Midwest Finesse Fishing: February 2024

Feb. 2

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Feb. 2 outing.

Here is an edited version of his log.

This wonderful spell of warm spring-like weather is expected to continue in north-central Texas through Feb. 11. I thought I would enjoy another mild winter day by conducting a solo excursion to a community reservoir located in a suburb north of Dallas. The last time I fished this reservoir was on Jan. 25, when the water temperature was 45 degrees in the main-lake area and 52 degrees inside a small feeder-creek arm on the north end of this impoundment. And it quickly became a trying task for me to catch two largemouth bass and seven large bluegills in the 52-degree water in the creek arm, and I failed to elicit any strikes in the 45-degree water in the main lake. I had hopes that the unseasonably warm weather would also warm the water in this reservoir, which in turn would improve the lethargic disposition of the Florida-strain largemouth bass on Feb. 2, and it appears that it did.

It was overcast on Feb. 2. Local television meteorologists were forecasting rain for the evening hours of Feb. 2 and into the morning hours of Feb. 3. The morning’s low temperature on Feb. 2 was 55 degrees and the afternoon’s high peaked at 67 degrees. The barometric pressure was 30.05 at 11:00 a.m., and it fell to 29.88 by 4:00 p.m. The wind blew continuously out of the south at 15 to 20 mph.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar indicated the most lucrative fishing would occur from 3:46 a.m. to 5:46 a.m., 9:57 a.m. to 11:57 a.m., and 4:08 p.m. to 6:08 p.m. I fished from about noon to when it began to rain at 4 p.m.

The water level was normal. The water exhibited about 12 inches of visibility. The water temperature ranged from 55 to 57 degrees.

I began the outing at the west shoreline, which has an incline that varies from 25 to 40 degrees. Its underwater terrain consists of sand and gravel.

A shallow ditch adorns the upper end of this shoreline, and it courses across a large mud flat on the north end of the reservoir. A fishing pier is positioned along the middle portion of this shoreline. Two tertiary points are located about 30 yards north of the pier. Another gravel and sandy tertiary point is situated about 20 yards south of the fishing pier.

I caught one largemouth bass in six to eight feet of water around the edges of the ditch on the north end of the shoreline. It was caught on a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ rigged on a black 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. This combo was employed with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

The steep sand-and-gravel shoreline around the fishing pier yielded two largemouth bass. These two largemouth bass were abiding in three to five feet of water and about 10 feet from the water’s edge. They were caught by slowly dragging, shaking, then pausing a Z-Man’s Bama Bug TRD BugZ that was rigged on a chartreuse 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.

The three tertiary points were fruitless.

After I finished fishing the west shoreline, I plied the area around the concrete dam that forms the southern perimeter of the reservoir. In five to seven feet of water, and 15 to 20 feet away from the face of the dam, I caught two largemouth bass. One was caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ rig. The other one was finagled into striking a shortened Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ that was matched with a chartreuse 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead and employed with a drag-shake-and-deadstick presentation. The Finesse WormZ was shortened to 3 ¼ inches.

From the dam, I moved to the east shoreline and worked my way northward. The upper and lower sections of this shoreline are flat, but it is steep in the middle. It features a broad sand-and-gravel point that is situated in the mid-section of this shoreline, and about 30 yards north of this point is another long clay-and- gravel point that extends westward toward the middle of the reservoir. A long and shallow sand-and-gravel ledge parallels most of this shoreline.

In five to seven feet of water near the deep-water side of the shallow ledge on the lower end of the shoreline, I caught four largemouth bass. Three were caught on the 2 1/2-inch pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ rig and a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve. The other one was caught on the Bama Bug TRD BugZ combo and a slow drag-shake-and-deadstick presentation.

The broad middle point relinquished one largemouth bass. It was caught from the end of the point in five feet of water and about 10 feet from the submerged ledge. It was attracted to the slow drag-shake-and-deadstick retrieve with the Bama Bug TRD BugZ rig.

I caught one largemouth bass in five feet of water from the side of the long clay and gravel point on the upper end of the shoreline. It also engulfed the Bama Bug TRD BugZ combo as it was slowly dragged, shaken, and paused across the bottom.

The upper end of the reservoir consists of a large and shallow mud flat that is dissected with a small feeder creek and tall stands of cattails. The mud flat was devoid of any largemouth bass.

I ended the outing by probing portions of the small feeder-creek arm on the east end of the mud flat. Its underwater terrain consists of mostly clay, gravel, and some softball-size rocks. There was a light current flowing through this creek. In a relatively large pool in the upper end of the creek, I caught four largemouth bass and five large bluegills. This pool is about 15 feet wide and 30 feet long. These fish were extracted from a cluster of rocks in three to four feet of water that lie near the east shoreline of the creek. Three of the four largemouth bass and four of the five large bluegills were coaxed into striking the 3 1/4-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ combo that was slowly dragged then paused for about five seconds around the cluster of rocks. The other largemouth bass was caught on the Bama Bug TRD BugZ combo and a drag-and-deadstick presentation. The last bluegill was caught on the initial drop of the 2 1/2-inch pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ rig next to the cluster of rocks. I was planning on fishing a little while longer, but when it started to rain at about 4:00 p.m., I decided to call it a day and drove home.

Overall, the fishing was better than I thought it would be. I managed to catch and release 15 largemouth bass, and I inadvertently caught five large bluegills in four hours, which is the most fruitful black-bass outing I have had in 2024.

The TRD BugZ rig is at the top. The ZinkerZ rig is the middle one. The Finesse WormZ rig is the bottom one.

Six of these 15 largemouth bass were allured by the Z-Man’s Bama Bug TRD BugZ and a slow drag-shake-and-deadstick retrieve. Five largemouth bass were allured by the 2 1/2-inch pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ combo and a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve. The shortened 3 1/4-inch Junebug Finesse WormZ rig and a slow drag-shake-and-deadstick presentation enticed four largemouth bass.

Feb. 5

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Feb. 5 outing.

Here is an edited version of his log.

From 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., I fished at one of several community reservoirs in north-central Texas. I fished at this same reservoir on Jan. 18, when the water temperature was 39 degrees and ice covered about 30 percent of the water’s surface. And I was astonished that I caught two Florida-strain largemouth bass in such cold water.

It felt more like March than February on Feb. 5. Sunshine was abundant, and a few wispy clouds drifted by overhead. The morning's low temperature was 47 degrees. The afternoon's high temperature was 64 degrees. The wind quartered out of the northwest at 12 to 18 mph. The barometric pressure dropped from 30.14 at 11:00 a.m. to 30.09 at 3:00 p.m.

According to In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar, fishing would be poor. It also noted that the most optimum fishing periods would take place from 6:09 a.m. to 8:09 a.m., 11:55 a.m. to 1:55 p.m., and 6:38 p.m. to 8:38 p.m.

The water was murky and exhibited about 12 inches of clarity. The water level appeared to be normal. The water temperature was 54 degrees.

This reservoir is crescent shaped. Its upper end encompasses a concrete culvert and a shallow ditch that extends into the middle portion of the reservoir and ends at a concrete water outlet positioned in the reservoir’s lower end. Its shorelines are also endowed with a few bald cypress trees, partially submerged cypress tree knees, several points, and a small cove. The slopes of the shorelines aren’t very steep, and vary from about 10 to 25 degrees. A shallow clay-and gravel ledge extends about three to five feet from the water’s edge, and this ledge encompasses the entire impoundment. The ledge is covered with about a foot of water and drops off into three to five feet of water. There isn’t any aquatic vegetation in this impoundment.

The black-bass bite was above average for this time of year, and I enjoyed tussling with 14 largemouth bass. I also crossed paths with two large bluegills and one white crappie by accident. None the largemouth bass were large ones. The bulk of them measured between 14 3/4 and 16 inches. Only one measured under 14 inches, and it was 12 1/2 inches long.

The areas around the concrete culvert, the shallow ditch and the shallow ledge in the upper third of this impoundment were bereft of largemouth bass.

