First thing I want to bring up is what you said. Bad weather and no one else around. PFD, no choice, no chances. You have to rely on yourself.
I lived north of you for ten years. Launched in 24 and 27*, so I ain’t to smart neither. They will eat somewhere every day, but it might be real finicky and might only feed for 30 minutes. I liked standing timber cuz they would just move up and down the trees in deep water. I’ve found them other places but it was all about the shad where i was. They were suspended and i used yellow braid that I marked with a magic marker to return to the same depth. Match the size of the shad, even if its bigger than you think will work, and hold it as close to motionless as you can. They’re lethargic and wont expend much energy to chase a bait. Good luck and i also agree, time on the water and an open mind is the best teacher.
Creativity is just intelligence fooling around