Wind? What wind.

By Another Keeper On November 9, 2009 ·

So the theme of the week was definitely wind. It 15-20knts was the norm this week, primarily from the ENE. This combined with an early morning low tide to create a strong low water condition most of the week. The Redfish and Snook were cooperative, particularly when the tide started flooding. There was one particular school of redfish, numbering in roughly 80-100 fish that showed up every day like clockwork for at least one good shot, and many days this week for several good shots. The trout bite was decent on topwater early in the morning, though the season is now closed. Spanish Mackerel are large and invading the inshore waters as well as the beaches. We saw several nice sharks cruising shallow water, and caught a few Bonnetheads in 10″ of water that proved to be a great show on light tackle. Overall fishing this week was pretty good. Pompano are starting to show more frequently, so I will definitely be planning an hour or so to target them on some of my upcoming trips.
This week I fished a lot cut bait, live pinfish, and a little bit of whitebait. We also fished Mirrolure Mirromullet, top pup, top dog Jr. and He dog based on the size of the redfish, size of the mullet in the area, wind conditions and how much noise we needed to make. The topwater plugs work great on the feeding schools, but are also good searching lures during low light conditions. This will often give you a heads up as to where the fish are holding and where they may be preparing to move or feed as the tide comes up. Often if the fish will show themselves early in the morning and you can think like a fish for a little bit you can anticipate their movements and behavior throughout the day. As the mullet get more thick through the fall, the topwater bite will only get better. With every overcast or foggy morning (which are rare in Southwest Florida this time of year) my spirits are lifted because I know what lies in store for the early riser. Remember to work those topwaters slow, somtimes agonizingly slow, as the water cools. Sometimes it is more of an erratic darting motion rather than the rhythmic walk the dog action that gets them to strike. Mix it up and keep note of what works under the conditions.
Overall fishing in wind is all about positioning. I try to make sure that I am fishing an area that I can approach with the wind at my back. Often, the wind provides the perfect stealth approach. I will use my trolling motor for positioning if necessary, but most of the time I am able to just do a bit of steering using my outboard just slightly in the water as a rudder. I use the PowerPole to stop, or help myself change course. This will often allow me to quietly work an area and extract more fish from the area, even under windy conditions. As a matter of fact the extra casting distance, stealth approach, and ambient noise in the water all may contribute to MORE fish in the boat on windy days.
Check this out, kind of disturbing if you ask me.