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But the wind isn't all bad. It can actually provide you with additional angling advantages you wouldn't otherwise have. Let me illustrate this point with a story. A few months back, my fishing buddy and I found ourselves at a small lake we knew had some good fish. As we arrived, we noticed a few other anglers leaving, discouraged by the 15 to 20 mile-per-hour winds out of the northwest. Having fished this lake in the past, we knew it contained a nice population of forage fish. With good sized waves crashing onto the south shoreline, we decided to launch our tubes off the south side and fish with the wind at our backs. We kicked hard to move against the strong wind, but knew that all we had to achieve was a good long cast off that south shoreline to have a chance at the fish. Big waves can bring up big fish to feed on the disoriented shoreline minnows, struggling to keep from being swept ashore. The first few minutes throwing streamers towards shore brought nothing but fatigue, as we fought to maintain our distance off the bank. But as evening crept toward night, the big fish began to arrive. First we hooked a pretty 21-inch Brown. Then another of about the same size. Then a beautiful Rainbow some 22-inches-plus. Two and a half hours later we called it a night, tired but happy. All together we had hooked about 16, landing over half, all between 20 and 26 inches. The best was a lovely male Brown. Seldom do we do this well on big trout in an evening, or even an entire day. But on that night, the fish were there and we had them dialed in. Had the other anglers known how to use the wind to their advantage, they wouldn't have quit so soon. There have been other occasions where the conditions appeared similar but the results were much less productive. However, seldom in windy conditions do I fail to hook at least a few using the same techniques. At such times, there is only so much wave pounding and hard kicking a person can take. Three hours and I'm spent. So I choose the most productive time for this kind of fishing, usually the hour before and the two hours just after sundown.
One fun "hatch" to fish on many windy, late summer lakes is Terrestrials. As summer days warm, ants, beetles, grasshoppers and other bugs become active. Windy afternoons will see some of the more unfortunate among them get blown onto the surface of the lake from nearby grass and bushes. Fish are usually quick to avail themselves of this unexpected feeding opportunity. Try this for fun. Next time you see some hoppers at your favorite pond on a windy day, take a few moments to catch a few and give them a toss out onto the surface. You may be surprised at how quickly they disappear in a sudden splashy rise. Such a scene should give you a clue as to what fly to tie on next. Though not really a terrestrial, anglers also shouldn't overlook trying adult Damsel patterns when the real ones are seen hovering near reeds and bushes. I've never fished an adult version of the Dragonfly, though logic would seem to indicate that they too should work under similar conditions. Seldom effective on calm days, Terrestrials can really be a blast with a bit of surface chop. Unlike wind blown rows of insects, fish Terrestrials on the upwind side of the lake, near shoreline vegetation. Wind is nearly always an advantage if it's more of a breeze than a gale. When you want to fish on top, even a small riffle can make the difference between a good day and a poor one. Dead flat surfaces nearly always mean tough top side fishing, hatch or no hatch. And riffle or not, if you choose to go in the film or just below, you'll frequently increase your catch. On larger western reservoirs I've seen numerous occasions where trout will collect off the downwind side of a point. When you encounter these obvious lake points on a windy day, look closely and you'll notice a collection line between the rough water outside the point, and the calmer water just downwind and inside of it. In a way it's similar to the effect you get on a river, downstream and out from a bankside log. As in a river, you'll want to fish this line zealously, as this is a spot where wind blown forage of all kinds will slow down, collect and begin to sink. Fish will collect there also. They sit just inside the point and let the wind bring them dinner………and perhaps your fly. You just have to position yourself correctly, either on shore or in a tube near the point to take advantage. These are just a few ways you can use the wind as an opportunity to turn the tables in your favor. Wind isn't always an advantage on every lake, or in every situation. However, far too many fly fishers look upon wind as all problem and no production. As you can see, that "ain't necessarily so." |
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