Posted by Jim E (24.116.99.140) on November 26, 2003 at 14:18:26:
Wind and fishing
Fishing in the wind can be very frustrating, especially for the fly fisherman. Casting alone can be a challenge not to mention presenting a fly the way you would like. An old saying that I remember from bass fishing is that “the wind always bothers the fisherman a lot more than the fish”.
Think about it, what effect can/does the wind have on fish ? Just more waves, right ? Several times have I been around fish that have just started working the emerger/adult stage of a hatch only to have the wind come up and literally “blow” it all away. So, is it time to pack it all up and move elsewhere or even go home ? Besides, the fish are all gone now, aren’t they ? I don’t see them rising anymore !! Well, not so fast. True, a strong wind can ruin a fun time of catching fish on dries but with a little change of patterns and tactics you might still be able to catch those fish.
In a situation described above try going subsurface. Often the wind blows a different direction than what the current is flowing. Therefore, any presentation on the surface would be just about be impossible to make it look natural to the fish. With the wind and waves forcing your line, leader and fly to move all over the place, under water is the way to go.
Just under the waves of the surface, everything is still going down stream. Whatever was hatching might still be, so try a wet fly imitation. Also, a good fly to try anytime that a hatch is underway is a fly that imitates the nymphal form of the hatching adult. When the “degree days” have added up to what the nymphs need to begin pupating, they get very active. No longer are they deep in between the rocks, leaves and all the other detritus found on the river’s bottom. They are up on top of the rocks and moving around with many succumbing to the current. Even with non-windy conditions there will still be fish focusing in on the nymphs below rather than the adults above.
Depending on how windy it is nymphing might require the leaving off of an indicator. An indicator could negatively influence the natural drift with the wind and waves pushing it around. This might be a good time to try a double nymph rig too. Tie a pupating nymph on as your upper fly then a regular nymph as the bottom one. If you have tried this and the wet fly you should have covered all parts of the water column. And if you find that success has eluded you, it would be safe to say that the wind has put down the fish and also stopped the hatch. It happens.
All that is left is fishing streamers, which is never a bad choice, or to continue nymphing. Both methods I would have great confidence with when fishing in “any” situation. Just cover lots of water and change flies often until you happen on to what the fish want. Again, remember, “the wind always bothers the fisherman a lot more than the fish”.
Good luck and thanks for reading. And as always, if you have any tips that you would like to share, just email them to me (you will be given full credit). Also, feel free to comment.
Jim Enns <*))))))))><