Midwest Finesse Fishing: August 2024
Bob Gum of Kansas City, Kansas, and one of the smallmouth bass that he caught on Aug. 27.
Aug. 2
Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his outing at a 92-year-old state reservoir in northeastern Kansas on Aug. 2 with David Harrison of Lawrence, Kansas, and Sam Keely of Olathe, Kansas.
Here is an edited version of that log.
The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 66 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 93 degrees. The wind angled out of the northwest and west at 5 to 15 mph, and there was a 25-mph gust around 12:52 p.m. The sky was fair. The barometric pressure was 30.08 at 12:52 a.m., 30.11 at 5:52 a.m., 30.14 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.11 at 2:52 p.m. Two nights ago, a 175-mile stretch across northeastern Kansas was waylaid by a derecho phenomenon with wind speeds reaching 80 mph, and it wreaked a lot of havoc.
The water level looked to be about 1 1/4 feet above normal. The surface temperature was 85 degrees. According to our nine-foot push pole, the water exhibited 2 ½ to four feet of clarity.
This exurban reservoir is usually heavily fished, and it was fairly busy today.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 9:24 a.m. to 11:24 a.m., 9:52 p.m. to 11:52 p.m., and 3:11 a.m. to 5:11 a.m.
We made our first casts at 9:49 a.m. and our last ones around 1:32 p.m., which was shortly after we caught largemouth bass number 70. Throughout this outing, we elicited scores of strikes that we failed to hook and accidentally caught one crappie, two green sunfish, and two warmouth. That is an average of 18 largemouth bass an hour and 20 fish per hour.
We caught these fish on a variety of soft-plastic finesse rigs.
One largemouth bass of the 70 largemouth bass was caught on a 2 ½-inch Z-Man’s Junebug ZinkerZ affixed to a 1/16-ounce chartreuse Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Three were caught on a 3 ½-inch blue-chartreuse-pearl paddle-tail swimbait affixed to a 1/8-ounce white mushroom-style jig. Eight were caught on a three-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ affixed to a red 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Nine were caught on a 4.75-inch Z-Man’s watermelon-red Finesse WormZ affixed to a 1/16-ounce green ball-head jighead. Fourteen were caught on a three-inch homemade Junebug stickbait affixed to a 1/16-ounce chartreuse mushroom-style jig. Fifteen were caught on a Z-Man’s pearl Finesse ShadZ affixed to a blue 1/16-ounce ball-head jig. Twenty were caught on a shortened Z-Man’s yoga-pants Finesse TRD rigged on a chartreuse 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead.
As we wielded these seven Midwest finesse rigs, we caught these 70 largemouth bass on a variety of presentations: the initial drop, a slow swim and incessant shake, a deadstick and shake, a stroll and drag, a swim glide and shake, a slow swim and pause, a drag and shake, a drag and deadstick, and a straight swim or do-nothing swim.
I am sorry to report that we failed to keep an accurate and detailed account of the exact location, style of the presentation, and kind of Midwest finesse rig that inveigled these 70 largemouth bass.
During much of the first hour, we caught 19 largemouth bass along a massive shoreline inside one of this reservoir’s primary feeder-creek arms. This shoreline is endowed with five secondary points. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and the remnants of a rock fence. This terrain is occasionally blanketed with small patches of coontail. Most of the water’s edges of the shorelines and points are laced with many magnificent patches of American water willows, several overhanging trees, and a few laydowns, but the water’s edge around two of the secondary points and along about a 50-yard stretch of the secondary shoreline are devoid of American water willows. The shoreline possesses a 25- to 40-degree slope. Four of the 19 largemouth bass were caught along the stretch of shoreline that is not graced with American water willows, and three of these four largemouth bass were caught in the vicinity of some of the overhanging trees, and one was caught around the remnants of the submerged rock fence. The other 15 were caught in the vicinity of the outside edges of the American water willows or around a laydown or under overhanging trees. They were caught in about two to eight feet of water. They were caught on the yoga-pants Finesse TRD rig, Junebug homemade stickbait rig, and pearl Finesse ShadZ rig.
We caught three largemouth bass across a massive shallow-water flat in the back of this primary feeder-creek arm. This flat is the size of about four football fields, and an area about the size of one football field is covered with thousands of American lotus plants. Portions of its shoreline are endowed with patches of American water willows and an occasional laydown. Segments of the underwater terrain are quilted with scanty patches of coontail. There are several submerged manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees adorning this flat. The Junebug homemade stickbait rig caught one of the three largemouth bass around one of the submerged eastern red cedar trees. Two of the three were caught on the Slim SwimZ rig.
On the other side of this feeder-creek arm, we fished along about a 125-yard stretch of the other secondary shoreland and around its two secondary points. From the mouth of this arm to about 60 yards inside it, we caught six largemouth bass. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally endowed with some meager patches of coontail and several manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. The water’s edges of the shorelines and points are graced with some patches of American water willows, several overhanging trees, and a few laydowns, The shoreline possesses a 30 to 45-degree slope. Four of the six largemouth bass were caught near the outside edges of the patches of the American water willows. The other two were caught in the gaps between the American water willows and under the overhanging trees. These largemouth bass were caught between three and nine feet of water on the yoga-pants Finesse TRD rig, Junebug homemade stickbait rig, and pearl Finesse ShadZ rig.
Around a main-lake point at the mouth of this feeder-creek arm and along about a 30-yard stretch of its main-lake shoreline, we caught three largemouth bass. The point has a 35- to 40-degree slope. The shoreline’s slope is about 40 to 45 degrees. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders., which are carpeted with a few meager patches of coontail. Some of the boulders are humongous. The water’s edge is enhanced with patches of American water willows and one overhanging tree. These largemouth bass were caught in five to nine feet of water on the yoga-pants Finesse TRD and pearl Finesse ShadZ rig with a drag-and-pause presentation.
Around the main-lake point on the other side of the mouth of this feeder-creek arm and along about 250 yards of its main-lake shoreline, we caught 14 largemouth bass. The point possesses about a 35-degree slope; the shoreline has a 25-to-45-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders; the remnants of the rock foundation of a barn; and some manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. Parts of the underwater terrain is laden with patches of coontail. The water’s edge is graced with wonderful patches of American water willows, an array of laydowns and piles of branches, and many overhanging trees and terrestrial vegetation. These largemouth bass were caught on our ZinkerZ rig, Finesse WormZ rig, yoga-pants Finesse TRD rig, and pearl Finesse ShadZ rig. They were allured by a strolling-and-drag presentation in seven to nine feet of water, on the initial drop in three to four feet of water, with a slow swim-and-pause presentation, and a drag-and-deadstick presentation.
We caught 19 largemouth bass on a massive shallow-water flat in the back of another primary feeder-creek arm. This entire area looks to be about the size of seven football fields. We fished across and around an area about the size of 2 ½ football fields. The water’s edge of this flat is cluttered with significant patches of American water willows, many overhanging trees, and numerous laydowns. The center of the flat is endowed with a small island, which is embellished with patches of American water willows and littered with scores of concrete blocks and small boulders. Portions of the underwater terrain are quilted with patches of coontail and an array of manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. A submerged and significantly silted creek channel meanders adjacent to the island. Three of the 19 largemouth bass were caught adjacent to the manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. The others were caught around the patches of coontail, and the bulk of them were caught in the vicinity of the island. They were allured by our Slim SwimZ rig, Finesse WormZ rig, and 3 ½-inch paddle-tail swimbait. They were caught on the initial drop, swim-and-pause presentation, swim-and-shake presentation, and straight-swimming presentation in two to six feet of water.
Around a main-lake point at the mouth of a small feeder-creek arm and along about a 40-yard stretch of this point’s secondary shoreline, we caught four largemouth bass. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are enhanced with several patches of coontail and a few piles of submerged brush. The water’s edge is embellished with American water willows and two riprap jetties. The Finesse WormZ rig with a deadstick-and-shake presentation caught one largemouth bass around the point in about five feet of water. The yoga-pants Finesse TRD rig and Finesse ShadZ rig caught the other three along the secondary shoreline with a slow swim-and-pause presentation in about four to five feet of water.
Across the shallow-water flat in the back of this small feeder-creek arm, we caught largemouth bass numbers 69 and 70. This silt-laden flat is somehow gifted with a few patches of coontail from which we caught these two largemouth bass in about three to four feet of water. One was caught on the Finesse ShadZ rig with a swimming presentation and the other one was caught on the initial drop of the Slim SwimZ rig.
In conclusion, it is fashionable among many black bass anglers to describe August as the dog days of summer and a difficult time to catch largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. But across many years of wielding Midwest finesse tactics, we have found that the black bass fishing can be quite bountiful in northeastern Kansas in August. And our first August outing in 2024 was a fairly bountiful one.
Aug. 6
Ned and Pat Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a brief log on the Finesse News Network about their short outing on Aug. 6 at an 85-year-old northeastern Kansas community reservoir.
Here is an edited version of their log.
The National Weather Service reported the low temperature was 70 degrees. The high temperature was 80 degrees. The wind angled out of the southwest, northwest, north, and northeast at 3 to 15 mph; there were a few gusts of wind that ranged from 17 to 22 mph. The sky fluctuated from being fair to mostly cloudy to overcast to cluttered with a few clouds. The barometric pressure was 29.96 at 12:53 a.m., 30.02 at 5:53 a.m., 30.10 at 11:53 a.m., and 30.08 at 3:53 p.m.
The water level looked to be about normal. The surface temperature was 85 degrees. The water exhibited from 1 ¾ feet to almost four feet of clarity. At several locales, the water was afflicted with algae blooms, which adversely affected the water clarity.
