Windy Days!

When I looked at the forecast for today, I saw 40 to 50 km/hr wind gusts with sustained winds at 30 km/hr; not exactly a desirable forecast for a fishing trip. I rarely pass up a day on the water, so I decided to head out for a multi-species trip with local angler George Clark. After hearing the forecast, we decided to hit a smaller lake with "fishability" and safety in mind. The lake we fished is relatively shallow on northwestern Ontario standards with a maximum depth of about 25 feet. Unlike many of our lakes, this lake is shallow, fertile and features abundant aquatic vegetation so the fish tend to set up in and adjacent to weed-beds instead of rock. George and I were on the water by 8am and were greeted with the forecasted strong winds. Windy conditions generally mean no finesse baits, so we rigged up with 1/2 oz spinnerbaits, rattle baits, jerk baits and swim jigs for the bass and we had some traditional live bait rigging gear for the walleye. As it turns out, our first few walleye couldn't resist rattle baits like the Rapala Rippin' Rap and the Jackall TN60. Once we caught a few of the active fish in the school, we'd pluck the fussier fish with live bait rigs. The end result was a great day of fishing, albeit really windy. Today's trip really reemphasized to take advantage of a day on the water, regardless of the forecast as long as you can do so safely! I'm lucky enough to run a great rough water boat, a Lund 1825 Pro Guide tiller. This boat is fantastic in really windy conditions and if my Minnkota Fortrex can't handle the wind, I've got my 90hp Mercury 4-stroke tiller that allows me to hover over fish with ease. Don't be fooled by the forecast! Summer is short, so be sure to get out, even on those windy days!