Ned Kehde: Guide to Midwest Finesse Fishing: March 2025

Mar. 20

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Mar. 20 outing.

Rick Allen of Dallas joined me at the same challenging federal reservoir in north-central Texas where Norman Brown of Lewisville and I caught 30 largemouth bass on Mar. 15. 

A significant cold front passed through north-central Texas on Mar. 18, which dropped our daytime and nighttime temperatures about 20 degrees. It also ushered in blustery winds that gusted as high as 50 mph. 

It was a typical post-cold front bluebird day on Mar. 20. Fortunately, the gusty 35- to 50-mph winds had declined a bit and were quartering out of the west-by-northwest at 10 to 15 mph. The sky was cloudless, and the sun was shining brightly. The morning’s low temperature was 38 degrees, and the afternoon’s high reached 66 degrees. The barometric pressure measured 30.37 at 10:00 a.m. and dropped to 30.24 by 4:00 p.m.

The best fishing, according to In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar, would occur from 3:34 a.m. to 5:34 a.m., 9:48 a.m. to 11:48 a.m., and 4:01 p.m. to 6:01 p.m. The fishing was predicted to be poor.  

We fished from about 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The water level was at its normal pool level. The water was murkier than on Mar. 15 and exhibited about 14 inches of visibility. The surface temperature ranged from 55 to 59 degrees. 

We had planned to target smallmouth bass first and largemouth bass after that. The smallmouth bass fishing was difficult, and it was a grind to catch two of them. The largemouth bass fishing wasn’t as lucrative as it was on Mar. 15, and it was a chore to catch 12 of them. We also crossed paths with one white bass and one freshwater drum.

We started the outing dissecting portions of a minor feeder-creek arm in the midsection of the reservoir where we launched the boat. We probed one of the rocky main-lake points at the mouth of the creek arm, several rocky secondary points, three flat clay-and-gravel shorelines adorned with flooded buckbrush, the end of the concrete boat ramp, and two small coves inside this feeder-creek arm, and we failed to elicit any strikes. 

After that, we meandered to the dam in the lower section of the reservoir. We caught the two smallmouth bass and the freshwater drum in nine to 13 feet of water along the center portion of the riprap-laden dam. One smallmouth bass and the freshwater drum were attracted to a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ attached to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. The other smallmouth bass was fooled by a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation with a Z-Man’s coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.           

After fishing the dam, we traveled about a mile westward to another minor feeder-creek arm about a mile west of the dam. This creek arm occasionally relinquishes a smallmouth bass or two along with some largemouth bass and spotted bass. This creek arm yielded only one dinky largemouth bass. It was caught in the middle portion of the creek arm in three feet of water from a flat shoreline covered with chunky rocks, some partially flooded buckbrush, and a few boulders. It was tempted by a slow and steady swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ affixed on a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. We failed to generate any strikes around four rocky secondary points, a large clay-and-gravel flat, and inside a small cove lined with flooded buckbrush and a ditch in the upper end of the creek arm.

We finished the outing inside a major feeder-creek arm in the middle portion of the reservoir. This creek arm surrendered 11 largemouth bass and one white bass. They were abiding in three to eight feet of water along three flat clay-and-gravel shorelines graced with clusters of flooded buckbrush and several laydowns in the midsection of this feeder-creek arm. Nine of these 11 largemouth bass were allured by a steady- swimming retrieve with either a 2 1/2- or three-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ matched with a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. The other two were enticed into striking a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man's slam shady GrubZ matched with a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man's Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig that was employed with a slow-swimming technique. We failed to garner any strikes along a series of seven rocky secondary points, the shoreline of a rock-laden bluff, and one of the main-lake points at the mouth of the creek arm.

Mar. 22 

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Mar. 22 outing.

It was another blustery day in north-central Texas. An irksome wind blew continuously out of the south at 15 to 25 mph. It was sunny, and the sky was partly cloudy. The morning's low temperature was 45 degrees. The afternoon's high temperature climbed to 83 degrees. The barometric pressure dropped from 30.02 at 10:00 a.m. to 29.83 at 3:00 p.m.

Because of the troublesome wind, Rick Allen of Garland, Texas, and I elected to conduct a bank-walking excursion at two community reservoirs in north-central Texas. 

According to In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar, the most productive fishing periods would take place from 5:23 a.m. to 7:23 a.m., 11:13 a.m. to 1:13 p.m., and 5:50 p.m. to 7:50 p.m. The fishing forecast for Mar. 22 was a poor one.

We fished at the first impoundment from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Then we took a break for lunch. We fished at the second reservoir from about 12:30 p.m. to 1:35 p.m., then Rick left. I continued to fish until 3:00 p.m.

The water at the first reservoir exhibited about two feet of clarity. The water level appeared to be normal. The water temperature was 60 degrees.

This reservoir’s underwater terrain consists of small gravel and sand. There are a few tree limbs, large oak trees, and patches of boulders cluttering portions of the shorelines in the midsection of the impoundment. There are also several shallow sand-and-gravel ledges extending about five feet from the water’s edge that parallel the shorelines. Several large patches of submerged baby pondweeds adorn the deep-water sides of these ledges. The upper end and lower end of the impoundment are flat and graced with patches of baby pondweeds. The shorelines are relatively flat with 10- to 15-degree inclines.

