The only one I question is the leeward side observation. In a Bucher video he stated the muskies, at least the Big Kahuna of that area, will position itself out at the 'point' of a strucutre or weedbed. Into the wind. First at the dinner table. Of course, he could be wrong. He hasnt caught that many fish…

I've also heard to fish the front side of windblown structure. But I've also heard to fish the slack water behind the windblown structure. My thought is that it depends on what kind of structure it is. If it is a shallow underwater rock pile for example, the slack water behind it will cause the eddy which will in turn cause the baitfish to "swirl" back towards the direction of the wind. Muskies just sit and wait for the baitfish to drift in front of their face. Remember that the older a fish is, the wiser they are. If they can sit in a slack water area, not exert any energy, and have baitfish blow right in front of their face, they will do it. I think this is a prime example for river fishing, also. But in areas with say, an exposed island, I think the theory is that the wind will force the baitfish up in the shallow water against the island.

"Jim tenHaaf" said:
Remember that the older a fish is, the wiser they are.

They don’t have the ability to think or learn so an older fish isn’t any samrter than a young fish. It may seem like they are smarter because it is harder to find them because they are significantly lower in number.

"hemichemi" said:
I don't think baitfish get "blown" by wind-driven currents. The food they EAT does (plankton, algae, etc.), and they follow their food, and muskies follow them.

Yes. The food chain is the key factor in how wind moves fish. Some baitfish prefer to feed out of current because it is easier. Wind driven areas aren’t better during a wind because baitfish have been pushed in. Usually baitfish will move into those areas once the wind subsides (feeding opportunity).

Why the myth that the windward side is better? The wind creates low light and chaos on windblown structure, which benefits a predator.

"Will Schultz" said:
[quote="finlander"]The only one I question is the leeward side observation. In a Bucher video he stated the muskies, at least the Big Kahuna of that area, will position itself out at the 'point' of a strucutre or weedbed. Into the wind. First at the dinner table. Of course, he could be wrong. He hasnt caught that many fish…

Positioning in wind depends a lot on forage. I've got an article somewhere about fishing in wind.

Here you go… this touches on forage and current.

Out in the Wind
Will Schultz

Over the years much has been written about the effect of wind and the predator/prey relationship. Often overlooked is the type of primary forage on a particular body of water and the effect of wind on that forage type. The usual assumption is that the windward side of any structure is going to be most productive. This can be true in lakes with limited open water forage where the main forage is suckers, bullheads, carp, perch, etc. However, when dealing with open water or suspending forage that are planktivorous (eats zooplankton) like shad and cisco, other variables need to be considered. Open water current and turbidity will often have a greater impact on forage location. To say that the baitfish in a system are pushed with the wind and onto or into the shore or structures isn’t always accurate. Lakes that have an abundance of filter or particulate feeders such as shad or cisco will react differently to wind. These types of baitfish do not like current nor do they feed well in turbid water that has an increased amount of displaced sediment. Often shad and cisco will be found in areas that are not in direct wind, they will utilize areas that make feeding easier and more productive. These areas might be out of the wind completely or they might be areas that are on seams or eddies that form in mid-lake current areas. This not only holds true for filter/particulate feeders but since many of these areas concentrate zooplankton it will also concentrate other baitfish and of course the top of the line predator will soon follow.

The first key in understanding forage movements is to have an understanding about current and how wind moves water. Current created by wind does not necessarily increase proportionally to wind speed. For example, a wind of ten miles per hour or less will only create minimal current speed of no more than 0.2 mph. When the wind builds up to twenty miles per hour the current slowly increases. However, as waves build, the strength of the current will actually decrease. In almost all situations the speed of the current created by wind will not be more than 2% of the wind speed. For example, during a 20 mph wind the current will be less than 0.5 mph in most situations. There are other factors to consider, when wind created current is present in narrows or neck down areas increased current can be expected. Another important thing to remember on big water and small water is that there is a Coriolis Effect. The Coriolis Effect is the force of the earth’s rotation on current direction. In the northern hemisphere this force causes currents to turn clockwise. Even though you might have a wind directly out of the west, the current will be traveling in an east-southeast direction. This change in direction will be dependent on water depth, distance current has traveled and any obstructions such as points or islands. How will this affect small water? After a day or two of steady wind the Coriolis Effect will cause a current that forms along the shoreline traveling in a clockwise direction. Up-swell and down-swell will also occur in lakes during sustained wind. Up-swell will occur on the leeward shoreline. As the wind blows offshore pulling water away from that shoreline water from below the surface is pulled upward toward shore. This effect will pull plankton, larvae and other small organisms toward shore creating a feeding opportunity for smaller baitfish. Down-swell occurs on the windward shoreline, as wind and current impact shorelines or mid lake structure the current is forced downward creating what is referred to on big water as undertow. The down-swell effect will pull smaller organisms away from the shoreline and down the break line.

Now that we know a little about wind and current, let’s look at how certain structures will create feeding opportunities for muskies when current is present. To explain this we’ll take a look at the same structure with two different wind directions, Figure 1 and Figure 2. The primary forage has everything to do with how I’ll approach and fish this area or if I’ll even consider it as a primary location on this body of water.

If wind and current is creating a feeding opportunity for baitfish, yes baitfish, not predators, I’ll identify those areas on or near points, humps, islands or shorelines that will concentrate baitfish. To make this description easier to understand I’ll refer to figure 1.

