Wind mph and tournaments

At what mph do you think is unsafe to fish and for the td to call the tournament? Our club is discussing this now.

Depends on the lake and the direction of the wind.

Anything over 25 mph is my limit, but it also depends on which direction it's coming out of and the size of the lake.

I've fished Lake LBJ in a 30 MPH wind but it was coming out of the South. The only time that lake gets to rockin' is when it comes out of the Northwest.

Probably the best way to solve that problem is to have a committee of 5-6 members and vote on it. Skill levels vary from the novice to the veterans and usually the newbies are gung ho to fish in any conditions. Years ago when I was in Century Bass Club they operated that way and it seemed to work great. Bass Champs handled the weather situation at Ray Roberts with a great amount of common sense and as far as I know there were no serious accidents however most of those guys are veterans with years of experience fishing in inclement weather.

Yeah I feel 25 is my max but we are expecting 23 sustained with gust up to 40. Were a new club out of Abilene so the lakes get rough fast.

I'd be upset if my club cancelled a tournament due to 25mph winds.

Did you see the "Gusting to over 40" part? After the FLW Costa January fatality on Okeechobee every tournament
trail seems to be more concerned with lake conditions as they should.

Right on.

25+ winds aren't bad, by themselves....you can fish a protected area. Very cold ain't bad by itself either.....extra hand warmers and clothing layers.


Last weekend was pretty bad. It was everything in one....wind, sleet, rain, cold. .....and we all still fished.


I am tired of the weather patterns though. Seems as though it is nicer during the week and Friday night storms, Saturday and Sunday cold and WINDY!

I guess I'll add...better safe than sorry, but I'd still be fishing tourney or not, so might as well make it interesting. Nothing is as boring as "fun fishin".

Yes, I did read that part, and I guess I should clarify, I'd be upset if my club cancelled a tournament due to forecasts of 25 mph winds with gusts up to 40. You also wouldn't find me 10 miles from the boat ramp or fishing main lake points. Same could be said for thunderstorms--if "scattered thunderstorms" were forecasted or let's say thunderstorms expected to roll in at 1:30 when weigh in is at 3:00, I wouldn't want my club to cancel, but again and as a big fan of common sense, you wouldn't find me on the opposite end of the lake come 1:30.

I don't know about cancelling a tournament, but I won't be on the water Saturday. I just heard our weatherman say north at 25 to 35 with maybe higher gusts. Dangerous or not, I wouldn't enjoy it if I went so I'm staying home.

That's for prefishing. If the tournament was Saturday I'm sure I would be out there. I would be miserable, but I would show up.

This is me, I feel like I’ll be there. Probably against my will but I’ll be there.

Wind on Belton during TTZ last week was 25-30mph. not to mention thick fog, rain, and low 30s wind chill. There were still 180~ boats. It really wasn't that bad, unless you on the main lake, or driving directly into the wind

Depends on the lake for sure but as long as there if fishable water that's safe to get to I say get with it. Our club does it like this, you can trailer anywhere but everybody leaves the same ramp at the same time. So you either leave that ramp in your boat or in your truck. To me that allows us to fish pretty much anything besides a hurricane.

Oh to be young again. Ha ha and you know what ha ha. Here hold my beer and look at me. Your not looking at me look at me see me see me. Ha ha

Man up

Not saying it was "safe" but on April 10, 1988 me & my partner fished an event on Fork and the North Wind blew 35-40 ALL day with gusts recorded to 54 mph!! It gave us all we wanted in my 17' 10" Ranger. (that was a big boat in those days)

We didn't catch any monsters but my partner KCB did catch a 13.61# SAL that day!!

You and I must have a different definition of monster.

I have never felt unsafe on a Texas lake due to the wind.

Don't leave it up to someone else. If you feel unsafe then don't fish.

Just waiting patiently for Gig'em to come along and tell you you are lucky you didn't die...

Ken, you're lucky you didn't die. There you have it.

No one is making you fish , it’s your call , experience with adverse conditions on the water various with each fisherman . The wind can really screw with a lot of Bass Fisherman . Got to backup plans .

I dare say that there is no one on this forum that is fishing tournaments for a living. With that said, we are all doing it for fun. If the wind is high enough, or it is cold enough to make it "not fun", I had rather not fish in it.

