Midwest Finesse Fishing: August 2023
Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, with one of the largemouth bass that he caught on Aug. 8.
Aug. 1
Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Aug. 1 outing with Max Goodwin of Kansas City, Missouri at one of northeastern Kansas’ community reservoirs.
Here is an edited version of his log.
The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 74 degrees, and the afternoon's high temperature was 92 degrees. The heat index peaked at 106. The wind angled out of the east, southeast, and south at 3 to 18, and there were some wind gusts that reached 28 mph. The sky fluctuated from being fair to cluttered with a few clouds to overcast to mostly cloudy. The barometric pressure was 30.04 at 12:53 a.m., 30.05 at 5:53 a.m., 30.05 at 11:53 a.m., and 30.01 at 2:53 p.m.
The water level at this 83-year-old reservoir looked to be about normal. The surface temperature ranged from 83 to 85 degrees. According to our nine-foot dipstick, which we call a Secchi stick, the water exhibited about four feet of visibility in the vicinity of the dam and about two to three feet of visibility along the shorelines in the upper half of the reservoir. This reservoir’s grass carp have been foraging rather ravenously upon most of the patches of aquatic vegetation, and many of the patches have disappeared.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 10:44 a.m. to 12:44 p.m., 4:28 a.m. to 6:28 a.m., and 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
We made our first casts at 11:30 a.m. and our last ones at 2:31 p.m. During this three-hour outing, it was a struggle to catch 21 largemouth bass and accidentally catch one hefty channel catfish and two scanty green sunfish.
Six of the 21 large largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s Junebug TRD TicklerZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Thirteen of the 21 largemouth bass were caught on a slightly shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Two of the largemouth bass were caught on a slightly shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s purple-haze Finesse WormZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig.
We caught these largemouth bass on a variety of presentations. Two were caught on a deadstick presentation. Five were caught on the initial drop of our rigs. The others were caught on a drag-and-shake presentation, a drag-shake-and-pause presentation, or a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation. Some of these retrieves were executed while we were strolling, and two of the 21 largemouth bass were caught while we were strolling.
As we employed these various presentations, the largemouth bass were caught from three feet to about 40 feet from the water’s edge.
We caught six largemouth bass along the shoreline of the dam and at the outside edge of a dock that is adjacent to the dam’s shoreline. The dam is 1,550 feet long with a height of 58 feet. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are adorned with a few meager patches of coontail and wads of filamentous algae. It possesses a 50- to 60-degree slope. The water’s edge is graced with a concrete water-outlet tower, patches of terrestrial grasses, and patches of American water willows. These largemouth bass were caught on the TRD TicklerZ rig. Two were caught on the initial drop in about four feet of water. Three were caught on a drag-and-shake presentation in about six to nine feet of water. One was caught on a short deadstick presentation around the dock.
In the lower half of the reservoir, we caught two largemouth bass on top of an offshore hump that is adorned with piles of rocks and an array of boulders. They were caught on a drag-and-shake presentation with the purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig in about four feet of water and 40 feet from the water’s edge.
Around a main-lake point in the lower half of the reservoir, we caught two largemouth bass. The underwater terrain of this point consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are partially coated with wads of filamentous algae. The underwater terrain possesses a significant ledge that plummets into deep water. The water’s edge is endowed with two docks, a rock retaining wall, and a few meager patches of American water willows. The largemouth bass were caught as we were dragging and shaking the Junebug Finesse WormZ rig in about eight feet of water and 25 to 30 feet from the water’s edge.
Along about a 350-yard stretch of a shoreline in the upper half of the reservoir, we caught five largemouth bass. The underwater terrain of this shoreline consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and some silt, which are adorned with occasional patches of bushy pondweeds, filamentous algae, coontail, and several minor piles of brush. It possesses a 25- to 60-degree slope. The water’s edges consist of several concrete retaining walls, 10 docks, one small rock bridge, a few minor laydowns, a few patches of American water willows, and some sheets of duckweeds. These largemouth bass were caught on our Junebug Finesse WormZ rigs. One was caught on the initial drop. The others were caught on either a swim-glide-and-shake presentation or a drag-and-shake presentation in about four to seven feet of water.
Along about a 250-stretch of a shoreline in the middle section of the reservoir, we caught six largemouth bass. It possesses a 20-degree to about a 45-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rock, and boulders, which are embellished with some meager patches of aquatic vegetation. And there are two offshore humps that are cluttered with many humongous boulders. The water’s edge is endowed with several overhanging trees, some rock retaining walls, some concrete retaining walls, several patches of American water willows, and 12 docks. These largemouth bass were caught on our Junebug Finesse WormZ rigs. Two were caught on the initial drop; one was caught adjacent to a patch of American water willows in about three feet of water, and the other one was caught around some submerged vegetation on one of the offshore humps in about five feet of water. One was caught on a deadstick presentation along the front edge of one of the docks. One was caught along the side of another dock with a drag-and-shake presentation in about six feet of water. One was caught in about eight feet of water on a drag-and shake presentation around some rocks and boulders. One was adjacent to the side of a dock with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about six to seven feet of water.
We failed to catch a largemouth bass along another main-lake shoreline in the middle section of the reservoir and around three main-lake points and their adjacent shorelines in the reservoir’s upper regions.
It is important to note that Max is a newcomer to Midwest finesse fishing. He is also a newspaper journalist, and our major focus on this outing was to provide him with some insights for a story that he was writing for the Martin City Telegraph about the history of Midwest finesse fishing and the tactics that Midwest finesse anglers employ to inveigle largemouth bass in northeastern Kansas and northwestern Missouri. And he was somewhat amazed that catching 21 largemouth bass is considered to be a very lackluster outing in the eyes of veteran Midwest finesse anglers in northeastern Kansas. In his eyes, it was a bountiful one.
Aug. 4
Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Aug. 4 outing with Roger Farish of Highland Village, Texas.
Here is an edited version of his log.
The heat wave plaguing north-central Texas has not abated, and heat warnings are still in effect. And as Roger Farish and I were fishing at a problematic U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ hill-land reservoir in north-central Texas, the heat felt like we had just opened an oven door to check baking cornbread.
