Thinking about "Windrows"

In my first book "Jakes Take on The lake" I mentioned the effects of windrows which are caused by continuing winds that stir up the water along defined lines in the water. After windy and sometimes rainy days, you can see the color change in the water where these line are created. To the naked eye it looks like clear water on one side and murky water on the other. In theory predator fish will often gather in the clear water waiting for small bait fish to swim out of the murky water whare they are attacked and eaten. Fishing outside these windrows should produce nice fish.

I recently was fishing in a cove where they were dredging a new dock. I thought that this activity was going to ruin the fishing in that area of the cove.As I aproached the dredging site I began to see the murky water and it became obvious on my Sonar. A well defined line appeared on the surface and the Sonar was crowded with interference from the silt that was being disturbed. As I turned to leave the area I began to see many smaller fish in the silt area, and as I exited into clear water there were dozens of big fish lurking and clearly defined on the sonar. I took photos of my sonar screen but for the first time in many uears, these three photos were lost when transfering them to my computer. When the bait that I was trolling reached these fish I got a multiple hit and boated 3 nice Bass.

This situation in not exactly a "windrow" situation but it represents the same theory. The big predator fish hang out in the clear water outside these areas waiting for an easy meal. They know that the dredging is stirring up many new nutrients that are eatable and also attract bait fish. SO! don't be scared away when you see dredging being done, it could be a signal of a good fishing area. Also try to fish the "windrows" when you see them, it might improve your catch rate.