Your typical videos and magazines generally demonstrate casting techniques on days pictured as pretty as the weather girl on the nightly news.  In the real world, a great fisherman must adapt to challenging conditions which frequently present themselves such as bugs, rain, mud, swollen rivers, or lakes that have been drawn down.  One of the most challenging obstacles to face is trying to cast fishing lures in the midst of strong winds.  Here are some sure fire ways for you to beat the breeze.

Flying Downwind

When fly fishing with lures or flies, your casts must change according to the winds direction.  Working with a tailwind is the easiest way to cast fishing lures.  A tailwind is when the wind is blowing in against your back and heading in the direction you are casting.  You should begin by throwing a low, sidearm backward cast under the gusts, following it up with the forward cast which should be slightly higher than normal. The tailwind will help to carry the line forward. When faced with opposite conditions and you have the wind coming from your front, a higher back cast will allow the headwind to fully extend the fly line behind you, making it much easier to throw a quick forward cast toward the surface, rather than slightly above it, as you would do without the breeze in your face.

One particular situation that is potentially dangerous is when the wind is coming from your casting-arm side as it can blow not only the line but the lure into your body.  The usual result of a situation like this is a hook in your back. There are several ways to avoid this outcome, but the easiest is to simply turn around 180 degrees. By doing so your back cast becomes your delivery cast. If the crosswind is already coming from your non-casting arm, you are already set to cast fishing flies. Remember to aim upwind of your desired target when fishing with lures as the wind will catch it and blow the line slightly down sideways before landing on the water.

Fishing with Lures

Fisherman that love spinning reels and bait casting reels face another set of issues.  When fishing with lures you will want to choose a style that will cut through the wind.  There are many lures that will react differently in situations where wind plays a factor.  When you cast fishing spoons that are broad and flat such as the Dardevle spoon, it will tend to sail off-target.  When you are fishing with bait casting reels you can avoid this problem by going with a streamlined lure such as the Berkley Atomic Fish Fry or a Berkley Power Worm which will break through any breeze.

If you find yourself casting into a headwind, use a larger then normal force to give your lure a low flight path.  The higher you cast while fishing with lures, the greater the wind's adverse effect will have on the distance and accuracy of your cast.  A low trajectory will also help in a crosswind conditions.  As in fly casting, you'll need to aim upwind of your target.

While facing crosswinds, the biggest challenge comes after you cast.  A stiff crosswind will create a large belly in the fishing line somewhere between your rod tip and the lure in the water. It is most difficult to maintain contact and retrieve properly when fishing with lures.  If you happen to get a strike, that slack may also prevent a solid hook set.

There are ways to counteract the winds effect while fishing with bait casting reels. If you're fishing top water lures, choose one that digs into the surface such as the Storm Rattlin’ Chug Bug Lure. The cupped face of a popper creates enough water resistance to remove some of the line belly as you work the plug, whereas a Spook-type lure will just be dragged across the surface by the wind-blown line.  This is an example of what not to use when fishing with lures in high wind situations.

Soft plastic lures pose a different problem, and you'll likely need a heavier than normal weight with your Texas-rigged worm or Carolina rig to compensate for a crosswind's influence on your line while fishing with lures of this nature. You can also position yourself to cast straight up- or downwind. This will prevent line belly formation, and by keeping your rod tip at the water's surface, you can negate much of the wind's effect.

One of the best tips I ever heard about casting in the wind while fishing with lures came from the late Lee Wulff, who compared it to landing his bush plane on a wilderness lake. "The wind usually isn't constant but comes in gusts," he said years ago. "I used to time the wind gusts [by watching the water's riffled surface] to keep from being pushed around while landing on small lakes. Casting in the wind is like that, too. Mentally time the wind gusts and cast between them."

Listen Carefully

Unlike Bob Dylan, fishermen do need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows while mastering the art of fishing with lures.  A small portable radio designed to receive NOAA weather forecasts should be a part of any avid fisherman’s gear.  Mine personally lives in the glove box of my truck, along with an extra set of batteries.  If I'm fishing in my waders, I listen to the latest forecast while gearing up next to the stream.  When I fish from a boat, I will take it along and tune in periodically. Aside from the obvious safety advantage of having an up-to-date weather forecast, the short-term wind forecasts allow you to pick a protected river bend or stretch of water based on the current conditions.  A nifty pocket-size unit such as the Midland W/X Civil Emergency Radio HH50 will get you Real-time weather information and runs on only three AA batteries.

Do you have any fishing tips and techniques that you would like to share with other anglers? Please leave a comment below on the outdoor news section and find all your fishing sporting goods at PoorFish Outdoors.