The new year is now a little over a month old yet it seems like a lifetime has past since I’ve been on the water. Truth be told, I’ve slipped out a couple of times in the past couple of weeks, but it just doesn’t seem like it.
Cold fronts continue their march south on a regular basis, bringing with them a howling wind that has forced me to realign priorities. Days spent with a chainsaw running or shovel in hand will pay dividends once the weather begins to settle.
Life marches on, but at least the chore list is getting shorter.
One bright spot that has me looking beyond the horizon is a new fly rod that is on its way shortly. A 12 wt. prototype will land shortly and it will bring purpose with it. It has to be bent in real world conditions.
Until that happens, its back to trimming and straightening up the yard…
There are lots of reports surfacing on Social Media that include pictures of sports hoisting up a fish for the camera that make claims of success in extremely high winds. A lot of the time, its just not rooted in fact. Thats not to say the guide or angler making the post is overtly being deceptive in their claims of success in less than desirable conditions, more often than not, its simply an inability to accurately estimate wind speeds on the water.
The next time you are on the water, you might find the following chart to be of use as an aid to better estimate the conditions you’re experiencing. Make note of your estimate and the time and check it against the hourly wind data at the closest airport weather station on the National Weather Service’s website. You’ll be surprised at first, but over time you’ll become very accurate.
Guide To Estimating Wind Speed Over Land & Water
Terms used by US
Weather Service |
Velocity (mph) |
Estimating Velocities
on land |
Estimating Velocities
on Sea |
|
| Calm |
less than 1 |
Smoke rises vertically |
Sea like a mirror |
Check your glassy
water technique before
water flying under
these conditions |
| Light air |
1 – 3 |
Smoke drifts; wind
vanes unmoved |
Ripples with the
appearance of scales
are formed but without
foam crests |
|
| Light breeze |
4 – 7 |
Wind felt on face;
leaves rustle; ordinary
wind vane moves by
wind |
Small wavelets, still
short but more pronounced;
crests have a
glassy appearance and
do not break
Large wavelets; crests |
|
| Gentle Breeze |
8 – 12 |
Leaves and small
twigs in constant
motion; wind extends
light flag |
Large wavelets; crests
begin to break. Foam
of glassy appearance,
perhaps scattered
whitecaps |
Ideal water flying
characteristics in protected
water |
| Moderate Breeze |
13 – 18 |
Dust and loose paper
raised; small branches
are moved |
Small waves, becoming
longer; fairly frequent
whitecaps |
|
| Fresh Breeze |
19 – 24 |
Small trees in leaf
begin to sway; crested
wavelets form in
inland water |
Moderate waves; taking
a more pronounced
long form; many
whitecaps are formed,
chance of some spray |
This is considered
rough water for seaplanes
and small
amphibians, especially
in open water |
| Strong Breeze |
25 – 31 |
Large branches in
motion; whistling
heard in telegraph
wires; umbrellas used
with difficulty |
Large waves begin to
form; white foam
crests are more extensive
everywhere, probably
some spray |
|
| Moderate Gale |
32 – 38 |
Whole trees in motion;
inconvenience felt in
walking against the
wind |
Sea heaps up and white
foam from breaking
waves begins to be
blown in streaks along
the direction of the
wind |
This type of water condition
is for emergency
only in small aircraft in
inland waters and for
the expert pilot |
Mosquito Lagoon Fly Fishing Guide
