Take Advantage of March Winds: Fish Wind Blown Banks!
Keith Lusher 03.28.24
If it’s not the #1 nemesis of bass fisherman across the country, it’s darn sure up there with the list of adverse conditions that plague anglers. Yes, spring is here and with it come the strongest winds of the year. And while I’ve learned to schedule my fishing trips around days with winds over 20 MPH, I was recently reminded of a valuable technique that I once took advantage of but have strayed away from through the years.
One of the benefits of living near water is always being able to wet a line at any given time. The neighborhood where I live has 6 different lakes which provide plenty of opportunities to fish for largemouth bass. Recently I was on my way home and received a phone call from a neighbor of mine, Kenny Zulli, who was fishing one of the lakes. He told me that he had caught about 5 large bass in an hour. He also told me that that they were still biting and asked me if I wanted to join him. After arriving home I threw my casting rod and reel into the back of my truck and headed down to the lake. I walked a man-made trail for about five minutes and found him in the back corner of the lake. It was an area of the lake that formed a cove. The wind was pushing loads of debris and floating vegetation into the cove.
Zulli was using a white spinnerbait and casting it into the cove. “You see all that debris piling up right there? That’s what happens in this cove when those winds are blowing into it,” Zulli said. I started casting into the cove and within a few casts felt my line come to a halt and I set the hook. “Ya see!” Zulli said. “It’s automatic when the wind is blowing. That wind blows the baitfish and other insects into the shorline and the bass follow.”
Now this wasn’t new knowledge for me being that I grew up knowing to fish wind blown banks, however, as the years went by I got away from fishing on windy days altogether. I’m certainly glad that Zulli refreshed my memory and reminded me of just how good the fishing can be along a wind blown shoreline.
One of the downsides to fishing these blown shorelines if sometimes the water clarity is sub-par to the water being stirred up. Zulli said he likes to use a solid white spinner bait when the water is murky. “I love using a white spinner bait in the spring. You just can’t beat it,” he said. I used a White Strike King Spinner Bait to catch numerous bass that day and thanks to Zulli, or Z-man as he’s referred to by friends, I have a “Plan B” option for those days when the winds threatened to cancel my plans!