The middle section of this impoundment was the most productive area and relinquished thirteen of the 14 largemouth bass, both bluegill, and the one crappie. These fish were abiding in four to seven feet of water and were relating to the deep-water side of the ledge that parallels the east and west shorelines.

Inside a small cove in the lower end of the reservoir, I caught largemouth bass number 14 in six feet of water from the end of a point that is situated at the mouth of the cove. The remainder of this lower region was unproductive.

Seven of the 14 largemouth bass, both bluegills, and the white crappie were allured by a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ matched with a black 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead and a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation. Four bass were enticed by a slow-swimming retrieve with a three-inch

Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. The other three bass were coaxed into striking a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-orange TRD TicklerZ that was rigged on a blue 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead and employed with a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve. The casts and retrieves were made as parallel to the deep-water side of the ledge as possible.

In closing, the water temperatures in the community reservoirs in north-central Texas are on the rise as the streak of mild winter weather continues, and the Florida-strain largemouth bass fishing is becoming as delightful as the weather.

Feb. 6

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Feb. 6 outing.

Here is an edited version of his log.

The community reservoirs in north-central Texas have become more productive than usual this February, but I wanted to check the status of the black-bass fishing at a nearby U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ reservoir in north-central Texas.

I fished inside two feeder-creek arms in this reservoir’s southwest tributary arm from noon to 4:00 p.m., and the fishing was a tad better than it usually is in the winter.

The sky conditions alternated from being partly cloudy to overcast. The morning’s low temperature was 36 degrees, and the afternoon’s high reached 66 degrees. The wind varied from being calm to light and variable. The barometric pressure measured 30.20 at noon and 30.10 at 4:00 p.m.

The water level was four-tenths of a foot below its normal pool. The water clarity was 18 inches. The water’s surface temperature ranged from 48 to 50 degrees.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar table indicated that fishing would be poor. It also noted that the most productive fishing periods would occur from 12:47 a.m. to 2:47 a.m., 7:03 a.m. to 9:03 a.m., and 7:33 p.m. to 9:33 p.m.

Inside these two feeder-creek arms, I fished from the upper ends of the creek arms to their mouths. I focused on three clay-and-gravel flats, two small protected coves, five rocky shorelines, seven rock- and boulder-laden secondary points, the areas around three concrete boat ramps, and a main-lake point at the entrance to one of the feeder-creek arms. I fished in water as shallow as two feet and as deep as 17 feet, and all but one of these locales were fruitless.

Inside the first feeder-creek arm, which is located on the south side of the tributary arm, I caught six largemouth bass. They were caught along a 50-foot section of riprap-covered shoreline that possesses a 45-degree slope. This shoreline is located on the east side of a small cove near the boat ramp where I launched the boat. These six largemouth bass were abiding in nine to 14 feet of water and 20 to 30 feet from the water’s edge. Three of the largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s Bama Bug TRD BugZ fastened on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. The other three were enticed by a blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead sporting a Z-Man’s molting-craw TRD HogZ. Both of these rigs were employed with a slow drag-and-deadstick presentation while the boat floated in 19 to 21 feet of water.

I also dissected several rocky secondary points and portions of three other lengthy and rocky shorelines, and I failed to generate any other strikes in this creek arm.

Inside the second feeder-creek arm, which is located about a mile east of the first one, I probed two concrete boat ramps, three steep and rocky shorelines, several rocky secondary points, and a portion of a clay-and-gravel ledge near the mouth of the creek arm, and I failed to catch a largemouth bass, spotted bass, or garner a strike.

In sum, it was a typical slow winter outing at this Corps’ reservoir, but more productive than I expected. Normally, black-bass anglers in these parts anticipate only a strike or two from Florida-strain largemouth bass when the water temperature drops below 55 degrees. I fished for four hours and caught six largemouth bass, which I consider a successful outing at a Corps’ reservoir in February.

Feb. 8

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Feb. 8 outing.

Here is an edited version of his log.

The weather has been stable and mild-mannered this February, and Feb. 8 was no exception. The sky conditions changed from partly cloudy during the morning hours to overcast during the afternoon and evening. The morning’s low temperature was 59 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature peaked at 71 degrees. The intensity of the northwesterly wind varied from 10 to 20 mph. The barometric pressure measured 29.96 at 11:00 a.m. and 29.89 at 2:00 p.m.

Fishing was forecast to be great on Feb. 8. In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing periods would occur from 2:40 a.m. to 4:40 a.m., 8:55 a.m. to 10:55 a.m., and 9:26 p.m. to 11:26 p.m.

I fished at a community reservoir in north-central Texas from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Small gravel, red clay, and some sand constitute the bulk of the underwater terrain of this impoundment. Bald-cypress trees, bald-cypress tree roots, tree limbs, and other wood debris clutter most of the shallow-water areas. There are also shallow ledges that consist of gravel, sand, and red clay, and these ledges extend from three to five feet from the water’s edge. The slopes of the shorelines vary from about 10 to 45 degrees. There is no aquatic vegetation in this impoundment.

The water exhibited about 14 inches of clarity. I was surprised to discover that the water temperature was 57 degrees. (It was 49 degrees when I fished this reservoir on Jan. 29.) The water level appeared to be normal.

The fishing was pretty good in this warmer water, and I was able to inveigle 12 largemouth bass. All 12 of these largemouth bass were caught in four to seven feet of water and about 10 to 15 feet away from the deep-water sides of two shallow ledges in the upper and middle portions of the impoundment. Two flat shorelines, six minor points, two shallow flats, portions of a shallow ditch, and the area around a concrete culvert were fruitless.

One largemouth bass was caught on a 3 1/2-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Trick ShotZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Three largemouth bass were enticed by a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-orange TRD TicklerZ affixed on a black 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. The other eight largemouth bass engulfed a Z-Man’s molting-craw TRD HogZ matched with a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.

These three combos were slowly dragged across the bottom in about one-foot increments with 5- to 10-second pauses between drags. All of the strikes occurred while the lures were paused during the retrieve.

I failed to generate any strikes with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ rigged on a black 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead, a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead, a 2 3/4-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD TubeZ fastened on a chartreuse 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead, and a 4.75-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ that was trimmed down to 3 1/4 inches and rigged on a chartreuse 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.

Local meteorologists are forecasting a cold front accompanied by rain that will temporarily end our streak of warm and stable weather on Feb. 10. But the daytime high temperatures are expected to return to the low to mid-60s by Feb. 13. And though this downturn in the weather may keep us at bay for a few days, we are hoping it won’t negatively affect the somewhat lucrative black-bass fishing we have been enjoying this February.

Feb. 9

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, and Rick Hebenstreit of Shawnee, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their Feb. 9 outing at a 92-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 30 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 60 degrees. The wind was calm for four of the early morning hours, and then it angled out of the east, southeast, south, north, and northeast at 3 to 12 mph. The sky was fair, and the sun was blindingly bright. The barometric pressure was 29.81 at 12:52 a.m., 29.82 at 5:52 a.m., 29.84 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.79 at 3:52 p.m.

According to the National Weather Service, Midwest finesse anglers in northeastern Kansas suffered through some of the coldest days in January in nearly three decades. And Old Man Winter set several single-day record low temperatures. Consequently, all of the community, federal, and state reservoirs were covered with thick layers of ice, and those ice-covered reservoirs and their surrounding landscapes were blitzed with many inches of snow, ranging in depths from five to 12 inches. The snow began to melt around Jan. 28. And the ice melted substantially by Feb. 2, but small patches of ice-covered portions of several reservoirs until Feb. 6. On top of the many inches of melting snow, the watersheds of several reservoirs were walloped by more than an inch of rain on Feb. 5, which caused the water at several reservoirs to become quite murky. By Feb. 7, the office of the National Weather Service in Lawrence, Kansas, reported that it had received 2.54 inches of rain since Jan. 1, which is 1.30 inches above normal. On top of that 2.54 inches of rain, it received six inches of snow. Other locales in northeastern Kansas received more precipitation than the weather service at Lawrence recorded.

