Whats the best bait to use when its REALLY windy?

If you mean for being able to cast into the wind something like a lipless crankbait SK Red Eye Shad casts well and catches them. A spinnerbait like 3/4oz would be a good choice as well.

Change over from 1/2oz jigs, to 3/4 or 1oz jigs.

If you can get into position and make a cast at a wind swept bank I highly advise throwing a spinnerbait ,especially with cloud cover. Just make sure to have your reel set properly , the wind can create some nasty backlashes.

If it's windy, I'm throwing a spinnerbait anywhere the wind is pusing water through a necked down area, accross a point, or into a pocket or cove.

traps, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, crankbaits, heavy jigs, c-rigs.

If it's very windy and distance is the objective very few things will cast further than a diamond jig, but I doubt you'll catch too many bass. I'd be more concerned about positioning myself and I would not fish too differently than I normally would.

When its windy, I try to fish with the wind at my back. That way Im casting with the wind rather than against it. Also I try and fish heavier lures. Usually cranks or spinnerbaits (don't really care for jigs much but they would be great for casting as well). In my experience, its kind of hard to fish T-rigs when its windy cuz the wind keeps blowing the line and pulling the worm up near the surface. With cranks and spinners the water resistance on the lip or blades helps keep the bait down.

I like a 3/4 rat-l-trap, or a heavy t-rig with a tube or craw. Something that won't catch the wind when you throw it.

Anything I can throw where I can still feel either the difference in vibration pattern when a strike accures or something I can stay in contact with and can still feel the strike. Lure options for me are based on that and cover/ structure/ depth options. I say it like that because there is a vast difference between the lures in your box and what you can still feel or pick up on when the wind is blowing.(for example) It is simple to say throw a crankbait but more accurate would be to throw a crankbait that has a vibration pattern that is strong enough for me to still feel in a strong wind.

traps, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, crankbaits, heavy jigs, c-rigs.

Ditto...

Mike

Very windy today....15-25 knots!! Cast into the wind with a Pointer 100. Did very well! Seemed like the wind helped the bite. I find that side arm casting against the wind is easier.....wind doesn't catch the bait as much.

A spinnerbait or a heavier swim jig

Are you fishing the Delta? From a boat or shore?

Delta bass are going to be in the tullies so you choices are a jig or a punch rig.

Anywhere else you should be fishing the wind blown shoreline with broken rock in areas where a surface mud line has developed. Again a jig is a good choice because it has little wind resistance and doesn't sail in the wind. Texas rigged worms would be good and deep diving crankbaits can be good if casting down wind from a boat. During the winter a structure spoon or heavier flutter spoon can be effective if shad are up in the mud lines.

When you say windy in California you are talking about sustained wind over 25 mph, so be safe.

Tom

I like using a spook on windy choppy days. Also a spinnerbait across the surface with the blades popping the surface.

In windy conditions I will throw a Chatterbait 1/2oz size.

Heavy swim jig with a boot tail swimbait that's 3 or 4 inches long

Same baits i always throw just bigger/heavier....except topwater, i don't throw them much in high winds.