Ask any boater or angler who frequents the Great Lakes about what factor most influences their trip and get the same answer.
It’s all about the wind. Which way it blows and how hard.
When asked that question Fletcher Shryock responded with a predicted answer.
“The first thing I did was look at the wind,” said Shryock, 44th in the AOY standings. “That eliminated about one-half the lakes.”
Shryock plans to use past experience to fish those areas. Even so, it comes down to the wind.
“It’s not so much how the fish are positioning,” he added. “It’s about whether or not I can get to them, and fish that spot on a given wind direction.”
Some areas are protected and others are exposed to the wind. Shryock will decide where he goes based on the forecasted wind direction and speed.
The graphic depicts current wind directions according to a NOAA buoy on Lake Erie near a popular fishing area.
Today the forecast calls for northerly winds at 12-14 mph. That might not seem much on the average lake but this is not the average lake. It’s a Great Lakes fishery. What amounts to a breeze on southern lakes is a navigation nightmare up North.
Yesterday it was worse. Upon returning to the dock Kevin VanDam, another Great Lakes expert, responded with this answer when asked the same question about the wind.
“It was a Motrin kind of day.”
The good news is the wind is forecast to be calmer later in the week.
Forecasted winds are from the North at 5-10 mph, with seas at 2 feet or less.
That means a couple of things to watch. First, those who dare make the long run across Lake Erie to Bass and Pelee islands will have it easier than most of the time. Second, the anglers needing to swing for the fences can go for the home run on the calmer waters. Picking up fishing time is a bonus under the calmer water conditions.