Fishing Wind-Blown Shorelines for Inshore Species

We’ve all been there. You plan on going fishing, check the weather, and see windy conditions. You immediately get annoyed by the thought of bouncing around the boat all day trying to catch fish without getting seasick. But did you know that windy days can actually create some of the best fishing opportunities for inshore saltwater species? Here’s how to thrive along wind-blown shorelines when fishing inshore.

Wind blown shorelines can actually be one of the best places to go after your favorite inshore species on windy days. The wind pushes plankton, shrimp, baitfish, and other forage into one spot in the area you’re fishing. When that happens, larger baitfish seize the opportunity and begin feeding heavily, all schooled up together.

If there’s one thing we know about predatory inshore fish, it’s that they love a good feeding frenzy. When their main food sources are all stacked up together, it’s a pretty safe bet to assume that they’re going to be right in the same area, waiting for an easy meal to swim right by them. Redfish, snook, flounder, and speckled trout can all be found in this exact situation.

Now, you could just fish all along a wind blown shoreline, looking for fish anywhere and everywhere. However, it’s probably a better idea to focus on some key areas that are more likely to be holding fish. Here are some of the main ones to look for:

The first place to look for along a wind blown shoreline is a shoreline point. These work great because the wind will actually speed up the current around points. When that happens, baitfish get trapped on the inside of these points. It’s common to find the fish you’re after staging both above and below the point, waiting for their food to get swept past them along the point.

Oyster bars and grass edges are another place that works great near a wind blown shoreline. Oyster bars tend to naturally collect bait as it gets pushed by currents and wind blown water. If you can find an oyster bar with a solid grass edge next to it, that’s a prime location. These grass edges provide a good sense of cover to the shrimp and plankton in the area, which creates a natural spot for larger baitfish to feed. In these areas, the fish you’re after are going to be patrolling all around the oyster bars and edges, searching for their next easy meal.

Another great place to look for along a wind blown shoreline is a protected pocket. While the wind blows smaller baitfish all along the shoreline, predator fish will commonly find these protected pockets and stage within them, waiting for their food to just get swept right in front of them. 

Look for small coves, the back side of a point, eddies, or anywhere else that the water isn’t being moved as aggressively by the wind along the shoreline, and there’s a good chance you’ll find some fish staging in there.

So, once you find areas that fish should be along a wind blown shoreline, it’s time to tie on a lure and start catching fish. Here are a few good lures you should have with you when fishing on a windy day on the inshore waters.

The first lure you should try is a paddle tail swimbait. These lures mimic mullet, shad, pinfish, and other common baitfish in the area. Their tail is designed to sway back and forth, creating a natural movement and some vibration in the water.

It’s best to use a paddle tail swimbait when wind conditions aren’t too crazy. You’ll want to cast these over grass flats, along shoreline drop-offs, and areas where there’s a mix of sand and grass on the bottom.

Cast it out, and do a straight retrieve just fast enough to get the tail moving. You’ll want to let any current in the area naturally move it near pockets and ambush points where the predator fish are hiding out. Mix up the retrieval speed to see what the fish react best to, and then repeat.

Another great lure to try is going to be a spinnerbait. These can work really well on days that have a lot of wind. The blade is going to do a great job of creating a ton of flash and vibration in the water that helps fish in the area find them when water conditions may be choppier and murkier. Use these on cloudy days and along muddy wind blown shorelines. With a spinnerbait, it’s also pretty common to add on a soft plastic to add to the overall profile. If the spinnerbait you’re using makes sense to do this with, try to match the color and profile of whatever the fish are feeding on as closely as you can.

Cast it out, and retrieve it steadily along grass edges and oyster bars. You can let it sink down and tap the top of structure in the area occasionally to trigger a reaction strike, but try to keep it moving for the most part.

Another great lure to try on a wind blown shoreline is going to be a suspended twitch bait. These lures are made to mimic an injured baitfish struggling to swim through the current as you retrieve it. Since these lures suspend, you can fish them much more slowly than a paddle tail or a spinnerbait. This can be a massive advantage when the fish aren’t quite as aggressive as they usually are. These lures give fish the chance to inspect your lure more before deciding to strike.

You can use these lures in all of the main areas you’d typically focus on along a wind blown shoreline. Cast it out, twitch your rod tip a few times to get the injured baitfish movement, then pause. This pause is likely when the bite is going to happen. After the pause, reel in the slack and start twitching again.