goes the wrong way.

[Silver Fox]

I tried something last year you might consider, point the boat into onshore winds and cruise out at a comfortable speed for an hour and troll back. You wind up at the same spot and if it's hot fishing you can always redo route. I get about 3 hours trolling each time.

Been doing the same thing for years. I'm not going to kill everyone on the boat.

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[Has Been]

SW-NW winds ,west being best. East = stay home. I find myself going into the waves mostly. When you go with, your SOG is double . When we hookup to a good one, I clear at least one Dipsy rod & turn the boat around to go with to land the fish. Land fish, turn boat back into it ,reset ,and get back onto the spot, which usually takes a few minutes. I find that I spend most of the time going into it.

 

 Tips for me

     Simple setup, I like flashers on my dipseys .

     Stow all gear not needed,learned the hard way.

     Have net  & pliers ready

     Leave sea sick prone on shore.

     I leave my buckets in as much as poss to stabilize the boat.

     Sit downor kneel  to play fish or reel clear rods .Only stand when nessesary & brace yourself.

     I also kick up the speed going into it quite a bit . I like to point bow straight into waves or just off.

     Very important to keep straight.Which is why I drive the boat mostly .

 

 Safety is key, got to know what your boat will handle . There can be OK 4 ftrs & Bad 3 ftrs.

 

 I also found that the wave action makes the kings mid day come alive ,during good weather conditions .