Because of all the snow and rain, the water level at the state reservoir that we fished on Feb. 9 looked to be more than 12 inches above normal. The surface temperature was 41 degrees. But all of the runoff from the rain and snow did not stain this reservoir’s water; and according to our nine-foot dipstick, the water exhibited more than nine feet of visibility. But the thick layer of snow that covered the thick layer of ice adversely for many days affected this reservoir’s vast patches of coontail, curly-leaf pondweeds, and other varieties of submerged aquatic vegetation that quilt many of the shallow-water flats and shorelines; in fact, we have never seen these patches to be as wilted as they were on this Feb. 9 outing.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 9:42 a.m. to 11:42 a.m. and 10:11 p.m. to 12:11 a.m.

While we were fishing, there were six boats of anglers afloat. We talked with two other largemouth bass anglers. One who used a forward-facing sonar caught two largemouth bass in five hours of fishing. The other one had caught one largemouth bass on a jerkbait.

We made our first casts at 11:12 p.m. and our last ones at 3:12 p.m. During these four hours, we struggled to find bountiful patches of submerged vegetation, which is where we traditionally catch significant numbers of largemouth bass immediately after the ice melts. Consequently, we were able to catch only 10 largemouth bass.

We caught two of the 10 largemouth bass on a Z-Man’s Canada-craw TRD HogZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Eight were caught on a Z-Man’s coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig.

The coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ rig is at the top. The Canada-craw TRD HogZ rig is at the bottom.

We caught two of the 10 largemouth bass on a shallow-water flat inside a tiny feeder-creek arm. This flat is about the size of four tennis courts. Its underwater terrain contains very wilted patches of coontail and tiny sprouts of curly-leaf pondweeds. On this flat, we noticed that the muskrats had been annihilating the patches of coontail and curly-leaf pondweeds. The two largemouth bass were caught on the TRD TicklerZ rig with a slow swim-glide-and-minor-shake presentation in about seven feet of water around a meager patch of coontail and curly-leaf pondweeds.

We caught four largemouth bass around and across a massive shallow-water flat in the back of a major feeder-creek arm. This area is endowed with a small island, which is embellished with two patches of winter-dead American water willows, two muskrat huts, scores of concrete blocks, and many small boulders. Because the water level was higher than normal, the entire island was underwater. Many of this flat’s patches of coontail have either wilted significantly or have been consumed by the muskrats. The patches of curly-leaf pondweeds were also miniscule. A submerged creek channel meanders along the west side of the island. The underwater terrain is also endowed with an array of manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. The entire area looks to be about the size of seven football fields. We fished across and around an area about the size of five football fields. The four largemouth bass were caught along about a 100-yard stretch of the west side of this flat. They were caught on the coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ rig around some relatively healthy and somewhat bountiful patches of submerged aquatic vegetation in seven to nine feet of water with a slow swim-and-pause presentation.

We caught one largemouth bass around a tertiary point along a shallow-water segment of a main-lake shoreline. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. The water’s edge is endowed with patches of winter-dead American water willows and some laydowns. This tiny and shallow-water point was graced with a few submerged patches of aquatic vegetation, which yielded the largemouth bass that was caught on the coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ rig with a slow swim-and-pause presentation in about seven feet of water.

Inside another major feeder-creek arm, we caught two largemouth bass along about a 250-yard section of a shoreline that possesses a 20- to 60-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are carpeted with occasional patches of severely wilted coontail and some burgeoning patches of curly-leaf pondweeds. Its water’s edge is graced with substantial patches of winter-dead American water willows, some laydowns, and minor piles of submerged brush. The two largemouth bass were caught on the TRD HogZ rig with a drag-pause-and-shake presentation in about six to seven feet of water in the vicinity of some scrawny patches of coontail.

In the back of this major feeder-creek arm, we fished around and across a massive shallow-water flat. This flat looks to be about the size of four or five football fields, and one of those football fields is covered with winter-dead American lotus plants. Portions of the underwater terrain are enhanced with significantly wilted patches of coontail, immature patches of bushy pondweeds, and a few manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. We struggled to catch one largemouth bass, which was caught in about eight feet of water around a patch of coontail on the coppertruese rig with a swim-glide-and-meager-shake presentation.

Endnotes:

It is interesting to note the importance of bountiful patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. For example, at a nearby community reservoir on Feb. 9, 2012, Rick Heberstreit and I caught 118 largemouth bass in four hours in three to seven feet of water around many significant patches of curly-leaf pondweed and Eurasian milfoil. This occurred the day after the ice had melted and the surface temperature was 39 degrees.

Since the ice melted this February, largemouth bass fishing has been very difficult in our community and state reservoirs. We suspect that the paltry conditions of the submerged aquatic vegetation are playing a significant role in our piscatorial woes.

On Feb. 5, I spent about 110 minutes at another state reservoir than the one that Rick and I fished on Feb 9. I struggled to catch one largemouth bass on the coppertruese rig with a drag-and-pause presentation in about six feet of water. The surface temperature was 39 degrees. This reservoir’s patches of coontail were severely wilted. What’s more, the water clarity across one of the massive shallow-water flats was significantly murky, exhibiting about 10 inches of visibility. Portions of another flat were partially covered with a sheet of ice.

On Feb. 6, I ventured to a community reservoir, where I struggled to catch one largemouth bass in about two hours of fishing. The surface temperature was 39 degrees. Portions of the shallow-water flats inside two of this reservoir’s feeder-creek arms were still covered with sheets of ice. The water exhibited four to five feet of visibility. But this reservoir’s patches of submerged aquatic vegetation, which is primarily Eurasian milfoil, were extremely meager. This largemouth bass was caught on a Z-Man’s morningwood Finesse ShadZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig as I was strolling and employing a drag-and-subtle-shake presentation in about eight feet of water along a steep shoreline inside a small feeder-creek arm.

 This is the morningwood Finesse ShadZ rig.

Feb. 12

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Feb. 12 outing with Joel Hartman, of Overland Park, Kansas, at a 64-year-old 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 19 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 55 degrees. The wind fluctuated from being calm to variable to angling out of the northwest, north, and northeast at 5 to 16 mph; several wind gusts reached 23 mph. The sky was fair. The barometric pressure was 30.03 at 12:52 a.m., 30.01 at 5:52 a.m., 29.99 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.92 at 3:52 p.m.

The water level looked to be about 12 inches above normal. The water was stained, and our Seechi stick measured the visibility as varying from about 1 ½ to 2 1/2 feet in the backs of three feeder creeks. In the vicinity of the dam, there was about four feet of visibility. The surface temperature ranged from 42 to 43 degrees.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 12:12 a.m. to 2:12 a.m., 12:37 p.m. to 2:37 p.m., and 6:24 a.m. to 8:24 a.m.

We made our first casts at 12:30 p.m. and the last ones at 2:54 p.m.

We spent this outing searching for patches of submerged aquatic vegetation quilting the shallow-water flats inside three feeder-creek arms. ‘

Across a massive shallow-water flat, which is about the size of six football fields, inside this reservoir’s primary feeder-creek arm, we found an area about the size of one football field that yielded 15 largemouth bass and two crappie. This area is situated in the middle of this flat, and it is endowed with patches of winter-wilted coontail, winter-wilted sago pondweeds, and stems of winter-dead bushy pondweeds. There are several man-made piles of eastern red cedar trees entangled with the submerged vegetation.

One of the 15 largemouth bass was caught on a Z-Man’s coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig with a slow swim-and-pause presentation in about seven feet of water. Two of the 15 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 jig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in seven to eight feet of water. Twelve of the 15 largemouth bass we caught on a Z-Man’s Canada-craw TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in six to nine feet of water.

On a shallow-water flat in the very back of a large feeder creek, we caught four largemouth bass on our Canada-craw TRD TicklerZ rigs in an area that is about the size of 2 1/1 tennis courts. Portions of this area are endowed with winter-wilted patches of coontail and a small man-made pile of eastern red cedar trees. Two of the largemouth bass were caught around the eastern red cedar trees with a drag-and-pause presentation in five to six feet of water. The other two were caught along the outside edge of a patch of coontail in five to six feet of water.