"><url url="[Permission to view this media is denied]
">[Permission to view this media is denied]
” alt=”<url url="[Permission to view this media is denied]
">[Permission to view this media is denied]
” />

In a lake where the primary forage is suckers, carp, bullheads, perch, etc., the areas marked A will be primary targets under these conditions. With two anglers in the boat, these areas are best attacked with one angler fishing deeper along the break with a crankbait or jerkbait fishing the mid-depths. The second angler should be casting to shallow cover or on the flat with a fast moving bucktail like a VooDooTail headhunter. As the effect of wind and current increase, the deeper areas along the break will become the primary target. Why? As mentioned earlier there will be a down-swell or undertow that will be pulling smaller forage down the breakline away from shore. This effect will concentrate the larger baitfish along the breakline as opposed to on top of the flat. Watching your graph for concentrated baitfish is important to identifying where to fish. At times of strong wind you’ll usually see the baitfish concentrated a little deeper than under moderated wind. During a moderate wind I’ll be sure work the flat but under strong wind I’ll usually ignore the flat and concentrate on the deeper water along and outside the breakline. If the primary forage is shad or cisco I would expect to see them suspended and scattered away from the breakline over open water, making this situation and structure less desirable.

Though, as mentioned at the beginning of this article, wind creates minimal current it’s important to keep in mind the direction of the current. Whenever possible lures should be retrieved going with the current, if this is not possible then a cross-current presentation will suffice. This is important because, though there might be only a minor current present, a muskie will always face into the current. I am a firm believer that a lure that approaches a muskie from behind will not solicit a positive reaction and might actually spook that fish. This means that you’ll often be casting into the wind and during strong wind it will be important to be casting a wind cheating lure. Glider jerkbaits are an excellent choice when casting into strong wind and my personal favorite is the Wabull from Musky Nut Tackle

Now let’s look at the same structure under a different wind direction. Figure 2 shows the same point but instead of directly impacting the point the wind is going across the point. This creates what I believe is the perfect situation in lakes where the primary forage is shad or cisco.
"><url url="[Permission to view this media is denied]
">[Permission to view this media is denied]
” alt=”<url url="[Permission to view this media is denied]
">[Permission to view this media is denied]
” />

I would begin fishing this area in the leeward inside turn of the point (area C) because this area is going to be least affected by wind and current. Often times in high wind situations you’ll see this type of area load up with baitfish. The planktivorous feeding baitfish will concentrate here because it is much easier for them to feed on zooplankton in calm clear water. Also consider these types of areas in lakes without shad and cisco because most minnows and fingerlings of every almost every species feed on zooplankton at some point in their lifecycle. The theory here is that where the bottom of the food chain goes the top will follow. The second area that I’ll concentrate on is just inside the end of the point (area B) and slightly downwind from that area. During periods of strong wind there will actually be a visible eddy that will form downwind from the point over open water. This will concentrate feeding baitfish that are taking advantage of an abundance of food that has been pushed off the point and is now caught in the eddy. This food can be larvae or zooplankton so these areas will not only attract the planktivorous baitfish but also other desirable forage. It’s in this eddy area that I would expect to contact the biggest fish using this structure. Area D is beyond the eddy (area B) and is a current seam. You have probably seen this on lakes during constant winds where a slick will form usually there will be a layer of bubbles or foam on the surface of the water. This seam is created when current of different speeds come together. This area will concentrate zooplankton and larvae creating an open water feeding opportunity for planktivorous species. If the primary forage is suckers, carp, bullheads, perch, etc., the areas marked A, much like in figure 1, will also be concentrating those types of forage.

When fishing areas A, B and C in figure 2, I would again want one angler working along the edge and the second angler fishing the top of the breakline. In areas B and C, I would spend some extra time fishing a cast length or two off the breakline. These areas will often hold suspended fish that most anglers run their boat right over as they cast to the top of the breakline. The key to fishing areas B, C and D for suspended fish is to keep your baits up high. When fishing suspended fish I will rarely fish a bait that’s running deeper than 6-7’. Don’t be afraid to run shallow baits over deep water, muskies will rarely take a bait presented below them. Topwaters and bucktails are probably the most overlooked baits for suspended fish.

Taking the time to know the primary forage on a given body of water and paying attention to the effects of wind and current will greatly increase your chances of catching more and bigger muskies. Next time you’re on the water watch the wind and remember that what you have always thought about fishing windblown areas may not be the best option. Sometimes the areas out of the wind will be the most productive areas.

"Larry Porter" said:
A thought-provoking piece. I have to say I'd never considered the Coriolis effect when doing fishing of any type. Thanks for sharing this, Will.

I too have NEVER thought about the Coriolis effect. Does this mean you have to fish everything backwards in Australia? [smilie=brows.gif]

some mind opening info. Thanks Will!

"Jim tenHaaf" said:

What about fish becoming accustomed to lures? You don't think that if a fish is caught a few times on a specific lure, that it is less likely to bite that lure again with the same presentation?

Some conditioning can happen but they don't have the capacity to learn. An older fish can't remember that it was caught on a Suick five years ago and will therefore avoid Suicks. Some avoidance/conditioned behavior can occur which would be short term.

If they could learn to avoid lures they had been caught on no one would ever catch a fish in Webster Lake, especially on a Bulldawg.