We were surprised that we didn’t see any baitfish, bluegill, or spawning largemouth bass in the shallow-water areas. 

We shared this impoundment with a couple of other anglers, and it was a chore for us to catch 10 largemouth bass. One was caught from a patch of submerged baby pondweeds on the upper-end flat, six were caught across the middle portion of the impoundment around several of the patches of baby pondweeds that are situated near the shallow sand-and-gravel ledges, and three were caught from a patch of baby pondweeds on the shallow flat in the lower end of the impoundment. All of these fish were abiding in three to five feet of water. 

One of these 10 bass was caught on a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with a Z-Man’s watermelon-red Finesse ShadZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Three were enticed by a steady-swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s watermelon-red Slim SwimZ attached to a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Mushroom Jighead. And six were tempted by a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s watermelon-red ZinkerZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. 

At the second reservoir, the water level was at its normal level. The water temperature was 61 degrees. There was about two feet of clarity.

This reservoir’s upper and lower regions possess two concrete culverts with a connecting ditch that courses across the middle portion of the reservoir. The shorelines are endowed with several bald cypress trees, cypress tree knees, several tertiary points, and a small brush pile.  A shallow sand-and-gravel ledge extends about three to five feet from the water’s edge, and this ledge encompasses the entire impoundment. The ledge is covered with a foot of water and drops off into three to five feet of water. The deep-water side of the ledge is also adorned with several patches of baby pondweeds mixed with vast amounts of filamentous algae. The bottom terrain consists of sand mixed with small pieces of gravel and rocks. 

We didn’t see any fish activity in the shallow-water areas of this reservoir either. 

The fishing was better at this impoundment; it yielded 17 largemouth bass and two black crappie. These 19 fish were dwelling in three to five feet of water, and they were scattered along the deep-water side of the sand-and-gravel ledge along the lower, middle, and upper sections of the impoundment. 

The two black crappie were caught on a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-orange Finesse TRD rigged on a blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig, and this rig was implemented with a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation. Of these 17 largemouth bass, four were allured by a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation with a Z-Man’s sprayed-grass TRD TicklerZ matched with a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead; six were tempted by a steady-swimming retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s watermelon-red Slim SwimZ, and seven were induced by a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation with the 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s watermelon-red ZinkerZ rig.

In conclusion, we caught 27 largemouth bass and two crappie in four hours. We caught 10 largemouth bass from the first community reservoir, and 17 largemouth bass and two crappie from the second one. None of them were picture-worthy, and quite a few of them were dinks. But overall, we enjoyed four hours of bass fishing on a blustery spring day. 

 Mar. 22

Bob Gum of Kansas City, Kansas, posted a log about his outing with Long Zheng of Overland Park, Kansas, at one of the power-plant reservoirs in northeastern Kansas on Mar. 22.

The National Weather Service office that is 46 miles north of this reservoir reported that the morning’s low temperature was 32 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 63 degrees. The wind varied from being calm to angling out of the west, southwest, south, and southeast at 3 to 31 mph. The sky was primarily fair, but later in the day, it varied from being cluttered with a few clouds to mostly cloudy. The barometric pressure was 29.99 at 12:53 a.m., 30.01 at 5:53 a.m., 30.05 at 11:53 a.m., and 29.91 at 3:53 p.m.

The water level looked to be about 1 ½ feet below normal. Along the dam, the water exhibited about 1 ½ to two feet of clarity The surface temperature along the dam was 52 degrees.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 5:14 a.m. to 7:14 a.m., 5:41 p.m. to 7:41 p.m., and 11:04 a.m. to 1:04 a.m. 

I made my first casts around 6:30 a.m., and Long joined me around 8:00 a.m. We quit around 3:00 p.m.

We caught 23 largemouth bass, four freshwater drum, two channel catfish, and one ginormous smallmouth buffalo, which is the largest fish I have hooked for several years.

We spent this outing fishing along the riprap shoreline of the dam, the shallow-water flat adjacent to the dam’s spillway, and along the riprap shoreline of the power plant’s access roadway.

Our most effective Midwest finesse rigs were a 2 ½-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-red ZinkerZ affixed to a blue 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig and a Z-Man’s Junebug TRD BugZ on a black 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. 

We used a swim-glide-and-shake presentation. Most of the strikes occurred during the glide portion of the retrieve in four to eight feet of water. 

 Mar. 24   

Bob Gum of Kansas City, Kansas, posted a log about his outing at one of the power-plant reservoirs in northeastern Kansas on Mar. 24

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 36 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 63 degrees. The wind was calm at times, and when it stirred, it was angling out of the northwest, north, west, southeast, south, east, and northeast at 3 to 14 mph. The conditions of the sky varied from being fair to mostly cloudy to overcast to cluttered with a few clouds to partly cloudy. The barometric pressure was 29.99 at 12:52 a.m., 29.99 at 5:52 a.m., 30.03 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.89 at 3:52 p.m.