In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 12:17 a.m. to 2:17 a.m., 12:36 p.m. to 2:36 p.m., and 6:28 a.m. to 8:28 a.m.
We were surprised we were the only anglers afloat at this suburban and heavily fished waterway.
We fished from 1:14 p.m. until 3:25 p.m. During this two-hour and 11-minute conjugal and gerontological endeavor, we struggled to catch 11 smallmouth bass, five largemouth bass, four bluegill, two white bass, two freshwater drum, and one flathead catfish.
It was what we call a micro-outing. Therefore, the fish were caught on either a 1.75-inch Z-Man’s yoga-pants Micro TRD affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ Jighead or a two-inch Z-Man’s yoga-pants Finesse TRD affixed to a chartreuse 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ Jighead.
The two-inch Finesse TRD rig is at the top of this photograph. The Micro TRD rig is at the bottom.
We fished along the riprap shoreline of the dam for about 38 minutes and eked out only one smallmouth bass. The dam’s underwater terrain consists of riprap, which is intermittently coated with patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. It possesses a 45- to 50-degree slope. The shoreline has three minor rock jetties. The water’s edge is lined with shallow-water patches of American water willows. The two-inch Finesse TRD rig with a slow swim-and-pause presentation inveigled the smallmouth bass in five feet of water around a patch of Eurasian milfoil.
We caught two largemouth bass and three smallmouth bass along an offshore submerged rock and boulder fence in the lower third of the reservoir. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders that are entwined with various kinds of submerged aquatic vegetation. The outside edge of this rock wall quickly plummets into deep water. One of the smallmouth bass was caught in about five feet of water as we were banjoing the line to extract the rig that was entangled in the crevice of a boulder. The others were caught as we employed either a slow swim-and-pause presentation or a drag-and-pause presentation around either the submerged vegetation or on top of the submerged fence.
We caught four smallmouth bass around a main-lake shoreline and along about a 30-yard stretch of its main-lake shoreline. This point and shoreline are at the mouth of a small feeder-creek arm in the lower third section of this reservoir. They possess a 35- to 45-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally enhanced with patches of Eurasian milfoil. The water’s edge is graced with wonderful patches of American water willows and a few overhanging trees and overhanging terrestrial vegetation. One smallmouth bass was caught on a drag-and-deadstick presentation in about five feet of water. Three were caught on a slow swim-and-pause presentation in five to seven feet of water.
On the other side of the mouth of this small feeder-creek arm, we caught one smallmouth bass and one largemouth bass around the main-lake point and along about a 75-yard stretch of its main-lake shoreline. This area has a 25- to 30-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, and much of it is coated with submerged aquatic vegetation. The water’s edge is endowed with American water willows and some overhanging trees and overhanging terrestrial vegetation. These black bass were caught on a swimming presentation in three to four feet of water.
At the mouth of a large feeder-creek arm in the lower quarter section of this reservoir, we caught two largemouth bass and two smallmouth bass. We fished around a main-lake jetty, a main-lake point, and along about a 40-yard stretch of the secondary shoreline that is adjacent to the main-lake point. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally embellished with submerged aquatic vegetation. The water’s edge is bestowed with several docks, a concrete boat ramp, patches of American water willows, a few laydowns, and several overhanging trees. One largemouth bass was caught on a drag-and-deadstick presentation in about five feet of water around several massive boulders at the point of the main-lake jetty. The two smallmouth bass were caught around the main-lake point; one was caught on the initial drop in about three feet of water in the vicinity of an overhanging tree; the second one was caught on a drag-and-pause presentation in about six feet of water. The second largemouth bass was caught around a laydown in about six feet of water on a slow swim-and-pause presentation.
Aug. 7
Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, and Rick Hebenstreit of Shawnee, Kansas posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their Aug. 7 outing at an 84-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas.
Here is an edited version of their log.
The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 61 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 86 degrees. The sky was fair. The wind was variable at times, and at other times, it angled out of the northeast and east at 5 to 12 mph. The barometric pressure was 30.05 at 12:53 a.m., 30:05 at 5:53 a.m., 30:02 at 11:53 a.m., and 29.97 at 1:53 p.m.
The water level looked to be a few inches below normal. The surface temperature ranged from 82 to 85 degrees. According to our nine-foot push pole, which we also call a Secchi stick, the water exhibited about four feet of visibility. Some of the shallow-water shorelines and flats are coated with extensive wads of filamentous algae. One of those flats was entertaining an array of grass carp, and they were surrounded by significant wads of filamentous algae. It looks as if the grass carp have consumed most of this reservoir’s patches of coontail and other varieties of submerged aquatic vegetation, which has made it a difficult chore for Midwest finesse anglers to locate and catch largemouth bass.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 1:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m., 1:19 p.m. to 3:19 p.m., and 7:10 a.m. to 9:10 a.m.
Waterwise and weatherwise, it looked and felt like a delightful day to be afloat. Traditionally, this urban reservoir is fished extremely heavily. But that was not the case today. And as we were preparing to launch our boat, there was a power angler who had just put his bass boat on his trailer at 9:45 a.m. He told us that he had been the only angler afloat since about daybreak, and he said it was a struggle for him to catch two largemouth bass, which he inveigled on a wacky rig. While we were afloat, another bass angler launched his boat.
When we made our first casts at 9:59 a.m., we were hoping to catch at least 50 largemouth bass. But when we executed our last casts at 2:00 p.m., our mechanical fish counter noted that we had caught only 25 largemouth bass and accidentally caught six bluegill and six green sunfish. That is a paltry average of six largemouth bass an hour. We have been told several times by a friend who is a very talented forward-facing-sonar angler that the largemouth bass fishing at this reservoir has been quite problematic for several months, and after our struggles today, we have to agree with his observations.
Throughout this four-hour and one-minute ordeal, we experimented with nine Midwest finesse rigs. A Z-Man’s yoga-pants TRD HogZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead caught one of the 25 largemouth bass. A three-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead caught one largemouth bass. A three-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ affixed to a red 3/32-ounce mushroom-style jig caught one largemouth bass. A shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead caught one largemouth bass. A Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse ShadZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jighead caught one largemouth bass. A two-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-goby Finesse TRD affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce mushroom-style jighead caught two largemouth bass. A radically shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead caught three largemouth bass. A two-inch Z-Man’s yoga-pants Finesse TRD affixed to a chartreuse 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead caught four largemouth bass. A slightly shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s purple-haze Finesse WormZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead caught 11 largemouth bass.
We began this outing by fishing the shoreline of this reservoir’s 1,550-foot dam. It has a height of 58 feet with a 45- to 50-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally coated with some wads of filamentous algae and a few bits and pieces of coontail. The water’s edge contains a concrete water outlet tower and a few meager patches of American water willows. A swimming presentation with the two-inch yoga-pants Finesse TRD rig caught one largemouth bass, and the initial drop of the two-inch green-pumpkin-goby Finesse TRD caught one largemouth bass.
Our most fruitful area was situated in the lower quarter of the reservoir. It is endowed with a spillway, portions of about a 250-yard stretch of a main-lake shoreline, an offshore hump, a long ledge, and a main-lake point. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Wads of filamentous algae and a few patches of coontail enhance some sections of this underwater terrain. The shoreline is endowed with a concrete retaining wall, a stone retaining wall, a dozen docks, some riprap, several overhanging trees and terrestrial vegetation, and a few patches of American water willows. This area yielded 15 largemouth bass. The offshore hump and ledge yielded five of the largemouth bass. One of the 15 was caught along the spillway. Four were caught along the shoreline; three of these four largemouth bass were caught in the vicinity of a significant wad of filamentous algae, and the fourth one was caught around a scanty patch of coontail. Three were caught around the main-lake point in close proximity to a dock and some meager patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. Seven were caught on the hump and along the ledge. One of the 15 largemouth bass was caught on the Finesse ShadZ rig. The two-inch green-pumpkin-goby Finesse TRD caught one. The Junebug Finesse WormZ rig caught one. The two-inch Z-Man’s yoga-pants Finesse TRD rig caught two. The Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ caught three. The purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig caught seven. They were caught on a variety of retrieves: the initial drop; a swim, glide, and shake; a drag and shake; a drag and pause; a slow swim and pause, and a deadstick. In essence, there was no rhyme or reason for how or where we hooked these largemouth bass. And at times, it seemed as if these largemouth bass unwittingly hooked us. In other words, our inability to determine how we caught these largemouth bass was an example of how odd and perplexing this outing was.
Around a main-lake point in the lower half of this reservoir, we caught one largemouth bass. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, occasional wads of filamentous algae, and a meager patch or two submerged aquatic vegetation. It has a 25-degree slope that eventually plummets radically into deep water. The water’s edge is lined with a stone retaining wall, two docks, and patches of American water willows. This largemouth bass was caught on the purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig with a drag-and-pause presentation in about seven feet of water.
We struggled to catch one largemouth bass along two short portions of a massive main-lake shoreline in the middle section of this reservoir. This shoreline has a 30- to 45-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, occasional wads of filamentous algae, and some scanty patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. There are a substantial number of gigantic boulders and some significant ledges situated along this shoreline. The water’s edge is endowed with a few patches of American water willows, some overhanging trees, some stone retaining walls, and 23 docks. The two-inch yoga-pants Finesse TRD with a slow swimming presentation allured this largemouth bass adjacent to the edge of a dock in about 10 feet of water.
