Boat Control in the Pool 2 Wind Tunnel

I got down on Pool 2 after work this afternoon and it was quite the frustrating experience. For whatever reason, Pool 2 get’s pretty windy regardless of wind direction. At work it seemd like 5 MPH winds from the West or maybe West-Southwest. On the river it was roaring right up the channel, Big white caps as far as you can see.

OK, trying to be intrepid and maybe learn how to finally catch Walleyes down there I tried to hit a few Wingdams. Here’s where I started swearing. The anchor can’t be under the boat; you have to let out some rope to get it to “bite”, right? So I motor to a spot about 50 feet above the wingdam and drop the anchor and let out some rope. The wind then blows me anywhere from 50 feet to 100 feet above the dam Alright, let’s motor down right next to the dam and anchor there. Now the wind either pushes me 50 feet away from the dam or the current pushes me OVER the dam and I’m on the other side of it. And in between of course I’m floating all over creation. The boat was moving around so fast I couldn’t present a jig slowly bcause of boat movement!

How the heck can you control the boat with these kinds of conditions?

I really HATE fishing in the wind….but river fishing always seems to be windy.

Rootski

Windy days are often a battle with boat control and lure presentation, and I’m not sure there are many easy solutions. I honestly try to avoid fishing Pool 2 when the winds rippin’ from the south – especially with higher flows (which we still have). But you’ve gotta go fishing when you can, so try to minimize the battle as much as possible. Try to pick spots that may have some shelter. In addition to off-channel areas, shoreline spots can provide some break from the wind, and with higher flows, you may find more fish in these areas. Of course, shorter casts and heavier jigs come into play as well.

Also, have realistic expectations. Realize it’s often windier on the water, and realize you’ll need to be patient. Try to keep it fun, and don’t let it get to you.

I’ll be down on Sunday. With another front coming through, I’ll bet it’ll be windy out of the south ahead of the next front. But with a 3-month-old at home, beggers can’t be choosers, so I gotta get out when I can.

In south winds try either dropping a drift sock over the side of the boat or leaving the motor running in reverse. It can be challenging but at least the wing dams are easy to see. Down from 494 about 5 miles where the river turns can be a lot tamer fishing if you can get there. Lilly dale is another good option in a strong south wind.

Looks like strong winds again tomorrow. Maybe Ill bring a kite with.

We hit similar conditions awhile back and we dropped anchor then put the T8 in reverse and left it at a little above an idle. It worked like a champ—you can even swing one way or the other to cover more water. There is still the problem of the bow in your line though and all we could do with that was go to heavier jigs. Not as much fun but we stuck a few. It beats sitting at home wondering if the fish are biting.

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The anchor can’t be under the boat; you have to let out some rope to get it to “bite”, right?

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Wrong!

What kind of anchor are you using?

-J.

I have the bigger sized Waterspike, two feet of chain, and 100 feet of braided rope. It works well if there’s only one force of nature aimed at the boat. If there’s two (current and an opposing wind) and I’m by myself then I run into problems.

I was thinking that I really could have used a 350 Chevy engine block yesterday

I don’t have any problem anchoring up using a 15 pound navy. Many times the anchor is pretty much straight down in that situation. (Where the current is pulling down and the wind is blowing up.)

A lot of guys like those spikes, I don’t for the river and my spike sit in the shed up at Mille Lacs in the winter….

-J.

I think my next project is to get some angle iron, a piece of pipe, a big I-bolt and some wheel weight lead. Then I’m going to create “Franken-anchor” (insert evil laugh here).

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I think my next project is to get some angle iron, a piece of pipe, a big I-bolt and some wheel weight lead. Then I’m going to create “Franken-anchor” (insert evil laugh here).

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I use a 28lb navy in the river and it works good. Giant chain anchors are big in Michigan. Especially smaller boats fishing heavy current for trout/salmon. Not sure why they have not caught on here?

That wind has been brutal the last coupe days for pitching jigs. Its not too bad while the fish are hitting cranks but the bite there seem to be just tapering off! Steve, an easy fix is to get a second anchor “12 lbs”. Tie about a 3 ft section to the anchor and use a clip to attach it to the main anchor line. I usually tie a heavy knot about 3 1/2 ft above the anchor. That way when your yanking the anchor up you have a warning before you smash it into the side of your boat. I just clip that spare rope/anchor for a tail hold and you dont have to pay out any line at all. Also you can go to a 15 or 27 lb anchor when ever you need it and then I usually have a spare along in case I loose one
Its really nice some times not having much line out in a heavy south wind. Usually then I have better luck tucked closer to the wing dam and the heavier current still allows you to get a good action out of a heavier jig while being fish more vertical.