The daytime high on Aug. 4 reached 108 degrees. The morning’s low temperature was 79 degrees. The wind angled out of the southwest at 10 to 12 mph. The barometric pressure measured 29.89 at 6:00 a.m. and 29.90 at 10:00 a.m. It was sunny and humid. The sky was cloudless.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the fishing would be average, and the most fruitful periods would most likely occur from 1:27 a.m. to 3:27 a.m., 7:40 a.m. to 9:40 a.m., and 1:53 p.m. to 3:53 p.m.
We fished from 6:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
The water exhibited 14 inches of visibility in its upper regions and 18 inches at the dam. The surface temperature varied from 85 degrees at the dam to 86 degrees in the upper end of the reservoir. The water level was 2 1/4 feet below its normal summer level.
We launched the boat in the middle section of the reservoir at about 6:15 a.m., and we traveled about 1 1/2 miles to the lower end of the reservoir and fished around a main-lake island.
Our sonar devices revealed many small and scattered schools of threadfin shad around the perimeter of the island, but we failed to locate any largemouth bass, spotted bass, or smallmouth bass around this island. And as we were preparing to leave, a medium-size school of white bass began surfacing and foraging on small one-inch threadfin shad in 32 feet of water and about 60 yards from the island. We caught 17 of them in the brief time they were feeding. We caught them on a fairly fast-paced swimming retrieve with either a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s space guppy Slim SwimZ rigged on a pearl 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig, a Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat rigged on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig, and a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.
From the main-lake island, we traveled about a mile westward to a large main-lake point on the south shoreline of the reservoir. This main-lake point has a 30-to 45-degree gradient. Its underwater terrain is composed of red clay, small gravel, fist-size rocks, and boulders that are half the size of a coffee table. There was also plenty of threadfin shad around this point. They were inhabiting water as shallow as three feet and as deep as 27 feet.
Though there was an abundance of shad, we caught only one spotted bass and three white bass. They were scattered in three to nine feet of water and about five to 30 feet from the water’s edge. The spotted bass and one of the white bass were caught on the pearl Baby Goat rig and a steady-swimming retrieve about a foot below the surface of the water. The other two white bass were tempted by a slower swimming retrieve with a blue 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig dressed with a 3 1/2-inch pearl Z-Man’s GrubZ.
After we finished fishing around the point, we traveled about three miles to the upper end of the reservoir. In this section of the reservoir, we slowly dissected the shady portions of four prominent main-lake points. These points are covered with red clay, small gravel, chunky rocks and boulders, with inclines that vary from 40 to 60 degrees.
These four main-lake points surrendered eight spotted bass, five largemouth bass, two white bass, and one freshwater drum. These 16 fish were caught in three to 13 feet of water around the scores and scores of submerged rocks and boulders that embellish the ends and sides of these points.
Six of these 13 black bass were enticed by a fast-swimming presentation with the pearl Baby Goat rig. Five black bass, and the one freshwater drum, were coaxed into striking a slightly shortened Z-Man’s mud-minnow Hula StickZ matched with a black 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig; five were caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation, and two were caught on a slow drag-and-deadstick presentation while we were slowly strolling with the trolling motor. And two black bass and two white bass were caught on the pearl GrubZ combo that was employed with a slow-swimming retrieve.
We finished the outing in the lower portion of the reservoir, where we dissected a concrete water-outlet tower adjacent to the dam, a 100-yard section of riprap that covers the dam, and a floating tractor-tire reef situated at the entrance to a marina.
We failed to elicit any strikes around the floating tractor-tire reef at the marina, and the concrete water-outlet tower at the dam.
Near the 100-yard stretch of riprap on the dam in 12 feet of water and about 15 feet from the water’s edge, we garnered one strike and caught one smallmouth bass on a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with the mud-minnow Hula StickZ rig.
In closing, the black-bass fishing at this Corps’ reservoir was slow. We caught a total of 15 black bass during this short 3 1/2- hour endeavor, which consisted of nine spotted bass, five largemouth bass, and one smallmouth bass. We also caught 22 white bass and one freshwater drum.
Aug. 4
Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, and Rick Hebenstreit of Shawnee, Kansas, posted a log about their outing at an 81-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas on Aug. 4
Here is an edited version of this log.
The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 74 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 87 degrees. The heat index reached 96 degrees. The wind fluctuated from being calm to angling out of the east, north, southeast, and southwest at 6 to 13 mph; the wind’s gusts reached 22 mph at 11:53 a.m. and 20 mph at 12:53 p.m. The conditions of the sky oscillated from being foggy and misty to thunderstorms to light drizzle to mostly cloudy to overcast. The barometric pressure was 29.95 at 12:53 a.m., 29.91 at 5:53 a.m., 29.89 at 11:53 a.m., and 29.89 at 2:53 p.m.
NWS is predicting that the many days of high heat indexes, which have plagued anglers galore and kept them at bay in northeastern Kansas, are coming to an end for a spell.
The water level looked to be a few inches above normal. The surface temperature ranged from 82 to 84 degrees. According to our dipstick and other measuring tools, the water exhibited more than six feet of clarity inside a small feeder-creek arm in the middle portion of this reservoir. In the back of a large feeder-creek arm in the middle portion of the reservoir, the clarity diminished to about three feet. Around a main-lake point and its main-lake shoreline in the upper half of the reservoir, the clarity declined to about 2 ½ feet.
We were delighted to discover that this reservoir’s patches of submerged aquatic vegetation are staging a renaissance, and the sprouting and growth of patches of coontail, sago pondweeds, and southern naiad have enhanced our abilities to find and catch largemouth bass.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 1:18 a.m. to 3:18 a.m., 1:43 p.m. to 3:43 p.m., and 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
We made our first casts at 9:57 a.m. And when we executed our last retrieves at 2:01 p.m. our fish counter indicated that we had caught 39 largemouth bass and one smallmouth bass, and we accidentally caught two channel catfish, one walleye, one warmouth, and one green sunfish. All but one of these fish were caught around patches of submerged aquatic vegetation.
A Z-Man’s Drew’s craw TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead caught one largemouth bass. A Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig caught one smallmouth bass and 17 largemouth bass. A slightly shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s purple-haze Finesse WormZ affixed to a baby-blue or robin’s-egg-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead caught 21 largemouth bass.
