Wind is both friend and foe to the bass fisherman. Wind can concentrate bass, turn them on, and cover your presentation trail, making it more difficult for fish to detect you. On the other hand, it can disperse fish, turn them off, complicate boat control, and sometimes make fishing dangerous. The effects of wind are complex and often not well understood.

Basic Observations on Wind

Most anglers know some things about wind, and most of those are probably correct. Concentrate on structural elements on the windward side of the lake, for example, is a solid rule. But does that mean any structural element? Shallow-lying structure? The windward or leeward side of shallow structure? Any time of the year?

Most anglers also know that winds create currents—in fact, they often overestimate the strength of wind-induced currents. These currents, however, are complex. In general, prevailing winds, especially when blowing over giant lakes and reservoirs, create weak currents that flow at about a 45-degree angle to the right of wind direction. There are currents that flow along the shore and reverse currents flowing back under the surface. (We’ll come back to these angles and currents in a moment.)

In average-sized lakes and reservoirs, wind-generated currents tend to follow main-lake shorelines and circle large bays in the direction of prevailing winds. Structures that constrict this flow often attract baitfish and bass. A narrow pass, or a hump rising to within a few feet of the surface, may compress and accelerate wind-driven currents enough to simulate feeding behavior like that of riverine bass. In small bodies of water and sheltered coves, wind-generated currents are less important or not detectable.

Winds lasting only a few hours create no noticeable currents and affect fishing only by creating ripples and waves that change subsurface light. Wind currents that last several days may concentrate floating plankton near downwind shores. These concentrations sometimes attract baitfish that may stimulate bass activity. Wind-created flows running directly into a shoreline may break up and become chaotic, creating unstable swimming conditions for preyfish and making them temporarily vulnerable to attack. Even larger predators, however, often avoid powerful wave action. Consistent winds also push the warm surface layer of water downwind, while cooler water is drawn to the upwind side. When water temperature is an important factor in bass location or activity, prevailing wind directions can help anglers locate warmer (downwind) or cooler (upwind) surface water.

After winds drop, wind-generated currents continue for a while due to momentum and gradually slow, unless a new strong wind forces a more rapid change. Currents produced by inflowing and outflowing water may overpower and modify wind-generated currents, so wind effects on rivers and riverine reservoirs are less distinct than on lakes.

Waves are usually more important products of wind than currents are. In clear reservoirs, waves on downwind shores can increase dissolved oxygen, reduce visibility and light penetration, and increase the feeding efficiency of bass. When skies are bright, bass on downwind shores are more likely to be active than bass in calmer, clearer locations. In typically murky impoundments, where waves murk the downwind shoreline even more, bass may evacuate wave-tossed shorelines. Waves produce background noise that may interfere with hearing and lateral-line senses. That’s why bass feeding in murky water or at night usually select calm water.

Those are just a few useful observations––but it’s worthwhile here to focus more closely on the principles and details of how wind affects water. Few fishermen know enough about wind; examine what you already know from a new perspective, and you’ll pose more sophisticated questions and achieve more consistent fishing.