I Wish I Had a Wind Suit.

Door County is a narrow peninsula with world class fishing in every direction. Literally. Each day, as a recreational angler, I get to choose where I want to fish and what species to fish for. However, this choice is not unfettered. My freedom to fish is stifled, more often than not, by a pervasive and malevolent force. The Wind. The wind is always a factor on the open waters surrounding the county, but the last several weeks, it has been relentless and downright restrictive on my fishing activities. As an angler, I am quite used to dealing with all manner of weather conditions. Rain, snow, even sleet and freezing rain. Temperature extremes, from the numbing cold on an early spring outing to the heat and blistering sun of July, are all part of the sport of fishing. I have an excellent rain suit that will keep me quite dry, even in the heaviest showers. My cold weather gear has evolved over the years to keep me fishing as the temperatures drop. SPF 50 lotions and face coverings help limit sun exposure and keep melanoma at bay. I have learned how to deal with all of these. Except the wind. I have yet to find a good wind suit. 

Wind on the water is not always a problem. Fish are also influenced by the wind. I prefer fishing wind-blown shorelines because baitfish are pushed into shallow areas making them easy prey. The predator fish which I seek will be close by. Wind activity on the surface can cut light penetration and will often cause fish to be more active. Most have heard of the “walleye-chop”, a wave producing breeze conducive to stimulating feeding walleyes. A nice steady wind drift can be useful for covering large parts of the lake. However, in Door County, wind is the Dictator of fishing activity. It will drive anglers to certain parts of the county and force them away from others. At times, it will totally shut down all fishing activity. A stiff east wind will see anglers head to the bayside. A steady west wind will cause the bay waters to be void of boats, while the horizon of the open lake will be dotted with salmon charters. Due to the catawampus positioning of the peninsula jutting northeast out into Lake Michigan, an angler can find protection from south winds under the steep bluffs along Green Bay. A howling southerly blow will see boats clustered in the wind shadows created by Eagle Bluff, Ellison Bluff and Sherwood Point. As for north winds, there is an old fishing adage that goes “Wind from the North, do not go forth. This is often the case in Door County. A bitter north wind will leave few locations shielded from its wrath. Many anglers heed the signs and stay home.  

For over a week, our area has experienced relentless northerly winds. This is quite a departure from the relatively benign winds we experienced much of the summer. With the winds came cooler conditions and biting wind chills. Clouds and occasional showers added to the gloom.  I stayed home, but I didn’t like it. Each day I would look for a break in the conditions, only to see Small Craft Warnings posted for all of Door County. One day, ten-foot waves were reported on Lake Michigan forcing all but the largest lake carriers to safe harbor. I got desperate. One afternoon, I hooked my boat to the truck and wandered around the county haplessly searching for someplace, any place, I could launch. I returned the Maggie Leigh to the garage without its hull wetted. It was sad. Finally, I called Paul to discuss the situation. As we poured over the weather forecasts, we saw a possible opening. Not all north winds are alike. Even with a stiff north blow, some bays on the lakeside, including Baileys Harbor, Moonlight Bay and Rowleys Bay can be fishable. Subtle changes in wind direction can make huge differences in where you can get out on the water. On a lake chart, the bays along the Door’s east shore look small relative to the huge expanse of Lake Michigan. In fact, these bays are themselves very large bodies of water. For example. Lake Noqueby, a large popular fishing lake in Marinette County, could very nearly fit inside of Baileys Harbor. Moonlight Bay is as large as Lake Metonga, a 2000-acre lake in northern Wisconsin. The fishing conditions on all these bodies of water are impacted by wind direction. Baileys Harbor is a case in point. Gusty winds from due north will render most of that bay too rough to fish comfortably or safely. However, if the wind is from the northeast, then much of the shoreline near the Baileys Harbor Yacht Club and the Hickey’s dock will be calm while waves pound into Anclam Park. A northwest wind will make the troll from Baileys Harbor to Jacksonport a smooth ride, but whitecaps will be breaking off Lighthouse Island. 

Paul and I decided that maybe, just maybe, we could find some fishable water conditions. We launched the boat at the Baileys Harbor Town Launch on Moonlight Bay. Conveniently, the town crews had not yet pulled the docks from the launch.  As we headed out into the bay, we evaluated the wind direction. No matter what a wind forecast may say, you really don’t know what the conditions are until you get out on the water.  With no wind, or a little west breeze, we could have fished any part of Moonlight Bay.  On such days we have even ventured past Cana Island Lighthouse to North Bay. I had done just that with fishing buddy Terry just a few weeks prior. Not today. The north wind had a lot of east in it this day, making the area near the launch relatively calm.  The opposite side of the bay did not look as inviting with waves breaking off Tofts Point. Out on the open lake, waves of 3-4 feet were rolling. We opted to start on the east shore of the bay. 

As Paul positioned the boat in about 15 FOW, I deployed the trolling rigs. We were using small planer boards to spread the lines to either side of the boat. I attached a variety of lures including Rapala Husky Jerks, Rebel Minnows, and Storm Thundersticks. I was just setting out the fourth line of an anticipated six when one of the planner boards shot back. Fish on! We had been on the water less than ten minutes. We were using lighter trolling rods, so the fish put up spirited fight. Soon Paul slipped the net under a fat, 34-inch northern pike. Anglers who have battled big pike know that the most challenging part of pike fishing comes once you get the fish in the boat. Northern tend to engulf even large lures and extracting them often resembles a surgical procedure. Fortunately, we were prepared with the appropriate tools including a forceps, long nosed pliers and, most critical, a large jaw spreader. Even so, a writhing fish with sharp teeth and gill rakers can leave hands bloodied. Removing the sharp hooks with minimum damage to the fish and the angler is a daunting task. After a bit of patient work,  I was lifting the fish back into the water and, with bit of encouragement, she slowly drifted back into the clear cold waters of the bay. Before I had a chance to clear the net of the entangled lure, we had another fish on. I got the net ready just as Paul brought the fish boatside. I lifted the fish aboard and Paul executed minor surgery on the fish. I started redeploying the lines when yet another fish was tugging at a planer board.  Three fish and we had yet to get four lines out. Just as we were getting things straightened following the mayhem, I saw one of the rods bending over. Another fish on! This time it turned out to be a monster smallmouth bass,  21 inches and fat from a summer of feeding. We had only been fishing about twenty minutes. It was a wonderful start to our afternoons fishing. 

As we trolled toward the west side of the bay, we became more exposed to the northeast wind. We were moving out of the wind shadow. The wave action made it more difficult to control the speed of the boat. Our mini planer boards were bouncing wildly in the waves. The boat rocked to and fro. From time to time, the winds would back off and gave us a respite. We picked up a several more fish, including a double. We managed to boat both mid-sized pike. We trolled a pattern that took us in and out of the windier areas of the bay. This was quite manageable and it turned out to be a very productive trip. We boated a total of eleven pike, several over 30 inches and a bonus trophy smallie. All the fish were released, save for one small pike that was badly injured by an imbedded hook. This fish ended up on a dinner plate that night.

Paul and I had managed to outmaneuver the Dictator Wind this day, but we had no illusions. The best we can do is work with the wind, use it to your advantage when we can, but you can never rule the wind. This powerful force of nature must be respected. Those who attempt to defy the wind, are as foolish as Icarus in his futile attempt to defy the sun. When the wind blows hard, it is best to stay home, at least until Cabela’s offers an effective wind suit. 

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish, Bruce

Questions or comments to bsmith733@gmail.com