Inside a tiny feeder-creek arm, we caught eight largemouth bass. Portions of this arm consist of the residue of a small pond and its dam. Its water’s edges are endowed with an array of laydowns, several submerged stumps, and many patches of winter-dead American water willows. Scanty patches of winter-wilt coontail quilted about 25 percent of the underwater terrain. These largemouth bass were caught on our Canada-craw TDR TicklerZ rigs on either a swim-glide-and-shake presentation or a drag-and-pause presentation in four to eight feet of water.

In short, we caught 27 largemouth bass and accidentally caught two crappie, which is an average catch of 11.6 fish an hour.

Feb. 13

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, and Rick Hebenstreit of Shawnee, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their Feb. 13 outing at an 86-year-old and heavily fished 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 30 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 61 degrees. The wind angled out of the south, and southwest at 3 to 17 mph with gusts from 21 to 28 mph from 11:53 a.m. to 4:53 p.m. The sky was fair. The barometric pressure was 30.00 at 12:53 a.m., 30.01 at 5:53 a.m., 30.03 at 11:53 a.m., and 29.96 at 3:53 p.m.

The water level at this reservoir looked to be about 10 inches above normal. The surface temperature ranged from 42 to 44 degrees. The water exhibited a tea-like hue, and at a few locales, it had a milky tea look. According to our nine-foot dipstick, the water exhibited about 4 1/2 feet of visibility in the vicinity of the dam and 2 ½ to three feet of visibility across the shallow-water flats and along the shorelines in the upper half of the reservoir.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 1:07 a.m. to 3:07 a.m., 1:32 p.m. to 3:32 p.m., and 7:19 a.m. to 9:19 a.m.

We made our first casts at 10:57 a.m. and our last ones at 2:40 p.m. Except for a few minor patches of filamentous algae, we failed to find any patches of submerged aquatic vegetation, which is an essential ingredient for catching a significant number of largemouth bass in the flatland reservoirs of northeastern Kansas in February. In addition to the lack of submerged vegetation, the many gusts of wind confounded our abilities to execute a variety of Midwest finesse retrieves. Consequently, we made hundreds of casts and retrieves that failed to elicit a strike. During these 233 minutes of fishing, it was a hellish task to catch eight largemouth bass, which was a sorry average of two per hour.

One of the eight was caught on a three-inch Z-Man’s pearl Swim SlimZ affixed to a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. Another one was caught on a three-inch Z-Man’s pearl Swim SlimZ affixed to a glow 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Six of the eight were caught on a Z-Man’s coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig.

All of them were caught in the upper half of the reservoir, which is where we traditionally caught scores of largemouth bass in February when this reservoir’s shallow-water flats and shorelines were quilted with patches of coontail and a few other kinds of submerged vegetation.

Two of the largemouth bass were caught on our Slim SwimZ rigs with a slow swimming presentation on a shallow-water flat in about six feet of water. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and silt. This area was endowed with a few meager patches of filamentous algae, but we failed to find a sprig of coontail. We fished about a 200-yard stretch of this flat without eliciting another strike, and we employed a variety of Midwest finesse rigs and retrieves across this area, which used to entertain untold numbers of wintertime largemouth bass that were relatively easy to catch.

The other six were caught while we were strolling with the wind and into the wind and employing the coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ rig with a drag-pause-and-occasional-shake presentation.

One was caught along about a 300-yard stretch of a shoreline in the upper half of this reservoir. It possesses a 25- to 50-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders; this terrain is occasionally enhanced with some manmade piles of brush. The water’s edge is lined with several concrete retaining walls, 23 docks, two significant laydowns, various piles of shallow-water brush, and a few patches of winter-dead American water willows. This largemouth bass was caught with the TRD TicklerZ rig in 11 to 12 feet of water along a series of rocks and boulders.

We caught one largemouth bass around a main-lake point that is adjacent to a massive offshore hump. The point has a 35-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and hefty boulders, which are coated with some slimy strains of filamentous algae. This largemouth bass was caught in about six feet of water. 

Two largemouth bass were caught along about a 200-yard stretch of another shoreline in the upper half of this reservoir. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. The shoreline possesses a 20- to 60-degree slope, three docks, one small rock bridge, a few piles of brush, and occasional patches of winter-dead American water willows. The TRD TicklerZ rig caught these two largemouth bass in about seven to eight feet of water.

It is interesting to note that we crossed paths several times with our friend Aaron Suess whose home is situated on one of this reservoir’s shorelines. Aaron is a savvy power angler and forward-facing-sonar devotee, who has caught and released an astronomical number of largemouth bass at this reservoir during the past 15 or more years. Across these years, he has dissected nearly every yard of this reservoir, and since he has become an expert with several forward-facing-sonar units, his knowledge about the reservoir’s underwater terrain and the habits of the largemouth bass, gizzard shad, and other species is phenomenal.

As we talked, all of us lamented that the reservoir’s managers had sprayed all of the patches of coontail with an aquatic herbicide and stock grass carp. Aaron agreed that the demise of the coontail has adversely affected the largemouth bass fishing. And like us on this Feb. 13 outing, he had struggled to catch eight largemouth bass, which he caught by using his forward-facing sonar and wielding an Alabama rig, jerk bait, and small swim bait affixed to a jig. He was fishing around offshore brush piles in which a largemouth bass or two were inhabiting or offshore schools of gizzard shad with a largemouth bass or two pelagically following them.

In short, this was another winter outing confounded by submerged aquatic vegetation woes.

Feb. 15

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Feb. 15 outing at a 64-year-old 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 35 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 49 degrees. From 12:52 a.m. to 9:52 a.m., the wind howled from the northwest with gusts that hit 32 mph, and from 10:52 a.m. to 11:52 p.m., it was periodically calm and angling out of the north, east, and northeast at 5 to 9 mph. The sky was mostly cloudy and overcast from 12:52 a.m. to 10:52 a.m., and it was fair at 11:52 a.m. to 11:52 p.m. The barometric pressure was 29.95 at 12:52 a.m., 30.07 at 5:52 a.m., 30.25 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.17 at 3:52 p.m.

The water level looked to be about 12 inches above normal. The water was stained, and my nine-foot Seechi stick measured the visibility as varying from about one foot to 2 1/2 feet in the backs of three feeder creeks. In the lower section of the reservoir, there was about four feet of visibility. The surface temperature ranged from 43 to 44 degrees.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 2:59 a.m. to 4:59 a.m., 3:25 p.m. to 5:25 p.m., and 9:12 a.m. to 11:12 a.m.

I made my first cast at 1:34 p.m. and the last one at 3:05 p.m.

In northeastern Kansas, we have made it a practice of not fishing a community or a state reservoir more than once a week, But I violated that practice on this outing. This is the same reservoir that Joel Hartman and I fished on Feb. 12, when we caught 27 largemouth bass in about 2 ½ hours of fishing. And I committed a worst violation by spending the entire two hours and 15 minutes of this outing fishing the same areas that Joel and I fished three days ago.

Across a massive shallow-water flat, which is about the size of six football fields, inside this reservoir’s primary feeder-creek arm, I caught 12 largemouth bass and one crappie across an area about the size of two football fields. This area is situated in the lower half of this flat. It is partially quilted with patches of winter-wilted coontail, winter-wilted sago pondweeds, and a few stems of winter-dead bushy pondweeds. There are several man-made piles of eastern red cedar trees entwined with the submerged aquatic vegetation.

These largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s Canada-craw TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig with a slow swim-and-pause presentation in six to nine feet of water. This presentation allowed the rig to polish the top of the patches of aquatic vegetation. If the rig became entangled with a patch of vegetation, I would flex my wrist and spinning rod, which freed the rig from the entanglement, and one of the 12 largemouth bass was inveigled on this rig immediately after the flex unfettered the entanglement.

On a very shallow-water flat in the upper end of a large feeder creek, and across an area that is about the size of 2 ½ tennis courts that is endowed with winter-wilted patches of coontail and a small man-made pile of eastern red cedar trees, I failed to elicit a strike.

