Midwest Finesse Fishing: July 2024
July 6
Talban Kantala of Cypress, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his July 6 outing at a massive saltwater bay situated on the Texas’ Gulf Coast.
Here is an edited version of his log.
This marks my first contributing log to the Finesse News Network. I've been a member of the network since October 2020, when I first learned the Midwest Finesse fishing technique during an outing with Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas. Ever since then, I've been hooked.
In Texas, the summer months are some of the best times to begin targeting Gulf Coast inshore saltwater fish species such as speckled trout, which is also known as sea trout. These are hard-fighting fish that are fun to catch, and at times, are easily enticed with artificial lures.
Prior to today’s outing, I have been exploring shallow-water environments around Galveston Bay, Texas, throughout the month of June. I had my most fruitful fishing day on June 30th, catching two sea trout measuring 21 inches in length (see pictures below). One of these trout was caught while I was slowly bouncing a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man Salty Ned ShrimpZ in the New Penny hue rigged on a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man Finesse ShroomZ Jighead and utilizing a slow hop-and-bounce presentation along the bottom. The other 21-inch trout was taken on a black and chartreuse topwater lure, using a walk-the-dog retrieve followed by a 3- to 5-second pause.
On July 6, I returned to Galveston Bay. I wanted to take advantage of this day before the arrival of Hurricane Beryl on July 8, which was expected to bring significant flooding and tidal storm surges of three to five feet to the Galveston area.
I left home at 4:30 a.m. on July 6th, eager to arrive at the fishing location before sunrise at 6:27 am. I fished from 6:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
The sky was partially cloudy when I arrived at 6:00 a.m., and it quickly cleared to full sun as the morning progressed. The morning started with a low temperature of 83 degrees, and the afternoon’s high arched 90 degrees. The wind direction was not ideal. Initially, the wind quartered out of the southwest before it turned out of the northwest later in the morning. However, the wind speed remained relatively calm, averaging under 5 mph from 6:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
I prefer fishing when the wind meanders out of the southeast because it pushes more saline-enriched water into the bays during the incoming tides, which improves the water clarity. From my experience, when wind speeds exceed 15 mph and aren't angling favorably out of the southeast, it makes fishing much more difficult.
The barometric pressure measured 29.93 at 5:52 a.m. and 29.94 at 9:52 a.m. Low tide occurred at 2:36 a.m. at 0.47 feet, with high tide expected at 3:01 p.m. at 1.17 feet. The water temperature averaged 90 degrees throughout the morning.
I began this outing at the end of a prominent rock-and-oyster-shell laden point, which extends about a quarter of a mile from the water’s edge. This point was partially exposed upon my arrival, and it became completely submerged as the tide came in. After reaching the end of the point, I waded a few yards further out into water depths of about four to 4 1/2 feet. The submerged terrain consisted of sandy areas mixed with oyster and rock. The water clarity was approximately 18 inches, which was murkier than my previous outing on June 30, when I enjoyed the benefit of fishing during a southeast wind.
While wading out to the location, I observed several schools of finger-sized mullet. Generally, if baitfish are absent, it makes locating and catching significant numbers of sea trout and other saltwater species a trying endeavor. The surface of the water was calm, which prompted me to employ a chartreuse-and-black topwater lure during the first hour of daylight. During this period, I garnered numerous topwater strikes, likely from sea trout and ladyfish feeding on baitfish. Ultimately, I caught two sea trout in the 14- to 16-inch range on the topwater lure while employing a walk-the-dog retrieve followed by a 3- to 5-second pause. Once the topwater action subsided, I returned to my vehicle for my Midwest Finesse spinning outfit. And on the way back, I managed to catch two needlefish in water less than two feet deep using the same topwater bait and technique.
With my Midwest finesse spinning outfit in hand, I returned to the same rock-and-oyster-shell point. This time, I shared this area with about nine other wading anglers. And as I made my first cast, I observed the other anglers catching several sea trout. After a few more casts, I caught a sea trout by slowly hopping 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 across the bottom.
Unfortunately, I experienced a casting malfunction where part of my braided line tangled at the rod tip, which snapped my leader and resulted in the loss of my rig. The bite noticeably slowed for a while when several dolphins were spotted a few yards away. After the dolphins left, I managed to entice another sea trout with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s Laguna Shrimp Salty Ned ShrimpZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ Jighead and a hop-and-bounce presentation.
