How long do you monitor wind direction?

 

How many days in advance do you start?

 

How do you interpret changes when checking it multiple times?

I am retired so I look at windfinder every morning.

 

It is fun and interesting to look at barometric pressure in correlation with wind direction and speed.

 

Overall, it is pretty accurate, but you can cuss 'em when it's way off!  🤣

I love the tabular data link on the NOAA website. I can scan ahead five days , and look hour by hour data.  Been fairly accurate 

 

it seems to get more accurate as the target fishing day gets nearer.   As a kayaker I watch the wind like im prepping for a shuttle launch. 

I check the wind direction and speed every day.  Depending on the lake I am going to it has an effect on where I launch as well as where I start looking for fish.  Three days from the same direction often sets up the food chain, algae, zooplankton, shad, foraging game fish.

I am a Weather Hawk during the entire open water season.  Especially early and late season.  Weather/Wind conditions are Second on the list of fishing drivers for me right After the season pattern. 

So I check it At Least once a day but when conditions start to set up in my favor, it's more like every few hour of my waking day.  Yup. I have a problem,  but at least I know it.

A-Jay 

 

 

Deep dive app. Helps tremendously here because we have no natural lakes, all waters are serpentine 

 

I check windfinder and weather underground every day. Twice a day if I know I’m going fishing in the next 48 hours. The wind direction will help me decide which lake I’m going to and where I might be starting in that lake depending on if I’m in the mood to fish in it or out of it. 

Because of the gin clear water I fish, wind plays a major role.

I can't fish finesse techniques effectively so avoid Windy days.

I try to look a week or so in advance nowadays. I pay attention to trends or changes. If the wind has been blowing strongly in one direction for multiple days, that’s information I want to know. It absolutely will affect where I choose to fish

I keep track of it closely when I fish big water.

 

Beyond that it’s not much of a factor on smaller bodies of water.

7 hours ago, Jig Man said:

I check the wind direction and speed every day.  Depending on the lake I am going to it has an effect on where I launch as well as where I start looking for fish.  Three days from the same direction often sets up the food chain, algae, zooplankton, shad, foraging game fish.

 

This is about all there is to say.  It's a thing you gotta be aware of every moment of the day when fishing.

I watch the Windy app like a hawk if I'm kayak fishing (for days ahead of time, because predictions change) to figure out a good launch and return window. If I'm bank fishing not so much, mostly just to see if conditions are at all predicted to be fishable. 

If I’m going out on, or need to cross Lake George I keep an eye on the wind. It can kick up and ugly quick. I’ll see if there is a pattern, what time the winds pick up or die down.

I usually fish the flooded cypress, but I keep an eye out the other boats out on the lake as I’m fishing to gauge how rough it’s getting.  

I start looking a few days before I am going to fish but more so for storms and cloud cover. I'll typically just adapt the night before or morning/day of depending on what its doing.

 

After reading how closely you all follow it though I feel maybe I should be looking into it more lol. 

Before I go to my big lake, I'll check the weather from Weather Underground. I'll be there if the forecast is for a West, South and a North wind which I can live with. East wind, forget it. 

Good Fishing

I look at it.  But I haven't learned to benefit from the info.  Aside from the windiest days when safety and boat control are compromised.  It isn't unusual to have wind blowing nearly 180° different within 30 minutes.   

On days where I plan on fishing for a long time, the wind absolutely is taken into consideration. When the winds are on the higher end, I tend to switch places depending on the direction it's going. River sections that span east to west are more fishable for me on my yak when the winds are coming from the south, and sections that go north to south are better when the winds are going east or west. North winds I usually stay home lol.

Lake level, wind direction and speed, water clarity, water temp...I monitor it all.  The DeepDive app makes it easy (and addicting!)

 

I try to stay on top of the local conditions. I really start paying attention and thinking about how it will affect a particular lake, a week before a tournament or a few days before fun fishing. 

I check everyday and every couple hours prior to launching. If I had a motorboat, I'd check less.

I look at the projected wind on Wunderground on Sunday and pick a weekday with the least wind to go out and check on it a few times as it gets closer, last time before I head out. It’s an hour drive and stinks to get there and have to turn around. 

I check the wind multiple times a day. I try to stop but I can only go so long before I need a fix. I check the windy.com, windfinder.com and on my phone I paid for windy.app (yes that is the name). I also look at the wind forecast on wundeground and finally I have a subscription to a daily wind assessment for the Columbia Gorge from the https://thegorgeismygym.com/

 

Basically I never stop monitoring the wind.

 

I will fish through any kind of precipitation and any temp above freezing as long as the wind forecast is not dangerous. The Columbia river in the gorge can turn into a washing machine with several foot waves in no time flat.  That is bad news in the kayak!

I sail and kayak fish.  So I am usually watching it most of the time. the nightly evening news weather forecast is a given. I find that Weather underground is pretty accurate as long as it is within a couple of days. A week out I think they are fortune telling, tea leaves and a crystal ball. I'll have to check out that Deep Dive App.

FM

For the waters I fish, a coastal and tidal river system, winds affect the tide which in turn affects fishing. A north wind means lower than normal tide and southerly winds cause higher than normal tides plus slows the rate of fall. Higher tide levels give our fish much more room to roam and get into areas you can't get to. Weather Underground and my own weather station are my primary sources for all things weather related.

I start looking at the weather for my next trip about 5 or 6 days in advance.  I look at NOAA, two or three weather apps, and the local news.  I really don't worry about wind direction, but I do pay a lot of attention to wind speed.