Fishing a rough wind

Comment

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on October 24, 2012 at 9:59am

Please be careful out there, men!

I like your slip anchoring description, John. I have gotta get me a boat this coming season.

Allen, I do enjoy the pedals in my Hobie when the wind is rough. Sit back and just work those feet. But I avoid the wide open stretches of Lake Murray when the lake wind advisories are up. Glad you didnt go in....

Comment by John Sheehan on October 24, 2012 at 8:01am

Allen -That sounds horrendous paddling in a Kayak against the wind .This time of year its no fun fallen into cold water ! Once I got knocked out of a 10' boat .I was being an idiot by standing up and the wind pushed the boat into a standing tree in the water .Knocked me right out .My brother was there in the boat paddling back to me with the lures on the rods stuck all over his shirt! I was hanging onto a tree in the water stammering directions and cold! Pulling myself in the boat and telling my brother ,"get on the other side of the boat!! ,or we'll both be in the water"He was trying to reach over and grab me to pull me in .That was a memorable cold October day in the water which I'll never forget because It ruined my fishing outing !

Comment by John Sheehan on October 24, 2012 at 7:54am

Allen -What I'm calling slip anchoring  is you put the anchor out a certain length ,fish ,then to fish the next adjacent area you slip more rope  out to move the boat downwind to cast to a new area. It's the way I contend with high winds when even the drift sock doesnt slow the boat down enough .I have had situations in Spring and Fall higher winds where the fish would be where the wind is trapping food and the fish are feeding but the only way to present slow enough baits is to anchor .

Comment by Allen Morgan on October 19, 2012 at 3:32pm

What's a "slip anchor"?  Same thing as a "drag anchor"?  Basically, enough heavy chain to drag along bottom, but nothing to grip and hold?

I don't want to think about wind.  I went out this morning.  Wind was out of the NW @ about 10 mph when I launched my kayak.  A few hours later, I noticed it was really ripping, about 20 mph.  I was in a sheltered spot, trying to avoid the wind and find some White Bass.

I decided enough was enough, time to play it safe, and head home.  I had two rough stretches, about 1/2 mile long each, where I was paddling into the wind.  At the end of the first one, I was up against a sheltered shoreline.  That was about 1/4 mile long.  Just as I was about to head into the wind for the final leg, I pulled in my trolling rod.  Lord help me if I had connected in that mess.  I would have been broadside to the wind and waves really quick.  The final stretch wasn't that bad, but I had one tricky part.  I had actually paddled past the launch ramp, so I could turn and put the wind at my back.  That turn had to be quick, as I didn't want to flip.  I got that done quickly, and it was quite literally a breeze after that.  Paddling into the wind is like driving a convertible, lots of wind.  Once I turned with the wind, all I really had to do was keep my kayak on a straight path, as the wind kept trying to turn the stern.

Comment by John Sheehan on October 19, 2012 at 2:45pm

Leo I was drifting at 10-12' but caught nothing.Slip anchoring Slip floating and spin jiggin' up against a wall bashed by the wind I was able to catch them in 3-5' I guess it was .This rig had a stopper at about 3' below the surface.

 

 

Comment by Leo Nguyen on October 19, 2012 at 2:35pm

I'm curious on the water depths you were hunting at. You practically rig to draw them in even at surface level. I tend to give a 12" drifting leader for that rig.

Comment by John Sheehan on October 19, 2012 at 9:03am

This was last evening between 4 and 7 .Slip anchoring was the only way I could catch fish .Trolling and drifting with the drift sock didnt work out

 

Comment by Jeffrey D. Abney on October 19, 2012 at 8:57am

Looks like a winner John...too bad the wind was so bad today...