Inside a tiny feeder-creek arm, I caught one largemouth bass. Portions of this arm consist of the residue of a small pond and its dam. Its water’s edges are endowed with an array of laydowns, several submerged stumps, and many patches of winter-dead American water willows. Patches of winter-wilted coontail quilt about 25 percent of the underwater terrain. This largemouth bass was caught on the TDR TicklerZ rig with a slow swim-and-pause presentation in about eight feet of water around a patch of coontail.

In short, it was a struggle to catch an average of five largemouth bass an hour.

The first 46 days of 2024 have been a trying time for me and my Midwest finesse colleagues in northeastern Kansas. So far, we have fished eight times and caught only 97 largemouth bass.

But it isn’t unusual to experience some woeful largemouth bass and smallmouth bass fishing in January and February in northeastern Kansas. Of course, Old Man Winter keeps us from fishing a goodly number of the first 59 to 60 days of every year. Here is what my logs from 2004 to 2024 reveal about the black bass fishing in our community, federal, power-plant, and state reservoirs during January and February:

In 2004, I fished three times and caught 17 black bass.

In 2005, I fished 10 times and caught 89 black bass.

In 2006, I fished 24 times and caught 412 black bass.

In 2007, I fished 12 times and caught 171 black bass, and on one outing, I failed to catch a black bass.

In 2008, I fished four times and caught 57 black bass, and on one outing, I failed to catch a black bass.

In 2009, I fished 10 times and caught 221 black bass.

In 2010, I fished three times and caught 21 black bass.

In 2011, I fished six times and caught 110 black bass.

In 2012, I fished 12 times and caught 426 black bass. And during a Feb. 9 outing, Rick Hebenstreit of Shawnee, Kansas, and I caught 118 largemouth bass in four hours at a community reservoir.

In 2013, I fished 12 times and caught 398 black bass.

In 2014, I fished three times and caught 110 black bass. At one of northeastern Kansas power-plant reservoirs on Feb. 13, Ronny Denayer of Butler, Missouri, and I tangled with 73 largemouth bass., five white bass, two crappie, one channel catfish, one freshwater drum, and one wiper.

In 2015, I fished five times and caught 110 black bass.

In 2016, I fished 15 times and caught 186 black bass, and on two of those outings, I failed to catch a black bass.

In 2017, I fished 15 times and caught 350 black bass, and on one of those outings, I failed to catch a black bass.

In 2018, I fished twice and caught 12 largemouth bass.

In 2019, I fished twice and caught nine largemouth bass.

In 2020, I fished six times and caught 73 largemouth bass, and on one of those outings, I failed to catch a black bass.

In 2021, I fished five times and caught 46 largemouth bass, and on one outing, I failed to catch a black bass.

In 2022, I fished once and caught 22 largemouth bass.

In 2023, I fished seven times and caught 100 largemouth bass, and on one outing, I failed to catch a black bass.

Including January and 15 days in February of 2024, that is a total catch of 3,044 black bass and 160 outings, which is an average of 19 black bass an outing. When we were young Midwest finesse anglers, we used to have a goal of catching and releasing 101 bass on every four-hour outing. We used to call it “bass fishing 101,” and we accomplished that feat only once in January and February during the past two decades.

Feb. 15

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Feb. 15 outing with Rick Allen of Dallas.

Here is an edited version of his log.

For the past couple of months, I have been kvetching about the wretched black bass fishing in north-central Texas. But it was such a pleasant winter day on Feb. 15 that Rick Allen of Dallas and I couldn’t resist the temptation to venture to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ reservoir and pursue some white bass, largemouth bass, and spotted bass.

When we arrived at the boat ramp in the upper end of the reservoir, we discovered that the water was murky and exhibited about 12 inches of visibility. The water level was at its normal pool for the first time in quite a while. And depending on where we were fishing, the water temperature ranged from 50 to 62 degrees.

The sky was mostly cloudy. The morning’s low temperature was 51 degrees and the afternoon’s high temperature climbed to 72 degrees. A mild wind angled out of the south-by-southwest at 5 to 10 mph. The barometric pressure measured 30.15 at 10:00 a.m. and 30.03 at 4:00 p.m.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar indicated that the best fishing periods would take place from 3:07 a.m. to 5:07 a.m., 9:20 a.m. to 11:20 a.m., and 3:33 p.m. to 5:33 p.m. Fishing was forecasted to be poor.

Since December, a couple of companions and I have spent some time plying a small feeder-creek in the north end of this reservoir. I tangled with 41 white bass in this creek arm on Jan. 30. Rick and I opted to search for white bass in this same creek arm, and we fished inside it from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The water inside the feeder creek was stained and exhibited 12 inches of clarity in its lower end and 14 inches in its middle section. The water temperature varied from 56 degrees to 62 degrees.

The shorelines are steep and bluff-like in the upper reaches of the creek and become flatter in the lower and middle sections. A hodgepodge of flooded bushes, submerged brush piles, partially-submerged laydowns, and a few submerged stumps occupy the majority of the shallow-water shorelines.

The white bass fishing was nowhere near as bountiful as it was on Jan. 30. After two hours that felt more like casting practice than fishing, we mustered only five white bass and one freshwater drum. These six fish were abiding in five to eleven feet of water near shallow-water piles of brush and laydowns that are situated close to the main creek channel. Four of the five white bass were allured by a moderate-paced swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ affixed on a red 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. The fifth white bass was caught on a slow swimming retrieve with a generic 2 1/2-inch pearl curly-tail grub fastened to an orange 1/8-ounce ball-head jig that we salvaged from the lower branches of an overhanging tree. The freshwater drum was caught on a hop-and-bounce retrieve with a 3 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl GrubZ rigged on a red 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

After that disappointing start, we decided to change things up a bit. We trailered the boat and moved about nine miles to the lower end of the reservoir in search of largemouth bass and spotted bass in a major tributary arm. We fished in this region of the reservoir from about 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., and it was a laborious chore for us to catch three largemouth bass.

We targeted portions of three feeder-creek arms and two main-lake points in this tributary arm.

Inside the lower end of the first feeder-creek arm, which is located on the south side of the tributary arm, we caught three largemouth bass. They were caught along a 50-foot section of a riprap-laden shoreline that has a 45-degree gradient. This shoreline is located on the east side of a small cove near the boat ramp where we launched the boat.

These three largemouth bass were abiding in nine to 14 feet of water and 20 to 30 feet from the water’s edge. Two of them were caught on a Z-Man’s Bama Bug TRD BugZ fastened on either a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead or a 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. The third largemouth bass was enticed by a blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig dressed with a Z-Man’s black-blue TRD CrawZ. Both of these rigs were employed with a slow drag-shake-and-deadstick presentation.

The other two feeder-creek arms and the two main-lake points were fruitless.

Overall, wintertime fishing remains difficult in north-central Texas. During this five-hour endeavor, we worked hard to catch three largemouth bass and five white bass in five hours. We also crossed paths with one freshwater drum by accident.

Feb. 16

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Feb. 16 outing.

Here is an edited version of his log.

The weather in north-central Texas has been quite mild this February, but a short cold snap is forecast for the next couple of days followed by several days of more moderate daytime temperatures that are expected to hover in the mid-60s and 70s.

It was 57 degrees at 5:00 a.m. and 66 degrees at 4:00 p.m. on Feb. 16. A blustery wind quartered out of the north-by-northwest at 15 to 25 mph with a few 30-mph gusts. The sky conditions alternated from partly cloudy to overcast to mostly cloudy. The barometric pressure measured 29.90 at 11:00 a.m. and 29.99 at 4:00 p.m.

I conducted a five-hour bank-walking endeavor at two community reservoirs that are situated on the north side of the Dallas metropolitan area.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar indicated that the best fishing periods would take place from 4:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m., 4:26 p.m. to 6:26 p.m., and 10:13 a.m. to 12:13 p.m.

At the first community reservoir, I fished from about 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The water exhibited about 14 inches of clarity. I was astonished to find that the water temperature was 60 degrees throughout the impoundment. The water level was normal.

I began fishing portions of a large and shallow mud flat on the upper end of the reservoir that is festooned with thick walls of cattails, and I failed to elicit any strikes.

