- Find a Protected Spot – Common sense must dictate when it’s safe to fish; the wind is something you should not be afraid of. High wind causes fish to become less spooky. You should always have a few backup spots just in case the wind rises. The spots can be in a creek, behind a point, in a cove, or in and around boat docks.
- Use High Quality Poles – I prefer B’nM poles because they make poles for all conditions. I like to add extra weight to the line. My pole of choice it the 14’ Pro Staff Trolling Poles. The long poles tend to bow in high wind. With the PST poles you can add over an ounce of weight and it not affect the pole tip. The heavy weight creates a shock absorber allowing your baits to remain rather still. The advantages of these poles:
- Heavier – They don’t bow in the wind like the flimsy poles.
- Stiffer Tips – The tips are stiffer, they don’t bow down with the added weight
- Use Shorter Poles – 12’ to 14’ poles are recommended. They work well in wind.
- Use Heavy Weights and Make Your Hook Spread Wider – I use the Capps & Coleman’s Double Minnow Rigs exclusively. I’ll use the ¾ to 1 oz. on windy days because it has the longest dropper line. The longer dropper absorbs the bounce better and keeps your bait still. The dropper line is the line connected to the 3-way swivel and the line from the sinker to the hook. In cool water situations fish will not hit fast moving baits.
- Add a bobber – Adding a bobber to your crappie rig can almost eliminate the bait bounce. A bobber will go through a wave causing your bait to stay still on the bottom and not bounce. It’s more work to watch the bobber and not the pole tip but at times it can make the difference.
- The Silent Stalker – This product can eliminate the noise created by wave action against the side of your boat as you troll into the wind. This noise spooks most game fish. If you fish within close proximity to the boat, even in slightly windy conditions the silent stalker can eliminate this fish spooking noise.
- Drift Socks – They will put the brakes on you boat. This works in open water very well; it does not work in stump fields. You’ll need at least two to hold your boat in high wind. I’m not recommending a specific brand; depending on your boat size you can follow the chart listed below.
| Drift Control Drift Sock Recommendations | |||
| Wind Conditions | Boat Length 14' or smaller |
Boat Length 16' to 18' |
Boat Length 20' or larger |
| Light/Breezy | 18"-24" Sock | 25"-30" Sock | 36"-42" Sock |
| Moderate | 25"-30" Sock | 36"-42" Sock | 48"-60" Sock |
| Heavy/Strong | 36"-42" Sock | 48"-60" Sock | 72" Sock |
The Minn Kota – MKA 27 Pro Drift Sock and Harness is the perfect combination to slow your troll and keep your drift sock out of your boat engine. A drift sock entangled in the propeller can cause major frustration. I suggest using several of these around the boat.
- Log Chains – If you’re fishing stump fields drift socks tend to hang on underwater stumps. I take a 20’s 3/8th chain and cut it into 2 pieces with an angle grinder. I then attach a 50’ rope to each 10’ piece of chain. I can adjust the boat speed by the amount of rope I let out. The disadvantage to this method is it stirs up the bottom. It’s not advisable to repeat your exact trail. I use a 5-gallon bucket to store the chain when I retrieve the chain; this keeps the mud and sediment out of the boat.
- Power Poles with Drift Paddles – While this is not an economical way of controlling your boat this is by far the most convenient and efficient way to control your drift. Drift Paddles allow you to control your drift in deeper water. You angle of drift can be controlled by making adjustments to the paddle angle. All this can be done with the touch of a button. The drift paddles will slow your boat by 50%. The paddles allow you to follow the contours of the shorelines better than drift socks or log chains. They can be controlled by a smart phone app from any location in the boat. Power Poles are a perfect solution to any shallow water anchoring solution. They come in lengths from 6’ to 10’ and several models.
- Quality Trolling Motor – A good high quality variable speed trolling motor is a necessity if you plan to fish for crappie in the wind. You should always buy more trolling motor than the manufacturer recommends. If your boat calls for 50# thrust trolling motor, buy a 70# trolling motor. You’ll be glad you made the choice. Fishing into a mild wind is sometimes the best bet to catch crappie; a 24-volt trolling motor will give you more trolling hours than a 12-volt. My motor of choice is a MK Terrova 24V 80lb with iPilot. The hands free remote allows you to maintain control for turns and also pull gently against the wind socks to keep you straight. One mistake anglers make is too much hold in the wind causing your boat to surge forward. By applying a low speed troll you eliminate the jerk caused by a wave pushing you forward.
- Add Extra Weight to the Front – If you fish on windy days you’re going to encounter windy situations. If you lower the front of your boat it catches less wind. I place 3 to 4 - 60# to 70# sand bags to the front storage box on my boat. This lowers the front end of my boat allowing it to catch less wind. The bounce is reduced by 50%.
- Install an Automatic Bilge Pump – Often times when you try to eliminate one problem you create another. When you deploy any of the above mentioned techniques to slow your troll you cause waves to come in the back of the boat. I’ve seen boats with chains deployed almost sink because no one was noticing the back of the boat until the boat was nearly half full of water. I installed an automatic 1100 gallon per hour pump and this problem was eliminated. I use the same philosophy with the bilge pump as with the trolling motor, the more the better.
I sincerely hope these few tips and techniques help you increase your catch ratio on windy days. Each and every angler should use caution when choosing to fish in windy conditions. Know you boat limitations. It’s not advisable to go out on the lake with wind advisories or warnings; use good judgment and be safe.
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