At the top of this photo is the green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ rig. At the bottom is s purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig.
Inside a small feeder-creek arm, we caught one smallmouth bass and 15 largemouth bass. This feeder creek is located in the middle section of the reservoir. The shorelines inside this feeder-creek are cluttered with 14 large boat docks and two concrete boat ramps. The underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, and much of the flat and shallow-water areas are quilted with patches of coontail, sago pondweeds, and southern naiad. These largemouth bass were caught on the green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ rig and purple-Haze Finesse WormZ rig. Three of the largemouth bass were caught along the edges of three of the docks, which are enhanced with patches of coontail. Five were caught on the initial drop of our rigs. The others were caught as we employed a slow swim-and-shake presentation around the patches of submerged vegetation. They were caught many feet from the water’s edge in six to eight feet of water on the flat side of this feeder-creek arm.
Around a main-lake point at the mouth of this small feeder-creek point, we caught one largemouth bass. This point possesses a 35- to 45-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are partially quilted with patches of coontail and sago pondweeds The water’s edge is lined with American water willows, and it is endowed with one large boat dock. The largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the Finesse WormZ rig in about seven feet of water inside one of the dock’s boat slips, which is enhanced with meager patches of submerged vegetation.
We caught seven largemouth bass around the other main-lake point at the mouth of this small feeder-creek arm. It has a 25-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, which are embellished with significant patches of coontail, sago pondweeds, and southern naiad. And all of these fish were caught around these patches. One largemouth bass was caught on the green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ rig and six were caught on the Finesse WormZ rig. Two were caught on the initial drop of our rigs, and the others were caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation. They were caught in five to eight feet of water.
On a shallow-water flat in the back of a large feeder-creek arm, we caught six largemouth bass. This feeder-creek is situated in the middle portion of the reservoir. The underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, and an area about half of the size of a football field is sprouting patches of coontail and sago pondweeds in three to six feet of water. All of these largemouth bass were caught on the green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ rig on either the initial drop or a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in the vicinity of these patches of submerged vegetation.
We caught four largemouth bass around one of the main-lake points that is situated at the mouth of this feeder-creek arm. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are graced with burgeoning patches of coontail. The water’s edge is adorned with patches of American water willows and several large and well-aged laydowns. Initially, it is flat, exhibiting a 25- to 30-degree slope, but it eventually plummets into deep water. The green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ rig caught two of the four largemouth bass, and the Finesse WormZ caught the other two. One was caught in the vicinity of one of the laydowns and a patch of coontail on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about six feet of water. The others were caught in about six to eight feet of water around the patches of coontail as we employed a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation.
We failed to engender a strike along about a 75-yard stretch of this point’s main-lake shoreline, which is devoid of submerged aquatic vegetation.
We caught three largemouth bass on a main-lake and shallow-water flat in the middle section of the reservoir. This flat has a gradual slope that eventually drops into deep water. The underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, which are endowed with a few burgeoning patches of coontail, sago pondweeds, and southern naiad. Two of the largemouth bass were caught on the green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ. One was caught on the Finesse WormZ rig. They were caught in about six feet of water as we employed a swim-glide-and-shake presentation.
Around a main-lake point in the upper half of the reservoir, we eked out one largemouth bass. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are not endowed with any patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. Its water’s edge is embellished with substantial patches of American water willows. The largemouth bass was caught on the Drew’s craw TRD TicklerZ rig with a drag-shake-and-pause presentation in about seven feet of water.
We failed to elicit a strike along about a 100-yard stretch of this point’s main-lake shoreline, which is devoid of submerged aquatic vegetation, but it is endowed with laydowns, patches of American water willows, and many overhanging trees.
At a slightly offshore pile of rocks and boulders in the middle section of the reservoir we caught two largemouth bass. Some of these rocks and boulders are enhanced with some growths of coontail, sago pondweeds, and southern naiad. One of the largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the Finesse WormZ rig in about six feet of water around a patch of submerged aquatic vegetation. The second one was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation of the Finesse WormZ rig in five to six feet of water around a patch of submerged aquatic vegetation.
It is important to conclude this log with a hope that scores of Midwest finesse anglers will encourage the managers of all of our reservoirs to develop a system that will cultivate submerged and emergent aquatic vegetation, such as American pondweeds, American water willows, American lotus, coontail, curly-leaf pondweeds, southern naiad, and a variety of other species. And at the same time, we need to ask the managers to maintain these patches manually by using a system similar to the one that Aquarius Systems (https://aquarius-systems.com/) has developed rather than employing herbicides.
Aug. 4
Bob Gum of Kansas City, Kansas, posted a brief on the Finesse News Network about his six-day outing at Irene Lake and Doan Lake in Ontario, Canada.
On this outing, he was joined by Syed Khalid and his two sons Zeeshan and Faizan of Lee's Summit, Missouri, Altaf Khatib of Kansas City, Missouri, and Khalid Amin of Minneapolis.
The size of Irene is about 3,600 acres. It has a maximum depth of 270 feet. The water is very clear, exhibiting about 10 feet of clarity.
The size of Doan is about 2,500 acres. It is endowed with an abundance of aquatic vegetation. And it possesses about seven feet of visibility.
The lakes are connected by a creek that is about a quarter mile long.
Irene's water was warm enough to swim in. When I swam, I wore a pair of goggles and spied some smallmouth bass that were cruising in shallow water.
It did not rain. The wind fluctuated from being calm to angling at a moderate pace out of the northwest or southwest.
Forest fires were present just to the northwest of us on Aug. 1 and 2. This grounded all local air flights. It also made the sun bright red, particularly in the morning and evening. The fires were eventually brought under control.
Smallmouth bass are the dominant species in both lakes. Also present in Irene are lake trout, northern pike, and walleye. Doan has no walleye.
The smallmouth fishing had a feast or famine quality about it on Irene. On occasions, there would be a 25-yard section of the lake where the smallmouth bass would be foraging on baitfish on the surface. To catch them, it was simply a matter of casting a Midwest finesse rig beyond the surfacing schools and then slowly retrieving the rig through the gobs of smallmouth bass.
I shared an assortment of Midwest finesse baits with my friends.
