There's nothing that puts me off going out fishing as much as strong winds! I'm happy to freeze or get drenched, even both, in pursuit of fish, but the prospect of fishing today is completely unappealing. It mucks up casting, interferes with every type of bite-detection known, whips things out of my tacklebox, makes my brolly completely unusable... I'm trapped at home! Does anyone have any suggestions that might allow me to grab an hour or two, this afternoon?

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I believe in sailing terms you can only find the leeward side of your water,and also be glad that you have an hour or two to grab!!

You could always try lure fishing: warm coat, wooly hat, spinning rod, landing net and a trout bag with box of lures and unhooking kit. Keep moving....lovely.

I'm with Gobio!...

Otherwise, do you not have a nice stretch of river sheltered from the wind?...I do

Especially for carp (according to carp angling friends of mine of course!), windy weather is the time to set out your stall.


With a brolly set against the wind, and staked down with tent pegs, there is no need for you to suffer.

As far as bite detection, legering is the method.

But keep your rod down close to the ground, and sheltered, with the tip buried under the water where the gusting wind won't reach it.

With everything hidden from the wind like this, it's the strong undertow that could prove to be the biggest problem, bowing the line underwater and making subtle bite detection difficult.

This is one of those circumstances where I'd consider using a braid, rather than mono for light fishing.

On some waters, the fish will 'follow the wind'

As the surface water is is blown towards one end of the lake, subsurface water moves back upwind to replace the volume of surface water being moved in that direction. Maybe the fish instinctively swim into the 'current', maybe they actively follow the food as it's blown downwind.

For whatever reason, where fish do 'follow the wind', you need to fish facing into the wind.

So, you'll be sitting behind your brolley, unable to see the lake on the other side of the brolley, with your rod dipping under the brolley straight down into the water, watching your chosen method of bite indication (and that could be the subject of another thread!).

I agree, I don't like fishing in such conditions, but when your opportunities of getting out are limited, you have to adapt to whatever the weather throws at you.

And if it's fish you are after (rather than simply the pleasure of fishing in pleasant conditions), the wind could be your best time tim to bag up big time.

Tight Lines - leon

[ 25. October 2004, 01:12 PM: Message edited by: Leon Roskilly ]

Lay off the beans, chillies and curries then.
I also hate the wind.
I was watching some blokes attempt to cast 6 to 8oz leads into a headwind on felixstowe beach at the weekend.
they did not go far!!!!!!!!!!!!

From my gliding days I remember being taught that strong winds slackened off considerably below an altitude of just 50 feet.

Birds know that, skimming the waves/ground when distance flying into a headwind, going up high when going down wind.

The secret to casting into wind is to keep the cast down low, rather than the traditional overhead thump that sends the weight up high into the stronger wind up there.

Tight Lines - leon

[ 25. October 2004, 03:27 PM: Message edited by: Leon Roskilly ]

Couldn't agree more pangolin, Wind is horrible stuff, should be banned!! :confused:

i have a secret weapon in the wind.

3 Peg swim at peatling.

high trees followed by large bushes followed by 4ft high reeds, and then the swim.

Never fails to be not windy, with wind from every direction.

Im with Pang all the way on this one! I hate the wind!chuck anything else at me I dont mind but the wind really gets to me.Very lucky in that my local brick pit is ultra sheltered.