As the incoming tide and current picked up later in the morning, the sea trout moved to deeper water. I then began wielding a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s New Penny Salty Ned ShrimpZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/6-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ Jighead. The heavier jighead allowed greater casting distance and helped keep the bait closer to the bottom as the current intensified. This combo allured two sea trout in the 14- to 16-inch size, a small black drum, a ladyfish, and a whitening by employing a hop-and-bounce presentation along the bottom.
By 9:30 a.m., the bite had significantly slowed, and I began making my way back to shore. I made a couple of fan casts in water that was less than two feet deep along the now submerged point, and a moderately-paced swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s The Deal Slim SwimZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/6-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ Jighead enticed another nice 12-inch sea trout.
In closing, I caught and released a total of seven sea trout, two needlefish, one ladyfish, one black drum, and one whitening during this 4 1/2-hour outing.
And when I got home, I realized that I haven’t come across many Midwest Finesse fishing logs that focus on inshore-saltwater fishing. Therefore, I hope to contribute more inshore-saltwater fishing logs as I continue to explore the Gulf Coast region of Texas.
July 8
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 July 8 with his grandson Andrew Cox and son-in-law Jeff Cox of San Antonio, Texas.
Here is an unedited version of his log.
The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 66 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 88 degrees. The wind fluctuated from calm to angling out of the east, northwest, and north at 3 to 9 mph. The conditions of the sky varied from partly cloudy to fair to overcast to cluttered with a few clouds. The barometric pressure was 29.96 at 12:52 a.m., 29.97 at 5:52 a.m., 30.00 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.97 at 2:52 p.m.
Many portions of northeastern Kansas were pummeled with many inches of rain during the first week of July, and the rain gauge in our garden has garnered slightly more than seven inches. Consequently, the water levels at some of the community, federal, and state reservoirs range from 2 ½ feet to 11 feet above normal. And during the second week of July, we are experiencing cold-front conditions. Because of the rain storms and the long 4th of July weekend, I haven't been afloat since June 30.
The water level looked to be more than two feet above normal. The surface temperature was 83 degrees. According to our nine-foot push pool, the water exhibited 2 ½ feet of clarity. In April and May, there were 10 feet of clarity, but the heavy rainstorms and the yearly demise and decaying of the massive patches of curly-leaf pondweeds and bushy pondweeds have caused the decline of the water clarity. What’s more, the decaying process might be adversely affecting the oxygen content of the water, which can affect the location and behavior of the fish. Most of its shorelines are endowed with vast and thick patches of American water willows. Some of the shallow-water flats and shorelines are endowed with patches of bushy pondweeds and coontail. This exurban reservoir is usually heavily fished, but we were the only anglers afloat.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 12:53 a.m. to 2:53 a.m., 1:16 p.m. to 3:16 p.m., and 7:05 a.m. to 9:05 a.m.
We made our first casts at 12:25 p.m. and our last ones around 2:31 p.m., and it was a struggle to tangle with 21 largemouth bass and three bluegill.
One of the 21 largemouth bass was caught on a Z-Man’s The Deal Micro TRD affixed to a baby-blue 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. A 3 ¼-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead inveigled 20 largemouth bass.
The 3 1/4-inch Finesse WormZ rig.
Five of the 21 were caught across a massive shallow-water flat in the back of one of this reservoir’s primary feeder-creek arms. 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 burgeoning patches of coontail and waning patches of bushy pondweeds. The Finesse WormZ rig caught these largemouth bass in six to seven feet of water on either a swim-glide-and-shake presentation or a swim-and-pause presentation.
Seven of the 21 largemouth bass were caught along two secondary shorelines and around three secondary points inside this primary feeder-creek arm. The underwater terrains of these locales consist of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally blanketed with patches of coontail and the diminishing patches of bushy pondweeds. The water’s edges of the shorelines and points are laced with many magnificent patches of American water willows, many overhanging trees, and an array of laydowns. These shorelines and points possess a 25- to 40-degree slope. One of the seven largemouth bass was caught on a slow swimming presentation of the Micro TRD rig in about six feet of water. The other six were caught on either swim-glide-and-shake presentation or a deadstick-swim-and-deadstick presentation in five to seven feet of water, and two of these six largemouth were caught while we were strolling.
