anyone have tips for rought, choppy water fishing?

Crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Anything moving really. If its a rough windy day thats all im throwing.

Wind blown banks and points. With the crankbait and spinnerbait A-Rig. I fish clear lake and If the wind not blowing hard it can be a tough day on the water. "The wind is your friend"

fluke had a couple good videos about that using a rattle trap or something.

Good boat control.

Just had these conditions on Lake Champlain this weekend.  10-15mph steady winds with 20-30 mph gusts.  Waves were easily in the 3-5 foot range.  Made it impossible to fish.  Between the boater and I we caught only one fish.  We tried eveything ... spinnerbaits, crankbaits, loud obnoxious topwater lures, flipping and pitching heavy weights.

 

The one caught was on the loud obnoxious topwater.  He also had two other blowups but they missed it.  Others reported similar success.

 

Learned something that day.  Bass will strike topwater in strong waves and wind as long as they can find it.  Never thought about topwater in those conditions but it seemed to work on that day.

Good boat control.

X2

Boat control x3.

 

If you can't stay on the fish, make the casts, or present the baits properly, you aren't going to catch.

A good pair of shoes. Standing on the deck with the bow going up and down all day can be extremely tiring on your feet, ankles, and calves. 

Don't go if your boat can't handle it.

Don't go if your boat can't handle it.

Good advice.

 

15 mph and 3-5 wave is perfect for fishing for us, not that it's easy standing all day.  My partner's boat is only 21' but built to handle those conditions.  My boat club boats I use are a 28' Sailfish or a 27' Robolo, they both handle the waves pretty well, gas and go..........luv it.

Get a drift sock and use it if you're fishing lakes.

Just had these conditions on Lake Champlain this weekend.  10-15mph steady winds with 20-30 mph gusts.  Waves were easily in the 3-5 foot range.  Made it impossible to fish.  Between the boater and I we caught only one fish.  We tried eveything ... spinnerbaits, crankbaits, loud obnoxious topwater lures, flipping and pitching heavy weights.

 

The one caught was on the loud obnoxious topwater.  He also had two other blowups but they missed it.  Others reported similar success.

 

Learned something that day.  Bass will strike topwater in strong waves and wind as long as they can find it.  Never thought about topwater in those conditions but it seemed to work on that day.

Those are about the only conditions where I'll throw a clacking buzzbait. Otherwise I'll throw something a bit more subdued.

Fishing in the wind can be a drag      lol

I mounted a 24volt Tour Series on the bow of my Tracker specifically for fishing windy conditions.

The other thing I do and don't tell my buddies, is anchor.  I've tried a wind sock, but the lakes I fish are narrow and I was constantly having to adjust it and NOT fishing, so I sold it.

The great thing about windy conditions is they help position the fish and break up the light penetration, the latter is very beneficial in clear water conditions.  I prefer to cast into the wind with heavier baits and quarter cast with the lighter stuff as the fish will generally be facing into the wind (current).  Lipless cranks and 1/2oz.+ jigs are my go to baits.

Moving baits or heavy bottom contact baits in wind blown areas is how I normally go about fishing in the wind. Unfortunately living in Kansas dealing with 20-30mph winds is a way of life