Most of the time, I fished with a 2 ½-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-orange ZinkerZ. I also threw a Z-Man’s Smelt ShadZ on either a white or a white-and-pink mushroom-style jig, which caught walleye and several smallmouth bass.
We caught fish in water as deep as 25 feet.
Casting accuracy was never a critical factor in catching fish.
Our primary retrieve was a swim-and-glide presentation with occasional twitches.
During the last two days, I fished Doan Lake. Our outfitter was kind enough to ask permission from the folks at Canoe Canada if I could use one of their boats, and they granted me permission.
To make my way to Doan, it was necessary to paddle or walk the boat there through the shallow water. I also had to negotiate four beaver dams. One dam was exceptionally trying. I had to partially dismantle the dam and unload the gas tanks to pull the boat over the dam. At one point, it was so strenuous that I almost threw in the towel.
I suspect Doan has been fished very little -- if at all this year.
There were two exceptionally productive spots.
One was a 20-foot-deep flat that is bisected by a rocky ridge, which is about 75 yards long and extends into the middle of the lake. This rocky ridge was as shallow as four feet, and it terminates at a drop-off that quickly plummets into 30 feet of water. This drop-off was Doan’s most bountiful smallmouth bass locale. When I caught a smallmouth bass on my first cast, I decided to keep an accurate count, and I wound up catching a smallmouth bass on 27 consecutive casts. Several of them were in the 17- to 18-inch range.
The second one was a shallow weed-laden flat that is about the size of about five football fields. I kept the boat in about nine feet of water, and I made casts with an 1/8-ounce buzz bait into the vegetation and slowly retrieved it into open water. And the fishing was bonkers.
On my last day, I fished for about eight hours and caught around 150 smallmouth bass. None of them were lunkers, but it was the most fish that I have caught in a single day.
Aug. 8
Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Aug. 8 outing with Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas.
Here is an edited version of his log.
It was mostly overcast and humid with a couple of brief spells of sunshine in north-central Texas on Aug. 8. The morning’s low temperature was 79 degrees, and the afternoon’s high climbed to 104 degrees. The barometric pressure measured 29.91 at 6:00 a.m., and 29.91 at 10:00 a.m. The wind quartered out of the southeast, east, and north-by-northeast at 10 to 20 mph.
Norman Brown and I travelled to one of several U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ hill-land reservoirs in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metropolitan area, and we fished from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Our severe drought continues, and the water level in this reservoir was 2.06 feet below normal. The water clarity was 18 inches. The surface temperature varied from 85 to 86 degrees.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar table indicated that the fishing would be poor. The most productive fishing periods would occur from 5:01 a.m. to 7:01 a.m., 5:26 p.m. to 7:26 p.m., and 11:13 p.m. to 1:13 a.m.
We focused our attention at seven places in the lower end of the reservoir, and all of these areas are situated in the southwest tributary arm.
Red clay, small gravel, chunky rocks, and clusters of boulders make up the bulk of the submerged terrain of this impoundment. A couple of the areas we fished were also adorned with flooded stickups, submerged stumps, and a laydown or two.
We caught one largemouth bass and eight white bass from the top and sides of a crumbling concrete road bed situated on the end of a main-lake point on the south side of the tributary arm. These fish were schooling on the surface and foraging on one-inch threadfin shad. The largemouth bass, and one of the eight white bass, were caught on a slow-swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce finesse mushroom-style jig. The other seven white bass were enticed by a steady-swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s space guppy Slim SwimZ affixed to a pearl 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.
In three to five feet of water around portions of a main-lake island on the north side of the tributary, we caught two largemouth bass and five white bass. One largemouth bass was caught on a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ rigged on a blue 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig and a steady-swimming retrieve. The other largemouth bass was caught on a slow-swimming retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ combo. The five white bass were enticed by a steady-swimming retrieve with either the 2 1/2-inch space guppy Slim SwimZ or the 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ rigs.
Along two rocky main-lake shorelines adjacent to two main-lake points east of the main-lake island, we caught four spotted bass, one largemouth bass, and three white bass in three to seven feet of water. One spotted bass and one largemouth bass were allured by a slow-and-steady retrieve with a slightly shortened 3 1/2-inch Z-Man’s Canada-craw Hula StickZ fastened to a green-pumpkin-red-flake finesse mushroom-type jig. The other three spotted bass and the three white bass were tempted by a fast-paced swimming presentation with either the 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ or the 2 1/2-inch space guppy Slim SwimZ rigs.
We generated only one strike and caught one spotted bass in three feet of water from another major main-lake point that is situated on the south side of the tributary arm. This spotted bass was associated with a patch of chunky rocks that lie on the end of the point. And while we were fishing this point, the wind conditions changed from a pleasant 10 mph southeasterly breeze to an irksome and gusty 20 mph northeasterly wind, and it remained quite windy for the remainder of this outing. This spotted bass was caught on the 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ rig that was employed with a quick-and-steady retrieve.
Once the wind became troublesome, we travelled about three miles westward in the same tributary arm, and found some protection along a steep and rocky main-lake shoreline and inside a minor feeder-creek arm on the north side of the tributary.
The rocky main-lake shoreline is about 75 yards in length. It possesses gradients that vary from 35 to 60 degrees. The shallow water near the water’s edge is cluttered with patches of boulders and large rocks. These rocks and boulders yielded four spotted bass and two largemouth bass that were relating to the sides of the larger boulders in three to five feet of water. Four of these six black bass were allured by a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a 2 3/4-inch Z-Man’s Drew’s craw TRD TubeZ rigged on a black 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. The other two black bass were beguiled by a slow-and-steady retrieve with the Canada-craw Hula StickZ combo.
Our final stop of the outing was inside a minor feeder-creek arm located on the north side of the tributary arm and a short distance from the rock- and boulder-laden main-lake shoreline that we just fished. We targeted the east shoreline from the mouth of the creek arm to the back of this creek arm. We caught four spotted bass, one largemouth bass, and one freshwater drum. These six fish were caught along a 50-yard stretch of a rocky shoreline with a 30- to 40-degree slope in the lower section of this feeder-creek arm. Three spotted bass were allured by a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation with the Drew’s-craw TRD TubeZ combo near patches of chunky rocks mixed with a few boulders in three to five feet of water, and about 10 to 15 feet from the water’s edge. One largemouth bass, one spotted bass, and one freshwater drum were also caught in three to five feet of water near patches of chunky rocks on a slow-and-steady retrieve with the Canada-craw Hula StickZ rig. We failed to catch any fish in the midsection and upper end of this creek arm.