At the beginning of the upper half of the reservoir, we caught three largemouth bass around a main-lake point and about a 50-yard stretch of its main-lake shoreline. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, some wads of filamentous algae, and several skimpy patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. It has a 25-degree slope that eventually plummets radically into deep water. The water’s edge is lined with two docks, a minor laydown and patches of limbs, one overhanging walnut tree, and some American water willows. These three largemouth bass were caught on the purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig. One was caught on the point with a swim-glide-and-subtle-shake presentation in five to six feet of water. The other two were caught along the shoreline; one was caught under an overhanging walnut tree and around some branches with a swimming presentation in four to five feet of water; the second one was caught around a patch of submerged aquatic vegetation with a swim-glide-and-subtle-shake presentation in five to six feet of water.
We caught one largemouth bass along a massive shoreline in the upper half of this reservoir. The upper end of this shoreline is endowed with a main-lake point, which is flat and cluttered with thick wads of filamentous algae. This shoreline looks to be more than 350 yards long. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Parts of this terrain are quilted with wads of filamentous algae and some flimsy patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. It possesses a 25- to 60-degree slope. The water’s edge consists of several concrete retaining walls, some stone retaining walls, some riprap, 10 docks, one small rock bridge, a few laydowns, several piles of brush, some patches of American water willows, and a few overhanging trees. We fished around the main-lake point and about 40 percent of the shoreline. The largemouth bass was caught along the side of one of the docks on the TRD HogZ rig with a drag-and-pause presentation in about 12 feet of water.
We fished across about a 100-yard section of an enormous shallow water flat in the back of this reservoir’s primary feeder-creek arm. This area is cluttered with vast wads of filamentous algae and scores of grass carp. Somehow, we caught two largemouth bass. One was caught on the pearl Slim SwimZ rig, and the second one was caught on the green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ. They were caught as we employed a swimming presentation in three to four feet of water.
Aug. 9
Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, and Rick Hebenstreit of Shawnee, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their outing at a 92-year-old state reservoir in northeastern Kansas on Aug. 9.
Here is an edited version of that log.
The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 53 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 71 degrees. The wind angled out of the northwest and west at 5 to 17 mph. The sky was fair from 12:53 a.m. to 4:53 a.m., and for the rest of the day, it varied from being mostly cloudy to overcast to sprinkling at times. The barometric pressure was 30.13 at 12:53 a.m., 30.16 at 5:53a.m., 30.22 at 11:53 a.m., and 30.22 at 2:53 p.m.
The water level looked to be about 1 1/4 feet above normal. The surface temperature ranged from 79 to 80 degrees. According to our nine-foot push pole, the water exhibited three to five feet of clarity. This reservoir’s patches of coontail are gradually expanding.
It is an exurban waterway that is usually heavily fished, but there were only a half of a dozen anglers afloat today, and most of them looked to be in pursuit of crappie.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 2:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m., 2:49 p.m. to 4:49 p.m., and 8:40 a.m. to 10:40 a.m.
We made our first casts at 10:16 a.m., and we executed our last ones when we caught largemouth bass number 107 at exactly 2:16 p.m. Back in the good days when we were a tad younger, we used to call a four-hour outing like this one bass fishing 10l. That meant we caught 101 or more largemouth bass or smallmouth bass in four hours. Back in those heydays, we could accomplish this feat several times a year at a variety of northeastern Kansas’ community, federal, and state reservoirs. But as we and our reservoirs have grown older, our bass-fishing-101 accomplishments have waned significantly.
Besides catching those 107 largemouth bass on this outing, we also caught five bluegill, three warmouth, and one channel catfish.
Five of the 107 largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s pearl Finesse ShadZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Eight were caught on a 1.75-inch Z-Man’s yoga-pants Micro TRD affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead, A shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-red-flake Finesse WormZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead caught 46 largemouth bass. A shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s purple-haze Finesse WormZ affixed to a blue 1/32-ounce mushroom-style jighead caught 48 largemouth bass. It is important to note that neither of these Finesse WormZ have been manufactured by Z-Man for several years, but they have been and still are very effective hues for inveigling largemouth bass in northeastern Kansas.
We caught these largemouth bass by employing six presentations: the initial drop, a slow swimming retrieve, a slow swim-and-pause retrieve, a drag-and-pause retrieve, a swim-glide-and-shake presentation, and a drag-and-subtle-shake presentation. Several of our drag-and-pause retrieves were accidentally a drag-and-deadstick presentation.
We caught 57 largemouth bass on a massive shallow-water flat in the back of one of this reservoir’s two primary feeder-creek arms. This entire area looks to be about the size of seven football fields. We fished across and around an area about the size of 2 1/2 football fields. The water’s edge of this flat is cluttered with significant patches of American water willows, many overhanging trees, and numerous laydowns. The center of the flat is endowed with a small island, which is embellished with patches of American water willows and littered with scores of concrete blocks and small boulders. Many segments of the underwater terrain are quilted with patches of coontail, some manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees, and occasionally patches of bushy pondweeds. A submerged creek channel meanders across this flat, and much of it has become cluttered with silt. Five of the largemouth bass were caught on the Finesse ShadZ rig; 26 were caught on the purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig; another 26 were caught on the green-pumpkin-red-flake Finesse WormZ rig. A few were caught on the initial drop. Most were caught on a slow swimming presentation or a swim-and-pause presentation or a swim-glide-and-shake presentation. These retrieves allowed the rigs to swim and glide across the tops of the patches of submerged aquatic vegetation and piles of eastern red cedar trees without becoming entangled with the vegetation and limbs of the trees. The largemouth bass were caught in three to seven feet of water. Five were caught in the vicinity of piles of eastern red cedar trees.
Along portions of a 275-yard stretch of a main-lake shoreline, we caught seven largemouth bass. It possesses a 25-to-45-degree slope and several tertiary points. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Several manmade piles of eastern red cedar tree and. the remnants of the rock foundation of a barn also embellish the underwater topography. This terrain is also laden with sporadic patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds. The water’s edge is graced with wonderful patches of American water willows, an array of laydowns and piles of branches, and many overhanging trees and terrestrial vegetation. Three of the largemouth bass were caught on the purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig; one was caught on the initial drop in about three to four feet of water; the other two were caught on a drag-and-subtle-shake presentation in about five to six feet of water. Two were caught on the yoga-pants Micro TRD rig with a slow swim-and-pause presentation in five to six feet of water. Two were caught on the green-pumpkin-red-flake Finesse WormZ rig on the initial drop; one was caught near the outside edge of a patch of American water willows in three to four feet of water; the second was caught adjacent to the branches of a laydown in about four feet of water.
Around a main-lake point at the mouth of this reservoir’s second primary feeder-creek arm, we caught two largemouth bass. It has a 35- to 40-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders that are carpeted with a few meager patches of coontail. The water’s edge is enhanced with patches of American water willows. These largemouth bass were caught in about six to seven feet of water on the yoga-pants Micro TRD rig with a drag-and-pause presentation.
Along one of this primary feeder-creek’s secondary shorelines, we caught 23 largemouth bass. This shoreline looks to be about 500 yards long, and it is endowed with five secondary points. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and the remnants of a rock fence. This terrain is occasionally blanketed with small patches of coontail mixed with bushy pondweeds. Most of the water’s edges of the shorelines and points are laced with many magnificent patches of American water willows, several overhanging trees, and some laydowns, but the water’s edge around two of the secondary points and along about a 50-yard stretch of the shoreline are devoid of American water willows. The shoreline possesses a 25- to 40-degree slope. Four of the 23 largemouth bass were caught on the yoga-pants Micro TRD rig; eight were caught on the green-pumpkin-red-flake Finesse WormZ rig; 11 were caught on the purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig. Six of the 23 largemouth bass were caught along the stretch of shoreline and around the two secondary points that are not lined with American water willows, and two of those six largemouth bass were caught in the vicinity of some of the overhanging trees; the other four were caught around the rocks and boulders. The other 17 were caught around these four kinds of environments: small patches of submerged vegetation, near the outside edges of the American water willows, around several laydowns, and under three overhanging trees. They were caught in about two to eight feet of water. They were caught on these three retrieves: the initial drop, drag-and-subtle-shake presentation, swimming presentation
We caught 10 largemouth bass across a massive shallow-water flat in the back of this primary feeder-creek arm. This flat is the size of about four football fields, and an area about the size of one football field is covered with thousands of American lotus plants. Portions of its shoreline are endowed with patches of American water willows and an occasional laydown. Segments of the underwater terrain are quilted with scanty patches of coontail and bits and pieces of bushy pondweeds. There are several submerged manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees adorning this flat. Four of the 10 largemouth bass were caught around one of the eastern red cedar trees, The other six were caught around the patches of coontail. Four of the 10 were caught on the purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig. Six were caught on the green-pumpkin-red-flake Finesse WormZ rig, We caught them by employing either a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation or a swimming presentation and allowing these rigs to graze or polish the tops of the coontail patches and eastern red cedar trees. We caught them in about five to seven feet of water.
We caught largemouth bass number 100 and 101 as we fished along two short sections of this feeder-creek’s other secondary shoreline and around one of its three secondary points. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally enhanced with some patches of coontail and several manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. The water’s edges of the shorelines and points are graced with patches of American water willows, several overhanging trees, and a few laydowns. The secondary point we fished has a 30-degree slope, and two sections of the secondary shorelines that we fished have a 30- to 45-degree slope. Along about a 50-yard stretch of the shoreline in the backend of this feeder creek, we caught largemouth bass number 100 in front of a patch of American water willows on the initial drop of the purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig in about three feet of water. Near the mouth of this feeder-arm, we fished along about a 70-yard stretch of the secondary shoreline, and we caught largemouth bass number 101 on a drag-and-pause presentation in about seven to eight feet of water around some rocks and boulders.