That’s me, I was just wondering what everyone’s thoughts are. At what level of wind do you say, “man the td should have canceled”. Looks like a mixed bag of thoughts. Most air on the side caution and some pride themselves on fishing in 40 mph +.

Fished a Media in gusts to 40mph several years on Hubbard Creek. I won't ever do that again, TM batts were done by noon.

Just be thankful for the TP&W recovery team.

Mark, don't start making sense or asking someone to take responsibility for their own actions.............

Nobody needs to be on the water when its blowing 40 plus.

There was a media on Texoma several years ago that had an airport recorded wind gust of 68 mph. We had a few members swamp their boats. I turned around on the mainlake and tied my boat up to a dock and left it.

Couldn't agree more.

Winds this week are starting to make me feel like I live in Kansas again.

It's really pretty simple. If you are not comfortable, do not risk it. No entry fee is worth risking injury over. At the end of the day, its just a fishing tournament.

There is usually always a place to fish on most lakes safely under most conditions. I personally fished Bass Champs last weekend on Ray Roberts and with my boater partner we didn't have any problem at all. This weekend I have a tournament on Tawakoni and me and my boater partner have already discussed how there is no way we are going to venture out on the main lake but we do have a place we are going to launch and be protected and I personally am really looking forward to fishing. I have had area's through the years on lakes like Tawakoni, Cedar Creek, Ray Hubbard etc. that I have fished plenty of times with really windy bad weather but kept it in an area that I didn't have to venture into rough conditions and had a great time. You really get limited especially when fishing a tournament but I still always look forward to being able to get out fishing but have also had plenty of times through the years fishing where you didn't let weather dictate anywhere you went. Those days are pretty much behind me now but not enough to keep me from finding a calm place to launch and fish.

Yep there are good places to hide from the wind on Belton this weekend, But there will also be 7-13 boats in each one of those spots Saturday

It's official, you should have died

This is exactly why we are a trailering Club. We have the tournament at Tawakoni on Saturday. That lake is a first class biotch in the wind. Many of us found that out last year about this time. In my communication here on TFF, and my communication to our members and at our meeting tonight I will stress to everyone the importance of picking a ramp close to your fishing location that keeps you off the main lake. Safety HAS to come first. And as Mark said, if you don't feel safe, don't go. A day of fishing is NOT worth dying for.

I love all of the TFF tough guys that brag about how they proudly fish in 3-4 or even 5' waves or 30 mph winds, etc while making fun of those who think it's not safe. The Ray Roberts thread last week was a perfect example. And yes, we fished it but were smart about it and didn't cash a check. $10K isn't going to change me or my partner's life so we were not willing to risk anything crazy for it.

To the OP, as many others have stated, there are a lot of factors but to me the biggest is the number of available boats ramps on the lake. This is the issue with Ray Roberts....there's really only 5-6 of them and none are really in the areas where lots of us had practiced and wanted to fish. So for your club, it's really about that plus available options of moving it to the next day, etc. I would imagine a local bass club has much easier options of moving a tourney than Champs does.

Shoulda, woulda, coulda, but I dint, so there!

I thought I was the only one with a 10" Ranger! At least that's what the ladies tell me!

I fished on TWok last weekend, Media let us trailer so we were able to get close to where we wanted to fish. It suxed anyway at least for me. But as to when a TD should cancel, we are all grown ups if you don't feel it is safe you don't have to launch and fish. No one is twisting your arm making you go out. Know your limitations and don't let your ego override your abilities. I fished a Top 6 on Amistad in the late 80's on day one we had 20+ MPH winds out of the west, it was quite a ride back from Cow Creek in a 16.5 ft bass boat.
But be safe out there we have already lost to many of our brothers this season across the country.

You goober

Really?

Just know your and your equipment's limitations and don't exceed them.

BASS event on Lake Ontario and the St Lawrence Seaway. We fished through Hurricane Gloria and nobody died. I doubt it ever crossed Harold Sharp's mind to cancel the event.

Yes, really.

Since I started tournament fishing I cant think of a year the compares to the amount of bickering, crying, and threatening not to fish trails if they dont cancel or reschedule due to wind. If you cant drive a boat in big water then dont enter, no sense in the rest of the field that knows how to handle their equipment to be punished for the folks that cant. If trailering is allowed and a fella cant get to his water then you darn sure better have a plan B or locate something you can get to, not blow up the TD's phone and email about canceling. I can respect the tournament trails decision to cancel in the event their insurance wont cover them over a certain wind speed, some wont cover anything if there is a lake wind advisory issued.. I get that. I just dont get the anglers that call themselves tournament fishermen acting like tournament day and fun fishing day are the same thing.