It was an above-average outing by north-central Texas’ standards. We fished for four hours, and we caught a mixed bag of 20 largemouth and spotted bass, 16 white bass, and one freshwater drum.
Aug. 18
Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log about his Aug. 18 outing with Anna Kehde of San Antonio, Texas, at a community reservoir in northeastern Kansas
Here is an edited version of his log.
The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 59 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 82 degrees. The sky was fair.The wind fluctuated from being calm to angling out of the east, northeast, southeast, and south at 3 to 13 mph; a wind gust reached 22 mph at 10:53 a.m. The barometric pressure was 30.02 at 12:53 a.m., 30.05 at 5:53 a.m., 30.07 at 11:53 a.m., and 29.98 at 2:53 p.m.
The water level looked to be normal. The surface temperature ranged from 80 to 82 degrees. According to our nine-foot dipstick, the water exhibited from five to six feet of clarity from the dam to inside a large feeder-creek arm in the middle portion of this reservoir.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 12:12 a.m. to 2:12 a.m., 12:32 p.m. to 2:32 p.m., and 6:22 a.m. to 8:22 a.m.
For many days in July and August, Patty and I have been enjoying numerous family get-togethers that have not revolved around fishing. But we did enjoy a few casual outings with several of our children and grandchildren, and I elected not to take the time to assemble a log that described those short outings for the Finesse News Network.
This outing with Anna essentially marked the end of our summertime family get-togethers. And before I drove her to the airport, we decided to spend an hour or two seriously fishing at a community reservoir that is situated in the vicinity of the airport.
We made our first casts at 9:47 a.m. with plans to make our last ones at around 11:30 a.m. But upon discovering at 11:30 a.m. that her flight had been rescheduled, we fished until 12:47 p.m.
Initially, we were hoping to tangle with at least 20 black bass. But we struggled to catch two smallmouth bass and 17 largemouth bass. We also accidentally caught a hefty channel catfish and one green sunfish.
A Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead caught five largemouth bass. A slightly shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s purple-haze Finesse WormZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead caught two smallmouth bass and 15 largemouth bass.
Inside a small feeder-creek arm, we caught five largemouth bass. This feeder creek is located in the middle section of the reservoir. The shorelines inside this feeder-creek are cluttered with 14 large boat docks and two concrete boat ramps. The underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, and much of the flat and shallow-water areas are quilted with patches of coontail, sago pondweeds, and southern naiad. One largemouth bass was caught on the green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ rig, and four were caught on the purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig. Two of the largemouth bass were caught along the edges of two of the docks, which are enhanced with patches of coontail. Two were caught on the initial drop of our rigs. Three were caught as we employed a slow swim-and-shake presentation around the patches of submerged vegetation. They were caught many feet from the water’s edge in six to eight feet of water on the flat side of this feeder-creek arm. Anna had a prolonged battle with some unidentified fish that eventually became entangled with a massive wad of coontail and part of one the docks, and her fluorocarbon leader knot broke.
Around a main-lake point at the mouth of this small feeder-creek point, we caught one largemouth bass. This point possesses a 35- to 45-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are partially quilted with patches of coontail and sago pondweeds The water’s edge is lined with American water willows, and it is endowed with one large boat dock. The largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the Finesse WormZ rig in about seven feet of water inside one of the dock’s boat slips, which is enhanced with a few patches of submerged vegetation.
We caught one largemouth bass around the other main-lake point at the mouth of this small feeder-creek arm. It has a 25-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, which are embellished with patches of coontail, sago pondweeds, and southern naiad. This largemouth bass was caught on the Finesse WormZ rig and a swim-glide-and-shake presentation around the patches of coontail in about six to seven feet of water.
On a shallow-water flat in the back of a large feeder-creek arm, we caught six largemouth bass. This feeder creek is situated in the middle portion of the reservoir. The underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, and an area about half of the size of a football field is endowed with patches of coontail and sago pondweeds that are growing in three to eight feet of water. Four of these largemouth bass were caught on the green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ rig on either the initial drop or a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in the vicinity of these patches of submerged vegetation in about five to six feet of water. Two were caught on the purple-haze WormZ rig; one was caught on the initial drop around a patch of coontail in about four feet of water; the second was caught on a vertical and deadstick presentation in about seven feet of water
We caught one largemouth bass around one of the main-lake points that is situated at the mouth of this large feeder-creek arm. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are graced with burgeoning patches of coontail. The water’s edge is adorned with patches of American water willows and several large and well-aged laydowns. Initially, this point is flat, exhibiting a 25- to 30-degree slope, but it eventually plummets into deep water. The purple-haze Finesse WormZ caught the largemouth bass around a patch of coontail with a slow-swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about six feet of water.
Along about a 50-yard stretch of a steep shoreline adjacent to the dam, we caught one largemouth bass, one smallmouth bass, and one hefty channel catfish. It possesses a 50- to 90-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are enhanced with a few meager patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. The water’s edge is graced with several patches of American water willows, some laydowns, and many overhanging trees. The largemouth bass was caught on a deadstick presentation with the purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig in about eight feet of water. The smallmouth bass was caught on a drag-and-subtle-shake presentation with that Finesse WormZ rig in six to eight feet of water. The channel catfish was inveigled with the Finesse WormZ rig, too.
Around a main-lake point that is adjacent to the dam, we caught one largemouth bass and one smallmouth bass. This point possesses a 45-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are quilted with some patches of coontail. A massive concrete water tower dominates a portion of this point. The water’s edge is graced with some patches of American water willows and American pondweeds. The largemouth bass was caught on the purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig with a drag-and-shake presentation in about eight feet of water in the vicinity of a patch coontail. The smallmouth bass was caught on the same rig and presentation around a patch of coontail in five to six feet of water.