At the mouth of this primary feeder-creek arm, we caught five largemouth bass. This point possesses a 40-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are carpeted with a few patches of coontail and fading patches of bushy pondweeds. The water’s edges are enhanced with intense patches of American water willows that are interlaced with two minor laydowns. The Junebug Finesse WormZ rig caught these largemouth bass in five to nine feet of water on either a slow swim-and-pause presentation or a deadstick-swim-and-deadstick presentation in five to seven feet of water.
Around another main-lake point, we caught three largemouth bass. This point has a 35-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are interlaced with a few patches of coontail and fading patches of bushy pondweeds. The water’s edges are graced with wonderful patches of American water willows and one meager laydown. These three largemouth bass were caught in four to six feet of water on the Junebug Finesse WormZ rig with a deadstick-swim-and-deadstick presentation.
We caught largemouth bass number 21 on the Junebug Finesse WormZ rig on a slow swimming presentation in about five to six feet of water around some patches of bushy pondweeds adjacent to the dock at the boat ramp.
In conclusion, we caught an average of 10 largemouth bass an hour, and Andrew, who is 14 years old, caught the majority of them by employing his deadsticking tactics. He was hoping to tangle with a lunker, but all of us failed to catch one of them.
July 10
Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a brief log on the Finesse News Network about his short outing on July 10 with his daughter Anna Kehde and grandson Nickolas Cox of San Antonia, Texas, 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 60 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 93 degrees. The wind fluctuated from being calm to angling out of the northwest, west, southeast, south, and southwest at 3 to 7 mph. The conditions of the sky fluctuated from being foggy and misty to fair. The barometric pressure was 29.98 at 12:52 a.m., 30.00 at 5:52 a.m., and 30:02 at 11:52 a.m.
The water level looked to be about 3 ½ feet above normal. The surface temperature ranged from 82 to 83 degrees. The water exhibited 2 ½ to three feet of visibility. Patches of American pondweeds are gracing some of the shallow-water shorelines. Patches of bushy pondweeds are coating many yards of the shallow-water shorelines and shallow-water flats. Patches of coontail and sago pondweeds are also prevalent along some shorelines and flats.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 2:33 a.m. to 4:33 a.m., 2:54 p.m. to 4:54 p.m., and 8:44 a.m. to 10:44 a.m.
We made our first cast around noon and fished for about 90 minutes. We tangled with 15 largemouth bass and accidentally tangled with one hefty and feisty channel catfish and 17 green sunfish.
We spent most of the 90 minutes fishing along the dam’s riprap shoreline. It yielded nine largemouth bass, the channel catfish, and all of the green sunfish. We elicited about 30 strikes that we failed to hook, and we suspect most of them were executed by panfish. 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. Six of the nine largemouth bass were caught on a slightly shortened Z-Man’s coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Three of the nine largemouth bass were caught on a 3 ¼-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Three were caught on the initial drop in about four feet of water. One was caught while strolling and employing a continuous dragging presentation in seven to eight feet of water. Five were caught in five to nine feet of water on a slow swimming presentation with a three-second pause.
We spent a few minutes fishing around a point of a riprap jetty, which yielded one largemouth bass. It was caught on the TRD TicklerZ rig with a drag-and-shake presentation in about six feet of water.
We spent a few more minutes fishing across a shallow-water flat adjacent to the riprap jetty. Its underwater terrain is embellished with bushy pondweeds, coontail, a few manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees, and one stump. We caught one largemouth bass on the initial drop of the Finesse WormZ rig near the outside edge of the patches of submerged aquatic vegetation in about six to seven feet of water. The TRD TicklerZ rig with a slow swimming presentation along the top of the submerged aquatic vegetation allured four largemouth bass. We elicited three strikes that we failed to hook.
During this short and delightful family get-together, we caught an hourly average of 10 largemouth bass, and an hourly average of 22 fish.
July 11
Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a brief log on the Finesse News Network about his July 11 outing with Pok Chi Lau of Lawrence, Kansas, at an 85-year-old northeastern Kansas community reservoir, which is a suburban and heavily fished waterway.
Here is an edited version of their log.
The National Weather Service reported the morning’s low temperature was 66 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 89 degrees. The wind angled out of the west, northwest, north, east, and northeast at 3 to 13 mph. The sky fluctuated from being fair to mostly cloudy to partly cloudy to overcast. The barometric pressure was 30.04 at 12:53 a.m., 30.02 at 5:53 a.m., 30.05 at 11:53 a.m., and 30.01 at 3:53 p.m.
