Wind ???? Need some advice

[cycleguy]

Need input from you regulars, please.... guessing others will appreciate a conversation on this.

I missed fishing here last spring because the little windows I had for making a trip never seemed to work with the quickly changing Spring winds. From all the conversations here, I think it was a frustrating time for many. I’m five hours away in SE Wisconsin, so I need to put a couple days together for a trip.

Fishing out of a 17’ Lund Fisherman, it has a pretty deep body and tall gunnels, and is well set up as I use it on Lake Michigan late Spring/Summer for salmon. But it still small like many others have to use.

Wind???? South and SW are pretty easy if they ever actually happened. Everyone has their own tolerance and comfort level to be safe... very personal, I get it. I wanted to try a run over early next week... if I miss that, it would be one more chance in early April.

Fishing from Magees over to Port Clinton out to the cans. East or a little NE wind I would try to tuck into the protection west of Port Clinton, but there always seems to be a bunch of NW wind here, and I know Erie is an animal to be respected.

How much wind should be considered too much when it is forecast from the NW, N or even NE? And hoping they get it right. is like 15mph a cutoff? That eliminates a lot of days in many forecast.

Advice? And Thank you!

[1morecast]

I am in the same boat lol 17' tracker deep v i was thinking 10 mph would bee my max but i ma very interested in hearing from the ones who fish it all the time.

[pimplepounder]

I fish the lake all times of the year. When from a boat, it's from a craft that is similar to yours. 15 mph winds are going to make some pretty rough water especially around the Northern cans. There have been days I drove 90 miles only to just drive around to check out different Bait shops, launches, etc. because of the breeze. Let alone drive from Wisconsin. But I have learned that there is some fishing to do even when the wind is rough. The Western bank of the lake affords some shelter when the Westerly winds are rough. The Monroe/Toledo area. This is true around Port Clinton too. The worst winds I have had to deal with are those from the North. You could always fish East and West harbor and Sandusky bay when the weather is questionable regarding wind. I am a bit jealous though, because Last time I checked Wisconsin has some pretty good fishing holes too for when the weather isn't worth the risk of the long trip for nothing! Lol

[fisherman 2]

5-15 out of the N-NW-NE-E would be rough but fishable...10-20 no...it's hard to know what the wind is going to be more than a couple days out...what it says on mon on what it will be on fri usually changes...right now the water is muddy in the areas you mentioned...water is still cold...by next week the water should clear up and the fishing will continue to get better...some days it's rough in the morning then lays down in the afternoon...

[ebijack]

For Lake Erie, I add the 2 wind speeds that are on the news together for a more real guess of how rough the lake is or will be. 15mph total would be a reason to not go unless the walleye are in a stage where they are closer to shore. 15mph winds and my wife won't go more than a 4 mile run. I fished tournaments for 20+ yrs. They send you out in anything 6ft or less. Sometimes with over 40 mile runs one direction. Not fun, but learned what I could/could not due.
If you buy a Mi fishing lic. Like mentioned allows you to fish the Mi shoreline/waters in a west wind. Also except for a 20mph south wind. The Detroit river is available.
Keep in mind. In spring (only) the water is cold. The wind is warm. The warm air skips up/ over the very cold water. Once the water starts to warm up, 50* or so. This stops happening.
So an offshore (south) wind in Oh at 20mph doesn't create much wave actions for 3 to 4 miles out before getting rough. Same when there is a strong west wind on the Mi side, calm waters for around 4 miles out. And the fish are closer in at this time.
Any questions, PM me.

[Just One More]

check I-windsurf for very accurate forecasts. Obviously the closer to the date you are the more accurate they will be. I have been on the water when the Iwindsurf prediction call for 1pm wind direction change and it was almost dead on and speed too. N NE and NW are the worst directions in 15mph and up winds. Sometimes you just have to pick a spot that is a little sheltered from the wind.

[Herkimer]

I use the 5 mph wind=1 foot wave height. 15 mph= 3 foot wave. There are variables of course, islands, wind direction, etc.
My 18' Lund Tyee is great for 1-2.5 wave height. 3 foot waves make me uncomfortable, and hard to fish. Our class of boats (open bow) is added caution also.
Remember wind kicks up unexpectedly. I recently bought a bow cover for days of expected wind change.
I use Windfinder.com for info, seems to be very close to real deal.
Best chance of securing good wind is a day before you leave, checking weather. Not good for planning trips as discussed.
I'd rely on the charter captains weighing in on this subject, they have experienced it all. Stay safe.

[PZeiler]

I've been on the lake for 50 years now. I fish a 27' and see too many people, especially in the early spring who I consider do not think of the consequences they could be facing when they go out in higher than 15 MPH winds in boats under 19'. I have literally seen people kiss the ground once they get back to shore after having a bad experience on the lake due to wind/weather conditions.

With the size of your boat and the time of year, 15 MPH is the maximum unless you tuck in behind an island or stay close to Port Clinton like you mention with a wind from WNW - NE - ESE (compass reading of 310 degrees - 45 - 120 degrees - many people talk a east/west shoreline but the shoreline actually runs along these compass headings) . Even at 15 MPH, you will probably get a little wet depending upon how you navigate the waves and boat speed.

I respect you asking this question and hope that some of the comments that have been made on this post make people reflect on their own actions and regards towards safety.

[Capt Eric]

Expect the unexpected. Last spring, we fished a day that was calling for W wind <10mph, slowly building all day. Forecast by to hit 25mph from the N about 6pm. We set up near Toussaint around 8am, and about the time we had all the lines out, the wind kicked out of the N at 30+ and never let up. Within 30 minutes, we were pulling lines, and I'd already heard a few calls to the Coast Guard. Took me 1 hr 10 minutes to motor over to Rattlesnake, quartering into 6'-8's with the occasional surprise. About every fourth wave I rolled over, I was spinning props out of the water. You don't wanna know what kind of water it takes to get my props out of the water, and my boat loves big water! Thank God we (the general fishing population) didn't lose anyone that day. Forecasters kinda missed that one by a few hours!

I'm sure some of you remember that day.....I'd have to go back to check the exact date...

[cycleguy]

I appreciate all the feedback...

I was there two years ago on my own and out several miles in some good rollers trolling w the current when a wave came over the side from nowhere... luckily I was already nervous and sort of ready for something dumb. Being by myself just makes it worse. A lot going on in rough water with lines and boat control and being solo. Wish I knew what the wind was that day as I would stay in if conditions were like that again.

Speed, yea, on the way back in I was going like 3-5 mph and surfing and crashing terribly hard. Sucked. I'm not worried about getting wet, my boat is sort of good at that.... the feedback helps on guessing from a long ways away if I stay home or not - and it is a big deal to make a trip like this.

I love fishing and dream of doing it here before things open up at home - being safe is priority #1. If I could only grab three days of nice 5-10 mph warm SW winds