Fishing in the wind - The truth

[Guest pholt_uk]

I've often been told that if there is a wind blowing then it's best to fish with it in your face as it blows the fish towards you. Is this true?

 

On Saturday I turned up pretty early at a small lake and there was a cold wind blowing. I chose a nice fishy looking swim with the wind on my back and some nice still water in front of me and started fishing. After about 2 hours I still hadn't had a bite and neither had any of the other 4 or 5 anglers on the same bank. To test the theory I packed up and moved to where the wind was blowing right in my face and the fish started biting instantly. had a good bag in the end but the anglers on the far side had nothing.

 

I've also heard other theories such as the fish follow a warm wind but go away from a cold wind. Any truth in this?

 

I watched the FishOMania finals on the TV and the commantary there said that the winning pegs were those where the wind was blowing towards them. Further proof?

 

Personally I prefer having the wind on my back but if I'm going to catch more with a breeze in my face thats were i'll be fishing in future.

 

Can anyone confirm any of this?

[Steve Burke]

There are many factors that affect fish location and wind is only one of them. It's also not the wind itself that's important but the effect it has on the water and therefore the fish. These include changing the light level, the oxygen content and the temperature of the water.

 

Different species of fish prefer differing light, oxygen and temperature levels. As a very broad generalisation, if the wind changes these factors towards what a species likes best there'll be a positive effect on the fish feeding and vice versa.

 

For instance in hot weather a breeze may have the effect of both increasing the oxygen content of the water and lowering the temperature. This is usually beneficial, as is the reduced light which gives the fish confidence to feed unmolested from predators. So fishing into the wind in these circumstances is normally a good bet.

 

A wind in winter in particular may raise or lower the water temperature. For instance a warm south-westerly springing up will almost certainly have a beneficial effect if the water is cold due to a previous cold snap. Fishing into the wind would then be a good bet.

 

OTOH, a cold wind after a warm spell will have the opposite effect. You'll almost certainly do better then to fish with the wind at your back.

 

Another point to bear in mind is tackle control. If the wind is very strong but you feel it will turn the fish on, it may be best to tuck yourself behind some cover like a tree or island but cast your bait to a spot that gets the wind.

 

As you can see it's very complicated, but I hope you get the general picture. Experienced anglers still get it wrong sometimes, but if you understand the reasons behind the effect you'll get it right more and more often.

[peter mccue]

Complicated subject indeed, If I could just complicate it a little more!

 

During winter campaigns on my local waters, the one thing that has stood out as a reason for success, has been the need for stable conditions.

 

I wish I had a pound for every time a S/W wind has sprung up for a few days in the depth of winter & myself & friends have gone for a session expecting to bag up only to be on the recieving end of a major blank.

 

In terms of warm water fish like Carp, I think any wind warm or cold that alters the temp to any degree will upset them when they've settled to winter temps, so I would be quite happy to fish the calm end of the lake on the premise that temps there should be more stable, whereas in summer I'd be fighting with the best of them for that wind facing bank!

[Vagabond]

Just one comment to add to the excellent posts above.

 

Don't forget the undertow. In a strong wind on open water, especially if the depth is fairly even and the banks steep, there will be a strong undertow. The wind might be in your face, but the surface water is being driven against your bank and thus downwards. The result is a current that flows back along the bottom away from you. If it is really strong you can trot a deeply set float away from you (ie against the wind)

Any suspended food is carried away from the bank, along the bottom, by the undertow.

 

At some point, as the flow diminishes away from the bank, the suspended food may come out of suspension and be deposited on the bottom. This may be just a few yards out, or as much as thirty yards out (depending how strong the undertow is). Find this spot, and you may well find feeding fish.

[Steve Burke]

Very interesting indeed, Peter!

 

I can't comment on winter carp fishing as I don't fish for carp then. However I've found other species can be unsettled by a dramatic rise in temperature, even though a rise is normally beneficial in winter.

 

But once they've acclimatised to the higher level the fish often stuff themselves! I then find small baits work best, whereas big baits work best when it's very cold. In some subsequent experiments friends found the same as well.

 

This is the reverse of what the old books say, but see the reasoning in my piece "Fishing Frozen Rivers" in the articles section here on Angler's Net.

[Steve Burke]

I go along with Vagabond too. Isn't it complicated? As I said wind isn't the only factor.

 

Interestingly, I've found that whereas roach love a really strong undertow perch it seems don't. Anyone else found the same?

[chesters1]

if its blowing in my face (we only generally fish one swim if we can) home we go ,i hate it ,although the club chainsaw fanatics have completly felled trees to ground level on the oposite bank (100% destruction) the overhanging branches with their festive danglings of shot and hooks that need their attention are left :confused: if its from the north or east we stay at home

[Leon Roskilly]

A few thoughts of mine relevant to this thread at:

 

http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/authors/leon15.htm

 

 

Tight Lines - leon

[Leon Roskilly]

Steve Burke:

I can't comment on winter carp fishing as I don't fish for carp then. However I've found other species can be unsettled by a dramatic rise in temperature, even though a rise is normally beneficial in winter.

Jim, one of the members of Medway Mullet Group fancies himself as something of a carp angler.

 

Nowdays he concentrates on mullet during the summer, and turns to carp fishing as winter comes on.

 

In any case, that's the time he favours best for carp fishing, especially when the wind is blowing.

 

Tight Lines - leon

Medway Mullet Group

http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/medway

 

ps When the mullet go, MMG continues it's monthly get togethers, in the pub, in it's winter cloak of the AAAA (All of Angling Appreciation Association). A lure evening is being arranged, to be followed by a freshwater lure fish-in.

 

Maybe we'll do carp after that, now the cod seemed to have largely disappeared

[chesters1]

blimey leon are you going fishing or are you teaching a O.U. course in meterology