The last sentence is where I would disagree with you. Most tournament fishermen would fish rain, cold, and wind. Even ride out some bad thunderstorms, but sustained 25 to 30 (now) with gust in the 40’s to 50’s is where most anglers would stay home. If you have more anglers not show up vs show up, the club made a bad decision. I think most know tournament fishing isn’t just fun fishing, but also know what is down right dangerous.

Both you guys have good points. Tournament fishing is an outdoor sport done in the elements. Today's equipment is so much better than what we had 30 years ago. Safer, faster, smoother, better. If some guy doesn't have the good sense to run his boat in big water & high wind then he needs to take up another sport. Sorry, I'm a little old fashioned that way.

I do agree that I would fish a tournament in much worse weather than I would go Fun-Fishing. I would not choose to fish on a day with 30-40 mph wind but if it is tournament day and that's what we are dealt, then we go.

I would have been on Ray Roberts this weekend for the tournament if it had not been cancelled. I already made adjustments to where I would run and fish.

Next weekend may be just as bad with rain on top of it...this is Spring. Can't hide from it.

Stop putting words in my mouth Doug, I said lucky you didn't die. If you consider yourself a hero or one heluva man because you fished in 35-40 mph winds then you are fooling yourself. On three different occasions on two different lakes I fished where 4 people died due to inclement weather and it was a real eye opener for me. If it ain't fun then I ain't fishing and when people die fishing it stops being fun and I could care less what anyone on this forum thinks because I chose not to fish in freezing weather and high winds. If it makes you feel manly and tough to fish in the kind of weather we had last Saturday then by all means keep doing it. I ain't scared I just have better things to do and I won't apologize to anyone for it nor will I condemn those that will fish in that kind of weather. Do what you feel good about and I won't think less or more of you either way. If Ken will be honest and I know he will there was more than once when he wished he was on dry ground when those winds were gusting to 45.

Depends on available ramps in protected areas. If it's a club event it should be trailer anyway.

Ken wasn't real smart 30 years ago. He is a lot smarter now and not nearly as tough as he used to be.

I can vouch for a lot smarter now but I don't think you have to be tough to fish in 40 mph winds but you do need a real good reason. Apparently a tournament is a good enough reason. Certainly was memorable huh.

Depends on lake and direction on that lake

It was Lake Fork and the wind was 35-40 all day out of the north. Lake basically runs south to north.

My partner and i fished TTT on richland chambers couple years ago with winds gust at 50mph. Fishing was hard and areas to fish limited. But went on our own judgement. Main thing is our choice and did not go on a public forum to bitch. Wow

Gale force wind is 39 to 46 mph. Only a fool will venture out in a gale force wind. Some people on here have some wild imaginations or just plain liars.

50 mph is a severe gale force wind.

Hooray for you, want a prize ?

I have fished in that kind of wind on occasion, though not for fun and I have operated a rescue boat in much higher winds. I actually have some expertise in operating boats in very dangerous situations. It's a big part of my job.So I am not posting from feelings or internet research, it's from actual real world experience. Not just from talking about "back in the day" and typing on the TFF like yourself.

You constantly come on here and matter fact post that someone will tear up this or that or get injured or killed if they do not do as you say or do. Dude you are not everyone's keeper or grandfather. If you do not have the stones or want to anymore than put on your snuggie and watch some TV.

There ya go, no beating around the bush

You guys play nice

What I have always wondered is where the liability issue is ?
Can a tournament director be held liable if something should happen during his tournament.

And I am not necessarily talking about the Bassmaster classic, FLW tours,
because I am speculating that the participants all sign some kind of release.

But more so about the TTZ, "jackpot tournaments, the weekly or even the club events.

As for me, if I think its too windy, or lightning in the area, I will stay on dry land.
I do admire those that have the skills and boating savey to handle really rough weather,
but as Clint Eastwood said: A MAN HAS TO KNOW HIS LIMITATIONS !