Water clarity was around 1 1/2 feet. Water temperatures were 55 degrees along the east riprap and 54 degrees along the dam. The water level looked to be about 1 ½ feet below normal.  The power plant was generating some electricity.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 6:59 a.m. to 8:59 a.m., 7:27 p.m. to 9:27 p.m., and 12:45 a.m. to 2:45 a.m. 

I was the first person to launch a boat. I made my first cast around 6:45. I quit around 4:00. There were three other trailers at the marina's parking lot when I trailered my boat.

I started fishing along the riprap shoreline of the dam. Then, I fished along about 250 yards of the shoreline along the east side of this reservoir and across about 150 yards of a flat that lies immediately north of the riprap shoreline. I spent the rest of the outing thoroughly dissecting the riprap shoreline of the dam and the shallow-water flat adjacent to the dam’s spillway.

I caught and released 16 largemouth bass, six freshwater drum, and three channel fish.  My five biggest largemouth bass weighed 5.25 pounds, 5.50 pounds, 5.75 pounds, 7.0 pounds, and 9.25 pounds.

I failed to elicit a strike on a finesse-size jerkbait.

The Z-Man’s smelt TRD MinnowZ affixed to a black 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig caught two largemouth bass.

My most fruitful Midwest finesse rigs were a 2 ½-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-red ZinkerZ affixed to a blue 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig and a Z-Man’s California-craw TRD HogZ on a red 1/20-ounce mushroom-style jig. I employed these rigs with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in three to 10 feet of water.

Mar. 24 

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his outing on Mar. 24 at a 93-year-old state reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 26 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 65 degrees. The wind was calm at times, and when it stirred, it was angling out of the northwest, north, west, east, southeast, and south at 3 to 14 mph. The conditions of the sky varied from being fair to mostly cloudy to overcast to partly cloudy. The barometric pressure was 30.01 at 12:52 a.m., 30.02 at 5:52 a.m., 30.02 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.88 at 3:52 p.m.

The water level looked to be a few inches above normal. The surface temperature was 49 degrees. The water exhibited about eight feet of clarity. Its shallow-water flats and shorelines are endowed with burgeoning patches of curly-leaf pondweeds, which are interlaced with some patches of coontail and wads of filamentous algae. This exurban reservoir is usually heavily fished, but there were only two boats of anglers afloat today. 

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 7:01 a.m. to 9:01 a.m., 7:28 p.m. to 9:28 p.m., and 12:47 a.m. to 2:47 a.m. 

My wife, Patty, joined me for the first hour of the outing.  We made our first casts at 12:03 p.m. At 1:06 p.m., we spent about 30 minutes eating lunch at the dock adjacent to the boat ramp, and then she drove back to Lawrence for a meeting. I continued to fish until 4:03 p.m.

During the first hour, Patty and I caught 16 largemouth bass, and during the next two hours and 27 minutes, I caught 35 largemouth bass, which was a total of 51 largemouth bass in three hours and 27 minutes.

One of the 51 largemouth bass was caught on a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse ShadZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Two were caught on a Z-Man’s Goby Bryant Finesse TRD affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Forty-eight were caught on a Z-Man’s Drew’s craw Finesse TRD affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig.

The Z-Man’s Drew’s craw Finesse TRD  rig.

Seventeen largemouth bass were caught along about a 350-yard stretch of a shoreline inside one of this reservoir’s major feeder-creek arms. This shoreline has a 30- to 55-degree slope. It is graced with two secondary points and one tertiary point. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders that are frequently covered with patches of curly-leaf pondweeds, filamentous algae, and coontail. The water’s edge is often enhanced with thick patches of winter-dead American water willows and several well-aged laydowns. Two of the 17 largemouth bass were caught on the Goby Bryant Finesse TRD rig. Fifteen were caught on the Drew’s craw Finesse TRD rig. They were caught in water as shallow as five feet and as deep as 12 feet. One was caught on a vertical presentation. Two were caught on the initial drop in five to six feet of water. The others were caught on a drag-pause-and-shake presentation in about six to 12 feet of water, and several were caught by strolling with the wind and employing the drag-pause-and-shake presentation. (Here is a link to one of our In-Fisherman blogs that explains how we stroll: https://www.in-fisherman.com/editorial/six-midwest-finesse-retrieves/153946.)

Ten largemouth bass were caught along about a 400-yard stretch of another shoreline inside this feeder-creek arm. This shoreline possesses a 25- to 55-degree slope. It is endowed with two secondary points and three tertiary points. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, and some sections of this terrain are carpeted with patches of curly-leaf pondweeds. The water's edge is adorned with numerous patches of winter-dead American water willows, one ancient rock fence, a few old laydowns, a dilapidated catfish feeder, and a few manmade piles of brush. The first 300 yards of this shoreline were fruitless. One of the three tertiary points yielded two largemouth bass, and another tertiary point yielded one largemouth bass. Seven of the 10 largemouth bass were caught along the shorelines adjacent to those two tertiary points. All were allured by the Drew’s craw Finesse TRD rig; two were caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in five to seven feet of water; three were caught on the initial drop of the rig in about five feet of water; four were caught on a drag-pause-and-shake presentation in water as shallow as six feet and as deep as 13 feet.