The water level looked to be about a foot above its normal level. The surface temperature was 83 to 86 degrees. The water was afflicted with an intense and repulsive algae bloom, and it exhibited about two feet of visibility.
In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 3:20 a.m. to 5:20 a.m., 3:04 p.m. to 5:04 p.m., and 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
We fished from 12:45 p.m. until 3:20 p.m. From our first casts to our last ones, we were plagued by trolling-motor woes. Those woes and the algae bloom seemed to confound our abilities to locate and catch a significant number of largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. When we gave up at 3:20 p.m., our fish counter indicated that we had caught seven smallmouth bass, six largemouth bass, four green sunfish, three freshwater drum, and two channel catfish.
Along the riprap shoreline of the dam, we caught three smallmouth bass and two largemouth bass. The dam’s underwater terrain consists of riprap, which is intermittently coated with patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. The shoreline has three minor or very short rock jetties. The water’s edge is lined with shallow-water patches of American water willows. A slightly shortened Z-Man’s Junebug TRD TicklerZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead allured the three smallmouth bass and two largemouth bass. One was caught on the initial drop in about three feet of water in front of a patch of American water willows. The others were caught as we were strolling and employing either a slow swim-and-pause presentation or a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in five to seven feet of water.
In the lower half of this reservoir, we caught one smallmouth bass and three largemouth bass along portions of three shorelines inside a small feeder-creek arm. These shorelines possess a 30- to 40-degree slope. Their underwater terrains are comprised of gravel, rocks, boulders, and a few stumps, which are sporadically graced with patches of various kinds of submerged aquatic vegetation and a few piles of brush. The water’s edges possess many magnificent patches of American water willows, one large dock, one small dock, several overhanging trees, and a few laydowns. The smallmouth bass was caught on a 3 ¼-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about five feet of water. The three largemouth bass were caught on a two-inch section from the tip of the posterior of a Z-Man’s black/blue Hula StickZ affixed to a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig; two were caught on the initial drop in three to four feet of water; one was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in five to six feet of water.
We caught one largemouth bass and three smallmouth bass along an offshore submerged rock fence in the lower half of the reservoir. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders that are intermittently coated with various kinds of submerged aquatic vegetation. The outside edge of this rock wall quickly plummets into deep water. The largemouth bass was caught on a slightly shortened Z-Man’s coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in four to five feet of water around some boulders and rocks. The three smallmouth bass were caught on our slightly shortened Z-Man’s coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ rigs with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in four to five feet of water around some boulders, rocks, and bits and pieces of submerged aquatic vegetation.
We failed to catch a largemouth bass or a smallmouth bass along another offshore submerged rock fence and around a main-lake point in the lower half. In the upper half of the reservoir, we failed to catch a black bass along a main-lake shoreline, around a flat main-lake point, and along a secondary shoreline and two tertiary points inside a small feeder-creek arm.
In short, it was a tough ordeal to catch an hourly average of five black bass an hour. It is interesting to note that Pok-Chi and I caught 22 largemouth bass and 28 smallmouth bass at this reservoir on June 28 in 3½ hours, which was an hourly average of 14 black bass. A lot has changed at this reservoir during the past 13 days, and we will not venture to it again until the algae bloom vanishes.
July 22
Ned and Pat Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a brief log on the Finesse News Network about their short outing 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 59 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 86 degrees. The wind varied from being calm to angling out of the northwest, north, and northeast at 3 to 6 mph. The conditions of the sky fluctuated from being foggy and misty to fair. The barometric pressure was 30.10 at 12:52 a.m., 30.07 at 5:52 a.m., 30:09 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.03 at 3:52 p.m.
The water level looked to be about a foot above normal. The surface temperature was 85 degrees. The water exhibited 2 ½ to five feet of visibility. Patches of American pondweeds are gracing some of the shallow-water shorelines. Patches of wilting bushy pondweeds are coating many yards of the shallow-water shorelines and shallow-water flats. Patches of coontail and sago pondweeds are also prevalent along some shallow-water flats.
