Learn to ride the wind

A strong breeze isn’t always an angler’s enemy

North Carolina’s coast is windy; unless you have been living in a vacuum, you should know that. Some days it is merely a light breeze, and some days it is much more. Along the coast, the sun heats the land and creates sea breezes most afternoons from late spring to late fall. This has always happened and always will.

The bottom line for outdoorsmen is that we have wind, and we are going to have to live with it. Wouldn’t we all be better off to think about how the wind affects us and learn to use that to our advantage whenever possible? There is an old saying,” It is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness,” and that applies to wind, too. Instead of cursing the wind for interfering with our fishing and hunting, we need to find ways to make it work for us. That won’t always be easy, but many times, it is surprisingly simple.

First, you must know your surroundings to be able to use the wind — the rivers, creeks, marshes and ocean for fishermen and the complete layout of your farm, lease or the game lands for hunters. There may not always be a spot that is ideal under various conditions, but there is usually one location that is better than most of the others.

I live at the mouth of the Cape Fear River, and Cape Fear is approximately 4 miles east of the river’s mouth. The coast makes a 90-degree turn at Cape Fear and switches from facing south on the southern side of the cape to facing east on the eastern side of the cape.

The predominant summer wind in this area is from the southwest, which blows onshore and makes the ocean rough off Southport and Oak Island but creates a lee for a mile or so off the beach off Carolina Beach and Wrightsville Beach. Conversely, the predominant fall and winter wind is from the northeast, which makes the ocean rough off Carolina Beach and Wrightsville Beach but creates an alongshore lee off Southport and Oak Island. Rather than curse the wind, a boat ride up or down the Intracoastal Waterway and Cape Fear River will give access to the other side when wind conditions make the ocean rough. Fishermen can trailer their boats to the other side of the cape and launch on the calmer side.

The other North Carolina capes have similar situations, with big bends in the coastline and southern-facing beaches on the south side and east-facing beaches on the north side. Unfortunately, the inlets aren’t all as close to the capes, but there are still options. At Cape Lookout, Beaufort and Bardens Inlets are on the southern side of the cape, but the first marked inlet to the north is Ocracoke, approximately 40 miles away. Drum and Ophelia inlets are closer to Cape Lookout on the north side and are used by some fishermen. However, they are not marked and are dangerous. At Cape Hatteras, Hatteras Inlet is about 10 miles south of the cape, and Oregon Inlet is approximately 50 miles north.

As long as the wind and waves aren’t too bad, wind in the ocean can be used to drift and deploy baits without having to run the motor: to push balloons with suspended baits away from a boat, to fly kites and deploy baits from above and to drift into schools of feeding Spanish mackerel, bluefish, false albacore and more. With the motor off, you can drift to these fish and not spook them.

These same principles work in the rivers, creeks and marshes to create calm areas along the lee shores. However, be careful with sticking to only the lee shores for fishing as the wind creates current that tends to push bait around, and feeding fish usually follow bait. There are times the wind pins bait to the windy shore and the fish gather there to feed.

Oddly enough, while the southern section of the coast is tidal very far inland, the central and northern coast are only tidal right along the immediate coast. Many areas, especially the Neuse River around New Bern and the western Pamlico and Albemarle sounds, don’t have water flow unless the wind is blowing and pushing it. The water flow created by the wind moves bait around, and finding the bait will help locate feeding fish. Fishermen should look for ambush points and bottlenecks that will concentrate the bait and the fish that are following it.

Capt. George Beckwith of Down East Guide Service drove home the point of using the wind to help disperse scent while on a trip with him several years ago. We were fishing in the Neuse River with a strong southwest wind. The wind was stiff enough the boat was rocking steadily when he anchored just off a small point near Minnesott Beach. The wind was blowing towards the point and waves were breaking across it.

Someone asked wouldn’t the fishing conditions be better across the river where we would be protected from the wind. Beckwith’s answer was the conditions would certainly be better on the lee side of the river. He said we would be protected from the wind by the bank and the water conditions would approach slick calm.

Beckwith said the big difference would be in the fishing, and he was sure it would be better on the windy side of the river. We found that out shortly. He said the wind was strong enough to blow baitfish across the river and keep them on the rough side, and the fish knew that. By anchoring off the point and using chunks of oily baits (mullet and menhaden), the scent of those baits was being washed both ways by the wind-driven current, and it would attract fish.

It took about 15 minutes for the action to begin, and then it slowly picked up for a while until it became steady. We caught a lot of puppy drum, a few flounder and a couple of trout. They were still biting when we left.

I often use the wind to push my boat along an oyster rock or down a section of bank when fishing to cover ground. However, sometimes the wind moves you too quickly, and you need to slow down.

When fishing water that is deep enough, a drift sock slows the drift and can help position the boat with the right attitude to the structure or bank. When the water is too shallow for a drift sock, I use a drift anchor. The drift anchor can be something as simple as a length of chain. It is just something to drag across the bottom and slow the drift. It can also help position the boat in relation to the structure or bank you are fishing.

If you use a length of chain for your drift anchor, a vinyl-coated chain is better because it doesn’t rattle and make as much noise as it is pulled along the bottom. Yes, the vinyl coating will get nicked and will eventually peel, but it will help you catch fish when the noise from an uncoated chain will spook them.

I have also seen fishermen use their Power-Poles barely touching bottom to slow their drift. This seems to work pretty well on mud and softer sand bottoms, but it makes a lot of noise dragging across shell and hard bottoms.

Some fishermen also turn their bow into the wind and run their trolling motor heading into it at a reduced speed. They then drift backwards slower than the wind is pushing. This allows covering the bank or oyster rock at a slower pace and can orient the boat better to them.

You can also use the wind to your advantage when hunting. First and foremost, the wind will carry your scent and can spook animals that are downwind. It can also carry attractants or cover scents, so consider the wind when placing them.

Many hunters don’t think of the wind in relation to noise, but should. Wind will carry sound downwind and prevent it from moving upwind. This should be considered when choosing a path to approach a tree stand or blind and also when stalking game.

When waterfowl hunting, remember that diving ducks and geese prefer to land and take off into the wind. Puddle ducks are a little more versatile and can make near vertical descents and ascents, but they will use the wind when it is to their advantage. Whenever possible, set up your blind and decoy spread using the wind so the approach brings the birds close to the blind.

You can also use the wind to help jump-shoot waterfowl. Often by positioning a well-camouflaged kayak or other small boat upwind of a flock, they will allow you to drift within shotgun range before flushing.

These are some ideas to use the wind to help with your fishing and hunting. There are more, and hopefully this primer will spark you to think about and use them. Don’t let the wind get you down, use it to your advantage to get you going.