Around a main-lake point at the mouth of this major feeder-creek arm and along about a 90-yard stretch of this point’s main-lake shoreline, the Drew’s craw Finesse TRD rig inveigled 18 largemouth bass. This shoreline has about a 45- to 50-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and a concrete and rock foundation of a dilapidated barn. This area is also laced with some patches of curly-leaf pondweeds. The water’s edge is lined with thick patches of winter-dead American water willows and two well-worn laydowns. These largemouth bass were caught in four to 12 feet of water. Four of 18 largemouth bass were allured by the initial drop of the rig in four to five feet of water along the outside edge of the patches of winter-dead American water willows. The other 14 largemouth bass were caught on either a drag-and-shake presentation or a drag-pause-and-shake presentation in five to 11 feet of water.  Four of these largemouth bass were caught by slowly strolling with the wind.

Around the other main-lake point at the mouth of this major feeder-creek arm and along about a 50-yard stretch of its main-lake shoreline, the Drew’s craw Finesse TRD caught four largemouth bass. This shoreline possesses a 45- to 70-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Some of the boulders are quite large, and they are carpeted with a few wads of filamentous algae and bits and pieces of curly-leaf pondweeds.  The water’s edge is lined with patches of winter-dead American water willows and a couple of well-worn laydowns. Two largemouth bass were caught on the initial drop of the rig in the vicinity of the outside edge of a patch of winter-dead American water willows in about five feet of water.  The other two were caught as I employed a drag-and-pause presentation in about six to seven feet of water.

One largemouth bass was caught around a main-lake point at the mouth of a small feeder-creek arm.  The underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, which are carpeted with a few wads of filamentous algae, burgeoning patches of curly-leaf pondweeds, and a few submerged piles of eastern red cedar trees. It has a 35- to 45-degree slope. This largemouth bass was caught by strolling and employing a swim-glide-and-shake presentation over the top of a patch of curly-leaf pondweeds in about six to seven feet of water. 

Near the end of this outing, I quickly fished along a few short portions of a 500-yard stretch of a shoreline inside another major feeder-creek arm.  Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are clustered with many patches of curly-leaf pondweeds, a few patches of filamentous, some winter-wilted patches of coontail, and numerous piles of submerged eastern red cedar trees. The Finesse ShadZ rig inveigled one largemouth bass by strolling and employing a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about six feet of water.

Back in the heydays of Midwest finesse fishing in northeastern Kansas, it was our hope and passion on every outing to catch and release 101 largemouth bass in four hours. We used to call it "bass fishing 101." During the past six or seven years, something has happened to the black bass populations in all of the community, state, and federal reservoirs that we fish in northeastern Kansas, and those 101 outings have become few and far between.  Thus, a stellar outing has become catching 51 largemouth bass rather than 101 in four hours. So, relatively speaking, this three-hour-and-27-minute affair might be described as a modern-day bonanza.

Mar. 25

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Mar. 25 outing with John Thomas of Denton.

John and I fished at a state reservoir in an exurban area of north-central Texas. Neither one of us has fished at this impoundment since May of 2024. 

When we launched the boat at about 10:30 a.m., it was sunny. The sky was partly cloudy. The morning's low temperature was 52 degrees, and the afternoon's high temperature soared to 91 degrees. A light breeze meandered out of the south-by-southwest at 5 to 10 mph. The barometric pressure dropped slightly from 30.08 at 10:00 a.m. to 30.02 at 3:00 p.m.

According to In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar, the best fishing would occur from 1:47 a.m. to 3:47 a.m., 8:01 a.m. to 10:01 a.m., and 8:28 p.m. to 10:28 p.m. Poor fishing was also in the forecast.

We fished from 10:40 a.m. to 3:10 p.m., and the fishing was wretched for this time in March. 

We spent these 4 1/2 hours probing a small bay in the lower end of the reservoir, portions of two minor feeder-creek arms located in the northeast end of the impoundment, and a prominent main lake point in the middle section of the reservoir’s east shoreline. 

Rock- and boulder-laden shorelines and points make up the vast majority of this impoundment’s geological terrain. The shorelines are cluttered with laydowns, submerged boulders, overhanging trees, and flooded buck brush. There are a few paltry patches of brownish-green hydrilla in the shallow-water areas inside the small bay. 

The water conditions were awful. The water level was 9.08 feet below its normal pool. The water displayed an odd brownish hue from the many days of high winds, and it exhibited 12 to 14 inches of clarity. The surface temperature ranged from 58 degrees on the lower end of the reservoir to 70 degrees on its upper end.

We started our search for largemouth bass, spotted bass, and smallmouth bass on the east side of the small bay on the southwest end of the reservoir. The surface temperature was 58 degrees. We slowly picked apart the steep and rocky east shoreline, which has a 45- to 60-degree incline, and caught two largemouth bass. These bass were caught within 20 yards of each other; they were abiding around large submerged rocks and boulders in three to six feet of water. The remainder of this shoreline was fruitless.

