How windy is "too windy" in your PA?

I have a 17t and I fish Lake Mead and the Colorado Rover often. I track the wind reports like a hawk and often times I decide it is too windy to go out if it is greater than 8-10 mph. What conditions are you likely to not go fishing out in? Would you feel comfortable in 15mph winds?

Fyi, I am attaching a screenshot from my favorite app which tracks wind.


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Vegasvec
2015 Pro Angler 17t
Lowrance Elite 5 Chirp
Zieman Trailer w/ Cradles

What App are you using, looks mighty handy!

I was out on Sunday in my PA14, at a small lake about 30 minutes east of downtown St Louis. The report was for 15-20mph winds. I got on the lake at 6am, thinking that the winds would be calmer until the sun started heating things up. I was right, dead calm in the morning...dead calm and chilly at about 38 degrees. I peddled down the lake about a mile into a large cove and fished until about 8:30. When I came out, the winds were blowing like crazy. I started back up the lake into the wind but the waves were crashing over the front of the kayak and even though I had on my gortex, my wool gloves were soaked and I was freezing. I ended up turning around and staying in the cove until it warmed up a bit. Temps ended up hitting 72 degrees and wind gust were reported up to 50mph. Not once did I feel uncomfortable - safety wise. I had NO issue peddling into the wind...I could easily keep a 2-3mph clip going into the wind...that according to my Lowrance. I hit over 6 mph with the wind at my back! And clipped a stump! Bent a blade a bit...but (censored) happens. Long story short, I stayed out and fished until 5pm. The winds never let up, but on a lakes like those in the Midwest, there are always coves to get into and out of the wind. Plus I like fishing the windy side of points, feel that it drives the bait fish in and so follow the bass.

You could not pay me to be out there in my paddle boat. But in the PA14, it was an absolute blast...minus the early morning chattering teeth!

Only caught 5 fish, three anemic crappie, an two small bass...but that is why they call it fishing, not catching.

My opinion - it is only to windy if you feel uncomfortable. On big open water the swells can get huge. That 17t is a big boat, and has a lot of broadside. I would hate to get sideways on that boat between swells, might find yourself wet in a hurry. Wind does not bother me, waves crashing over the front or threatening to flip me, that is another story. That is also why I wear a life preserver.

One last thing. I have never been on Mead, but I spent a couple of weeks on Powell back when it was completely full of water. I remember that every evening about the same time, a storm would come barreling over the lake. Windy beyond belief, waves riled up, and it would last for about 30 minutes, and just as quickly be gone. Could get really hairy really fast on that big piece of water. Mead about the same?

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STLKayak
2020 Pro Angler 14 360
St. Louis, Missouri
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005695487937

Here is a video of my PA12 in 12 - 15 knots. Not comfortable to fish in, however the PA12 handled the rough water very well.

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2021 Dune Hobie Lynx

Very timely subject. I just happened to catch the local weather here in Kansas and they discussed how windy it has been this Spring. What they said was that 27 of the last 36 have had winds over 20mph. Considering that I was away for 7 days and that I don't like to go out when the winds are over 15mph, there haven't been too many days left to fish.

Jeff
KansasYaker

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Jeff
KansasYaker
2014 - Pro Angler - 14 - Upgraded H-Rail Kit

I have to say that based on my experience so far with the PA, what I thought of as too windy has changed. Being able to peddle INTO the wind and still make 2-3mph - even with wind gust reported to 40-50mph - has been an eye opener. Like I said before, the conditions on the water are the real determining factor. Just because it is windy will no longer limit my fishing. It may help determine where, but not if I fish. If it is blowing at 20mph, I am not going out on Carlyle lake in Illinois. It is way to wide and unprotected, the waves alone would be huge. But I would go to Phramid State Park and fish the smaller more protected strip mines. I already feel more confident in the ability of the PA14 to get me around a lake even in very windy conditions than I did in a year paddling the Cuda 12. There are just to many different bodies of water around me that offer some or even a lot of protected areas. It may be more work getting to them, but I am confident that I can, and enjoy myself in the process.