Inside a minor feeder-creek that enters the reservoir at the east side of the mud flat, I caught one largemouth bass. It was extracted from a small patch of fist-size rocks in about three feet of water in the upper end of the creek arm. It was enticed by a slow drag-shake-and-deadstick presentation with a 2 3/4-inch Z-Man’s molting-craw TRD TubeZ fastened on a blue 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom jig. This was the only strike I was able to generate in this creek.

Along the midsection of the reservoir’s west shoreline, I slowly and meticulously dissected a 35-yard section of a steep sand-and-gravel shoreline in the vicinity of a fishing pier, and I caught one largemouth bass. It was abiding in four feet of water and 10 feet from the water’s edge. It was caught on a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ rigged on a black 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead and utilized with a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve. Two smaller points, the area around a concrete culvert, and a shallow ditch that are also situated along this shoreline were fruitless.

I also failed to generate any strikes around a concrete dam which forms the southern perimeter of this reservoir.

Along the upper end of the reservoir’s east shoreline, I probed a long clay and gravel point and an adjacent shallow-water ditch, and I caught one largemouth bass. It was abiding in about five feet of water on one side of the shallow ditch and engulfed the 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ rig that was employed with a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve.

In the midsection of the east shoreline, I caught three largemouth bass in six to eight feet of water from the south side of a broad sand-and-gravel point and a shallow sand-and-gravel ledge adjacent to the point. They were caught about 15 to 20 feet from the water’s edge. Two were caught on a slow-swimming retrieve with a three-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ matched with a chartreuse Z-Man’s 3/32-ounce OG Mushroom Jighead. The other one was caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a Z-Man’s purple-death TRD TicklerZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.

After I finished fishing this reservoir, I decided to fish at another community reservoir that has not surrendered a largemouth bass since early December of 2023, and this impoundment is located about 13 miles northwest of the first one.

I fished at the second impoundment from about 2:30 p.m. to 4:o0 p.m. This time, I was surprised to catch seven largemouth bass.

The water in this reservoir displayed about 12 inches of visibility. Typically, it exhibits about 1 1/2 feet of clarity. The water temperature was 60 degrees. The water level was about a foot high.

I dissected four areas: a steep clay-and-gravel shoreline in the lower segment of the impoundment, portions of two creek channels that parallel two sides of an island, a 75-yard section of a flat clay-and-gravel shoreline endowed with several minor points in the middle section of the reservoir, and a small cove about the size of a basketball court in the upper end of the impoundment.

I caught three largemouth bass in three to five feet of water and about 10 to 15 feet from the water’s edge along the steep east shoreline in the lower section of the reservoir. Two were allured by a slow swimming presentation with the three-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ rig. The other one was caught on the Z-Man’s purple-death TRD TicklerZ combo and a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

In the midsection of the impoundment, I caught four largemouth bass in five to seven feet of water along the edge of a creek channel that parallels one side of an island. Three were coaxed into striking the three-inch green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ rig and a slow-swimming retrieve. The fourth one was allured by a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ combo.

By the time this outing came to an end, I had caught a combined total of 13 largemouth bass in five hours.

Six largemouth bass were caught from the first community reservoir, and seven largemouth bass were caught from the second one.

None of the largemouth bass that I caught were dinks. The smallest one weighed one pound and seven ounces. The largest one weighed two pounds and five ounces.

The most effective Midwest finesse offering was the three-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ rigged on a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.

The most effective presentation was a slow swimming retrieve.

Endnote

After I got home, I exchanged text messages with FNN member Talban Kantala of Cypress, Texas. He reported that he caught his new “personal best” largemouth bass on Feb. 16 in a community reservoir near his home by using a 2.5-inch Z-Man’s Salty Ned ShrimpZ in the new-penny hue and slowly bouncing it across the bottom. It was affixed to a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

Feb. 19

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Feb. 19 outing.

Here is an edited version of his log.

From 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., I conducted a solo jaunt to one of a variety of community reservoirs in north-central Texas.

The cold snap that swept across north-central Texas during the evening hours of Feb. 16 lasted through Feb. 18, and it has now petered out. Feb. 19 was a warm and intensely bright post-cold-front day. The bluebird-hue sky was cloudless. The morning’s low temperature was 37 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature climbed to 68 degrees. A peppy wind quartered out of the south-by-southeast at 15 to 20 mph. The barometric pressure rose from 29. 90 at noon to 29.99 at 3:00 p.m.

According to In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar, two of the 29 days of February were forecast to have excellent fishing, four days were forecast to be great, five were to be average, and 18 were predicted to have poor fishing. Feb. 19 was one of the 18 days with a poor-fishing forecast. The calendar also noted that the optimum fishing periods would take place from 12:21 a.m. to 2:21 a.m., 6:35 a.m. to 8:35 a.m., and 7:02 p.m. to 9:02 p.m.

Gravel and sand make up the vast majority of this impoundment’s underwater terrain. There are shallow sand-and-gravel ledges that extend from about three to five feet from the water’s edge along most of the shorelines. Besides the sand-and-gravel ledges, there are numerous tree limbs, wood debris, and cypress tree knees and roots cluttering the shallow-water areas and some of the deeper bottom sections in the lower end of the reservoir. The shorelines in the lower end are also fairly flat with 10- to 15-degree inclines.

The shorelines in the middle and upper sections of this impoundment are the steepest and possess 30- to 45-degree slopes. The shallow-water areas in these areas are also adorned with numerous bald cypress trees and partially-submerged bald cypress tree knees and submerged roots.

The water was stained with about 14 inches of clarity. The water temperature was 52 degrees. The water level appeared to be about normal.

This outing was different than most outings that I have experienced here. Normally, my cohorts and I catch a goodly number of largemouth bass along the downward slopes of the shallow ledges, and a few are caught near the shallow cypress tree knees and roots. What made this outing different was that I caught 21 largemouth bass, and all of them were caught in an area the size of a pickleball court in the midsection of the reservoir. They were dwelling in seven to nine feet of water and 50 to 60 feet from the nearest ledges and cypress tree knees and roots.

I utilized an assortment of Midwest finesse offerings and presentation techniques, and all of these bass were allured by a shortened four-inch Z-Man’s black-neon Finesse WormZ that was pared down from its original 4.75-inch size, and matched with a red 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. This combo was employed by slowly dragging the rig across the bottom in one- to two-foot increments, then pausing the retrieve for five to seven seconds. The strikes occurred on the pause and were very subtle and difficult to detect. In fact, the lure just felt a little heavier than usual. (It should also be noted that Z-Man no longer manufactures their 4.75-inch Finesse WormZ in the black-neon hue.)

The Finesse WormZ rig.

In closing, this is the most bountiful black-bass outing I have had so far in 2024. It is also unusual for us to tangle with 21 Florida-strain largemouth bass in 52-degree water in north-central Texas this time of year.

Feb. 19, 20, and 21

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about the trying largemouth bass fishing that he endured at an 85-year-old and heavily fished northeastern Kansas' community reservoir on Feb. 19 with Pat Kehde, at a 92-year-old and heavily fished state reservoir in northeastern Kansas on Feb. 20 with Pat Kehde, and at an 86-year-old and heavily fished community reservoir in northeastern Kansas on Feb. 21.

Here is an edited version of his log.

On Feb. 19, the National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 24 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 57 degrees. The wind was calm from 12:53 a.m. to 9:53 a.m. and after those hours, it angled out of the south and southwest at 8 to 16 mph with gusts from 21 to 24 mph. The sky was fair. The barometric pressure was 30.02 at 12:53 a.m., 30.00 at 5:53 a.m., 30.00 at 11:53 a.m., and 29.96 at 3:53 p.m.

The water level at this community reservoir looked to be about 12 inches above normal. The surface temperature was 40 degrees. According to our nine-foot dipstick, the water exhibited five to six feet of visibility.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 6:27 a.m. to 8:27 a.m., 6:54 p.m. to 8:54 p.m., and 12:14 a.m. to 2:14 a.m.

