# How windy is too windy?



## CaptainRob (Mar 11, 2007)

Old saying is "you go when you can", but I usually cap my fly fishing to somewhere between 15-20 mph wind speeds. Anything over that to me seems really tough. Usually even then I am hitting holes or working edges vs. sight fishing. 

However, the area that you fish in high winds can make a huge difference. Protected bays and backcountry can make fly fishing in higher winds much more doable.


----------



## FlatsBoss (Aug 17, 2015)

I fished from the surf in those conditions... All that I kept saying to myself was, "boy it would suck to be in a boat, right now".


----------



## NoeSmyrnaBch (Aug 19, 2013)

Was out in NSB this past sunday in 20mph winds. open areas are certainly no fun in that. You might be OK if you can find some islands/mangroves to hide in, but if you're thinking mosquito lagoon...25+ is too much if you ask me.
Hate this time of year for the wind, but hopefully it will cool down and we can get some of the water to clear up. Was hoping to get out this coming weekend, but looks like a good weekend for some boat upkeep instead....sucks


----------



## CurtisWright (May 9, 2012)

At 15kts it goes from fun to work for me.


----------



## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

As already stated it is so dependent on the area you are fishing that a generic answer is pretty tough. But in general if its over 15 I cringe and if its over 20 I tend to stay home. BUT and this is a big BUT. Being retired and I can be pickier. One irrefutable fact: You will never catch a fish from the living room couch. This past winter a buddy and I went even though the wind was predicted to be 20-25 all day. There was going to be lots of sun and we just figured to give it a shot. Well the wind ended up being a solid 30. But we had sun and by picking the shorelines we targeted we each landed a decent slot red on our fly rods. So we felt like we had a great day in that we landed fish on fly in very tough conditions. So my advice is as long as its safe to be on the water then give it s shot.


----------



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

You know you're getting into fun when you can hold your fly rod tip straight up and allow the wind to feed the line and fly straight out! 

How about when your casting with your right hand and the wind is whipping across your left shoulder and your cast and fly line out to your right side looks like a windshield wiper with no loops. 

I like it cause everyone else is off the water! 

Hey, break out the spinning rod! 

Rough ride? I needed to take a shower anyways! 

Where's my 13wt? 

Oh well, guess we're hitting the creeks today! 

Is there any good football on today?


----------



## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

MariettaMike said:


> New Smyrna Beach weather forecast for this Saturday calls for AM showers followed by NE winds at 25-35 mph..
> 
> Anybody else like fly fishing in _windy_ conditions? If no, what's your limit?...and what qualifies as a "Captain's Day"?


If I can get to where I want to search safely, have good visibility, and the sun is shining 25 to 30 mph max. But you better be ok pushing and casting into the wind. In my experience you can usually get much closer to the fish and no need for delicate presentations.


----------



## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Yesterday I ran 72 miles 'round trip out of Flamingo -exploring in beautiful conditions solo - but most days you're going to have less than ideal conditions so here's how I figure it....

First, and I'm not kidding... safety. Yes, there are some days when you just shouldn't be on the water. As I'm getting older (I'm a few years into that dreaded "senior citizen" category -but still poling my skiff each day I'm on the water....) I look back on more than a few days on the water when I should have stayed home - but I was younger then (my only excuse). So the basics come into play -can I get from the ramp to where I'm going and back safely in the skiff I'm in? I've been out working on charter boats in conditions so bad that we sheared off an outrigger (on a fifty foot boat) after we went over on our side so hard that the 'rigger was underwater... Yes, we caught fish that day -but we were cutting it pretty fine... The smaller your skiff the less bad weather/water conditions it will handle, period so that movie line "a man's got to know his limitations" comes into play. Each of us has to make that decision about that sort of stuff and learn the hard way... Anyone not afraid of heavy static condtions and lots of lightning.... should be afraid, period...

Now for the fishing end of things. Will the weather allow you to fish with some confidence? Will you have places to fish that are out of the wind? Those kind of questions have led me to fish on many days when others stayed home (but also cancelled trips when I knew we were going to be wasting our time. Here's two examples. At certain times during tarpon season in the 'Glades (which is usually before they show up down in the Keys...) the big fish load up into small rivers where you can fish all day in 30 mile an hour wind -and be completely sheltered.... No it's not much fun getting there but still very do-able... If it weren't for the tarpon, though, we'd probably be looking for a better day when the wind is blowing and Flamingo is turning into a chocolate milkshake and pretty much shutting down every opportunity...

At night I fish Biscayne bay during shrimp season and it can be outstanding -even in high winds -provided you have the right wind direction (out of the east you're actually sheltered right next to Miami Beach). But you'd not like it very much on the Miami side of the bay in those conditions - in fact it can get downright dangerous....). In that location the one wind I won't fish is if it's blowing north to south.... In those conditions a 20 mile an hour wind can just end our ability to work in close to bridge pilings for those tarpon that we normally sightfish at night...