We thoroughly dissected a 40-yard stretch of an offshore hump that is situated in the middle portion of the reservoir. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Some of the boulders are humongous. Segments of this terrain are endowed with patches of coontail, sago pondweeds, and southern naiad. One largemouth bass was caught on the purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig with a straight-swimming presentation around some patches of submerged aquatic vegetation in about six feet of water.
We failed to catch a fish across a massive main-lake and shallow-water flat in the middle section of the reservoir. This flat has a gradual slope that eventually drops into deep water. The underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, which are endowed with a few burgeoning patches of coontail, sago pondweeds, and southern naiad.
Even though our catch rate was a lackluster 6.3 black bass per hour, we had a delightful time before she boarded the plane to Texas.
The National Weather Service is predicting that northeastern Kansas will be waylaid by a heat wave from Aug. 19 to Aug. 24. Area thermometers will range from 104 to 110 degrees with the heat indexes reaching 112 and higher. This weather phenomenon might adversely affect our lust for partaking in our normal midday fishing endeavors.
Aug. 27
Pat and Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their Aug. 27 outing at a 91-year-old and heavily fished state reservoir in northeastern Kansas.
Here is an edited version of their log.
On Aug. 19, some thermometers in northeastern Kansas reached 110 degrees, and the heat index climbed to 125 degrees. During the next six days, these thermometers registered from 103 to 110 degrees, and the heat index reached 134, 123, 117, 120, and 115 degrees. This streak of excitingly hot temperatures kept us old codgers at bay.
To celebrate the demise of this streak of hot weather, we made a rare Sunday outing. And it was a short, fruitful, and fun affair.
The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 64 degrees, and it was 83 degrees at 2:52 p.m. The wind angled out of the north, northwest, and northeast at 3 to 12 mph; there was a 20-mph wind gust at 12:52 p.m. The sky fluctuated from being fair, partly cloudy, mostly cloudy, overcast, and cluttered with a few clouds. The barometric pressure was 30.05 at 12:52 a.m., 30.04 at 5:52 a.m., 30.07 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.03 at 2:52 p.m.
The water level looked to be normal. The surface temperature was 84 degrees. According to our nine-foot dipstick, the water exhibited five to six feet of visibility.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 7:39 a.m. to 9:39 a.m., 8:10 p.m. to 10:10 p.m., and 1:23 a.m. to 2:23 a.m.
We made our first casts at 12:05 p.m., and our last ones were made when we caught largemouth bass number 30 at 1:55 p.m. Besides the 30 largemouth bass, we accidentally caught one channel catfish and one redear sunfish.
We caught one largemouth bass on a slightly shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s PB&J Finesse WormZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Two largemouth bass were caught on a slightly shortened 4.75-inch green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Three largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Twenty-four largemouth bass were caught on a slightly shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s purple-haze Finesse WormZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig.
We spent the first 73 minutes probing a massive shallow-water flat in the back of a major feeder-creek arm. The water’s edge of this flat is cluttered with significant patches of American water willows and a few laydowns. A wowie-zowie patch of American lotus plants enhances an area about the size of two football fields. Much of the underwater terrain is endowed with patches of coontail, and several manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees embellish portions of this flat.
This flat yielded 20 largemouth bass. One was caught on the PB&J Finesse WormZ rig. Two were caught on the green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig. Three were caught on the coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ rig. The purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig caught 14 of the 20 largemouth bass. Eighteen were caught around the many patches of coontail in six to 10 feet of water. One was caught near the outside edge of a patch of American water willows. One was caught along the outside edge of the massive patch of American lotus. Three were caught on the initial drop of our rigs. Three were caught on a deadstick presentation. Four were caught on a slow and straight-swimming presentation. The others were caught on either a slow swim-glide-shake-and-pause presentation or a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation.
We spent the last 40 minutes of this outing fishing around a small section of a massive shallow-water flat in the back of another major feeder-creek arm. The underwater section of this flat is festooned with sizable patches of coontail and an occasional manmade pile of eastern red cedar trees. This area surrendered 10 largemouth bass, which were caught on our purple-haze Finesse WormZ rigs. They were caught in five to 11 feet of water. One was caught on a deadstick presentation. Four were caught on the initial drop. Five were caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation.
In sum, we caught an hourly average of 15.7 largemouth bass an hour.
Aug. 28
Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log about his outing on Aug. 28 at a 63-year-old and heavily fished northeastern Kansas’ state reservoir.
Here is an edited version of his log.
The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 54 degrees, and it was 82 degrees at 1:52 p.m. The wind was calm at times, and when it stirred, it angled from the north, northwest, east, and northeast at 3 to 6 mph. The sky fluctuated from being foggy and misty to clear. The barometric pressure was 30.04 at 12:52 a.m., 30.04 at 5:52 a.m., 30:06 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.04 at 1:52 p.m.
The water level looked to be about normal. The surface temperature ranged from 82 to 83 degrees. The dipstick indicated that the water exhibited 2 ½ to three feet of visibility.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 8:53 a.m. to 10:53 a.m., 9:07 p.m. to 11:07 p.m., and 2:29 a.m. to 4:20 a.m.
I executed my first cast at 10:52 a.m. and the last one when I caught largemouth bass number 30 at 1:12 p.m. I also tangled with one bluegill, one channel fish, six crappie, and seven fish that unfettered themselves before I could identify them.
Five of the 30 largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s Canada craw TRD TicklerZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Twenty-five of the largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s Junebug TRD TicklerZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig.
From 10:52 a.m. to 12:39 p.m., I dissected many square yards of a massive shallow-water flat in the back of a major feeder-creek arm. This flat looks to be the size of four or five football fields. The underwater terrain of this flat is embellished with substantial patches of coontail, sago pondweeds, and numerous manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. A submerged creek channel meanders around the western side of this flat. During these 107 minutes, I tangled with 27 largemouth bass. Four of them were caught on the Canada craw TRD TicklerZ rig; 23 were caught on the Junebug TRD TicklerZ rig. They were caught in five to 11 feet of water around a few of the many patches of coontail, sago pondweeds, and piles of the eastern red cedar trees that are partially entwined with coontail and sago pondweeds. Five were caught on the initial drop of the rigs. The others were caught on either a straight-swimming presentation or a swim-glide-and-shake presentation.
