What is it about a little wind that sometimes gets bass active?
“It’s about light penetration into the water,” says Lucky Craft pro Skeet Reese. “When the water is slick, light penetrates deeper and the more aware the bass are of their surroundings. They’re spookier and tend to hold tighter in shade. So with the wind, even just a little breeze, it creates ripples and disrupts the light penetration. It makes a more comfortable environment for them.”
A bit of wind also creates some current that may get baitfish active. If you’re fishing around points, maybe a bank with docks or a grassline with cuts in deeper water, the breeze could be enough to get things going.
“Wind can be your best friend,” Reese said. “If you make a 50-foot cast on a slick day, you probably can see your bait. But with a slight breeze you can’t see it. If you can see the fish or your bait, the fish can see you. Slick calm days can be tough and you have to slow down with soft plastics, flipping or pitching tighter to cover. Wind breaking the light penetration and getting a little current can make all the difference.”
One consideration is the combination of dirty water and calm days. If a thunderstorm dumps a lot of rain into a lake it may be muddy or more stained than usual. Add the post-frontal bluebird conditions and things can get tough.
That’s when Reese opts for the dirtier water.
“The general rule is if you have a lake with multiple water colors, clear and dirty water, on a real slick calm day you’re better to go to dirty water,” he said. “I’m not talking about heavy mud, but something that’s dirtier than normal. If you do want to fish clear water, you may have to slow down with small worms. If you have a little breeze and overcast conditions, then your clear water is the deal.”
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