Along the north and west sides of the bay, we slowly dissected three other steep and rocky shorelines that appear to be identical to the east-side shoreline. We caught one largemouth bass in five feet of water along these three shorelines.

We then moved to a minor feeder-creek arm on the upper end of the impoundment. The surface temperature was 70 degrees. The lower end of this feeder-creek arm relinquished two largemouth bass, two feisty hybrid-striped bass, and one white bass. These five fish were abiding in three to seven feet of water along two flat shorelines at the mouth of the creek arm. These shorelines are adorned with numerous submerged boulders and chunky rocks. In the midsection of this creek arm, we hooked and lost another largemouth bass in five feet of water and near a submerged boulder situated on another flat and rocky shoreline. The upper end of this creek arm was devoid of black bass.

In conclusion, it was a pleasant spring day but the fishing was a tedious grind. We hooked a combination of seven largemouth bass and one spotted bass, and landed seven of them. We also crossed paths with two hybrid-striped bass, one white bass, and one channel catfish in 4 1/2 hours. We also spoke with another bass angler during this outing, and he reported that he had caught one small largemouth bass on a spinnerbait.

Four largemouth bass, one hybrid-striped bass, and one white bass were allured by a slow swimming presentation with either a 2 1/2- or three-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ matched with a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. A four-inch Z-Man’s black-neon Finesse WormZ attached to a red 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead and employed with a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve enticed one largemouth bass and one channel catfish. A slow-swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat attached to a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead tempted one largemouth bass and one hybrid-striped bass. The spotted bass was allured by a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with a Z-Man’s pearl TRD TicklerZ rigged on a blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. 

We failed to elicit any strikes with five other Midwest Finesse rigs.

Mar. 26

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his outing on Mar. 26 with Pok Chi Lau of Lawrence at a 63-year-old and heavily fished state reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 31 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 69 degrees. The wind fluctuated from calm to angling out of the northwest to the north to the northeast to the southeast at 3 to 12 mph; there was one gust of wind that was 23 mph.  The conditions of the sky varied from being overcast to cluttered with a few clouds to partly cloudy to mostly cloudy to fair.  The barometric pressure was 30.24 at 12:52 a.m., 30.26 at 5:52 a.m., 30.33 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.29 at 2:52 p.m.

The water level looked to be a few inches below normal. The surface temperature ranged from 52 to 54 degrees. The water exhibited 3 1/2 to six feet of visibility.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 8:34 a.m. to 10:34 a.m., 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., and 2:21 a.m. to 4:21 a.m.

We made our first casts at 10:40 a.m. and the last one when we caught largemouth bass number 58 at 1:32 p.m. Besides the 58 largemouth bass, we accidentally caught four crappie and one channel catfish.

Two of the 58 largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s bumblebee Micro TRD affixed to a 1/15-ounce baby-blue Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Eight largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s Drew’s craw Finesse TRD affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Forty-eight were caught on a shortened Z-Man’s twilight Finesse TRD affixed to a 1/15-ounce baby-blue Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig; this TRD was shortened to two inches.

Seven of the largemouth bass were caught along a 150-yard portion of the dam’s riprap shoreline.  The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and some boulders; some of this terrain is decorated with a few man-made piles of eastern red cedar trees and some meager patches of aquatic vegetation. It possesses a 45- to 55-degree slope.  One largemouth bass was caught on the twilight Finesse TRD rig with a drag-pause-and-shake presentation in about 10 feet of water. Six were caught on the Drew’s craw Finesse TRD rig. One was allured on the initial drop in about four to five feet of water; the others were caught on a drag-pause-and-shake in five to 12 feet of water.

Fifty-one largemouth bass were caught across an offshore section of a shallow-water flat in the back of one of this reservoir’s major feeder-creek arms. This flat is the size of many football fields. Portions of it are enhanced winter-wilted patches of coontail, some burgeoning patches of bush pondweeds, and numerous manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. Its underwater terrain consists primarily of silt. A submerged creek channel twists and turns along portions of its western, southern, and northern edges.

For two hours and 17 minutes, we fished across and around an area of this flat that is about the size of six football fields.

Two of the 51 largemouth bass were caught on the Drew’s craw Finesse TRD rig. Another two were caught on the Bumblebee Micro TRD rig. Forty-seven were caught on the twilight Finesse TRD rig.

We caught them in water as shallow as four feet and as deep as eight feet. Three were caught on the initial drop. A few were caught on either a swim-and-pause presentation or a drag-and-deadstick presentation. Most were caught with a drag-pause-and-shake presentation.

In sum, we caught nearly an average of 20 largemouth bass an hour.

 Mar. 27

 Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Mar. 27 outing.

From 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., I conducted a solo excursion at one of several federal hill-land reservoirs in north-central Texas. 

It was sunny, and the sky was partly cloudy. The morning’s low temperature was 61 degrees. The afternoon’s high reached 85 degrees. The wind was mild-mannered for once and angled out of the east and southeast at 8 to 12 mph. The barometric pressure measured 30.12 at 9:00 a.m. and 30.07 at 2:00 p.m. 

