How The Wind Affects Fishing In South Florida

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No matter how beautiful the waters may look today, there is an unmovable force to constantly contend with: the wind. Seasonally, there’s a big difference in wind conditions. Through the dog days of summer, we beg and pray for a spurt of movement, let alone a breeze to stir the humid air. In the cooler winter months, most anglers wish the wind away because it can be downright chilling to the bone. During spring, a stiff yet much milder wind mixed with rain can arrive at any given moment. In the fall, there’s a perfect mix of cooler temperatures and slight breezes.

Windy days can be frustrating for boaters trying to maintain a good side to fish. Most anglers will try to hug a mangrove line to get out of the wind. If you are away from a shoreline and there’s no way to get out of windy conditions, the easy approach would be to position yourself to cast with the wind behind you. Yet I have always found that casting into the wind will yield better results. Casting into the wind can be frustrating—the wind can push fish away and bring fish closer depending on currents from the side of river, jetty or obstruction from which you’re fishing. Anchor the bow or power-pole down so that you have the best chance of being downwind. This will allow you to choose your cast in a direction best-suited for the strength of the wind conditions, giving you less of a chance of fouling up your bait rig or reel.

For those of you brave anglers who are using a baitcaster, get the wind behind you. If you choose to fish from the beach, a good, stiff wind in the face will give you a slight edge, yet heavier weight is required to cut through the wind with a lengthy cast to match a calm day.

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