I spent 33 minutes quickly fishing around two spots on a massive shallow-water flat in the back of another major feeder-creek arm. This flat is not endowed with any patches of sago pondweeds, and its patches of coontail are quite sparse. But it is endowed with more manmade piles of red cedar trees than the other flat. It has a submerged creek channel courses across the middle of the flat. I eked out three largemouth bass; one was caught on the Canada craw TRD TicklerZ rig; two were caught on the Junebug TRD TicklerZ. One was caught in about 10 feet of water on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation. Two were caught in about five feet of water on a straight-swimming presentation.
In sum, I caught an hourly average of 12 largemouth bass an hour.
Aug. 29
Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Aug. 29 outing with Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas.
Here is an edited version of his log.
The weather in north-central Texas has cooled slightly for a day or so. Thus, Norman and I took advantage of this short break in the extreme heat and fished at one of several U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ hill-land reservoirs in north-central Texas.
The sky was partly cloudy, and there was no shortage of sunshine. A pleasant breeze meandered out of the north-by-northeast at 5 to 8 mph. The morning’s low temperature was 79 degrees, and the afternoon’s high reached 97 degrees. The barometric pressure measured 29.91 at 6:00 a.m. and 29.96 at 10:00 a.m.
According to In-Fisherman’s Solunar table, the fishing would be good. It also indicated that the best fishing opportunities would occur from 3:23 a.m. to 5:23 a.m., 9:38 a.m. to 11:38 a.m., and 10:08 p.m. to 12:08 a.m.
We were afloat from about 6:30 a.m. to around 10:30 a.m.
The water level was 3.37 feet below normal pool. The water displayed about two feet of visibility. The surface temperature was 85 degrees.
This reservoir’s underwater terrain consists primarily of red clay, small gravel, chunk rocks, and boulders of various sizes. There are a few areas where standing timber and some submerged stumps still remain, but most of them have deteriorated. Also, there is no aquatic vegetation in this impoundment.
We stayed in the lower end of the reservoir. We began the outing in the southwest tributary arm, and we finished at the dam, which forms the southern perimeter of this reservoir.
The fishing was slow at best. During this four-hour endeavor, we struggled to catch eight spotted bass, four largemouth bass, four white bass, three channel catfish, one freshwater drum, and one hybrid-striped bass. All 21 of these fish were related to either chunk rocks, riprap, or boulders in three to 12 feet of water, and 25 to 60 feet from the water’s edge.
Six black bass were caught along the riprap-laden dam, five were caught from patches of chunk rocks and boulders that lie on the side and end of three main-lake points in the southwest tributary arm, and one was caught from a patch of chunk rocks that litter a small shallow-water area on one side of a main-lake island that is also situated in the southwest tributary.
We were unable to establish a dominant lure and presentation. Our most effective lures and presentations were a steady-swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce mushroom-style finesse jig, and a 2 3/4-inch Z-Man’s Drew’s-craw TRD TubeZ affixed on a black 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig and a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation.
Local meteorologists are forecasting a return to the extreme heat during the Labor Day weekend, so we may be off the water again for a spell.
Aug. 30
Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log about his outing on Aug. 30 at one of northeastern Kansas’ community reservoirs.
Here is an edited version of his log.
The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 66 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 86 degrees. The wind angled out of the north and northeast at 5 to 13 mph; at times there were wind gusts that reached 17 to 18 mph. The sky was fair. The barometric pressure was 30.o2 at 12:53 a.m., 30.o2 at 5:53 a.m., 30.07 at 11:53 a.m., and 30.02 at 2:53 p.m.
The water level at this 83-year-old reservoir looked to be about eight inches below its normal level. The surface temperature ranged from 82 to 83 degrees. According to our nine-foot dipstick, which we call our Secchi stick, the water exhibited about five feet of visibility in the vicinity of the dam and about three to four feet of visibility along the shorelines in the upper half of the reservoir. Some of this reservoir’s shallow-water flats and shorelines are adorned with patches of bushy pondweeds, coontail, and wads of filamentous algae. The grass carp, however, seem to be foraging rather ravenously on the patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds; consequently, many of the patches have nearly been annihilated.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 10:24 a.m. to 12:24 p.m., 10:53 p.m. to 12:53 a.m., and 4:10 a.m. to 6:10 a.m.
I made my first cast at 10:02 a.m. and the last one upon catching largemouth bass number 40 at 1:57 p.m. I accidentally caught six green sunfish and had a hefty fish break my leader knot when it swam under a dock and wrapped the line around a cable.
Two of the 40 largemouth bass were caught on a slightly shortened 4 ¾-inch Z-Man’s purple-haze Finesse WormZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Three of the 40 were caught on a Z-Man’s Canada craw TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Thirty-five largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s Canada craw TRD TicklerZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig.
I caught a largemouth bass on my second cast of this outing. It was caught on a purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig as I was strolling and employing a drag-and-shake presentation along one of the shorelines adjacent to the dam in eight to nine feet of water and many yards from the water’s edge.
Along the dam, I tangled with 15 largemouth bass. The dam is 1,550 feet long with a height of 58 feet. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally adorned with a few meager patches of coontail, bushy pondweeds, and wads of filamentous algae. It possesses a 50- to 60-degree slope. The water’s edge is graced with a concrete water outlet tower, patches of terrestrial grasses, and patches of American water willows. One largemouth bass was caught on the purple-haze Finesse WormZ with a drag-and-shake presentation in about six feet of water. The Z-Man’s Canada craw TRD TicklerZ and baby-blue jig inveigled 14 of the 15 largemouth bass. One was caught on a long deadstick presentation in about nine feet of water. Two were caught on the initial drop of the TRD TicklerZ rig in three to four feet of water. The others were caught on a drag-and-shake presentation, a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation, or a drag-shake-and-pause presentation. One was caught adjacent to the concrete water tower. The others were caught around the rocks and boulders.
Along the other shoreline that is adjacent to the dam, I caught four largemouth bass. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are embellished with occasional wads of filamentous algae and a few bristles of coontail. It has a 30- to 35-degree slope. These largemouth bass were caught on the Canada craw TRD TicklerZ and baby-blue jig. Two were caught next to the docks with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation. The other two were caught around the wads of filamentous algae; one was caught on the initial drop, and the other one was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation. They were caught in water as shallow as five feet and as deep as 10 feet.
