Thread: Wind Hazard Question

My personal rule is....if the wind is greater than 10-12 mph....I put my boat back on the trailer. My boat can handle the wind but I can't lol.

So far my only experience with wind was the time a fast moving thunderstorm caught my brother-in-law and me on Millwood Lake in a 14 foot jon boat. Do not intend to ever let that happen again!

Wind is very dangerous.....of course, make sure everyone has a life jacket on....if you find yourself in a situation where you have to go thru it to get back to the landing, approach the waves at an angle and use a zig zag pattern to get back....go slow and never go head on into the waves or parallel to them....if it is just too dangerous, there are two options, wait the wind out in a cove or a safe place or get to the nearest launch and motor back to get your vehicle...many guys are willing to help fellow fishermen out this way..so, it pays to learn where all the launches are in the area you are fishing.....if you feel unsafe, you probably are....just don't risk it....like "G" said, get a wind report before you go....download a weather app on your cell phone and check it often....it has saved me several times from getting slammed by a fast moving storm....

Thanks for the advice. I do have a couple of weather apps on my i-phone and tend to err on the side of caution.
Much better to be at home wishing you were on the lake, than to be on the lake wishing you were home.

Good advice from all so far... but I would add that you should never anchor in high wind conditions (high waves) in open water for any reason... and certainly not from the back or either side of the boat.

I am like "G", I don't like fishing in windy conditions. The wind turns fishing into work. So, when the wind get to about 10-12 mph I pack it in until another day. Fishing is supposed to be fun. If I am not having fun because I am having to fight the wind instead of a fish, I might as well be at the house doing something constructive.

A slave to the Master, Brother Lavelle Spillers.

A lot depends on the rig you are in too. I fish in some pretty winding conditions but out of a 20 foot glass rig too. I personally do everything in my power to avoid bad, 2 foot or better swells, conditions by checking the forecast and using the appropriate ramp and area of the lake that will be less likely to get bad. Does it always work, nope but it helps a lot of the time. Has made me learn different areas of the lakes as well which is a good thing. Use your head and don't second guess yourself . If your gut says put it on the bank then do it, life is too precious.

Just avoid the big water. I'll still go in the spring with wind gust at 20+.

I will however plan where I'm fishing and where to launch from on wind and wave direction.