The water level was 1.89 feet low. The water exhibited 1 1/2 feet of visibility. The surface temperature ranged from 63 to 66 degrees, and for the first time this year, I saw quite a few bluegill lollygagging around in the shallows in the backend of a feeder creek.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar table noted that fishing would be poor, and the most productive fishing periods would occur from 3:17 a.m. to 5:17 a.m., 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and 9:55 p.m. to 11:55 p.m.

During this outing, I fished inside four feeder-creek arms in the lower end of the reservoir, and one of them has a large marina. Their shorelines vary from being relatively flat to inclines of 30 to 45 degrees.

Inside these four feeder-creek arms, I fished from their lower sections to their upper ends. I focused on a variety of black-bass haunts such as clay-and-pea-gravel flats with flooded stickups or buck brush, small coves in the upper and midsections of the creek arms, steep clay-and-gravel shorelines, rock- and boulder-laden secondary points, the areas around three concrete boat ramps, and two main-lake points at the entrance to one of the feeder-creek arms. I fished in water as shallow as two feet and as deep as 13 feet, and most of these locales were unproductive.  

Inside the first feeder-creek arm, I caught one white bass. It was abiding on a small gravel-and-clay flat located in the midsection of the creek arm. This flat is adorned with thin patches of stickups. It was abiding in four feet of water and about 15 feet away from the outside edges of the patches of stickups.

I failed to elicit a strike inside two small coves, three steep shorelines, five rock-and-boulder-laden secondary points, and around the two main-lake entry points.

At the second feeder-creek arm, which is located about a mile east of the first creek arm, I probed a medium-sized flat that is composed of red clay and gravel, two concrete boat ramps, three rocky shorelines, seven rocky secondary points, a shallow rock ledge at the mouth of the creek arm, and a small cove in the midsection of the creek arm. Ultimately, I caught three spotted bass, one largemouth bass, and one white bass. Two of the four black bass and the one white bass were caught in four to six feet of water across a medium-sized clay-and-gravel flat in the lower section of the creek arm. The other two black bass were caught along the shallow rock ledge near the mouth of the creek arm. 

I failed to locate any largemouth or spotted bass around the two concrete boat ramps, the three rocky shorelines, the seven rocky secondary points, and inside the small cove.

Inside the third creek arm, I fished inside four small coves, around two steep and rocky shorelines, and around several rocky secondary points, and I caught two largemouth bass and two spotted bass. All four of them were caught in the backends of three of the four small coves, and they were abiding on large rock-and-boulder terrains in four to seven feet of water. The two rocky shorelines and secondary points were fruitless.

Inside the fourth creek arm, which is about two miles east of the other three creek arms, I caught three largemouth bass, one spotted bass, and one white bass. They were caught in five to seven feet of water along two rocky shorelines in the backend of the creek arm. These two shorelines have 45-degree gradients. I did not elicit a strike from two concrete boat ramps, two flat clay-and-gravel shorelines adorned with flooded stickups and large rocks, and five rocky secondary points. 

Four of these 12 black bass engulfed a 3 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl GrubZ rigged on a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead while it was being employed with a slow-and-steady-swimming retrieve. Four more black bass and the four white bass were allured by a swimming retrieve with a  2 ½-inch Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat matched with a blue 3/32-ounce OG Mushroom Jighead. Three black bass were enticed into striking a three-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ rigged on a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead and a slow-swimming retrieve. One spotted bass was caught on a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ affixed on a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead and a slow-swimming retrieve. 

I was unable to elicit any strikes with a Z-Man’s purple-death TRD TicklerZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead, a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce OG Mushroom Jighead, and a Z-Man’s pearl TRD TicklerZ fastened on a blue 1/16-ounce OG Mushroom Jighead. 

Mar. 29

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Mar. 29 outing with a friend from Sanger, Texas.

 This has been the windiest March that I can remember. On March 29, the wind continued to blow incessantly out of the south at 15 to 27 mph. 

The morning's sky was overcast, and around noon, it became sunny as the sky became partly cloudy. The barometric pressure dropped from 29.78 at 9:00 a.m. to 29.83 at 4:00 p.m. The morning's low temperature was 61 degrees. The afternoon's high temperature reached 84 degrees. 

My friend joined me for a bank-walking excursion at two community reservoirs in north-central Texas. The main focus of this outing was to show him the virtues of light tackle and Midwest finesse tactics without having to fight the wind and waves on a federal or state reservoir. 

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place between 4:53 a.m. and 6:53 a.m., 5:18 a.m. and 7:18 p.m., and 11:31 p.m. to 1:31 a.m. The fishing forecast also indicated excellent fishing for Mar. 29, and it was. 

We fished at the first impoundment from 9:45 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. Then we took a break for lunch. We fished at the second reservoir from about 1:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.

The water level at the first reservoir appeared to be normal. The water clarity was about two feet. The water temperature was 68 degrees.

