The question right now is not what the cause is but what can be done to catch more fish? We have to face the reality that this is fall and our days on open water are winding down so we have to make the best of what's left. Other than cooler temperatures you can count on some windy days in the fall and like it or not this may be what we need. Fishing in the wind, from shore or a boat can be a pain, but don’t complain about it - take advantage of it! 

There are more good points to wind than bad; starting with the fact that wind stirs up the micro organisms and zoo plankton. This is what the bait fish feed on, when the bait fish are active the game fish (bass, walleye, crappie, ect) become active. Also with the stirring action the water will get a little dirtier and allow the fish to get shallower and for you to get closer without spooking them. A steady breeze for several hours or days which happens in the fall will actually blow schools of baitfish like shad to the wind blown side. 

We hit the high points of what the wind does, now how do we take advantage of this? With the baitfish active in the wind we can fish a little faster which allows us to cover more water while picking off the active feeding game fish. Knowing that the fish will be shallow because of the cloudy water eliminates the need to fish deep, narrowing are search for biting fish. Fishing the side of the lake that the wind is blowing into narrows our search even more which means your lures will spend more time in the strike zone putting more fish in the boat. 

The wind makes current and game fish will position themselves facing into the current so they can see their prey coming, so cast your lures as directly into the wind as possible. If you are trolling or drifting let the boat go with the wind -  this will keep your lure headed straight at the fish. 

All of these windy tips work in rivers as well, it may not be as prominent of a pattern on rivers but wind will affect them, especially right now with the water level and current flow being low on the area rivers. 

I'm not sure that a fish will swim from one side of the lake to the other to be in the wind but I am sure the fish that are already on the windy side will get much more active and the fish that are normally out deeper following baitfish around will be up shallow and easier to find. When the forecast calls for wind this fall grab your rod and head out, you may blow right into some great fishing. Until next time keep your lure wet!