Wind...

[Fletchfishes 0]

Thinking about sneaking out for some time on the water tomorrow. Forecast is for wind 15-25 MPH. I suspect I'll leave the 1wt at home!

 

Got me thinking - what is the level of wind that you folks would consider not worth the hassle? I suspect I'll stick more to nymph and soft hackles than usual. Any other advice?

[Saltybum 0]

15-25

[mikechell 0]

I fish from a 14 foot jon boat. I use a paddle, sit on the front of the boat, and scull to positions. I can move the boat around very quietly in anything less than 5 mile an hour winds. Between 5 and 10, I can still move with the wind and make decent casts to my spots. Once it gets close to 10 and over, fly fishing is given up for conventional gear.

I can still fish conventional gear up to about 15, but by then, I am so uncomfortable in the boat that there's no enjoyment.

 

Basically, if it's over 10 mph ... I am not going out unless it's been so long that I am having angling withdrawals.

[Steeldrifter 0]

Very windy here today. Far as what wind speed do I consider not worth the hassle?- When I see a witch and little dog swirling around me

 

I don't "like" fishing in wind that is more than 20mph sustained, but for me I will fish anytime I get the chance no matter the wind conditions. Truth be told I actually got kicked off the Au Sable in Grayling years ago by the police because I was fishing with a tornado in the area. Wind was blowing about 30+mph with higher guests, and I was still fishing. Sheriff came through the access and over the loud speaker said to leave the river because of a tornado sighted. That's the only time I figured it was not worth it lol.

 

That was 25yrs ago and my family still gives me a hard time about that one lol.

[Swamp Fly 0]

I get off of the water when it gets too nasty to be on the water. I can usually find a lee and still cast, but I stop having fun, and usually if it is that nasty the fish aren't much in the mood either.

[mikechell 0]

Very windy here today. Far as what wind speed do I consider not worth the hassle?- When I see a witch and little dog swirling around me

 

I don't "like" fishing in wind that is more than 20mph sustained, but for me I will fish anytime I get the chance no matter the wind conditions. Truth be told I actually got kicked off the Au Sable in Grayling years ago by the police because I was fishing with a tornado in the area. Wind was blowing about 30+mph with higher guests, and I was still fishing. Sheriff came through the access and over the loud speaker said to leave the river because of a tornado sighted. That's the only time I figured it was not worth it lol.

 

That was 25yrs ago and my family still gives me a hard time about that one lol.

Okay, Twister Steve ... maybe you should go a little more often.

I don't have to fish in windy conditions because I get out on the water often. Usually over 100 days a year, I can afford to be a bit picky.

[islander727 0]

20+ gets tough (in the salt). Fortunately, I can use the direction to my advantage. I usually fish where it's opposite my casting arm, or behind me.

[Fisherboy0301 0]

Be careful with a wind blowin on your back... Good way to get a free piercing... A fuzzy one!

 

 

 

I have trouble in most any wind over 5 when fly fishing as I'm not a great caster. But in conventional fishing I'll do anything. I'm crazy lol. I've sunk a few small boats and had to get them the next way, because It would get windy and the waves on Lake George would get up so bad I'd start taking on water otw home. Not a fun wade home or explanation to momma.

 

 

 

What's really difficult is throwing a large cast net with heavy winds in your face.

[Fisherboy0301 0]

Next day... *

[Goose77 0]

I guess a little wind is often a good thing. When it gets really windy and choppy I don't fight it anymore...we then look for places out of the wind. I can't remember the last time we didn't go 'cause it was blowin'. But this is fresh water...in the salt we do whatever the Captain recommends. Cheers, Ed

[switch10 0]

There is a lake in Nevada that's about 3 hours away from me. I always check the weather, and I don't even go up there if it isn't supposed to be windy. I've never done all that well up there when it's calm. 20-30 MPH in your face a little left to right is perfect! 60-80 is when it starts getting rough! I did get blown off the lake that day...

 

In my area, pretty much every afternoon is windy. Keep your casting to a minimum. I think you're on it with staying away from dry flies. Change your casting plane to cut the wind. I prefer roll casts in general, but it really seems to help when it's windy. If it's really windy mending is a pain, so reach cast instead of mending whenever you can.

 

Good luck!

[FlaFly 0]

I was out on a lake in my canoe once, in perfect calm, when a sudden storm began to form out of nowhere. It became very windy, and the wind was blowing AWAY from the dock. It was virtually impossible to paddle against. Took forever to get back to the dock, constantly blown into the cattails. That's why I broke down and made a mounting device for a trolling motor. I don't know how strong the wind was, but if you can't get out of it, it's too much.

[Swamp Fly 0]

I learned to keep a 5 gal bucket in my canoe because of a wind incident. It started blowing about mach 1 on the way back to the put in. I absolutely could not paddle up wind, the wind would just spin me around back down wind no matter how hard I tried. I'd run the bow into the cattails just to be able to turn back into the wind. I'd get back up wind 100ft or so before the bow would get just a little too far off of dead up wind and I'd do another 180*. I happened to have a bucket in the canoe (had my anchor, rode, etc in it). The problem was that only the back 2/3s of the hull touched water, the front 1/3 was a big sail that had a lot of leverage. I filled the bucket full of water and put it up front, that kept the front down enough so that I could make headway. Buckets make a good drag for controlling drift to.

That was more wind than I could cast in, but the fact of the matter was that it was just dangerous to be in a canoe.

 

Come to think of it, there was that time that I was out in my boat and the wind was blowing 30+ with higher gusts. I anchored up in the mouth of Crane Creek, (Melbourne FL, Saltybum probably knows exactly where I was). There was a little bit of a breakwater to stop the chop (North wind), but that did not stop the wind. I'd make about a 10 foot back cast and shoot 40-50 feet of line. There was no casting in any direction but dead down wind. I caught a bunch of trout, snook, ladyfish, and even jumped a 20lb tarpon. The wind current was driving bait around the corner of the breakwater and into the opposite bank which was a cove. The predators went nuts. Later the short run back out in the lagoon going back to the ramp was entertaining. Funny thing is the the owner of the house came out and we chatted for a bit. Later I met him again at a local fly club and in the course of talking we both remembered that evening. We became very good friends, and even traveled to NY to salmon fish once and to PA to trout fish 4-5 times.

[FlaFly 0]

Swamp Fly (almost a literal name)... Do you have a Gheenoe, or other flat-stern canoe? If not, most canoes have one thwart closer to the end than the other. If you're paddling with someone else in the canoe, sit on the one close to the end, and put them on the other, facing forward. If alone, then you sit on the one farther from the end, facing toward the middle of the boat. That way the canoe will be trim either way. The canoe has two fronts, depending on how many are in it. Unfortunately if you have a flat-transom "canoe", you're stuck using one thwart.

[Swamp Fly 0]

Not a flat back. I was sitting in the seat closer to the center. It was B-L-O-W-I-N-G. I almost capsized a few times just trying to turn back up wind. There was just not enough weight up front and the fact that the water contact was shortened because of it combined with a small amount of rocker gave the wind too much leverage. I was even using my kayak paddle (what I use when alone). Storm was coming out of the east and the wind cranked up fast. Luckily I usually keep my head so I was able to think it through. I just needed to push the bow down a couple of inches. That the canoe does not have a keel did not help.

 

Like I said, gave up fishing to protect my hide more than anything else.