This is my first year owning my own boat so I am trying to fish as much as a I can, in all (reasonable) conditions. One thing that saps the confidence out of me is for the wind to be 20+ mph. I don't have much of a game plan other than try to put in close to protected coves, hide out in there, and see what happens. Well, there aren't too many such places on my lake (Lake Waco), and even then I haven't had great luck.

Any ideas, game plans, techniques, etc. that you all could offer me?

Thanks!!

Stay home

Fish the windy side but not on the main lake. Find wind blown banks that are shielded enough to allow you to fish. Throw a spinner bait. Remember the wave action breaks up the surface so this works even in clear water. Points will be productive the majority of the year

Anything that blocks wind and waves is your friend. It also has the added benefit of creating breaks in current for bass to stage up on. Bridge pilings and higher points are some overlooked places. Pick the back side of rock walls, docks, boat ramps, bends in the lake, houses, etc. I've never been on Waco, but a quick glance at Navionics gives me several places I would try. Find the most comfortable way for you to run your boat to one of these spots. Just go there, and don't mess with stopping in the main lake if you don't want to fight it.

Depending on the situation, sometimes I look for windy areas. Waves that break on steep banks, rocks, bridge pilings, etc can stir up bait fish and draw fish into those areas. I also target wind breaks. Areas where the wind and waves are pushing up that abut next to calm water. Some fish will sit in the calm waters and wait for schools of baitfish to get pushed in by the wind. Operating the boat to be able to fish in the wind is a little difficult. You always have to be aware of what is around you but as Dad always says, "the wind is your friend."

My

A couple of things happens in the wind.
- You can get closer to the fish that are on heavy bushes and grass. Everything is moving; so your approach to these spots will up your odds of not disturbing the fish.
- Fish the wind blown banks that you can survive on. Heavy chop on all mentions above spots equals Big Bass. Fish them while you are young. As you grow older you will find that the misery of it all will take you to the calm waters.
- Big fish like to be just around the corner. Slip around that wind blown point to the fist piece of isolated cover that is there in the calmer water. This is your most likely spot to find her especially during the spawn.

Wind is your friend up shallow unless your trolling motor is coming out of the water. That's my moto

Lower your butt seat and hang on...and invest in spot lock..

[quote=Donald Harper] Fish them while you are young. As you grow older you will find that the misery of it all will take you to the calm waters.

This-

I've grown older and can fish any day of the week so when it's windy like today I play golf. Besides, 2-3 ft. swells make my kidneys hurt, lol.

There is an old saying among fishermen, "THE WIND IS YOUR FRIEND!" That is true, as long as there is not too much of it. As mentioned above, fish the windy banks as the plankton is blown into these areas, the bait fish follow and the bass follow the bait fish. If you can stand up and not get dumped, try fishing a spinnerbait or crankbait or some moving bait in the shallows and transition areas and see how you do. Once you get confidence in YOURSELF, vs. situations or techniques or lures, the better off you will be. I wrote an article about this recently and you should be able to look it up in the last month or so. If not, let me know and I will post it again or send you a PM. Hope this helps. Tight lines, keep safe and good luck.

Thad Rains

You might also invest in a wind sock (anchor) to slow you down in the wind. GREAT piece of equipment to help in the wind.

tr

Wind can be a wooping! Can be real productive though. I get aggravated real quick trying to fish soft plastics but a spinnerbait, crankbait or lipless crank(rattletrap) can be dynamite on a windy bank. Concentrate on windy points and fish fast. Good news is a rattletrap is often the best bait on windy banks and it's easy to cast/fish in the wind. If it's too rough to fish in the wind it's simply too rough to fish!

I hate fishing in the wind , only because it makes it so difficult , especially if your trying to slow down and finesse fish with plastics . That said , wind does several things that help . The waves cut down on light penetration and that brings fish shallow . It also adds oxygen to the upper layers of the water and that can energize bass and forage fish .It can change water temps , pushing warmer water into new area's of a lake .
Lastly , wind pushes plankton , forage fish follow and feed on the plankton and bass are right behind them .

There was a group of people hanging out on the dock when we came in yesterday. We were heading out because the wind was beating us to death. This group of people had a two-person blow up kayak that a couple would venture out on. They were out playing on the water in white caps that I didn't like in my 20 foot boat. As I was getting the truck my gf overheard them say that they were glad that they finally got life jackets.

Swing easy when it's breezy.

My first concern, being you're a new boater owner, is YOUR safety. Know the limitations of you and your boat. Even if you own a 21' boat, your lack of experience could cause you problems early on. You mentioned Lake Waco, so the good news that lake isn't big enough to crazy dangerous like the bigger lakes do. Just always remember - it's better to err on the safe side and be able to go back fishing tomorrow.

With regards to actual fishing, you've already received a lot of really good advice.