This reservoir’s underwater terrain consists of small gravel and sand. Several shallow sand-and-gravel ledges parallel the shorelines about five feet from the water’s edge. Tree limbs, large oak trees, and patches of boulders clutter portions of the shorelines in the midsection of the impoundment. Some large patches of submerged baby pondweeds grace portions of the flat in the upper end of the reservoir and along the deep-water sides of the ledges. The lower and upper ends of the impoundment have flat terrains, and these terrains are adorned with patches of baby pondweeds. All of the shorelines are flat with 10- to 15-degree slopes. 

We shared this impoundment with a couple of other anglers, but the fishing was still pretty good. We caught 21 largemouth bass. We also accidentally caught one bluegill. My friend caught his first largemouth bass on his sixth cast from a patch of submerged baby pondweeds on the upper-end flat. We caught seventeen more across the middle portion of the impoundment around patches of baby pondweeds near the shallow sand-and-gravel ledges. The other three were caught from a patch of baby pondweeds on the shallow flat in the lower end of the impoundment. All of these fish were abiding in three to five feet of water and within 15 feet of the water’s edge.     

Of these 21 bass, we caught 13 on a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a four-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Five were tempted by a steady-swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s watermelon-red Slim SwimZ attached to a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Mushroom Jighead. One was fooled by a steady-swimming presentation with a three-inch Z-Man’s Space Guppy Slim SwimZ fastened on a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Another largemouth bass was caught on a steady-swimming retrieve with a three-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ attached to a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. And one bass engulfed a Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse ShadZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead as it was implemented with a slow swim-glide-and-shake technique. 

At the second reservoir, there was about two feet of water clarity. The water level was normal. The water temperature was 69 degrees.

This reservoir’s shorelines are endowed with several bald cypress trees, cypress tree knees, minor points, and a small brush pile. About three to five feet from the water’s edge, a shallow sand-and-gravel ledge parallels all of the reservoir’s shorelines. This ledge is covered with a foot of water and drops into three to five feet of water. The deep-water side of the ledge is also adorned with several patches of baby pondweeds mixed with vast amounts of filamentous algae. The bottom terrain consists of sand mixed with small pieces of gravel and rocks. The reservooir's upper and lower sections possess two concrete culverts with a connecting ditch that winds its way across the middle portion of the reservoir. 

The fishing was even better at this impoundment. It yielded 29 largemouth bass, one black crappie, and a bluegill. These 29 bass were abiding in three to five feet of water, and 25 of them were scattered along the deep-water side of the sand-and-gravel ledge in the middle section of the reservoir. Three were caught from the deep-water side of a ledge in the upper end, and one was extracted from the deep-water side of a ledge in the lower end of the impoundment.

Thirteen largemouth bass were inveigled by a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a Z-Man’s sprayed-grass TRD TicklerZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Six were attracted to a shortened four-inch Z-Man’s watermelon-red Finesse WormZ matched with a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead manipulated with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation. Another six were tempted by a steady-swimming retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s watermelon-red Slim SwimZ rig, and four were induced by a slow-swimming presentation with the 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ affixed on a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.    

All totaled, we caught 50 largemouth bass, two bluegill, and one black crappie in six hours. We caught 21 largemouth bass from the first community reservoir and 29 from the second one. We also hooked three other largemouth bass, but they were able to liberate themselves before we could land them.

This bountiful outing was a great way to introduce my friend to the advantages of using Z-Man’s jigs, soft-plastic baits, and Midwest finesse tactics.

 Mar. 31

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, and Rick Heberstreit of Shawnee, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their Mar. 31 outing at an 87-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas. 

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 39 degrees, and the afternoon's high temperature was 55 degrees. The wind was calm during two of the four afternoon hours that we were afloat; at other times, it angled out of the north, northwest, northeast, east, south, and southeast at 3 to 13 mph; at times there were wind gusts that reached 18 to 23 mph. The sky fluctuated from being overcast to partly cloudy to cluttered with a few clouds to fair to mostly cloudy. The barometric pressure was 29.99 at 12:53 a.m., 29.99 at 5:53 a.m., 30.10 at 11:53 a.m., and 30.07 at 3:53 p.m.

The water level looked to be normal. The surface temperature ranged from 54 to 58 degrees. According to our nine-foot dipstick, which we call a Secchi stick, the water exhibited about nine feet of visibility in the vicinity of the dam and about four to five feet of visibility along the shorelines in the upper half of the reservoir.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 12:23 a.m. to 2:23 a.m., 12:51 p.m. to 2:51 p.m., and 6:37 a.m. to 8:37 a.m. 

We made our first casts at 11:00 a.m. and our last ones at 3:03 p.m.  We were hoping to catch at least 51 largemouth bass, but to our vexation, we caught 47.

One of the 47 largemouth bass was caught on a two-inch Z-Man’s watermelon-red GrubZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Seven were caught on a 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s twilight Trick ShotZ affixed to either a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig or a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. Nineteen were caught on a slightly shortened Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ affixed to either a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig or a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. Twenty were caught on a shortened Z-Man’s Junebug TRD TicklerZ affixed to either a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig or a black 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig; it was shortened to about 2 ½ inches.