----------



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Hey, I don't know how to cast when it's windy!  

Don't get me started on rough weather fly fishing sea stories either!


----------



## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

For me, if its blowing 15-20 its time to hide in the mangroves and catch snook on gurglers.


----------



## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

Backwater said:


> Hey, I don't know how to cast when it's windy!
> 
> Don't get me started on rough weather fly fishing sea stories either!


Well I don't know how to cast period, can't pole worth crap (thank the Lord for trolling motors), and I am just marginal at running a boat. But somehow I manage to have fun now and then....


----------



## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

CurtisWright said:


> At 15kts it goes from fun to work for me.


X2 completely agree.


----------



## Whiskey Angler (Mar 20, 2015)

I agree with the others who hang it up at 15mph. Though, during the summer and fall when the reds are active in the marshes here in SE TX, I can still comfortably fish the high-grass marshes in 15'-20', because the grass does a fine job of blocking the wind. Aside from casting in the wind, winds over 12 mph will really start to churn up the water to become chocolate milk...in which case big lures on conventional tackle are much more productive.


----------



## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

Whiskey Angler said:


> I agree with the others who hang it up at 15mph. Though, during the summer and fall when the reds are active in the marshes here in SE TX, I can still comfortably fish the high-grass marshes in 15'-20', because the grass does a fine job of blocking the wind. Aside from casting in the wind, winds over 12 mph will really start to churn up the water to become chocolate milk...in which case big lures on conventional tackle are much more productive.


What do you think about today?


----------



## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

el9surf said:


> X2 completely agree.


I will go fish when its windy but that's when I break out the spinning rod and gold spoon. 

Fly fishing in heavy wind is kind of like taking a leak in the wind. It can be done if you pay attention, but at some point you will probably regret it.


----------



## Whiskey Angler (Mar 20, 2015)

sjrobin said:


> What do you think about today?


Winds in and around Freeport/Surfside are <=10mph, which is not bad. However, these blue-bird skies and the 40 degrees temps last night might have em' shut down. Once the sun warms up the mudflats this afternoon, it may be productive, and there are probably flounder stacked up at all the big drains.

I'm never too productive in the cold months with fly-gear. I need to fine-tune my winter fly game.


----------



## RunningOnEmpty (Jun 20, 2015)

A hook in the underarm from a hard gust of wind is always fun. I just had to try for one more Tarpon before a nasty storm. The boat ride back in the rain plus the hook in my arm convinced me that I have an addiction.


----------



## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

Whiskey Angler said:


> Winds in and around Freeport/Surfside are <=10mph, which is not bad. However, these blue-bird skies and the 40 degrees temps last night might have em' shut down. Once the sun warms up the mudflats this afternoon, it may be productive, and there are probably flounder stacked up at all the big drains.
> 
> I'm never too productive in the cold months with fly-gear. I need to fine-tune my winter fly game.


Fishing tomorrow. Let you know how we do. Except for el nino years, winter sight casting in Texas can be very good.


----------



## bananabob (Jun 3, 2015)

Me thinks it time to pack some deer hair like Capt. Bob's 1/0 mullet he posted recently. Went wading some flats yesterday and saw several jumbo trout tucked up tight in some mangrove islands in knee deep water. But they all had lock jaw but definitely not spooky because I got within 8 feet of a couple before seeing them between the roots and took a few camera shots of the last one. Soooo hopefully after this big blow they be hungry and jump on a big deer hair slider.


----------



## NoeSmyrnaBch (Aug 19, 2013)

WHHHHHY is it always windy on the weekends......
(unless you have other things that HAVE to be done)


----------



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

ifsteve said:


> Well I don't know how to cast period, can't pole worth crap (thank the Lord for trolling motors), and I am just marginal at running a boat. But somehow I manage to have fun now and then....


Ok when I come up to MS to fish with ya some day, we'll be a sight to see!


----------



## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

Backwater said:


> Ok when I come up to MS to fish with ya some day, we'll be a sight to see!


I believe its the end results that count the most Ted. So I buy all the best crap I can afford, do my best to "look" like I know what am doing, then when I get back to the launch lie like hell.


----------



## RunningOnEmpty (Jun 20, 2015)

NoeSmyrnaBch said:


> WHHHHHY is it always windy on the weekends......
> (unless you have other things that HAVE to be done)


This is so true LOL


----------



## JaxLaxFish (Aug 23, 2010)

Typically I won't pull out the fly rod in anything over 15 knots and even then only after I've found fish on spinning gear. On the other hand in the summer flood tides I'll fish much higher winds because I can wade and I find it much easier to cast without the boat in the way. There is often an option it just may not be the one you had in mind. (See bluegill, baby tarpon in canals, most anything is better than sitting in front of the TV) As capt Lemay touched on the wind can only blow one direction at a time so you possibly could fish one side of mosquito lagoon if you can get there safely.