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STLKayak
2020 Pro Angler 14 360
St. Louis, Missouri
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005695487937

I've handled 50 knot gusts on Tahoe. It's amazingly stable although the pucker factor was significant and not recommended. I'll do 20 knots all day.


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The pucker factor...that is awesome! Getting sideways on those windy days with BIG waves will either teach you balance or let you practice your re-entry technique.

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STLKayak
2020 Pro Angler 14 360
St. Louis, Missouri
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005695487937

3 of us were fishing of Boca Raton on Saturday with 20 to 25 mph winds from the north. It was fine except that we had to keep pedaling into the wind or it would have been a long trip back to the inlet. We were in a 14 PA, a 16 revo and a new AI in kayak mode. The only thing that stops us from going is if the wind is real strong out of the east because beach launches are quite risky and the waves stack up real bad in the inlets on an outgoing tide. Quite often when the wind kicks up in the afternoon and we get back to the beach there will be surfers out and that's when it gets fun. You have to come back you just don't have to go. I have gotten to the beach more than once and had to either go home or change to an inshore plan.

Experienced similar situation this past Saturday on small lake here in NC (Lake James). Was a little windy when launched early in the morning and basically fished a large cove off main channel all day. When time to leave, we hit main channel with 20+ sustained winds and 2-3 foot waves. Let's just say after the 1.5 mile trip back it was Miller time! Ended up with about a gallon of water in hull which imagine was all from front hatch due to consistent waves washing over. Maybe later in the season my legs would not have suffered as much but for 2nd trip of the spring just not in shape yet.

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Keith Black

2014 PA 14 Olive
2014 WS Ride 115x Camo

The app is called Windfinder. The website is good too because it shows gusts and has a little more detailed data. Check it out, as they are both free.



Yes, Lake Mead can get scary when the wind comes. I have seen some wind speeds (on Windfinder) in excess of 30 mph not including gusts, which could double the speed. That is why I posted this Wind can be a frequent problem on both Lake Mead and the Colorado River. Just last Sunday it was 1-3mph all day long and I rarely see that. It was killing me that I couldn't be out to see that beautiful flat water...

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Vegasvec
2015 Pro Angler 17t
Lowrance Elite 5 Chirp
Zieman Trailer w/ Cradles

Downloading it now...thanks. Will be interested to see what it is like tomorrow. We are hitting the road at 5am, to fish a lake called Otter about 1.5 hour NE of St. Louis. Hoping the winds will be bit calmer as there is a hard freeze advisory with morning temps right at 30 but it is supposed to warm up to a blistering 50. Some might call it a sickness that I am really looking forward to going fishing in freezing temps early in the morning from a kayak.

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STLKayak
2020 Pro Angler 14 360
St. Louis, Missouri
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005695487937

Good app, very handy. But it was not the wind that caused me to cower in a random duck blind for half and hour this afternoon. It was the Lightning! I knew there was a chance of storms, so I picked a lake I know well, that has some pretty substantial blinds on it just for this reason. This is just the first time I have ever had to use one like this. I chalk it up to would not have been caught paddling in this kind of wind and rain, but man, I felt confident in the PA. Hope that confidence does not come around to bite me in the behind.

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STLKayak
2020 Pro Angler 14 360
St. Louis, Missouri
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005695487937

I'm not as worried about the wind as I am the waves wind can quickly generate. 10-15 mph is doable if the swells are 3' or less. Choppy waves with a short period (3s) mixed with larger swells is the worst. I usually bring the Hobie Sail with me for the ride back to the beach from offshore, here in South Florida. In general, sustained winds in the 15-20 mph range with swells over 3' is sketchy. The sail comes in, my seat gets dropped and I start heading for shore.

My advice to any new PA owner who is riding in the ocean or a big lake:

1. Never try to surf waves. The PA is very stable, but not made to surf. The ass will slide out and you will flip. It hasn't happened to me, but I have had a few very close calls. The sail can enhance the effect.

2. When landing back at the beach with breaking waves, turn the PA to face away from shore and slowly drift in backwards, letting the waves nudge you in to shore. The PA does really well taking waves head on. Once you get past the breakers you can turn in the direction of shore.