Like most of us, I don’t like spending a lot of money on gas…at today’s prices…just to go someplace and watch the wind blow big waves across the lake. So, if there is a serious threat of wind, I don’t go. But, I have also learned to not rely totally on any single weather forecast. Sometimes I look at at least two or three forecasts, and they are often all different. And, just as often, all three are wrong. I would love to have a job where I could be wrong all the time and still keep my job.
**Different parts of the country have different weather patterns. And, most lakes seem to have their own weather, regardless of what local forecasts are for the closest cities. It helps to know your fishing holes well enough to know what the general patterns are and then plan accordingly. **
For example, on some lakes, there will be a “morning breeze” blowing from one direction. Then, it might calm down at some point later in the day, before the wind direction changes and often blows harder from the other direction. I have a couple of lakes I fish that fit that description. I launch and then fish downwind along the shoreline until the wind changes…and then I fish downwind back to my vehicle. that works fine on most trips, but once in a while Mama Nature doesn’t play fair. I have also had to kick my way back to the car in high winds that just kept blowing in from the same direction as the morning breeze.
When I plan a trip, I usually look for winds under 5 MPH. Anything forecast under that often means it will be almost calm. The forecasters leave some leeway in there for occasional breezes…and 5 MPH is not much. If the forecast is for 7-8 MPH or more, early in the morning, with winds building to over 10 MPH before noon, I stay home. Or, if the forecast is for higher winds early, calming in the afternoon, I do not go until later. But, in Utah, where I do most of my fishing these days, it is customary to have calm conditions in the morning and whitecaps by afternoon.
I hate wind…not so much because it makes it tough to move and maneuver. I hate it because most of my fishing is light tackle “touch” fishing. I fish light rods and line, using small lures, and I need to be able to maintain a good feel for what is going on at the other end of my line. If the wind blows a big bow in the line, I never know if I get a bite. In some cases I try to position myself directly upwind from where I want to fish, and cast straight downwind. But, if the wind is heavy enough or has swirling breezes, that does not help much.
It all boils down to knowing your water and knowing your own limitations. Then, you have to find a weather forecasting service that you can trust. After that, you have to be able to interpret the information you get and decide whether you still want to go.
On my last trip to Utah Lake, the winds were supposed to be from the NW, after a calm morning. There was calm at daybreak and then a SE breeze started blowing…and blew for about two or three hours. It calmed for about an hour and then resumed, from the SE, and got progressively stronger so that TubeBabe and I had to kick back to our vehicle in a steady chop.
Same thing on my last trip to Willard Bay. The forecast was for 8 MPH winds from the east at daybreak, shifting to the south and then the SW at 10 MPH by late morning. Normally, that would have been “iffy” enough to keep me home. But, we went anyway. Turned out to be dead flat calm almost all day. Just enough breezes a couple of times to put a good “fishing ripple” on the water.
I have seen it go both ways…different from the forecast…so many times that I almost don’t even rely on the forecasts any more.