Patty and I made our first casts at 1:56 p.m. and our last ones at 3:40 p.m.

We spent one hour and 10 minutes fishing inside a large feeder-creek arm in the lower half of this reservoir. We probed many yards of shallow-water flats that are endowed with scattered and small patches of Eurasian milfoil, three shallow-water shorelines, one steep shoreline, three secondary points, one rock jetty, around one dock and a boat ramp, and around a main-lake point. To our amazement and concern, we failed to elicit a strike.

The final 34 minutes of this short outing occurred inside a small feeder-creek arm in the lower half of this reservoir, where we eked out three largemouth bass and a freshwater drum. They were caught along about a 150-yard stretch of a shoreline that possesses a 30- to 40-degree slope. Its water’s edge is lined with patches of winter-dead American water willows and two docks. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and a few boulders, which are occasionally quilted with meager patches of Eurasian milfoil. The three largemouth bass were caught in the vicinity of a few of the patches of milfoil. One was caught on a Z-Man’s Canada-craw TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig with a drag-and-deadstick presentation in six to seven feet of water. The other two were caught on a Z-Man’s Drew’s-craw TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig with a drag-and-deadstick presentation in six to seven feet of water.

As we fished, we crossed paths with several anglers who told us that they had failed to elicit a strike.

On Feb. 20, Patty and I were the only anglers at a usually heavily fished state reservoir.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 22 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 70 degrees. The wind fluctuated from being calm to angling out of the west, northwest, south, and southwest at 3 to 16 mph with gusts from 21 to 22 mph from 11:52 a.m. to 4:52 p.m. The sky was fair. The barometric pressure was 30.08 at 12:52 a.m., 30.09 at 5:52 a.m., 30.03 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.04 at 3:52 p.m.

The water level at this reservoir looked to be about 12 inches above normal. The surface temperature ranged from 40 to 41 degrees. The water exhibited nine to 10 feet of clarity.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 7:15 a.m. to 9:15 a.m., 7:41 p.m. to 9:41 p.m., and 1:02 a.m. to 3:02 a.m.

We made our first casts at 12:50 a.m. and our last ones at 2:43 p.m. As we plied shallow-water flats and shorelines that are traditionally graced with magnificent patches of coontail, curly-leaf pondweeds, and wads of bright-green filamentous algae, we were disheartened about the sorry state of the patches of coontail and curly-leaf pondweeds, which yielded only six largemouth bass.

We caught one largemouth bass on a massive shallow-water flat in the back of a major feeder-creek arm. This flat is endowed with a small island, which is embellished with two patches of winter-dead American water willows, two muskrat huts, scores of concrete blocks, and many small boulders. Because the water level was higher than normal, the entire island was underwater. A submerged creek channel meanders along the west side of the island. The underwater terrain is also endowed with an array of manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. The 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 largemouth bass was caught on a Z-Man’s Canada-craw TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig as we were strolling and employing a drag-and-shake presentation in about seven feet of water around a scrawny patch of coontail.

We caught one largemouth bass along a shallow-water shoreline inside this major feeder-creek arm. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are endowed with some gaunt patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. The water’s edge is endowed with patches of winter-dead American water willows and some laydowns. The Canada-craw TRD TicklerZ rig inveigled this largemouth bass with a slow drag-and-shake presentation in seven to eight feet of water.

Inside another major feeder-creek arm, we caught four largemouth bass along about a 250-yard section of a shoreline that possesses a 20- to 60-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are partially carpeted with occasional patches of severely wilted coontail and some burgeoning patches of curly-leaf pondweeds. Its water’s edge is graced with substantial patches of winter-dead American water willows, some laydowns, and minor piles of submerged brush. One of the four largemouth bass was caught on a Z-Man’s Canada-craw TRD HogZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig with a drag-pause-and-shake presentation in about five feet of water. The other three were caught on a Z-Man’s yoga-pants Micro TRD affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig with a drag-and-deadstick presentation in five to eight feet of water.

On Feb. 21, I was one of several anglers afloat at an 86-year-old and heavily fished community reservoir.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 43 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 67 degrees. The wind angled out of the south, east, and southeast at 3 to 15 mph with a gust that reached 23 mph around 3:53 p.m. The sky was fair. The barometric pressure was 30.01 at 12:53 a.m., 29.94 at 5:53 a.m., 29.86 at 11:53 a.m., and 29.73 at 3:53 p.m.

The water level at this reservoir looked to be a few inches above normal. The surface temperature ranged from 43 to 46 degrees. The water exhibited four to five feet of clarity.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., 8:24 p.m. to 10:24 p.m., and 1:47 a.m. to 3:47 a.m.

I made my first cast at 11:30 a.m. and my last one at 3:30 p.m. And it was a hellish ordeal to catch eight largemouth bass.

Three of the eight were caught along about a 300-yard stretch of a shoreline in the upper half of this reservoir. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, silt, and boulders, which are occasionally coated with filamentous algae and stems of dead bushy pondweeds. The shoreline possesses a 20- to 60-degree slope, 10 docks, one small rock bridge, a few piles of brush, several concrete retaining walls, some riprap, and occasional patches of winter-dead American water willows. One largemouth bass was caught on a shortened Z-Man’s hot-snakes TRD TicklerZ rig affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig with a drag-and-pause presentation in about seven feet of water. Two were caught on a Z-Man’s yoga-pants Micro TRD affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig with a drag-and-pause presentation; one was caught in about five to six feet of water, and the other one was caught in about seven feet of water.

Two largemouth bass were caught along about a 40-yard stretch of another main-lake shoreline in the upper half of this reservoir. This shoreline has a 35- to 40-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are adorned with a touch of filamentous algae and undetectable submerged vegetation. Its water’s edge is lined with some winter-dead American water willows, five docks, and a few minor laydowns. The two largemouth bass were caught in front of one of the docks on the hot-snakes TRD TicklerZ rig with drag-and-pause presentation in about six to seven feet of water. One of them was 21 inches long.

Inside a small feeder-creek arm in the lower portion of this reservoir, I caught one largemouth bass on a shoreline that is immediately adjacent to a secondary point. This area has about a 30- to 35-degree slope. Its shoreline possesses a rock retaining wall and two docks. The underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, which are occasionally covered with filamentous algae. The hot-snakes TRD TicklerZ rig with a drag-and-pause presentation caught the largemouth bass in the vicinity of one of the docks in about eight feet of water.

Around a main-lake point at the mouth of this small feeder-creek arm, I caught one largemouth bass. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and some humongous boulders that are somewhat enhanced with wads of filamentous algae and what feels like burgeoning patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. The water’s edge is endowed with one dock. The largemouth bass was caught on the hot-snakes TRD TicklerZ rig with a drag-and-pause presentation in about eight to nine feet of water in the vicinity of the dock.

I spent the final five minutes strolling along about a 30-yard segment of the dam, which is 1,550 feet long. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are adorned with some wads of filamentous algae. It possesses a 50- to 60-degree slope. The water’s edge is graced with a few patches of winter-dead American water willows. On my first cast and stroll with the hot-snake TRD TicklerZ rig and a drag-and-shake presentation, I caught a largemouth bass in about eight feet of water.

The five Midwest finesse rigs that caught a few largemouth bass during these trying three outings. The Micro TRD rig is at the top. The TRD HogZ rig is second from the top. The shortened hot-snakes TRD TicklerZ rig is third from the top. The Drew's-craw TRD TicklerZ rig is the fourth one. The Canada-craw TRD TicklerZ rig is at the bottom.

In short, it was a puzzling and discouraging three outings. Across the seven hours and 37 minutes that we were afloat, we caught only 17 largemouth bass. One of them was a 21-incher, which was somewhat delightful to tangle with, but I would have been more delighted to have tangled with 21 13-inch largemouth bass than that one lunker. In my younger days, I thought that failure was a way to make us better anglers. Nowadays as an 83-year-old angler, I have a different perspective about the causes of the failures that we have been enduring during the first 52 days of 2024. It seems as if something is awry with the largemouth bass that abide in northeastern Kansas' community, federal, power-plant and state reservoirs.