The twilight Trick ShotZ rig is at the top of this photograph. The shortened green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig is in the middle. The shortened Junebug TRD TicklerZ rig is at the bottom

We caught the 47 largemouth bass on a variety of presentations. One was caught on a deadstick presentation. Three were caught on a slow swimming presentation. Four were caught on the initial drop of our rigs. Eleven were caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation. Twenty-eight were caught on a drag-and-shake presentation.  

As we employed these various presentations, the largemouth bass were caught from about five to about 30 feet from the water’s edge and in about five to 12 feet of water. We also fished around 65 docks, and eleven of the largemouth bass were caught immediately adjacent to a dock.  

We fished along the dam at the beginning of this outing, which yielded four 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 adorned with some very meager patches of aquatic vegetation 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, shallow-water patches of terrestrial grasses, and a few scroungy patches of winter-dead American water willows.  Three largemouth bass were caught on the Finesse WormZ rig with a drag-and-shake presentation in about six to eight feet of water. One was caught on the TRD TicklerZ rig with a drag-and-shake presentation in about seven feet of water.

Along a short portion of the shoreline immediately adjacent to the dam, we caught four largemouth bass on our TRD TicklerZ rigs. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are partially coated with some burgeoning patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. It has about a 35- to 40-degree slope. The water’s edge is endowed with a dock. One largemouth bass was allured by the initial drop along the side of the dock in about seven feet of water. The other three were caught on a drag-and-shake presentation in about five to seven feet of water.

In the lower half of the reservoir, we caught four largemouth bass along about a 150-yard stretch of a main-lake shoreline. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, wads of filamentous algae, and burgeoning patches of submerged aquatic vegetation.  The water’s edge has six docks, a few patches of winter-dead American water willows, and several concrete retaining walls. Our TRD TicklerZ rigs inveigled four largemouth bass along the edges of two of the docks in about six feet of water. One was allured by the initial drop of the rig. The others were caught as we employed a drag-and-subtle-shake presentation. They were caught in five to six feet of water.

We fished around two main-lake points and along about a 600-yard section of a main-lake shoreline in the lower half of the reservoir.  The points were unproductive, but the shoreline yielded 10 largemouth bass. The points and shoreline possess a 30- to 55-degree slope. The underwater terrains consist of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally embellished with a few patches of filamentous algae and an occasional patch of burgeoning submerged aquatic vegetation. Some of the boulders are humongous. The water’s edge is lined by many concrete and stone retaining walls, a few overhanging trees, some meager patches of winter-dead American water willows, and 27 docks. Three of the 10 largemouth bass were caught on our TRD TicklerZ rigs, and seven were caught on our Finesse WormZ rigs. Six were caught along the edges of the docks. The others were abiding between the dock. All of them were caught as we employed a drag-and-shake presentation in six to 12 feet of water.

We spent the rest of this outing in the upper half of this reservoir, dissecting several long shorelines and three main-lake points.

Along about a 50-yard stretch of a shoreline adjacent to a small main-lake point, we caught our largemouth bass. This shoreline has a 50-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and a dinky patch of budding submerged aquatic vegetation. The water’s edge is lined with a massive stone retaining wall and two docks. The initial drop of our Trick ShotZ rig inveigled one of the four largemouth bass in about four feet of water.  The others were allured by a drag-and-shake presentation in six to nine feet of water. One of the largemouth bass was caught next to one of the docks.

Along about a 500-yard stretch of a shoreline in the upper half of the reservoir, we caught 14 largemouth bass. The underwater terrains of this shoreline consist of gravel, rocks, boulders, and some silt, which are adorned with some wads of filamentous algae and several immature patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. The shoreline possesses a 20- to 60-degree slope. The water’s edges consist of several concrete retaining walls, nine docks, one small rock bridge, a few minor laydowns, several piles of brush, some patches of winter-dead American water willows, and several overhanging trees. One largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the GrubZ rig above some sprouts of submerged aquatic vegetation in four to five feet of water. Five were caught on our Finesse WormZ rigs, and eight were caught on our TRD TicklerZ rigs. Five of the 14 largemouth bass were caught as we employed a drag-and-shake presentation in five to seven feet of water. Eight were allured when we used a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in four to five feet of water.

We spent the final 26 minutes of this outing hoping to catch at least 11 largemouth bass. And we quickly fished along four short segments of about a 400-yard stretch of another shoreline in the upper half of this reservoir. The underwater terrain of this shoreline consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and silt, which are endowed with occasional patches of immature aquatic vegetation, several wads of filamentous algae, and a few manmade piles of brush. The shoreline possesses a 25- to 60-degree slope. The entire water’s edge is lined with 24 docks, many concrete and stone retaining walls, some patches of winter-dead American water willows, some overhanging trees, and three mega laydowns. By the time we made our last casts, we failed to gratify our hopes. Instead, we caught seven largemouth bass. Three were bewitched by our Trick ShotZ rigs, and the Finesse WormZ rig allured four of the seven. One was caught on a deadstick presentation in about seven feet of water.  Three were caught on a swimming presentation. And a swim-glide-and-shake presentation caught three. Two were caught next to one of the docks.

In conclusion, we caught an average of 11.75 largemouth bass an hour. We hooked seven fish for several seconds before they unfettered themselves.