Largemouth bass number 102 was caught around this secondary shoreline’s main-lake point. It has a 35- to 40-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders., which are coated with a few meager patches of coontail. The water’s edge is enhanced with patches of American water willows. The green-pumpkin-red-flake Finesse WormZ rig and a drag-and-pause presentation allure this largemouth bass around some of the rocks and boulders in seven to eight feet of water.
Largemouth bass numbers 103, 104, 105, 106, and 107 were caught along about a 45-yard stretch of this main-lake point’s main-lake shoreline. Its slope is about 40 to 45 degrees. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders., which are carpeted with a few meager patches of coontail. Some of the boulders are humongous. The water’s edge is enhanced with patches of American water willows and one overhanging tree. These largemouth bass were caught in four to nine feet of water. Two were caught on the purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig; one was allured by a drag-and-pause presentation; the second was caught on the initial drop. The other three were caught on the green-pumpkin-red-flake Finesse WormZ rig with a drag-and-subtle shake presentation.
During these four hours, we elicited a significant number of strikes that we failed to hook, and there were several times when we elicited two to three strikes per retrieve before we hooked a largemouth bass, Strikes enthrall us; thus, we were enthralled almost incessantly on this outing. And, of course, tangling with an average of 26.75 largemouth bass an hour was a delightful way to spend four hours afloat in northeastern Kansas. None of them were lunkers, which didn’t affect us since we haven’t been lunker anglers for many years. In fact, the biggest fish we caught was a channel cat, and here is a photograph of it,
Aug. 12
Ned and Pat Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a brief log on the Finesse News Network about their short outing on Aug. 12 at a 64-year-old and heavily fished state reservoir in northeastern Kansas.
Here is an edited version of their log.
The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 68 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 87 degrees. The wind varied from calm to angling out of the southeast, east, west, northwest, and southeast at 3 to 7 mph. The conditions of the sky fluctuated from being overcast to mostly cloudy to partly cloudy. The barometric pressure was 30.04 at 12:52 a.m., 29.99 at 5:52 a.m., 30:06 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.03 at 3:52 p.m.
The water level looked to be about normal. The surface temperature ranged from 78 to 80 degrees. The water exhibited two to five feet of visibility. Patches of American pondweeds are gracing some of the shallow-water shorelines. We were disappointed, however, to discover that one of this reservoir’s major shallow-water flats was nearly devoid of patches of coontail and other types of submerged aquatic vegetation, which makes it a difficult task for Midwest finesse anglers to locate and catch a significant number of largemouth bass. Across the past 13 years, we have sorrowfully witnessed how a significant demise of coontail patches can adversely affect the largemouth bass fishing in the community and state reservoirs in northeastern Kansas.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 4:43 a.m. to 6:43 p.m., 5:06 p.m. to 7:06 p.m., and 10:54 a.m. to 12:54 p.m.
This was another one of our short conjugal and old-timers’ outings. We made our first casts at 11:55 a.m. and the last ones at 1:55 p.m. We were hoping to tangle with at least 30 largemouth bass. But to our chagrin, it was a struggle to catch 17 largemouth bass and to accidentally catch one extremely hefty crappie, two channel catfish, and five green sunfish.
Eleven of the largemouth bass were caught across a tiny section of a gigantic shallow-water flat in the back of one of this reservoir’s major feeder-creek arms. This flat is graced with hundreds of thick patches of bushy pondweeds, coontail, sago pondweeds, and numerous manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. A submerged creek channel twists and turns along portions of the western and northern edges of this flat. One of the 11 was caught on a three-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-red-flake Finesse WormZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Two were caught on a 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Two were caught on a Z-Man’s Canada-craw TRD HogZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Six were caught on a Z-Man’s pearl Finesse ShadZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. They were caught in five to seven feet of water around the submerged aquatic vegetation, and three were caught in the vicinity of several piles of eastern red cedar trees that are entangled with patches of coontail. Two were caught on the initial drop of our rigs; the others were caught as we employed a swim-and-slight-pause presentation, which allowed our rigs to polish the tops of the patches of aquatic vegetation and branches of the piles of eastern red cedar trees.
As we quickly fished along about 35 percent of the dam’s riprap shoreline, we caught two largemouth bass. The dam possesses a 35- to 75-degree slope. It is about 400 yards long. It takes more than an hour to thoroughly dissect the entire dam. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally interlaced with a few minor patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. The water’s edge is endowed with three very shallow-water patches of American water willows, a few piles of brush, and several logs. One largemouth bass was caught on a 1.75-inch Z-Man’s yoga-pants Micro TRD affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead with a drag-and-pause presentation in about seven feet of water. The other largemouth bass was caught on the 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-red-flake Finesse WormZ rig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about seven feet of water.
Around two small sections of a massive shallow-water flat in the back of another major feeder-creek arm, we eked out four largemouth bass. This flat used to entertain scores and scores of largemouth bass when it was endowed with many patches of coontail and other types of aquatic vegetation, but most of these patches have disappeared. Thus, the huge areas of this flat that are devoid of submerged aquatic vegetation are virtually devoid of largemouth bass, and the few that are pelagically inhabiting these uninhabitable terrains are difficult to find and catch with our Midwest finesse tactics. Around one very scanty patch of coontail, we caught one largemouth bass and elicited a strike that we failed to hook. Around a much thicker patch of coontail in the very back end of this flat, we caught three largemouth bass. These four largemouth bass were inveigled on a three-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead with a swim-and-short-pause presentation in about three to four feet of water.
During this conjugal affair, we caught an average of 8.5 largemouth bass an hour and an average of 12.5 fish an hour. We are now hoping that the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks will find a way to reestablish and cultivate patches of coontail.
Aug. 16
Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, and Rick Hebenstreit of Shawnee, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their outing at a 92-year-old state reservoir in northeastern Kansas on Aug. 16.
Here is an edited version of that log.
The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 71 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 91 degrees. The wind was calm for six hours, and at other times it angled out of the northwest, southeast, southwest, south, and west at 3 to 8 mph. The sky was fair. The barometric pressure was 29.91 at 12:52 a.m., 29.91 at 5:52 a.m., 29.96 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.94 at 2:52 p.m.
The water level looked to be about a foot above normal. The surface temperature ranged from 81 to 83 degrees. According to our nine-foot push pole, the water exhibited four to five feet of clarity.
This is an exurban waterway that is usually heavily fished, but besides us, there was one largemouth bass angler in a kayak and four panfish anglers in two boats today.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 8:01 a.m. to 10.01 a.m., 8:31 p.m. to 10:31 p.m., and 1:47 a.m. to 3:47 a.m.
When we made our first casts at 9:55 a.m., we were interested in seeing if we could replicate our bountiful outing of Aug. 9 at this reservoir by catching 107 largemouth bass in four hours. But when we made our last casts at 1:55 p.m., our mechanical fish counter indicated that we had caught 75 largemouth bass and two bluegill. We were 32 largemouth bass short of our lofty goal.
We used eight Midwest finesse rigs to inveigle those 75 largemouth bass. One largemouth bass was caught on a 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s purple-haze Finesse WormZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead Two were caught on a 4.75-inch Z-Man’s PB&J Finesse WormZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/32-ounce mushroom-style jighead. Three were caught on a 4.75-inch Z-Man’s pumpkin Finesse WormZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/32-ounce mushroom-style jighead. Seven were caught on a 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin GrubZ affixed to a red 3/32-ounce mushroom-style jighead. Seven were caught on a two-inch Z-Man’s yoga-pants Finesse TRD affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Fifteen were caught on a 4.75-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/32-ounce mushroom-style jighead. Fifteen were caught on a 3 ¼-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-red-flake Finesse WormZ affixed to a red 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Twenty-five were caught on a 3 3/4-inch Z-Man’s black-neon Finesse WormZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. The black-neon Finesse WormZ, the green-pumpkin-and-red-flake Finesse WormZ, and the purple-haze Finesse WormZ are no longer available. The color of the black-neon Finesse WormZ is black with red flakes.
We used a variety of retrieves to allure these 75 largemouth bass. But we failed to keep an accurate count of the most effective one. A few were caught on the initial drop of our rigs. A couple were caught on a deadstick presentation. Some were caught on dragging presentations, such as a drag and pause. Most were caught around submerged aquatic vegetation with either a swimming presentation or a moderate-paced swim-and-pause presentation. We tend to employ a lot of shakes with our retrieves, but retrieves with shakes elicited very few strikes today.
We fished across a portion of a massive shallow-water flat in the back of one of this reservoir’s two primary feeder-creek arms. We fished this flat twice. We fished it during the first 67 minutes of this outing and the last 46 minutes of the fourth hour. The entire area looks to be about the size of seven football fields. We fished across and around an area about the size of 2 3/4 football fields. The water’s edge of this flat is cluttered with significant patches of American water willows, many overhanging trees, and numerous laydowns. The center of the flat is endowed with a small island, which is embellished with patches of American water willows and littered with scores of concrete blocks and small boulders. Many segments of the underwater terrain are quilted with patches of coontail, some manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees, and occasionally patches of bushy pondweeds. A submerged creek channel meanders across this flat, and much of it has become cluttered with silt.
