Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Down right windy

Wow. Windy spring days are expected each year. You could say it's a right of passage most anywhere in the country.

Five years or so ago, I spent my winter into spring studying and researching everything I could about Reelfoot Lake in Tennessee. And what I came to find out about the early spring crappies down there was that a guy could catch upwards of 100 of them in just a few hours, if the spring winds quieted long enough for him to get on the lake.

Weather.com pegs the winds today at 3o mph with gusting winds reaching 41 mph. That's the type of wind that becomes dangerous on the lake.

Now, while I'm not crazy enough to head out onto a lake with these types of winds unless I can launch and fish in a wind-protected bay, I've never been one to let the wind, even gusting wind, drive me off of a good shore-fishing spot.

A few years back I caught a 5.5 pound walleye out at Buckmaster Bridge with a stiff wind in my face. I also watched my buddy catch a 3-pounder and another kid catch a 9-pounder. Wind can have huge advantages, especially strong winds that force baitfish along the shoreline.

Fortunately for the fish, I have little desire to try those same techniques on crappies and sunfish. But two weeks from now, well that's a different story.