We were the only anglers afloat at this traditionally heavily fished waterway, and this has been a recent phenomenon at most of the community and state reservoirs we have fished in northeastern Kansas this year. We suspect the paltry catch rate for largemouth bass at these waterways has kept scores of anglers at bay. All of the talented and ardent Midwest finesse anglers and power anglers that we regularly communicate with have expressed their concerns about the pitiful black bass fishing that they have endured in 2024. In fact, fishing has been so problematic it has become a difficult task to compose the logs that explain where, how, and when we caught the sparse numbers of black bass that we have caught.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 11:36 a.m. to 1:36 p.m., 12:02 p.m. to 2:05 p.m., and 5:50 a.m. to 7:50 a.m.
This was another one of our very short gerontological and conjugal outings. We were afloat from 1:45 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., and during these 135 minutes, we fished 118 minutes of them, we spent the other 17 minutes engaged in maintenance duties with the boat. When we were fishing, it was somewhat of a half-hearted affair, and it was a struggle to catch 15 largemouth bass, one channel catfish, one crappie, and three green sunfish.
We spent most of the 118 minutes fishing across a shallow-water flat in the back of a major feeder-creek arm. Its underwater terrain is embellished with several meager patches of bushy pondweeds and coontail. Portions of this flat are enhanced with some manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. Three submerged and significantly silted creek channels meander across this flat. We caught 11 largemouth bass around two of the patches of bushy pondweeds and coontail. Two of the 11 largemouth bass were caught on a slightly shortened Z-Man’s twilight Trick ShotZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. The other nine largemouth bass were caught on a slightly shortened Z-Man’s coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Three of the eleven were caught on the initial drop, and the other nine were caught on a swim-and-pause presentation. They were caught in five to seven feet of water.
The twilight Trick Shot rig is at the top. The coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ is at the bottom.
We spent less than 15 minutes fishing along two sections of the dam. 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. The dam yielded one largemouth bass, which was caught on the twilight Trick ShotZ rig with a drag-pause-and-shake presentation in about nine feet of water as we were strolling.
We spent a few minutes fishing across a small section of a massive shallow-water flat in the back of this reservoir’s primary feeder-creek arm, which is graced with thick patches of bushy pondweeds, coontail, and sago pondweeds, as well as 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. We spent most of the time examining the patches of aquatic vegetation. When we fished, we caught three largemouth bass on our coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ rigs. One was caught on a swim-and-pause presentation in about seven feet of water around some coontail and one of the red cedar trees. The other two were caught on the initial drop around a patch of sago pondweeds in about six feet of water.
In closing, we need to note that we have not been afloat since July 11 because our tow vehicle was waylaid by some critter that annihilated many of the wires under the hood, which provoked the catalytic converter to go awry. On top of that, Mother Nature waylaid our house and yard with a minor microburst that ripped the outdoor electric power box from the side of our house and pummeled one of our massive red maple trees.
July 24
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 July 24 with his cousin Rick Hebenstreit of Shawnee, Kansas.
Here is an edited version of that log.
The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 63 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 93 degrees. The wind fluctuated from being calm to angling out of the southeast, east, south, southwest, west, and northwest at 3 to 9 mph. The conditions of the sky varied from foggy and misty to fair to mostly cloudy to cluttered with a few clouds. The barometric pressure was 30.11 at 12:52 a.m., 30.12 at 5:52 a.m., 30.14 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.12 at 2:52 p.m.
The water level looked to be about two feet above normal. The surface temperature ranged from 84 to 86 degrees. According to our nine-foot push pole, the water exhibited two to 4 ½ feet of clarity. The patches of American water willows that enhance many of the shorelines are quite magnificent, but the numerous patches of coontail that normally coat many of the shallow-water flats and some of the shallow-water shorelines are quite scrawny or have disappeared.
This exurban reservoir is usually heavily fished, and it was that way today.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 1:36 a.m. to 3:36 a.m., 2:01 p.m. to 4:01 p.m., and 7:48 a.m. to 9:48 a.m.
We made our first casts at 11:10 a.m. and our last ones around 2:10 p.m., and we caught 48 largemouth bass, and accidentally caught six green sunfish, four bluegill, one crappie, one channel catfish, and one walleye.
One of the 48 largemouth bass was caught on a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/32-ounce mushroom-style jig. Another one of the 48 was caught on a 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. A Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse ShadZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead caught one largemouth bass. Three of the 48 were caught on a slightly shortened Z-Man’s coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Five of the 48 were caught on a two-inch Z-Man’s black GrubZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Seven of the 48 were caught on a 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s pearl GrubZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Nine of the 48 were caught on a three-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Swim SlimZ affixed to a red 3/32-ounce mushroom-style jig. Twenty-one of the 48 were caught on a shortened Z-Man’s yoga-pants Finesse TRD rigged on either a chartreuse 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead or a chartreuse 1/32-ounce mushroom-style jig. This Finesse TRD was shortened to two inches.