During the first 67 minutes of this outing, we caught 26 largemouth bass, and we caught 25 largemouth bass during the final 45 minutes of this outing. One of the 51 largemouth bass was caught on the purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig. Three were caught on the pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig. Five were caught on the green-pumpkin GrubZ rig. Fifteen were caught on the green-pumpkin-red-flake Finesse WormZ rig, and 16 were caught on the black-neon Finesse WormZ rig. They were caught in three to seven feet of water. One was caught on a deadstick presentation. A few were caught on the initial drop. The others were caught on either a swimming presentation or a swim-and-pause presentation.
Around a main-lake point at the mouth of this reservoir’s second primary feeder-creek arm, we caught three largemouth bass. It has a 35- to 40-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders that are carpeted with a few meager patches of coontail. The water’s edge is enhanced with patches of American water willows. Two of the three largemouth bass were caught in about six to seven feet of water on the two-inch yoga-pants Finesse TRD rig with a drag-and-pause presentation in four to seven feet of water. One was caught on the initial drop of the green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig along the front edge of the American water willows in about three feet of water.
We fished along about a 125-yard stretch of a secondary shoreline inside this reservoir’s second primary feeder-creek arm. And it was a struggle to catch five largemouth bass, which is why we opted to fish along about 125 yards of this shoreline, which is about 500 yards long. It is also endowed with five secondary points, and we fished around two of them, which were not fruitful. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and the remnants of a rock fence. This terrain is occasionally blanketed with small patches of coontail mixed with bushy pondweeds. Most of the water’s edges of the shoreline and its secondary points are laced with many magnificent patches of American water willows, several overhanging trees, and some laydowns, but the water’s edge around two of the secondary points and along about a 50-yard stretch of the shoreline are devoid of American water willows. The shoreline possesses a 25- to 40-degree slope. Four of the five largemouth bass were caught on the green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig and the fifth one was caught on the black-neon Finesse WormZ rig. One was caught on the initial drop, and the others were caught on a drag-and-pause presentation. They were caught in three to about eight feet of water.
We caught 10 largemouth bass across a massive shallow-water flat in the back of this primary feeder-creek arm. This flat is the size of about four football fields, and an area about the size of 1 ½ football fields is covered with thousands of American lotus plants. Portions of its shoreline are endowed with patches of American water willows and an occasional laydown. Segments of the underwater terrain are quilted with scanty patches of coontail and bits and pieces of bushy pondweeds. There are several submerged manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees adorning this flat. One of the 10 largemouth bass was caught on the green-pumpkin GrubZ rig. Two were caught on the PB&J Finesse WormZ rig. Seven were caught on the black-neon Finesse WormZ rig. One was caught on an accidental deadstick presentation. Two were caught on the initial drop. The others were caught on either a swimming presentation or a swim-and-pause. They were caught in three to six feet of water.
We caught six largemouth bass around this primary feeder-creek arm’s second main-lake point and along about a 45-yard stretch of its main-lake shoreline and along about a 25-yard stretch of its secondary shoreline. One of the six largemouth bass was caught along the secondary shoreline; one was caught around the point; and four were caught along the main-lake shoreline. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally enhanced with some minor patches of coontail and several manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. Some of the boulders are monsters. The water’s edges of the shorelines and points are graced with patches of American water willows, several overhanging trees, and a few laydowns. The slope of this area ranges from 30 to about 55 degrees. One of the six largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig adjacent to a patch of American water willows in about three feet of water. The other five were caught on the two-inch yoga-pants Finesse TRD rig with a drag-and-pause presentation in four to about nine feet of water.
During these four hours, we failed to come close to matching our hourly catch rate of 26.75 largemouth bass that we enjoyed tangling with on Aug 9. On this outing, we caught an average of 18.75 largemouth bass an hour.
This is a photograph of our two most effective Midwest finesse rigs on Aug. 16, At the top is the 3 1/4-inch green-pumpkin-red-flake Finesse WormZ rig. At the bottom is the 3 3/4-inch black-neon Finesse WormZ rig. They have been very effective Midwest finesse rigs in northeastern Kansas for nearly two decades. Before we shortened them, they were 4 3/4 inches long.
Aug. 21
Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, and his cousin Rick Hebenstreit of Shawnee, Kansas posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their Aug. 21 outing at an 84-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas.
Here is an edited version of their log.
The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 61 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 81 degrees. The sky varied from being fair, mostly cloudy, partly cloudy, and cluttered with a few clouds. The wind angled out of the east and southeast at 5 to 20 mph. The barometric pressure was 30.18 at 12:53 a.m., 30:18 at 5:53 a.m., 30:21 at 11:53 a.m., and 30.18 at 1:53 p.m.
The water level looked to be a few inches below normal. The surface temperature ranged from 79 to 80 degrees. The water exhibited from four to six feet of visibility. Some of the shallow-water shorelines, shallow offshore humps, and shallow-water flats are coated with extensive wads of filamentous algae and a few patches of bushy pondweeds and coontail, but most of this reservoir’s submerged aquatic vegetation has been destroyed by schools of grass carp.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 12:06 a.m. to 2:06 a.m., 12:32 p.m. to 2:32 p.m., and 6:19 a.m. to 8:19 a.m.
It has been a struggle throughout the first eight months of 2024 for us to catch a significant number of largemouth bass. Therefore, when we made our first casts at 9:53 a.m., we were hoping to catch at least 25 largemouth bass. But when we executed our last casts at 1:53 p.m., we were somewhat elated to see that our fish counter indicated that we had tangled with 42 largemouth bass, one channel catfish, two green sunfish, and 13 bluegill.
Two of the 42 largemouth bass were caught on a 4.75-inch Z-Man’s purple-haze Finesse WormZ affixed to a baby-blue 1 /32-ounce mushroom-style jig. The other 40 were caught on a shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s black-neon Finesse WormZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead or a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jighead; this Finesse WormZ was shortened to be 3 ½-inches long.
We spent the entire four hours in the lower half of this reservoir, which was an unusual phenomenon. Traditionally, we prefer to ply the shallow-water shorelines and flats in the upper half of this reservoir, which used to be graced with magnificent patches of coontail. But those patches of submerged aquatic vegetation have been annihilated by the grass carp. Without those patches, it has been a hellish task to find and catch a significant number of largemouth bass.
We began this outing by fishing the shoreline of this reservoir’s 1,550-foot dam, its spillway, and the dam’s two adjacent shorelines. The spillway was fruitless. Each shoreline yielded one largemouth bass. Two largemouth bass were caught along the dam.
The dam has a height of 58 feet with a 45- to 50-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally coated with some wads of filamentous algae and a few bits and pieces of coontail and bushy pondweeds. The water’s edge contains a concrete water outlet tower and a few meager patches of American water willows. One largemouth bass was caught on the purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig with a deadstick presentation in six to seven feet of water. The second largemouth bass was caught on the black-neon Finesse WormZ rig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about six feet of water.
We fished about a 40-yard stretch of one of the shorelines that are adjacent to the dam. It has a 30- to 35-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders that are occasionally enhanced with filamentous algae, coontail, and bushy pondweeds. The water’s edge possesses four docks and shallow-water patches of American water willows. The largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the purple-haze Finesse WormZ in about five feet of water.
The other shoreline possesses a 30- to 35-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders that are endowed with many wads of filamentous algae and some patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds. A significant ledge that plummets quickly into deep water parallels the entire shoreline, and this ledge is graced with scores of hefty boulders. The water’s edge is lined with nine docks, a couple of overhanging trees, a few meager laydowns, one concrete retaining wall, and one rock retaining wall. The largemouth bass was inveigled on the black-neon Finesse WormZ rig with a swimming presentation along the side of one of the docks in about six feet of water.
Around a main-lake point, we caught one largemouth bass. The underwater terrain of the main-lake point consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, occasional wads of filamentous algae, and a meager patch or two of submerged aquatic vegetation. It has a 25-degree slope that eventually plummets radically into deep water. The water’s edge is lined with a stone retaining wall, two docks, and patches of American water willows. This point yielded one largemouth bass, which was caught on the black-neon Finesse WormZ rig near a patch of American water willows with a swimming presentation in about five feet of water.
Along a short section of this point’s main-lake shoreline, we caught two largemouth bass. This area possesses a 25- to 35-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, some wads of filamentous algae, and a few scanty patches of submerged aquatic vegetation that we failed to identify. The water’s edge is endowed with a rock retaining wall, a concrete retaining wall, three docks, and some shallow-water patches of American water willows. The black-neon Finesse WormZ rig with a fast-paced swimming presentation allured both of these largemouth bass in seven to nine feet of water and many yards from the water’s edge.
We spent the rest of this outing fishing around three offshore humps, which are embellished with significant ledges. They are main-lake humps. One of the humps is quite large, and its ledge is about 100 yards long, and this ledge is endowed with several small humps. The underwater terrains of the humps and ledges consist of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Some of the boulders are quite humongous. Portions of these underwater terrains are scantly coated with filamentous algae, coontail, and bushy pondweeds.
We caught 12 largemouth bass around and across an offshore hump and its ledge that is situated around a main-lake point. This hump is about the size of three tennis courts. They were caught on our black-neon Finesse WormZ rig in five to seven feet of water. Three were caught on the initial drop. Two were caught on a drag-and-pause presentation. Seven were caught on either a swimming presentation or a swim-and-slight-pause presentation. A few were caught around submerged aquatic vegetation, but most were caught around boulders.