In the lower half of the reservoir, I caught five largemouth bass around a main-lake point and along about a 30-yard stretch of its main-lake shoreline. This area has about a 30-degree slope. Its underwater terrain is endowed with a series of offshore piles of rocks and boulders. Three docks are floating in the vicinity of these piles. Some of these piles are coated with bushy pondweeds, coontail, and filamentous algae. The largemouth bass were caught on the Canada craw TRD TicklerZ and baby-blue jig. One was caught along the outside edge of one of the docks with a drag-and-shake presentation in five feet of water. One was caught on a swimming presentation around the wads of filamentous algae in five to six feet of water. The others were caught while I employed a drag-and-shake presentation around the piles of rocks and boulders in five to six feet of water.
Around another main-lake point in the lower half of the reservoir, I caught nine largemouth bass. I fished this point twice. It possesses a 30-degree slope, and there is a ledge that plummets into deep water. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, and portions of this underwater terrain are quilted with minor patches of submerged aquatic vegetation that I was unable to identify. The water’s edge is endowed with a concrete retaining wall, two docks, and several minor patches of American water willows. Wads of filamentous algae were flourishing in the vicinity of one of the docks. Three of these nine largemouth bass were caught on the Canada craw TRD TicklerZ and red jig, and six were caught on the Canada craw TRD TicklerZ and baby-blue jig. Eight were caught along the ledge as I employed a drag-and-shake-and-pause presentation in seven to 11 feet of water. Two largemouth bass were caught around the significant concentration of filamentous algae next to one of the docks with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in four to six feet of water.
I caught two largemouth bass along about a 75-yard stretch of a shoreline that is situated in the middle portion of the reservoir. This area possesses a 35- to 45-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are embellished with some patches of bushy pondweeds, coontail, and filamentous algae. The water’s edge is endowed with several concrete and stone retaining walls, a few overhanging trees, some patches of American water willows, and five docks. These two largemouth bass were caught on the Canada craw TRD TicklerZ and baby-blue jig as I was strolling and employing a drag-and-shake presentation in about seven feet of water.
Along about a 300-yard stretch of a shoreline in the upper half of the reservoir, I struggled to catch four largemouth bass. The underwater terrains of this shoreline consist of gravel, rocks, boulders, and some silt, which are adorned with a few meager patches of bushy pondweeds, filamentous algae, and coontail. These areas possess a 25- to 60-degree slope. The water’s edges consist of several concrete retaining walls, nine docks, one small rock bridge, a few laydowns, several piles of brush, some patches of American water willows, and several overhanging trees. The four largemouth bass were caught on the Canada craw TRD TicklerZ and baby-blue jig. One was caught on the initial drop of the rig next to a dock and a concrete retaining wall in about five feet of water. One was caught with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation on a shallow-water section around wads of filamentous algae. The other two were caught while I was strolling and employing a drag-and-shake presentation in seven to nine feet of water.
I failed to catch a largemouth bass along a short section of a main-lake shoreline in the middle section of the reservoir and a short section of a main-lake shoreline in the upper section.
In sum, I caught an average of 10 largemouth bass an hour.
Aug. 31
Pat and Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about one of their old-codger outings at a 91-year-old and heavily fished state reservoir in northeastern Kansas on Aug. 31. These outings are always short midday affairs.
Here is an edited version of their log.
The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 53 degrees, and it was 87 degrees at 2:52 p.m. The wind fluctuated from being calm to angling out of the east and southeast at 3 to 10 mph. The sky was fair. The barometric pressure was 30.00 at 12:52 a.m., 30.03 at 5:52 a.m., 30.05 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.99 at 2:52 p.m.
The water level looked to be normal. The surface temperature ranged from 82 to 83 degrees. According to our nine-foot dipstick, the water exhibited five to six feet of visibility.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 11:20 p.m. to 1:20 a.m., 5:07 a.m. to 7:07 a.m., and 5:33 p.m. to 7:33 p.m.
We made our first casts at 12:16 p.m., and our last ones were made when we caught largemouth bass number 40 at 2:15 p.m.
The 40 largemouth bass were caught on a slightly shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s purple-haze Finesse WormZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. We failed to elicit a strike on a Z-Man’s Canada craw TRD TicklerZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig and a Z-Man’s hot-snakes TRD TicklerZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig.
We spent the first 61 minutes probing a massive shallow-water flat in the back of a major feeder-creek arm. This area is the size of five or six football fields. The water’s edge of this flat is endowed with significant patches of American water willows and a few laydowns. A massive patch of American lotus plants enhances an area about the size of two football fields. Much of the underwater terrain is endowed with patches of coontail, and several manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees embellish portions of this flat.
An area about the size of three tennis courts yielded 18 of the 21 largemouth bass that we caught on this flat. All of them were caught around patches of coontail in six to nine feet of water. Two were caught on a deadstick presentation. Three were caught on the initial drop of our rigs. Sixteen of them were caught on either a straight-swimming presentation or a swim-glide-and-shake presentation.
From 1:17 p.m. to 1:47 p.m., we traveled slowly from the shallow-water flat in the back of this feeder-creek arm to a shallow-water flat in the back of another major feeder-creek arm. And as we traveled, we ate a small lunch.
Then from 1:47 p.m. to 2:15 p.m., we caught 19 largemouth bass on the second flat.
The second flat is bigger than the first one we fished, and we caught 15 of the 19 largemouth bass in an area that is about the size of two tennis courts. Four of them were caught in the vicinity of a manmade pile of eastern red cedars, which is encircled with patches of coontail. The others were caught around patches of coontail. Four were caught on the initial drop of our rigs. The others were caught as we employed a swim-glide-and-shake presentation. We caught them in water as shallow as five feet and as deep as about eight feet.
We failed to keep an accurate count of the strikes that we elicited and did not hook, but we estimate that we elicited about three dozen strikes, and about a dozen were hooked for a second or two. It was a very odd phenomenon.
In sum, we fished four times this week. During this 10 ½ hours of midday fishing, we caught 140 largemouth bass, which was an average of 13.3 largemouth bass an hour.