Feb. 22

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

Here is an edited version of his log.

The spring-like weather across north-central Texas has rebounded nicely after a short-lived cold snap during Feb. 17 and 18. Since then, the daytime high temperatures have soared into the low 80s, and we’re hoping that spring will come early this year. (Usually at this time in February, the average high temperature in north-central Texas is 62 degrees, and the average low temperature is 42 degrees.) And the weather forecast for the next 10 days remains quite pleasant.

On Feb. 19, I journeyed to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ hill-land reservoir in north-central Texas in search of largemouth bass and spotted bass. I had hopes that they would be abiding in or around shallow patches of Eurasian milfoil situated in three of the reservoir’s feeder-creek arms.

The sun was intensely bright, and the sky was cloudless. While I was afloat, the afternoon’s high temperature climbed to 68 degrees. The wind was quartering out of the south-by-southwest at 12 to 17 mph. The water was at normal pool, exhibiting about three feet of visibility. The surface temperature ranged from 47 to 49 degrees. I fished for four hours from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and it was a laborious grind to scrounge up only one largemouth bass and one spotted bass around the shallow patches of green milfoil in two to 10 feet of water.

After that disappointing outing, I wanted to spend some time becoming more familiar with another north-central Texas' community reservoir. It is one that I have passed by on several occasions, but never fished. And Feb. 22, I fished this impoundment from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. For about 30 minutes, I shared it with a couple of other anglers.

According to In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar, the optimum fishing periods would take place from 2:41 a.m. to 4:41 a.m., 8:52 a.m. to 10:52 a.m., and 9:16 p.m. to 11:16 p.m. Its fishing forecast also indicated that fishing would be poor.

The water exhibited about 18 inches of clarity. The water’s surface temperature measured 57 degrees. The water level appeared to be normal.

This impoundment is surrounded by several large silver-maple trees, three bald cypress trees, and a couple of large weeping willow trees. The submerged terrain consists of mostly clay, small bits of pea-size gravel, and a few scattered boulders the size of a coffee table. A few small areas are adorned with small patches of cypress tree knees. The submerged terrain is also matted with a few large patches of submerged baby pondweeds.

The upper end of this reservoir is shallow and flat. It is endowed with a small fishing pier and a large mat of baby pondweeds. The shorelines in the midsection of the reservoir possess several minor clay-and-gravel points, shallow ledges, and some medium-size mats of baby pondweeds. The lower end of the impoundment is also flat and shallow like its upper end, but there are no ledges or aquatic vegetation.

The shallow patches of baby pondweeds in the upper end of the reservoir, and the shallow flat in the lower end of the impoundment were devoid of largemouth bass.

Around the patches of baby pondweed in the middle section of the impoundment, I caught 17 largemouth bass in three to seven feet of water.

Twelve of them were caught on a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig that was employed with a slow-paced steady retrieve. The other five bass were caught on a slow-and-steady swimming retrieve with a shortened four-inch Z-Man’s black-neon Finesse WormZ rigged on a red 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

In conclusion, the Florida-strain argemouth bass that inhabit the community reservoirs in north-central Texas are beginning to stir with the water temperatures rising into the upper 50s. However, it will probably take another three to four weeks of warm weather to raise the water temperatures significantly enough in the Corps’ reservoirs to improve the black-bass fishing in those waterways.

Feb. 27

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Feb. 27 outing with John Thomas of Denton.

Here is an edited version of his log.

The weather during this February has been topsy-turvy in north-central Texas. At the beginning of the month, snow and ice were covering parts of north-central Texas. The weather stabilized and became more moderate in mid-February, and the daytime highs ranged from the mid-70s to the low-80s. By Feb. 26, the weather began to resemble summer instead of winter as the afternoon’s high temperature soared to a record 94 degrees. And on Feb. 28, a significant cold front is forecasted to drop daytime temperatures back into the mid-50s to close out the month.

Feb. 27 was not as hot as Feb. 26, but it was still way above the average temperature of 64 degrees. The morning’s low temperature was 66 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature reached 88 degrees. The sky was overcast. The wind blew out of the south-by-southwest at 15 to 20 mph. The barometric pressure measured 29.66 at 9:00 a.m. and 29.55 at 4:00 p.m.

John Thomas of Denton and I took advantage of the last warm day in February and sojourned to one of several U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ reservoirs in north-central Texas. Our mission was two-fold: we focused on white bass in the upper end of the reservoir during the first part of the outing, and then we switched our attention to largemouth bass and spotted bass in the reservoir’s lower section during the second half.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing periods would take place from 6:03 a.m. to 8:03 a.m., 11:53 a.m. to 1:53 p.m., and 12:12 p.m. to 2:12 p.m. Fishing was also forecasted to be poor.

In the upper end of the reservoir, the water in the main-lake area was muddy and exhibited about 10 inches of visibility. The water level was at its normal pool. We were encouraged to see that the surface temperature was 57 degrees.

We fished from 9:30 a.m. to noon inside a minor feeder-creek arm. The water inside this feeder creek varied from 12 inches of clarity in its lower end to 18 inches in its middle section. The surface temperature ranged from 59 to 63 degrees.

There are numerous submerged brush piles, laydowns, flooded bushes, and a few submerged stumps cluttering the shallow-water areas of this feeder creek. The shorelines are mostly flat in the lower and middle sections of the creek arm, and they become steeper and bluff-like in the upper reaches of the creek.

The white-bass fishing was decent for this time in February, and we enjoyed tussling with 35 of them in 2 1/2 hours. They were abiding in five to seven feet of water near shallow-water laydowns and brush piles that are situated close to the main creek channel. One of them was caught on a slow-paced swimming retrieve with a 3 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl GrubZ affixed on a red 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. Four were tempted by a slow-paced swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s Space Guppy Slim SwimZ fastened on a black 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. Five white bass were caught on a slow-swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s Space Guppy Slim SwimZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. And 25 were enticed by a slow-paced swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ matched with a red 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. We didn't fish in the upper end of the creek arm.

After we finished fishing the first feeder-creek arm, we moved to the lower end of the reservoir in search of largemouth bass and spotted bass. We fished in this region of the reservoir from 12:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The water in this region of the reservoir displayed 14 to 18 inches of clarity. The surface temperature ranged from 53 to 61 degrees. We targeted portions of three feeder-creek arms in a major tributary arm, and we had a difficult time locating and catching five largemouth bass and one spotted bass.

In the backend of the first feeder-creek arm, which is located on the south side of the tributary arm, we caught four largemouth bass. They were caught along a 50-foot section of a riprap-laden shoreline that has a 45-degree slope.

These four largemouth bass were abiding in seven to nine feet of water and about 15 to 20 feet from the water’s edge. Two of them were caught on a Z-Man’s Bama Bug TRD BugZ fastened on a chartreuse 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. The other two largemouth bass were caught on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig sporting a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ. Both of these rigs were employed with a slow drag-shake-and-deadstick presentation.

We elicited only one strike inside the second feeder-creek arm. This creek arm is located on the north side of the tributary arm and about 1 1/2 miles west of the first one. This strike occurred while we were employing the 2 1/2-inch pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ combo and probing a large patch of boulders in the midsection of the creek arm. We failed to garner any strikes around five rocky secondary points, three rocky shorelines, two clay-and-gravel flats, and two concrete boat ramps.

The third feeder-creek arm that we fished is situated about a mile east of the second one. It surrendered one largemouth bass and one spotted bass. They were caught in five to eight feet of water from the end of a rock- and boulder-laden secondary point with a 45-degree gradient. The spotted bass was caught on a slow drag-shake-and-deadstick presentation with the 2 1/2-inch pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ rig. The largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the bama-bug TRD BugZ rig. A 75-yard section of a steep and rocky shoreline in the middle of the creek arm, a small cove, and another rocky secondary point in the upper end of the creek arm failed to yield a fish.

In conclusion, the white-bass fishing was fruitful, and the black-bass fishing was a grind. During this six-hour foray, we caught 35 white bass, five largemouth bass, and one spotted bass.