Around the largest hump and its long ledge and its series of smaller humps, we caught 22 largemouth bass on our black-neon Finesse WormZ rigs. A few were caught on the initial drop. The others were caught as we employed either a swimming presentation or a swim-and-slight-pause presentation. We caught them in four to seven feet of water. Most were caught around patches of submerged aquatic vegetation.
We caught two largemouth bass around a small offshore hump that is associated with a main-lake point. This hump is about the size of a tennis court. They were caught on our black-neon Finesse WormZ rig with a dragging presentation in about six to eight feet of water.
In closing, we caught an average of 10.5 largemouth bass an hour. None were lunkers. We elicited scores of strikes that we failed to hook. At times, we had as many as two to four strikes per retrieve. Some of them might have been bluegill. The bluegill that engulfed the black-neon Finesse WormZ rig were quite feisty and handsome.
Aug. 23
Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his outing on Aug. 23 at a 64-year-old and heavily fished state 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 81 degrees. The wind varied from calm and variable to angling out of the southeast, east, and south at 3 to 18 mph. The conditions of the sky fluctuated from being fair, mostly cloudy, raining lightly, partly cloudy, and cluttered with a few clouds. The barometric pressure was 30.12 at 12:52 a.m., 30.15 at 5:52 a.m., 30:09 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.06 at 3:52 p.m.
The water level looked to be about normal. The surface temperature ranged from 78 to 79 degrees. The water exhibited two to five feet of visibility. To my dismay, this reservoir’s once vast patches of American pondweeds and coontail are disappearing. I was also astonished that I was the only angler afloat at this normally heavily fished venue.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 2:01 a.m. to 4:01 a.m., 2:27 p.m. to 4:27 p.m., and 8:14 a.m. to 10:14 a.m.
I made my first cast at 12:30 p.m. and the last at 3:30 p.m. During these three hours, I caught 42 largemouth bass, eight crappie, and one channel catfish. I also elicited an array of strikes that I failed to hook and hooked 11 fish for a second or two before they unfettered themselves.
Twenty-six of the largemouth bass, the channel catfish, and all of the crappie were caught across a small section of a gigantic shallow-water flat in the back of one of this reservoir’s major feeder-creek arms. It is the size of many football fields. It is graced with hundreds of thick patches of bushy pondweeds, coontail, sago pondweeds, and numerous manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. (These are the only substantial patches of submerged aquatic vegetation that are now gracing this reservoir.) A submerged creek channel twists and turns along portions of the western, southern, and northern edges of this flat. Two of the 26 largemouth bass were caught on a three-inch Z-Man’s The Deal Slim SwimZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead with a swimming presentation in about six feet of water around patches of sago pondweeds and coontail. Twenty-four largemouth bass, one channel catfish, and all of the crappie were caught on a 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s black-neon Finesse WormZ affixed to a red 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. They were caught on three retrieves: the initial drop, a swimming presentation, and a swim-and-slight-pause presentation in four to seven feet of water. A few were caught in the vicinity of two submerged eastern red cedar trees. The others were associated with patches of coontail and a few patches of sago pondweeds.
The last hour was spent fishing around a shallow-water main-lake point at the mouth of two small feeder-creek arms, across the shallow-water flats in the back of both of these small feeder-creek arms, and along a shoreline inside these two feeder-creek arms. These areas yielded 16 largemouth bass. The underwater terrains consist of silt, gravel, and rocks. Some portions of this terrain are enhanced with some meager patches of bushy pondweeds and coontail. But the shallow-water flats in the back of these two feeder-creek arms are almost devoid of submerged aquatic vegetation, and they seemed to be devoid of fish. More than a dozen manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees are scattered along the two shorelines, across the two shallow-water flats, and around the main-lake point. The water’s edges of the two shorelines are adorned with patches of American water willows, diminishing patches of American pondweeds, and a few patches of bulrushes. The patches of American water willows are thick along one of the shorelines and scanty along the other shoreline. Skimpy patches of bushy pondweeds and coontail are clustered in shallow-water areas of the two shorelines and around the main-lake point, and some of these patches are intertwined with the American pondweeds and American water willows. One of the shorelines possesses three riprap jetties. The black-neon Finesse WormZ rig inveigled these 16 largemouth bass in three to six feet of water. Three were caught on the initial drop. The others were caught on either a swimming presentation or a swim-and-pause presentation. All of these largemouth bass were caught around the patches of American pondweeds, bushy pondweeds, and coontail. None were caught around the three riprap jetties.
The black-neon Finesse WormZ rig.
In summation, I caught an average of 14 largemouth bass an hour. None of them were lunkers. For the past two weeks, I have become almost addicted to using either a shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s black-neon Finesse WormZ or green-pumpkin-red-flake Finesse WormZ. And I am sorry that they are no longer manufactured.
Aug. 25
Talban Kantala of Cypress, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his outing on August 25th at a massive saltwater bay situated on Texas’ Gulf Coast.
Here is an edited copy of his log.
According to The Weather Channel, this morning’s low temperature was 82 degrees, and the afternoon’s high was 89 degrees. The sky was partly cloudy in the early morning, clearing to full sun later in the morning. The barometric pressure was 30.00 at 5:30 a.m. and 30.02 at 11:30 a.m. High tide occurred at 7:02 a.m. at 1.48 feet, with low tide expected at 3:10 p.m. at -0.16 feet. The water temperature averaged 90 degrees throughout the morning. The Weather Channel also forecasted winds ranging from 8 to 14 mph out of the northeast throughout the morning. However, when reviewing the actual recorded wind speed data after my outing from a nearby NOAA buoy, it was determined that wind speeds ranged from 9 to 14 mph out of the southeast with wind gusts as high as 18 mph.
On this outing, I decided to explore fishing localities on another side of the bay, which I anticipated would be protected from northeast winds. Without realizing the winds were actually meandering from the southeast, I had instinctively searched for areas to fish that were protected from the winds.
I left home at 3:30 a.m. to catch the 5:00 a.m. ferry, which crosses the shipping channel to my fishing destination. I was concerned that this outing might be troublesome because of the gusty winds and white-capped waves, which caused the ferry to pitch up and down. Fortunately, the gusty winds did not affect the shallow-water areas as much as the open-water areas in the bay.
I fished from 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. During these six hours, I caught and released 42 fish that consisted of 20 sea trout, eight Atlantic croaker, six ladyfish, three gafftopsail catfish, two sand trout, one needlefish, one redfish, and one jack crevalle. I temporarily hooked five more ladyfish that were able to liberate themselves with their wild, acrobatic jumps. In one instance, I briefly hooked a small croaker and then felt my rod suddenly bend as I watched a large sea trout snatch the croaker off my hook near the surface of the water.
I began this outing at a small bridge that acts as a funnel area for fish moving from the main-bay area into a smaller back bay. The back bay covers approximately 236 square acres and consists of a myriad of mud flats and oyster flats. The natural edges of the bay are lined with Spartina grass, while the shoreline near the main road and bridge is laden with gravel, chunky rocks, and scattered oyster shells. The opening for water flow under the bridge is about 20 feet wide and forms a narrow channel that ranges from 6 to 10 feet deep on both sides. On the back bay side, there is a large oyster flat a few yards out from the main channel that becomes completely submerged during high tide. The submerged terrain consists of sandy areas mixed with oyster shells and rock. The water clarity was approximately 12 inches. I chose to start fishing on the back-bay side of the bridge as the tide was coming in. I noticed hundreds of finger-sized mullet swimming along in the current and numerous predatory fish smacking the surface as they were foraging on small bait fish. At one point, the water was boiling with fish-feeding activity. I started off with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s rootbeer-gold Salty Ned ShrimpZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ Jighead and attempted to slowly hop it along the bottom. The tidal current was moving too swiftly, and I was unable to feel my lure touch the bottom. I then began vertically jigging the lure a few feet under the surface in a calm eddy that formed near the edge of the bridge’s concrete foundation. This eddy quickly relinquished three small sea trout. After that, I began casting into the main channel and employed a slow hop-bounce-and-deadstick presentation in the current, and I inveigled two more sea trout, two ladyfish, and two small gafftopsail catfish. The gafftopsail catfish were only slightly larger than my Z-Man Salty Ned rig.
As the sun began to rise, I noticed several birds flying over the oyster flats and then quickly diving into the water for baitfish. I wielded a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s The Deal Slim SwimZ rigged on the same chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ Jighead. I concentrated on casting over the submerged oyster flats and employed a moderate-paced swimming retrieve that attracted five sea trout, three ladyfish, one sand trout, and one needlefish. I noticed many of the bites occurred as my bait was retrieved along the edge of the oyster flat where it drops off into the main channel. As the morning progressed, the area became crowded with many more anglers. When it became so crowded that I couldn’t cast without another angler tangling my line, I decided to move to the main-bay side where there was more space and fewer anglers. I waded out a few yards from the shoreline into about four feet of water, fishing near a damaged and abandoned pier. My back was against an elevated retaining wall structure that shielded me from the wind. The submerged terrain was laden with sand, oyster shells, and rocks. Water visibility on this side wasn’t as good; it exhibited about eight to 10 inches of clarity. While utilizing the same The Deal Slim SwimZ rig and a moderately-paced swimming retrieve, I caught four more sea trout; the largest was 12 inches. After the Slim SwimZ bite diminished, I utilized a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s New Penny Salty Ned ShrimpZ affixed to a black 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ Jighead, and I allured five croaker while slowly hopping and bouncing this rig along the bottom.
