Carp Fishing in the Wind – Will you Catch More?

As all you carp anglers should know, the weather can have a massive impact on your catch rate from day to day. Whether it be a high pressure weather system in the winter or a low pressure weather system in the summer the results vary drastically.

I’ve already taken a look at how carp fishing in the rain effects your chances of catching but does carp fishing in the wind have an effect on how the fish are reacting under the waters surface.

Before we begin, the weather will more often than not have an effect on where the carp are in the lake, if they are feeding and if they are on the move but sometimes it’s just not always the case.
Anyway, it’s better to have a rough understanding of what’s going on than none at all, so let’s continue.

In this post I am going to be focusing specifically on carp fishing in windy conditions to discuss;

• How wind affects the water conditions
• Where will carp be when it’s windy
• Do Carp Feed in the wind?

How wind affects water conditions

With any weather conditions it’s actually how these conditions affect the water in terms of the oxygen levels in the water, the clarity, the temperature and even undertow that dictate roughly how the carp should be acting.

So before we take a look at how these conditions affect the carp’s behaviour we will focus solely on how the wind affects the water conditions.

High winds help to oxygenate the water so the carp can breathe easier. As strong winds blow small waves are created on the water which mix the surface area and exposes more water to the air. From this more air is diffuses in the water when the water surface meets the air.

High winds also produce water currents towards the bank that the wind is blowing towards. These currents will push food particles, aquatic insects and small predators towards the bank the wind is blowing towards.

The wind will also push natural food sources in the water and towards this bank which can have a massive impact on where the carp are looking for food.

The wind can also impact the temperature of the water. A cooling wind can cool the water slightly and a warmer wind the opposite. This will have an effect where the carp reside in the water.

Really strong winds can also cause a lot of water disturbance which can pick up and disperse a lot of silt that can cloud the water and provide cover for the carp.

Where will Carp be in Windy Weather?

The first challenge when carp fishing is first to actually find the fish. This should come at no surprise.

If we go through the points above of how the wind affects the water conditions we can start to make connections to where the carp should be.

As mentioned previously high winds helps to oxygenate the water. This doesn’t so much help to pinpoint where the carp will be but it does mean that the carp should be more active and on the hunt for food.

This is definitely required if you are planning on catching a few fish. If oxygen levels are low and carp are lethargic the chances of catching them are extremely reduced.

As strong winds blow plenty of food to the bank it’s blowing towards the carp can group up here waiting for all this easy to gather food.

Also, when really high winds create clouded water at these banks the carp will feel even more comfortable to feed which can greatly increase your chances of catching.

How the winds change the temperature of the waters will depend on the season and this will influence where the carp should be.

In the winter a warm wind can heat the water very slightly which the carp tend to follow. Through prolonged periods of really hot weather in the summer the carp may tend to follow a cooler wind where the water has cooled marginally.

If you are looking for more summer carp fishing tips take a read at this post.

Not Always the Case

Unfortunately this is not always the case and can’t be completely reliable. Some lakes will conform to these guidelines more than others.

If a small lake has a lot of islands, tree coverage and other features this can majorly break up the wind and stop any undercurrents from taking natural foods to the far banks so the carp will be less inclined to follow the wind.

Also, on these lakes that already have a lot of cover the carp will not need to move to the areas of clouded water caused by wind as they may already feel secure.

Any lake that already has a lot of vegetation can also be less effected by the wind. This vegetation provides a lot of oxygen into the water and also helps to provide a natural food source.

This may mean that the carp are less likely to react heavily to increased oxygen levels caused by the wind as they were already high.

Do Carp Feed in The Wind?

This question is harder to answer than it may seem.

Yes carp will definitely feed in the wind if other conditions are correct. The wind can help alter water conditions that may push the carp to feed but as you can see from reading above this is not always the carp.

It will also depend on if the wind is present in summer or winter fishing sessions, if the wind is in a high or low pressure system and also what the temperature has been.

Due to this it is more complicated to give a simple answer if the carp will feed when its windy or not.

The bottom line though is YES carp do feed when it’s windy but just not all the time.

That’s All!

I’m sure you can now see that carp fishing in the wind can increase your chances of catching and can also help to indicate where the fish can be on a lake when there’s high winds.

Unfortunately though, this is not always the case and can’t be followed extremely strictly.

If you follow these rules and get no bites when it’s windy it could be time to try a new area of the lake and accept that the fish are not cooperating on that specific day.

If you want to find out how other types of weather affect your carp fishing then take a read at this post that has all the info you’ll need.

I hope you have found this information helpful and if you have any questions or anything to add leave a comment below!