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Fishing News Latest Fishing News Follow wind, currents to better lake fishing
Fishing News Latest Fishing News Follow wind, currents to better lake fishing | Follow wind, currents to better lake fishing |
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| Written by John N. Felsher | |
| Friday, 26 December 2008 | |
 Photo by LSONEWS.com In Texas, the most common current cause an angler deals with is wind. “Wind blowing from one direction for extended periods of time creates current called surface drift,” said Dr. Dan Daugherty, a fisheries biologist at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Heart of the Hills Fisheries Science Center. “However, the rotation of the Earth affects subsurface currents differently. Water currents below the surface move at progressively greater angles to the wind as depth increases. In deep lakes and reservoirs, subsurface currents at the deepest depths may even flow in the opposite direction to the wind.” Winds pushing waves across the surface generally only affect water down to about 10 feet, but they could theoretically drive water all the way across a large reservoir such as Toledo Bend or Sam Rayburn. Although imperceptible to the human eye, water “stacks up” along windward shorelines. For example, north winds could cause water levels to rise slightly in the southern part of a lake and fall in the north. For fishermen, windward shorelines can produce good action. Waves aerate water by trapping oxygen. Winds and currents also concentrate plankton. Shad, minnows and other baitfish feed upon the microscopic organisms pushed against the windward shoreline. “Many people think winds blow baitfish against the windward shoreline,” said Todd Driscoll, a TPW biologist in Jasper. “That’s not true. A shad can swim against the wind current. Instead, winds blow plankton against the shore, where shad eat the plankton. Just like bass, shad will go where they can find food. A concentration of active shad in an area gets bass excited and makes them bite better.” Wind also serves to hide anglers from fish. On calm days, fish can see shadows or outlines silhouetted against the sky. Ripples break up the surface, making objects more difficult to see. Wave noise can muffle sounds made by anglers. In a clear lake such as Amistad, a little wind chop can help anglers sneak up on bass. “Lake Amistad is so clear; it’s not good when the water is flat calm,” said Debra Hengst, a professional angler from San Antonio. “I like about 10 to 15 knots, something to break up the water. On a windy day at Lake Amistad, I pick up a big spinnerbait and run from point to point. When the water is up like it is now, I like heavy spinnerbaits, those in the 3/4- to 1-ounce range.” The effect of discharges of water from a reservoir depends largely on its size and the makeup of the river channels. Although people can see water pouring through open gates in a dam, such a release may only cause minimal effect in the large reservoir. But at smaller impoundments like Lake Fork, it’s a long-standing theory that when the gates are open, the fish don’t bite. “When a dam opens in a reservoir, it does create slightly more current, but it’s mostly localized,” Driscoll said. “The effect of the dam opening depends heavily upon the layout of the lake. For instance, when the gates open on a dam in a riverine impoundment, it creates an incredibly powerful current rushing down the channel. In a broad lake with multiple creek channels like Sam Rayburn or Toledo Bend, the effect would be minimal. The current won’t be very noticeable a few hundred yards from the dam on either of those lakes.” However generated, current affects fishing by positioning bass, moving more bait around or helping oxygenate water. Knowing how those currents work could put more lunkers in the livewell. |
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| Last Updated ( Friday, 26 December 2008 ) |
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