For the last hour and a half, I fished a small shallow body of water, approximately 3.35 square acres in size, situated between two parallel rock jetties that extend about 400 feet into the main bay. The submerged terrain in this locale consisted of sandy areas mixed with oyster shells and rock. The water clarity was excellent and exhibited about 1 ½ to two feet of visibility in places. Upon my arrival, I noticed a large black drum with its tail fin out of the water as it searched for crustaceans around some large submerged rocks. I also watched a three-foot shark blowing up on bait near the surface in the distance. Utilizing the New Penny Salty Ned ShrimpZ combo and a slow hop-and-bounce technique, I enticed three croaker, one gafftopsail catfish, one sand trout, one redfish, and one jack crevalle in water depths ranging from about one to three feet.
To finish out the day, I caught one sea trout and one ladyfish on a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s The Deal Slim SwimZ rigged on a black 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ Jighead and a moderate-paced swimming retrieve.
In closing, this has been my best recorded catch rate to date for inshore fishing, averaging seven fish an hour overall and three sea trout per hour. At times, I was catching more fish than nearby anglers who were using live shrimp and mullet as bait. While many of the fish I caught were small, with the largest sea trout being 12 inches, the highlight of the day was catching my first jack crevalle.
Aug. 27
Bob Gum of Kansas City, Kansas, posted a brief on the Finesse News Network about his Aug. 27 outing at a federal reservoir in northeastern Kansas.
Here is an edited version of his brief.
The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 69 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 97 degrees. The wind fluctuated from being calm and variable to angling out of the southeast, east, north, south, and southwest at 3 to 23 mph; there were wind gusts of 30 to 39 mph from 5:52 p.m. to 7:52 p.m. The conditions of the sky varied from fair, foggy, misty, cluttered with a few clouds, and thunderstorms. The barometric pressure was 30.06 at 12:52 a.m., 30.08 at 5:52 a.m., 30.10 at 12:52 p.m., and 30.01 at 4:52 p.m.
The surface temperature warmed to 82 degrees. The water exhibited a brownish hue with about two feet of visibility. The water level was 1.9 feet above normal.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 5:51 a.m. to 7:51 a.m., 6:20 p.m. to 8:20 p.m., and 11:37 a.m. to 1:37 p.m.
I was afloat from 6:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. During these six and a half hours, I caught 16 smallmouth bass, 10 white bass, seven largemouth bass, five freshwater drum, and one channel catfish. A few of these fish were quality specimens.
I was the first boat to launch, and there were two other tow vehicles with boat trailers in the parking lot at 12:30 p.m.
I started the outing by fishing along the riprap shorelines of a massive causeway and bridge at the mouth of a large feeder-creek arm in the lower quarter of the reservoir. These riprap shorelines yielded a hefty largemouth bass and a heftier channel catfish.
I then spent the rest of this outing thoroughly dissecting more than a mile and a half of main-lake points and shorelines in the lower quarter of this reservoir.
Their underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Some of the areas possess a 25-degree slope. A few have a 45- to 50-degree slope. The slope at the other areas varies between 25 and 45 degrees.
The most fruitful fishing occurred from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
My two most effective rigs were a 2 ½-inch Z-Man’s coppertreuse ZinkerZ affixed to an olive-green 1/15-ounce mushroom-style jig and a Z-Man’s Drew’s craw TRD TicklerZ affixed to a black 16-ounce mushroom-style jig.
I employed a swim-and-glide presentation that occasionally made contact with the bottom, and a few strikes occurred after the rig made contact with the bottom.
In sum, I caught an average of 3.5 black bass an hour and an average of six fish an hour. For largemouth bass and smallmouth bass anglers, this reservoir has been a chore this year, but I am thankful four of these black bass today were hefty ones.
Aug. 28
Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, and Rick Hebenstreit of Shawnee, Kansas, posted a log about their outing at an 82-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas on Aug. 28
Here is an edited version of this log.
The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 69 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 94 degrees. The wind angled out of the east, northeast, southeast, and south at 3 to 18mph. The condition of the sky fluctuated from being overcast, partly cloudy, and cluttered with a few clouds. The barometric pressure was 30.08 at 12:53 a.m., 30.08 at 5:53 a.m., 30.09 at 11:53 a.m., and 30.02 at 2:53 p.m.
The water level looked to be a few inches above normal. The surface temperature ranged from 82 to 85 degrees. The water exhibited from two to six feet of visibility. Many of this reservoir’s patches of coontail, bushy pondweeds, and other kinds of submerged aquatic vegetation are not healthy. What’s more, many of the patches have completely disappeared. And the black bass fishing is not as fruitful as it used to be when there were oodles of gigantic patches of coontail. For instance, we caught 100 black bass around those patches of coontail at this reservoir on Aug. 26, 2016. During those glory days, this reservoir was also graced with vast numbers of zebra mussels. Nowadays, the zebra mussels have disappeared and the water clarity has also diminished.
Usually, this is a heavily fished reservoir, but besides us, there were only two crappie anglers afloat; this scarcity of anglers has been a common phenomenon at all of the community and state reservoirs that we have fished this year; we suspect that the pitiful fishing that we have endured in 2024 is keeping many anglers at bay. The 94-degree weather might also have kept some anglers at home today. By the way, one of the crappie anglers told us that he caught only one crappie.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 6:40 a.m. to 8:40 a.m., 7:08 p.m. to 9:08 p.m., and 12:26 a.m. to 2:26 a.m.
We made our first casts at 10:29 a.m. and executed our last ones at 2:30 p.m.
During this four-hour and one-minute outing, we struggled mightily to catch 24 largemouth bass, one smallmouth bass, and one channel catfish.
A shortened 4 3/4-inch Z-Man’s purple-haze Finesse WormZ caught one smallmouth bass and nine largemouth bass. Fifteen largemouth bass were caught on a shortened 4 3/4-inch Z-Man’s black-neon Finesse WormZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. These Finesse WormZ rigs are about 3 ½-inches long.
Inside a small feeder-creek arm, we caught two largemouth bass. This feeder creek is located in the middle section of this reservoir. The shorelines inside this feeder-creek arm are cluttered with 12 large docks, one concrete retaining wall, and two concrete boat ramps. These shorelines possess a 25- to 45-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, and small portions of this terrain are quilted with patches of coontail, sago pondweeds, and bushy pondweeds. These largemouth bass were caught around a patch of submerged aquatic vegetation near the mouth of this arm and many feet from the water’s edge. One of the largemouth bass was caught adjacent to one of the docks. They were allured by the black-neon Finesse WormZ rigs with a swim-and-pause presentation in seven to eight feet of water.
Around a main-lake point at the mouth of this small feeder-creek arm, we caught five largemouth bass. This point has a 25-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders that are somewhat quilted with patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds. These largemouth bass were caught in four to seven feet of water around the patches of coontail on our black-neon Finesse WormZ rigs. Two were caught on the initial drop. The other three were caught on a swim-and-pause retrieve that polished the tops of the patches of vegetation. We fished around the patches by casting from the outside edge or deep-water edge of the submerged vegetation to its inside edge or shallow-water edge and from the inside edge of the vegetation to the outside edge. Two were caught as we worked along the inside edge, and the other three were caught as we worked along the outside edge.
Around the other main-lake point at the mouth of this small feeder-creek arm, we eked out one largemouth bass. This point has a 30- to 35-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which is endowed with one meager patch of coontail. The water’s edge is lined with thick patches of American water willows. This largemouth bass was caught on the black-neon Finesse WormZ rig while strolling and employing a dragging presentation in about seven feet of water near the patch of coontail.
We failed to catch a fish along a 400-yard stretch of a main-lake shoreline and around another main-lake point. This area is in the middle section of the reservoir. It possesses a 25- to 40-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders; some of the boulders are humongous. The water’s edge is frequently endowed with thick patches of American water willows, which are occasionally interwoven with bushy pondweeds and coontail and a few piles of brush. But many of the patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds have disappeared, and the ones that continue to prevail were fruitless.
Inside another small feeder-creek arm in the middle section of this reservoir, we caught two largemouth bass on an off-shore hump that used to be graced with patches of coontail. Nowadays, the underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks that are infrequently and thinly coated with a yellow submerged aquatic plant that we have never seen before. It coats the underwater terrain with about two inches of vegetation. These largemouth bass were caught on the purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig with a drag-and-pause presentation in about five feet of water.
Along a main-lake shoreline adjacent to the dam, we caught one largemouth bass. This shoreline possesses a 35- to 80-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders that are occasionally enhanced with a few burgeoning patches of sago pondweeds and scanty patches of coontail. The water’s edge is adorned with American water willows, laydowns, and overhanging trees. The purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig with a slow swimming presentation inveigled the largemouth bass in about eight feet of water.
We failed to catch a fish along the riprap shoreline of the dam, which used to be enhance with significant patches of coontail, but we were unable to find even a meager hint of those patches on this outing.
Near the dam, we caught seven largemouth bass around a main-lake point and two main-lake shorelines. This area is about 300 yards long, and it possesses a 25- to 55-degree slope. The water’s edges are lined with patches of American water willows, laydowns, overhanging trees, and an outlet tower. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. One 100-yard stretch of the underwater terrain possesses some flourishing patches of coontail and sago pondweeds, and a few manmade piles of brush. Along one of the two shorelines, we caught one largemouth bass on the initial drop of the black-neon Finesse WormZ rig under a large overhanging tree and a laydown in about five feet of water. The other six were caught along the second shoreline and around the submerged patches of coontail and sago pondweeds in five to seven feet of water. Three were caught on the purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig. The other three were caught on the black-neon Finesse WormZ rig. Two were caught on the initial drop; four were caught on a swim-and-pause presentation.