This is the two-inch Z-Man’s yoga-pants Finesse TRD.
One of the 48 largemouth bass was caught across a massive shallow-water flat in the back of one of this reservoir’s primary feeder-creek arms. 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. The Junebug Finesse ShadZ rig caught the largemouth bass in six to seven feet of water on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation.
Thirteen largemouth bass were caught along two secondary shorelines and around three secondary points inside this primary feeder-creek arm. The underwater terrains of these locales consist of gravel, rocks, boulders, and the remnants of a rock fence. This terrain is occasionally blanketed with some small patches of coontail. 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. These shorelines and points possess a 25- to 40-degree slope. One of the 13 largemouth bass was caught on the green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in six to seven feet of water. Three were caught on the coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ rig; one was caught on the initial drop in about four feet of water in front of a patch of American water willows, and the other two were caught on a slow swim-and-long-pause presentation in six to seven feet of water. Nine largemouth bass were caught on our yoga-pants rigs; two were caught on the initial drop in three to five feet of water; seven were caught as we employed either a slow swim-and-long-pause presentation or a slow swim-glide-and-subtle-shake presentation in six to nine feet of water. It is interesting to note that we failed to feel most of the strikes that the yoga-pants Finesse TRD elicited, and when we hooked a largemouth bass, it seemed as if it caught us rather than us catching it.
At the mouth of this primary feeder-creek arm, we caught five largemouth bass. Two were caught around one of its main-lake points. And three were caught around the other main-lake point and a short section of that point’s main-lake shoreline. These two areas possess a 40- to 45-degree slope. The underwater terrains consist of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are carpeted with a few meager patches of coontail. The water’s edges are enhanced with patches of American water willows that are adorned with a few minor laydowns. All of these largemouth bass were caught on our yoga-pants Finesse TRD rigs. One was caught on a deadstick presentation in about eight feet of water. The others were caught on either a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation or a swim-and-long-pause presentation in six to nine feet of water.
At the mouth of a small feeder-creek arm, we thoroughly dissected two main-lake points.
Around one of main-lake points, we caught three largemouth bass. This point has a 35-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and a few meager patches of coontail. The water’s edges are graced with wonderful patches of American water willows and one minor laydown. One of the three largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the Slim SwimZ rig in the vicinity of the outside edges of the American water willows. The other two were caught on the yoga-pants Finesse TRD rig with a slow swim-and-long-pause presentation in about six feet of water.
Our yoga-pants Finesse TRD rigs caught four largemouth bass around the other main-lake point. It possesses a 25- to 30-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are enhanced with a meager patch of coontail. The water’s edge is lined with thick patches of American water willows and one overhanging tree. These largemouth bass were inveigled as we employed a slow swim-glide-and-subtle-shake presentation in four to five feet of water.
Across the shallow-water flat in the backend of this small feeder-creek arm, the two-inch black GrubZ rig allured three largemouth bass around patches of coontail in three to 4 ½ feet of water. The GrubZ was retrieved with a swimming presentation.
We caught 17 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 four 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 also 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. Three submerged and silted creek channels meander across portions of the underwater terrain. Six of the 17 largemouth bass were caught around the island. Two of the 17 largemouth bass were caught on the two-inch black GrubZ rig; one was caught on the initial drop in about four feet of water; the other one was caught on a swim-and-short-pause presentation in four to five feet of water. Seven were caught on the 3 ½-inch pearl GrubZ rig; two were caught on the initial drop in three to five feet of water; five were caught on a swim-and-short-pause presentation in three to five feet of water. Eight were caught on the green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ rig in three to six feet of water; one was caught on the initial drop, and the others were caught on a swimming presentation.
The three-inch Slim SwimZ rig is at the top. The two-inch black GrubZ rig is in the middle. The 3 1/2-inch pearl GrubZ is at the bottom.
In conclusion, we caught an average of 12 largemouth bass an hour. This state reservoir is not a lunker waterway, and our biggest fish was the walleye. It is what we call a numbers lake. Therefore, we were hoping to catch more than 10 largemouth bass an hour.