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Posts: 305
| maybe i just missed it elsewhere here, but am surprised no one is discussing the suggestion that leeward fishing is the place to start for muskies and that windward is a clear second. i read this in the infisherman pike/musky issue in the article on video trolling. does this not fly in the face of suppossed dogma as touted by dick pearson (and many others)? the article did state that more investigation was needed to confirm but also wondered if we've been needing to beat ourselves up on the windblow side so much all these years. so is it too early to burn the parts about wind blown in pearson's sheild book? would be more interested in actual evidence from other video trollers and such than mere opinion based on our low catch numbers on musky. |
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Posts: 4266
| My Grandfather said, "Fish the windy shore-line."
My Father said, "Fish the windy shore-line."
So I say, "Fish the windy shore-line."
The only time that I don't start with the windward side is, when the wind is too strong making it unsafe, or if the trolling motor batteries are low.
You can't always believe what you read.....especially in an election year 
but if 3 generations of Pollacks tell it to you, you darn well better believe it.
Beaver |
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Posts: 433
Location: Cedarburg, Wisconsin | Sure, I can believe that IF you are on a lake that has been beaten to death and the fish haven't got a chance to use the prime areas without getting beaned by a couple dozen lures. Otherwise, not very believable at all. For every time I've caught fish on the "wrong" side of an island, point, whatever, there has been dozens of times I've caught them where the wind is pounding in or out away from shore on the windy side. I'll let the others fish the lee side, just give me the side where the waves are rockin'! |
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Posts: 2361
| My observations are that fish are drawn to current, and I would not expect fish offshore-if there were extended currents being created in shoreline areas. I would expect them to be drawn into those areas, and somewhat more difficult to troll for, since many current situations are caused by shallows and obstructions, not good trolling stuff.
Good spots tend to continue to be good. Wind can make some spots come alive or get even better, but a wind blowing the wrong direction does not make a good weedbed or inside rocky turn a poor spot.
All wind is good though you may have to go so far as to changing lakes to utilize it.
I rarely fish water with enough good spots on it to not fish all the good spots, regardless of the wind AND...see above.
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Location: Athens, Ohio | I have done well in places casting for 'slackwater muskies'. Where the wind and current cross a point or break, I've caught fish in the slack water just behind the break. m |
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Posts: 1937
Location: Black Creek, WI | I didn't see the In-Fish article.... so not sure what exactly you are talking about.
But, I look for lots of opportunities out of the wind. The current seam created by an obstruction can be dynamite.... and boat control can enjoy the benefits of being OUT of the wind yet you are still utilizing the wind (if that makes sense).
Also, wind creates current. Duh. But, if there is current on the windy side... there must also be current on the calm side. As FSF says.... muskies seem drawn to current... so there are opportunities to concentrate fish on both sides. Big waves from the wind simply make it easier to identify potential current opportunites..... whereas on the calm side those opportunities are not quite so obvious. |
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Posts: 434
Location: searchin for 50 | I have pounded the windy side a few times and no action and then headed to the leeward side and have caught fish. Fish don't read magazines or books. You have to try it all sometimes.  |
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Location: Twin Cities | It's relative to how long the wind has been blowing on a given side, IMO. And the structure below....it's just not that simple to me. |
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Posts: 366
| Well the "dogma", as you call it, was developed because before the technology was available it was difficult if not impossible for many to fish the extreme windy sides of structure. It was challenging, so many avoided crashing in the waves. Pearson simply pointed out that in many circumstances it is worth the struggle to fight the waves because there are muskies there to be caught. The exact when's and where's of muskie location on a given piece of structure is a multitude of variables far more complex than wind vs calm. Many here have already touched on the biggest factor that plays a role, current, but there are still countless others that contribute to fish location. In my opinion the point that you should take from articles such as this is that they have not just found the golden key to catching muskies, but have added another element to think about when dealing with each specific scenario that is in front of you. It is disturbing to me that you would have the notion to burn the writings of one fisherman just because another wrote something to the contrary. I certainly hope that you don't really practice this rationale in anything in life let alone muskie fishing.
Edited by Fishwizard 11/4/2008 11:49 AM
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Location: Grand Rapids, MI | jlong - 11/4/2008 10:30 AM I didn't see the In-Fish article.... so not sure what exactly you are talking about. But, I look for lots of opportunities out of the wind. The current seam created by an obstruction can be dynamite.... and boat control can enjoy the benefits of being OUT of the wind yet you are still utilizing the wind (if that makes sense). Also, wind creates current. Duh. But, if there is current on the windy side... there must also be current on the calm side. As FSF says.... muskies seem drawn to current... so there are opportunities to concentrate fish on both sides. Big waves from the wind simply make it easier to identify potential current opportunites..... whereas on the calm side those opportunities are not quite so obvious. jlong pretty much nailed it... A couple things to add: - the forage base can help determine if the windblown or lee side will be better - the structure can make a big difference, steep breaklines tend to create better seams from points or islands (fish the lee side) and gradual breaklines make better windward spots |
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Posts: 1168
| jlong - 11/4/2008 10:30 AM
and boat control can enjoy the benefits of being OUT of the wind
You just do this because you are getting old.
But yep, jlong pretty much nails it. It is quite amusing being on this stuff by yourself and watching the long line of guys playing the monkey see, monkey do game getting beaten to pieces. |
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Posts: 305
| this is just the sort of debate we can all learn from...my intent in questioning pearson et al was to ignite debate and suggest further observations of a different approach...i am certainly not drawing any hard conclusions yet-just opening my mind...thanks for the responses so far! |
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Posts: 724
Location: Southern W.Va. | Treat 'em like trout in streams they always seem to be using the structure and laying behind[ downstream] the current break. I work lakes the same way, looking for saddles , points , rock bars, ect. and work them as conditions require. Sometimes I locate fish in the wind, sometimes I find fish in slackwater areas. Sometimes I find no fish at all.
Mauser |
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| I agree with those above, relative to current 'breaks'. Being a river fisherman by nature, and also a whitetail hunter, I grew up looking for edges. Edges of wind are no different, but multi-dimensional in that two boats could seemingly work the same seam but be fishing it completely differently and not wrong. One thing I prefer to do is bring lures with current at least the first time through, which is often not what meets the eye on very large systems, or in slack water areas. Maybe it is because I hate being pounded to death in the wind anymore as mentioned above, maybe I like to listen to my tunes without the wind acting as crowd noise, but it is fun fishing the edges the easy/efficient way, while working the windy stuff from the 'backside'.
Ohh...as side note, if i have Alice Cooper's Killer album cranked on the box, better chance you'll find me fishing the windy side, than when the kids are along and I'm listening to Zanphyr and his pan-flute. |
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