We failed to elicit a strike on an off-shore hump and around a secondary point of a shallow-water flat in the back of a large feeder-creek arm in the middle section of this reservoir. In days gone by, this locale yielded untold numbers of largemouth bass. But nowadays, the submerged vegetation is virtually nonexistent. It is a very disheartening site.
At the mouth of this large feeder-creek arm, we caught three largemouth bass and one smallmouth bass around the main-lake point and a short section of this point’s secondary shoreline. The shoreline possesses a 70-degree slope. The point has a 35-degree slope with a ledge that plunges into deep water. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. There is one patch of coontail gracing a small segment of the underwater terrain of the main-lake point; the other patches have disappeared. The water’s edge of the shoreline is cluttered with innumerable overhanging trees and laydowns. Patches of American water willows and a few laydowns adorn the water’s edge of the point. The smallmouth bass was caught along the shoreline around an overhanging tree on the initial drop of the purple-haze Finesse Worm in about six feet of water. The initial drop of the black-neon Finesse WormZ caught another largemouth bass around another overhanging tree in about five to six feet of water. Around the point, the purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig caught a largemouth bass on a slow swim-and-shake presentation around the patch of coontail in seven feet of water. The black-neon Finesse WormZ caught a largemouth bass on the initial drop around a laydown and near a patch of American water willows in about four feet of water.
In the upper half of this reservoir, we failed to elicit a strike along two short sections of a main-lake shoreline and around a small main-lake point.
The final 20 minutes of this trying outing were spent along another main-lake shoreline and around two main-lake points in the upper half of the reservoir. The water’s edge of the shoreline has a 35- to 50-degree slope. One point has a 45-degree slope. The second point has a 30- to 35-degree slope. The underwater terrains consist of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which used to be enhanced with many patches of submerged aquatic vegetation, but very little of it is enhancing this terrain nowadays. The water’s edge of the shoreline contains many overhanging trees, an array of laydowns, and a few patches of American water willows. One point has some shallow-water and scanty patches of American water willows; the second point has thick patches of American water willows that are growing in three feet of water. The points were fruitless. The shoreline yielded three largemouth bass. One was caught on the black-neon Finesse WormZ rig with a slow swimming presentation under an overhanging tree in about five feet of water. One largemouth bass was caught in about four feet of water under an overhanging tree about one second after the initial drop of the purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig and at the beginning of the first turn of the reel handle. The third largemouth bass was caught on the purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig with a swim-and-pause presentation around a small patch of submerged aquatic vegetation in about seven feet of water.
Fishing for black bass has been a chore at this reservoir in 2024. The last time we fished it was on June 20, and we described it as a hellish struggle to catch 21 largemouth bass in four hours, and we said we would not venture to this reservoir until August. Well, it was still a hellish struggle in August. We caught an average of 6.25 black bass an hour, which is a tad better than the hourly average of 5.25 black bass that we endured on June 20. We have fished this reservoir six times this year. During those 24 hours of intense Midwest finesse fishing, we have caught only 154 largemouth bass and five smallmouth bass, which is a sorry Midwest finesse average of 6.6 black bass an hour in northeastern Kansas. We might wait until October to venture here again.
Aug. 30
Ned Kehde and Pok-Chi Lau of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their Aug. 30 outing at a 92-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas.
Here is an edited version of their log.
The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 68 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 79 degrees. The wind was calm at times, and when it stirred, it angled out of the north and northwest at 3 to 8 mph. The conditions of the sky fluctuated from raining lightly to mostly cloudy to overcast, and it became fair around 4:52 p.m. The barometric pressure was 30.04 at 12:52 a.m., 30.07 at 5:52 a.m., 30.14 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.12 at 3:52 p.m.
The water level looked to be about a foot above normal. The surface temperature was 82 degrees. The water exhibited three to six feet of clarity. This reservoir’s patches of coontail are gradually expanding, and burgeoning patches of southern naiad or bushy pondweeds are beginning to flourish.
This is an exurban waterway that is usually heavily fished, but we were the only boat afloat on this extraordinary day in northeastern Kansas for catching vast numbers of largemouth bass.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 8:21 a.m. to 10:21 a.m., 8:47 p.m. to 10:47 p.m., and 2:08 a.m. to 4:08 a.m.
We made our first casts at 11:54 a.m., and we executed our last ones when we caught largemouth bass number 126 at exactly 3:29 p.m. We inadvertently caught one pumpkinseed and two bluegill.
One of the 126 largemouth bass was caught on a three-inch Z-Man’s The Deal Slim SwimZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. One was caught on a Z-Man’s coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Two were caught on a three-inch Z-Man’s pro-yellow-perch Slim SwimZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. A shortened 4 3/4-inch Z-Man’s black-neon Finesse WormZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead caught 122 largemouth bass. The Finesse WormZ was shortened to 3 ½ inches. (We must note that the black-neon Finesse WormZ is no longer manufactured.)
We caught the first largemouth bass on our second cast and largemouth bass number 25 at 12:13 p.m. During the first 60 minutes, we caught 44 largemouth bass. We caught largemouth bass number 51 at 1:03 p.m. and largemouth bass number 75 at 1:49 p.m. Largemouth bass number 101 was caught at 3:01 p.m. or three hours and seven minutes after our first casts. Then from 3:01 p.m. to 3:29 p.m., we caught 25 largemouth bass.
We caught 75 largemouth bass on a massive shallow-water flat in the back of one of this reservoir’s two primary feeder-creek arms. This entire area looks to be about the size of seven football fields. We fished across and around an area about the size of three football fields. The water’s edge of this flat is cluttered with significant patches of American water willows, many overhanging trees, and numerous laydowns. The center of the flat is endowed with a small island, which is embellished with patches of American water willows and littered with scores of concrete blocks and small boulders. Many segments of the underwater terrain are quilted with patches of coontail, some manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees, and occasionally patches of southern naiad. A submerged creek channel meanders across this flat, and much of it has become cluttered with silt. There are three tiny feeder creeks, which we call dry branches, that meander across portions of this flat, and they are also laden with silt. One of the 75 was caught on the TRD TicklerZ rig, three on our Slim SwimZ rigs, and 71 on our black-neon Finesse WormZ rigs. Two were caught on a deadstick presentation. A few were caught on the initial drop. Most were caught on a swimming presentation or a swim-and-pause presentation or a swim-glide-and-shake presentation. The three swimming presentations allowed the rigs to swim and glide across the tops of the patches of submerged aquatic vegetation and piles of eastern red cedar trees without becoming entangled with the vegetation and limbs of the trees. The largemouth bass were caught in three to seven feet of water, and all of them were many yards from the shorelines.
We caught 47 largemouth bass across a massive shallow-water flat in the back of this reservoir’s second primary feeder-creek arm. This flat is the size of about four football fields, and an area about the size of one football field is covered with thousands of American lotus plants. Two submerged creek channels and three dry branches grace this flat, and significant portions of them are silt-laden. The shorelines of this flat are endowed with patches of American water willows, an occasional laydown, and a few overhanging trees; some of the American water willows are intertwined with coontail and southern naiad. Segments of the underwater terrain are quilted with scanty patches of coontail and some patches of southern naiad. There are several submerged manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees adorning this flat. Five of the 47 largemouth bass were caught along the outside edges of the patches of American water willows. Another five were caught near a few of the eastern red cedar trees. Five more were caught along the outside edges of the vast patch of American lotus plants, which are intertwined with coontail and southern naiad. Thirty-two largemouth bass were caught across an area about the size of 1 ½ football fields and many yards from the shorelines; they were caught on or near patches of coontail. One was caught on a deadstick presentation. Six were caught on the initial drop of our rigs. The others were caught as we employed a swimming presentation or a swim-and-pause presentation; a few of them were caught as we were strolling around and across this vast flat, and as we strolled, we used either the swimming or the swim-and-pause presentation. We caught them in about 2 ½ to eight feet of water.
We failed to elicit a strike around a main-lake point at the mouth of a small feeder-creek arm. But along about a 40-yard stretch of this point’s secondary shoreline, we caught two largemouth bass. The shoreline has a 35-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks that are enhanced with several submerged patches of coontail and southern naiad. The water’s edge is embellished with American water willows, which are entwined with bits and pieces of coontail and southern naiad, and a few piles of submerged brush. The black-neon Finesse WormZ rig and a swim-and-pause presentation inveigled the two largemouth bass around the submerged patches of vegetation in about five feet of water.
Across the shallow-water flat in the back of this small feeder-creek arm, we caught two largemouth bass. It is a silt-laden flat that is embellished with a few scanty patches of coontail and burgeoning patches of southern naiad. The largemouth bass were caught in three to four feet of water around some coontail as we employed a swim-and-pause presentation with our black-neon Finesse WormZ rig.
In conclusion, we fished this state reservoir four times this month for a total of 14 ¼ hours and caught 378 largemouth bass, which is an hourly catch rate of 26 largemouth bass. On this Aug. 30 outing, we caught an average of 31.5 largemouth bass an hour.
Of all of the reservoirs that we fish in northeastern Kansas, this one is blessed with the most extensive and varied patches of submerged vegetation, and for years on end, it has been our most fruitful venue.
For months and even years on end, we have been bewailing about the demise of the submerged aquatic vegetation in the community and state reservoirs that grace the landscapes of northeastern Kansas. At times, we have pleaded with the reservoirs’ managers to initiate a program to cultivate and manually maintain significant patches of coontail and other kinds of vegetation. But to our chagrin, our abilities to encourage the managers have paid very few dividends.