----------



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

ifsteve said:


> I believe its the end results that count the most Ted. So I buy all the best crap I can afford, do my best to "look" like I know what am doing, then when I get back to the launch lie like hell.


I don't always follow those rules (sorta a rebel here! ) I like throwing people off my showing up with a cheap $39 reel, an old discontinued starter rod and a line that no one would consider using, and then fishing with those guys throwing $1500-$2k outfits and getting the same results!  lol

That's what I did that at Big Gun at the accuracy course. I brought a $39 TFO starter reel, an old Redington rod that was discontinued 10yrs ago, and an old crusty 8yr old SA fly line (not saying that's all I own). lol I loved the look of these guys with their high end outfits when I walked up with that cheap ole outfit! LOL But the results were I didn't do half bad in the rankings regardless!  Didn't use it to try to win anything, just a gauge to measure the "results" I guess. 

Just sayin! lol


----------



## RunningOnEmpty (Jun 20, 2015)

Backwater said:


> I don't always follow those rules (sorta a rebel here! ) I like throwing people off my showing up with a cheap $39 reel, an old discontinued starter rod and a line that no one would consider using, and then fishing with those guys throwing $1500-$2k outfits and getting the same results!  lol
> 
> That's what I did that at Big Gun at the accuracy course. I brought a $39 TFO starter reel, an old Redington rod that was discontinued 10yrs ago, and an old crusty 8yr old SA fly line (not saying that's all I own). lol I loved the look of these guys with their high end outfits when I walked up with that cheap ole outfit! LOL But the results were I didn't do half bad in the rankings regardless!  Didn't use it to try to win anything, just a gauge to measure the "results" I guess.
> 
> Just sayin! lol


That's awesome! I'm a firm believer that practice is more important than having the best gear. I know that a $800 Sage rod isn't going to help me LOL


----------



## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Gotta take the wife and kids to Busch Gardens on Saturday and will hope to get out on the boat on Sunday.

That should tell you which day it will blow here in Tampa...


----------



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

RunningOnEmpty said:


> That's awesome! I'm a firm believer that practice is more important than having the best gear. I know that a $800 Sage rod isn't going to help me LOL


Well, it may help a little.  But the guy with a cheap outfit throwing nice sweet looking loops, even if it's windy and catching fish certainly looks a lot better than a guy with that high end outfit flailing the water into a froth, on a calm day!  That's why you don't see a lot of cast in these cool vimeo/youtube fly fishing flicks! The cast is all part of the game, the art of the sport if you would, and how to be more productive with the fish, the winds and also not hooking your buddy in the head.... 

That's when you can say... Windy? Bring it!!! lol


----------



## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

The wind can be high as long as there is sun and the wind is from a good direction. But anything over 15 knots is more work than fun when it comes to poling and sight casting. I stay home at 20 knots, but will fish in 10 - 15s as long as there is sun.

A forecast of 10 to 15 kts is 11.5 to 17.5 mph winds - that means it is gusting into the 20s. You can find creative ways to get out of the direct wind, but you also have to drive in it.


----------



## Bryan_G (Sep 22, 2014)

My casting in the wind is a lot better than my polling ! 

What are you guys doing to manage with wind while on the poll? 

Just drift with it and hope you can keep it going where you want it ?


----------



## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

Bryan_G said:


> What are you guys doing to manage with wind while on the poll?


Lots of beer breaks. Try and drift as much as possible. It helps if you have a decent push pole. I had to pole in 15 knot winds the other day with a mangrove pole, It was horrible.


----------



## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Bryan_G said:


> What are you guys doing to manage with wind while on the poll?


I start by cursing alot...


----------



## Jay Brimberry (Sep 1, 2015)

I actually have a hard time when there is not a good bit of wind. I have had only a couple of days this year where it wasn't blowing and on those days I could not cast. Last time I went I had to go back to my truck and get a softer rod, I did not even think about bringing one I was so used to casting the Method with all the wind.


----------



## Foreverglades93 (Dec 20, 2015)

Greater than 12 mph usually pisses me off. If I see white caps, I try to find a nice mangrove line pole that's out of the wind. If not, just pull out the spin and try another day.


----------



## jamarcusray (Nov 20, 2014)

Bryan_G said:


> My casting in the wind is a lot better than my polling !
> 
> What are you guys doing to manage with wind while on the poll?
> 
> Just drift with it and hope you can keep it going where you want it ?


I tend to do a lot of drifting when it's super windy. It helps keep down some of the "hull-slap" that my boat gets in the wind. Guess I should sell my kidney and get a Hell's Bay...

