Bait movement with wind

We all know, or think we know, that bait fish follow their food that is blown into coves, banks, and points by the wind. Here's a question for the board. After several days or a week of wind from the same direction, what happens to the baitfish when the wind suddenly changes to a different direction for several days... Do the baitfish immediately start moving to the other bank, do they stay put for a day or two before moving out, or none of the above.

I like a fresh bunch of fish, to fish for; so follow the wind blown banks. They may hang around for a while; but predator fish want the numbers if possible. They want the easy kill when possible. During the hot Summer time conditions a wind blown bank also has more oxygen which produces a higher level of activity.

Totally agree with all that Mr Harper, but here's the question... Wind blows from the south all week, and the evening before a tournament, it shifts to the west or north. During the tournament, will the fish still be hanging where the wind WAS blowing into, or will they already have migrated to the NEW windy bank. Does it take a day or two for the baitfish to relocate, or is it immediate.

Totally agree with all that Mr Harper, but maybe I wasn't clear with the question... Wind blows from the south all week, and the evening before a tournament, it shifts to the west or north. During the tournament, will the fish still be hanging where the wind WAS blowing into, or will they already have migrated to the NEW windy bank. How long does it take for the baitfish, and then the bass, to relocate to the new windy bank.

I doubt that many will agree with me on this, but I don't think very many fish (bait or bass) are completely relocating when the wind changes. A few weeks ago I was fishing the dam on a lake where the dam is the southernmost bank. The wind had been blowing from the south for at least a week, and my graph was almost completely blacked out by huge schools of shad. None of them seemed to know that they were "supposed" to follow the wind to a wind blown bank. They were all staying in the calm water out of the wind. I caught a bunch of bass too, so they also missed the memo on what they were supposed to do.

Don't get me wrong, I fish the wind blown banks and points and catch a lot of fish doing it. I think it's because the wind blowing into the bank creates a situation conducive to catching them- not necessarily that it moves more fish into that area. But what do I know...

I essentially agree here. I think wind moves plankton which moves baitfish. When those baitfish move into an area, it fires up the resident fish and puts them into a feeding mode. Very few fish are migrating vast distances across the lake.

Bait fish follow plankton. If the wind blows the plankton, they follow it. If the area is protected and the plankton stays, so will the bait fish.

The bait fish aren’t getting blown around. They aren’t aware they are the food for larger fish. They are simply eating as well.

Don’t overthink it.

Agreed. Implanted radio transmitters in bass have shown that a bass seldom roams more than 400 yards from where it was born in most ETX lakes.