Every tournament I have fished including little Thursday night working mans have a statement about release of liability on the entry form. That doesn't really mean jack though, if someone gets ready to sue you they will do it regardless.

Agree... a 40 mph sustained wind is to bookoo. I'll be out tomorrow with my dogs in 20-30 sustained with gusts of 40 fun fishing. The dogs dont mind it a bit as long as they still get to swim and lick a few bass.

So Ken, I assume that was a 373v ranger with a carbed 150 mercury and no hot foot? You were definitely a thrill seeker in that setup. !

Close.. It was a 17' 10" Ranger 360V with a Yamaha 220 Special, a little over rated on the HP but what the heck... For you youngsters, that was a big boat in 1988.

When we launched at Lunker Lodge (LF Resort now) that morning at dawn the wind was maybe 15-20 from the North. All of the fish we had located the day before were on the South end of the lake. It was mid-April so lots of late spawners down south. It was a team event so we needed five Unders and an Over. We started in a little pocket near Dale Creek.

We ended up fishing near Alligator Slough in a cove that was very well protected from North wind most of the day. This is before Power Poles (yes, we managed even before then) so I would move from tree to tree and tied up. The trees (not stumps) were so thick back then it made moving the boat around very difficult. We were sitting on a little secondary point throwing T-rigged lizards.

We knew the wind was building from 9 am on but the fish were biting. I broke off one about 8# near the boat because I tried to horse it over some heavy brush. The slot was 14-21" back then. My partner KCB stuck the Giant about noon and we looked like the Two Stooges trying to get her in the boat! It was the biggest bass either one of us had ever seen. He said, "I just hope she's over ten." I said, "Ten's A$$!! That fish is well over twelve!!"

When we rounded the big point of Little Caney and headed north we were fortunately going directly into the waves. The south end of Fork looked like the Atlantic Ocean. It was a scene from Deadliest Catch. I yelled at KCB as we made our way up the lake to make sure the latches on the livewell were secure because if the boat capsized I wanted to make sure the fish stayed in the boat. I was more concerned about the fish's well being than our own.

I was keeping the boat barely on plane in the rough seas trying hard not to stuff a wave. A smaller boat came out of Wolf Creek and got behind us in our wake. About halfway to 515 bridge we lost him. I hope he pulled into one of the coves along the way. I was afraid to turn the boat port or starboard for fear of swamping the boat.

We got to the 515 bridge and the waves were small enough I finally felt safe turning back toward the west to then idle into Lunker Lodge. We took the fish to weigh in and she was at the time the largest bass EVER caught in a tournament up to that point. She went 13.59 on the scales. We called TPWD and they came got her. She went 13.61 on their scales.

I've been in some big water since then but nothing even close to that day. I knew the wind was hitting 40 mph that afternoon. When I got in the truck to head home, I turned on the radio. The weatherman was talking about the wind gusts recorded to 54 mph that day in Sulphur Springs at the little airport.

A few weeks later after his fish had successfully spawned we met David Campbell at the lake and took KCB's fish back to the same tree where he caught her and filmed (no, not with our iPhones) her release. She swam away fast & strong. I am confident I hooked one of my female clients hooked her the following year off the same tree. We got a good look at her as she came up & spit the hook.

I would never choose to go out on a day when I knew the wind was going to blow sustained 30-40 mph but Mother Nature does not always read the forecast. The TD knew a BIG cold front was coming but nobody predicted what hit us.

Guess some people are just dieing to fish.

+1

Bass Rambo’s lol

I was a co-angler for the FLW RayOVac on Falcon in January 2010. Worst conditions I’ve ever experienced in a boat. I’ve been on Toledo and Rayburn on some bad days but I’ve never seen anything like this.

This was the one occasion where I felt the TD should have called it. I now fish a deep V bass boat just because of that experience - I think it scarred me. Not sure if anyone else in here was there but something about that front was a perfect storm for Falcon.

Everyone has a choice of hoping back in the cuddly comfort of your truck and going home. You don't have to get in the boat.

I'm surprised some of you drive in the rain. Higher odds of dying on the highway in the rain than from a boat accident.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/2406...aths--injuries/

Or fishing to die.

"What I have always wondered is where the liability issue is ?
Can a tournament director be held liable if something should happen during his tournament."