I also like having a longer push pole. I'm a bigger guy (6'6), so the extra length helps me really keep my speed up, especially if poling into the wind. I've found that keeping some of the lower unit in the water helps the boat track a bit better as well. Obviously this won't work in those super skinny areas, but when I'm oceanside and bones/perms are in a bit deeper water I've found it to be helpful. You lose some maneuverability, but you also gain an interesting pivot point. My boat is tiny, so it is relatively manageable, but I've never tried this on a bigger skiff.

One of the well-known guides, who I got an opportunity to fish with, told me that anything over 15 he's grumpy and anything over 20 is just downright shitty. I personally don't do anything over 20. I recently was reminded of how snotty Sanibel can get when trying to push the "wind-envelope."


----------



## FlyBy (Jul 12, 2013)

ifsteve said:


> Well I don't know how to cast period, can't pole worth crap (thank the Lord for trolling motors), and I am just marginal at running a boat. But somehow I manage to have fun now and then....


I never claimed to be good at this, I just love it.


----------



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Roger_Cook said:


> I never claimed to be good at this, I just love it.


That's what April Vokey says!


----------



## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

April Vokey is one helluva caster and fisherperson. And she is articulate and a bright young lady.

oh yeah she isn't bad on the eyes either.


----------



## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

Backwater said:


> That's what April Vokey says!


Kindred spirits.


----------



## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Spent three days in Hell's Bay, Snake Bight, and Biscayne Bay at the end of December.

We rolled down there with a pair of HBs (a Guide and a Pro) and camped at Flamingo.

It blew a steady 20+ the entire f'ing time but we fished dawn to dusk all three days and put over 200 miles on the boats. *lol*

I mean...what can you do except just "go fish".

Caught basically nothing, but got hours of casting and poling practice in terrible conditions. *lol*


----------



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

crboggs said:


> Spent three days in Hell's Bay, Snake Bight, and Biscayne Bay at the end of December.
> 
> We rolled down there with a pair of HBs (a Guide and a Pro) and camped at Flamingo.
> 
> ...



There you have it!


----------



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Ahhh yes! Perfect day for fly fishing (1/23/2016). Steady 35mph with gusts up to 42 and a wet chilly 52 degrees. Just hold your rod straight up and strip out fly line off your reel and let the wind pull the line out of the rod guides and let it make the cast for ya!


----------



## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

Ted stop your whining. Its toasty warm there. 52 is down right balmy. I have 39 degrees and 20mph winds.....and no I am not in Idaho.....lol


----------



## FlatsBoss (Aug 17, 2015)

Today. Today is too windy.


----------



## anytide (Jul 30, 2009)

FlatsBoss said:


> Today. Today is too windy.


yeah! this sucks bad.


----------



## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

It got kind of calm around 5:45pm today as I drove through Vero beach on US1


----------



## anytide (Jul 30, 2009)

on a surf board?


----------



## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Rolling the dice on the negative low in the morning...time to hit those mud holes.

If its not blowing, we're going!


----------



## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

The last two nights have been slick calm here. I just got back from Flamingo where it was windless, 60 degrees and buggy.... The skeeters were relentless at times. Every 20 minutes or so a gust will come by, but then back to no wind. I noticed all the lakes around Miami were glass last night, too. It's so bizarre seeing it was gusting 40mph all day. Monday appears to be good, under 10knts.


----------



## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

It was too windy to fly the blimp at Cudjoe Key today so I used that as my excuse NOT to launch my skiff to fish solo.



But on the drive back to my motel I saw a couple guides still getting after them despite the strong winds. (Their trailers were the only ones at the boat ramp.) Here;s a video by one of those guides from a few years ago. Gotta bring your game face.


----------



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

MariettaMike said:


>


That's a big boy up on that polin platform!


----------



## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

Backwater said:


> That's a big boy up on that polin platform!


I met him when he was picking up his clients from the motel last week. He's lost 90 pounds, and some folks don't recognize him any longer.

He's got a new 80 pound thrust MinnKota Ulterra on the bow of his HPX-V 18 to help him deal with the wind.


----------



## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

MariettaMike said:


> I met him when he was picking up his clients from the motel last week. He's lost 90 pounds, and some folks don't recognize him any longer.
> 
> He's got a new 80 pound thrust MinnKota Ulterra on the bow of his HPX-V 18 to help him deal with the wind.



I guess it could be worse. You could be built like "Bouncer!"


----------



## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

Backwater said:


> I guess it could be worse. You could be built like "Bouncer!"


That's funny because I saw a tall skinny guide fishing his favorite spot out of the client's tiller Whipray last week. The fishing was so bad I got to fish Confrontation Point solo for a couple days and didn't see one fish, but I did see a family of manatees holed up on the bar.


----------

