Wind is every angler's least favorite weather feature. It makes everything harder. Casting, mending, getting a good drift, and recognizing a take — all made exceedingly difficult in the wind. Sometimes, downright impossible.
But here's the thing — when it comes to spring and fall, two of our best trout fishing seasons in Oregon, wind is a reality of life. It's unavoidable, and if you let it keep you off the water, you're likely to miss some of the best fishing available every year. This is particularly true on our local alpine lakes. Windy afternoons are all but a guarantee, but fish are at their most active and aggressive after a long, hungry winter.
On the Water: Conditions at Lake Harriet
Last Saturday, I headed to Lake Harriet with a group of friends in search of chunky brown trout. It was cloudy when we arrived, and a few light raindrops dimpled the water as we prepared our gear. The morning was warm and muggy, and we could see fish cruising actively as we paddled out toward the center of the lake. Though the forecast called for low winds all day, the breeze had started to pick up significantly by about 11 am, shooing away the clouds and giving way to a bright, sunny day and 70+ degree temperatures. By noon, sustained gusts in the 10–15 MPH range buffeted us around in our kayaks and float tubes.
Adapting to the Wind: Going Sub-Surface
My usual workaround for a windy day on one of our local lakes is to fish streamers on a full intermediate line. This thin, coated line shoots through the wind more effectively, then sinks below the surface of the water where it can't be ripped around by the heavy gusts. Using a sturdy six weight rod, I simply position myself with my back to the wind, make relatively short back casts, and then utilize the wind to shoot my fly forward.
When the Fish Refuse to Go Deep
But on this day, we had a secondary problem — the fish weren't interested in anything presented sub-surface. We trolled up the occasional stocked rainbow on Wooly Buggers, but it was clear that the fish were eating adult bugs off the surface or chasing emergers. Typically, a windy day will blow bugs right off the water and dampen surface activity. These fish, however, were keyed in on clusters of tiny, almost invisible midges that used ripples in the surface film to protect themselves from the wind. Fish were happily munching, even with significant chop on the water.
The Double Dry Solution: Chubby + Midge Cluster
The question then became, how do we keep track of a tiny midge pattern in all that chop? We went with a tried-and-true method and used a double dry set-up featuring a highly visible purple Chubby Chernobyl as the first fly. About 18 inches below it, dropped off the bend, we tied a small midge cluster.
While the wind still impacted our floating line and flies, it was much easier to mend this setup than a dry-dropper or indicator rig. For the most part, the wind actually did a fantastic job animating our flies and giving them life. As soon as we switched to this set-up, we started hooking fish every few minutes — including some very nice holdover rainbows and a few wild cutthroat that ran a bit larger than the average Lake Harriet cutt.
Results: What We Caught and When
Trout were happily taking both the chubby and the midge, though most fish were caught on the midge. At around 5 pm, the wind finally began to die down. But, by coincidence or otherwise, so did the action. Fish stopped rising as the sun faded behind the trees, despite a warm humidity still very much in the air. I'd imagine that within a few weeks, Lake Harriet's fish will be happily feeding on dry flies until it's fully dark.
Book a Guided Trip to Lake Harriet
Want to test your skills on Lake Harriet's four species of trout? Book a full or half day Fly'East Angling Adventure with one of our guides!