Even though you sign a waiver, most states do not allow contractually eliminating liability.
But why would the director be liable for your decisions ? It is still "your" call.
Know you limitations and use "common" sense. Blasting across a lake with 4-5 ft waves can break a boat in half.
Always wear a PFD while under way and remember the rear end is heavier and will sink first !

Showed in 2016 701 people died in boating accidents which is a lot IMO but the difference between driving and boating people are boating/fishing for fun while most people are driving to get to work or some other destination. No stats but I betcha more people died tournament fishing last year than did in NASCAR which I would consider more dangerous. I found out one thing, if you say you wouldn't fish a tournament in 25-35 MPH winds folks on here will make fun of you or consider you a wuss. It's ok though, I fish for fun and fishing under those conditions is not fun for me but if it is for you then you can have lots of fun these days cause it's windy just about every day.

I cast no shame on someone who does not want to venture out in high winds,either because of inexperience or common sense do what you feel is best!We seem to have several Master Boaters on here that aren't scared of nothing.I salute you my friends and may you live a long life and tear nothing up!JMHO!LOL

B.K.S., I've took a lot of flak on here and a couple of times it got to a point where it even got personal about my opinions on fishing in high winds. I'm talking about wind speeds that caused Bass Champs and others to change to trailering and it happened again yesterday. I have LOTS OF EXPERIENCE operating a boat in all types of weather and also a fair amount of common sense. No doubt the majority of these guys fishing tournaments these days are perfectly capable of operating their boat under these conditions but like Ken A. said sometimes the weatherman misses his forecast and for a period of time the winds go from 25-35 to 35-45 and that my friend is an area that some have never dealt with and that's when it gets dangerous. I understand the thrill and excitement of tournament fishing, did it for many years and if I had the right partner would probably do it again but at this point in time I'm just enjoying fun fishing and fun fishing for me is not when the wind is blowing 25-35. Not that I couldn't manage, I just don't see the point. The days when the wind is howling like it has been for what seems like a month I play golf, work in the yard, go shopping or visit friends which is much more fun than trying to keep my trolling motor in the water. But everybody else, keep doing what makes you happy and I'll be pulling for you catch the biggest bag you.ve ever caught at whatever lake or tournament you're fishing because I know you're doing what makes you happy and God bless you for being financially and physically fit to do it. I am out.

Gig'em,I hope you got the point I was agreeing with you.I tend to think much like fisherman telling a story about a fish they caught a wind gust that is really 30-35 mph turns into 40+ and 2' waves turn into 6 footers.40+ mph winds are some bad juju and 6' waves on our Texas lakes WILL tear stuff up,go back to the FLW Stren? on Falcon several years ago,those anglers that ran to the dam that day tore some stuff up getting back and that's no story!We fished Belton Saturday and it did get rough,my partner an I were careful and got out of it when it started to pickup,we saw some folks that probably wished they had done the same when their boats got swamped at the weighin.

Yes I understood that B.K.S. Sorry about the guys that got their boats swamped. Never seen so many windy days as we've had this spring. My boat has been in the shop for 5 weeks now so I've not been doing any fishing but there were probably only 4-5 days during that time I would have went anyway. Ready for summer, lol.

I used to be young and foolish. Now I'm not as young.

I was in one on Lake Champlain out of Vermont. Lake is 110 miles long and 10 miles wide. Day one the rollers were 5-8 high and very dangerous.
Day two forecast for 50 MPH winds and thankfully they cancelled.

We fish at Lake Fork every Thursday and many of them are windy. Last Thursday 20-30 out of the south with 40 gusts. I fished in Little Caney to play it safe. Most have big boats. Mine is a 18.6.

You just never know. You just have to take precautions. Least I do.

I look at it from a couple of directions. One, is it safe. I've been running a boat since I was a teenager so I am confident in my abilities to navigate safely. Navigation isn't the question for me.

For me it is all about having fun and NO I'm not making my living at fishing. If I'm not going to enjoy the day due to the weather, then I"m out. Plain and simple.

I'm not as mad at these little green fish as I was 20 years ago.

This pretty much sums it up for me.

We look forward to spring every year and when it finally gets here 3/4 of the time the weather makes it really hard or uncomfortable to fish our areas the way we want to fish them.

If fishing was my job I would be out there doing it, but it's not.

In a month...it's gonna be hot and humid....and dead calm. We'll be wishing for some wind.

It is what it is. Texas.