Midwest Finesse Fishing: May 2024

 

The 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s slam-shady Salty Ned ShrimpZ rig.

 The two riprap jetties, which are situated at the midsection of the reservoir’s east shoreline, failed to yield a strike.

 The shaded areas underneath the four boat houses situated on the bluff shoreline in five to 11 feet of water relinquished five largemouth bass, one spotted bass, 10 white bass, and two channel catfish. Four of the five largemouth bass, one spotted bass, six white bass, and the two channel catfish were allured by a swim-glide-and-shake presentation with the 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s slam-shady Salty Ned ShrimpZ rig. One largemouth bass and four white bass were tempted by a swimming retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ combo. 

 

We probed a shallow ledge in the back of a medium-size bay. This ledge is about 50 yards long. There are also three concrete boat ramps that adorn this ledge. We caught one largemouth bass and one white bass along this ledge in three to five feet of water. They were enticed with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation with the 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s slam-shady Salty Ned ShrimpZ rig.

 The 11 rock- and boulder-laden main-lake points were the most fruitful locales by far. They surrendered eight largemouth bass, one spotted bass, 39 white bass, two hybrid-striped bass or wipers, two channel catfish, and one freshwater drum. These 53 fish were abiding in three to five feet of water and were allured by either the swim-glide-and-shake presentation with the 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s slam-shady Salty Ned ShrimpZ rig or a steady-swimming retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ combo. 

 All totaled, we caught 73 fish in 6 1/2 hours. To our dismay, the black-bass fishing was more lackluster than we expected. We have become accustomed to catching 30-plus black bass at nearly every outing at this impoundment over the past several years. Thus, it was a big disappoint to catch only 15 black bass this time. In comparison, the white bass fishing was good; we caught 50 of them. We also encountered two hybrid-striped bass, four channel catfish, one black crappie, and a freshwater drum.

In closing, we will have to keep an eye on the water level to determine if we can return to this reservoir and safely launch our boat in the near future.

May 8

 Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, and Rick Hebenstreit of Shawnee, Kansas, posted a log about their outing at an 82-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas on May 8.

Here is an edited version of this log.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 55 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 78 degrees. The wind angled out of the south, southeast, northeast, west, and northwest at 6 to 15 mph; a 25-mph gust erupted around 10:53 a.m. The condition of the sky varied from partly cloudy to mostly cloudy to overcast to a thunderstorm with hail to a few clouds to fair. The barometric pressure was 29.60 at 1:53 a.m., 29.54 at 5:53 a.m., 29.55 at 10:53 a.m., and 29.54 at 3:53 p.m.

The water level looked to be about 2 ½ above normal. The surface temperature ranged from 67 to 70 degrees. Significant wads of filamentous algae littered many of the shallow-water shorelines, and many of these wads covered some of the patches of coontail and American water willows and an array of underwater objects. The shallow-water portions of the American water willows are sprouting green stems and leaves.   Wads of filamentous algae were floating on the surface, as were pieces of bushy pondweeds, coontail, and curly-leaf pondweeds. This reservoir’s watershed has received many inches of rain recently, which reduced the water clarity, and our nine-foot push pole, which we call our Secchi stick, indicated that there were three to six feet of visibility.   

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 11:34 p.m. to 1:43 a.m., 4:51 a.m. to 651 a.m., and 5:20 p.m. to 7:20 p.m. 

We made our first casts at 10:13 a.m. and executed our last ones at 2:13 p.m. 

During the first 55 minutes of this outing, we caught 15 largemouth bass.  But during the next 185 minutes, we struggled to catch one smallmouth bass and 12 largemouth bass. 

One smallmouth bass was caught on a significantly shortened Z-Man’s purple-rain Hula StickZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Four largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse ShadZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Four largemouth bass were caught on a shortened Z-Man’s Junebug TRD TicklerZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. A Z-Man’s black/blue TRD HogZ affixed to either a red 1/15-ounce Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead or a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig caught 18 largemouth bass. 

 At the top is our Hula StickZ rig. The second one is our TRD TicklerZ rig. The third one is the Finesse ShadZ rig. The bottom one is the TRD HogZ rig.

We failed to elicit a strike along a significant portion of the boulder-laden shoreline of the dam, and around a nearby main-lake shore and its adjacent shoreline. 

We eked out one smallmouth bass and one largemouth bass along a main-lake shoreline in the lower half of the reservoir. The underwater terrain of this shoreline consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally embellished with patches of coontail, bushy pondweeds, and a few main-made piles of brush. It possesses a 45- to 60-degree slope. Its water’s edge is lined with thick patches of winter-dead American water willows and wads of filamentous algae. The smallmouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the Hula StickZ rig around a pile of rocks and boulders in about three feet of water that were devoid of wads of filamentous algae and American water willows. The largemouth bass was caught on the Finesse ShadZ rig between the outside edge of a patch of American water willows and wads of filamentous algae and the inside edge of a patch of coontail with a swim-and-shake presentation in five to six feet of water. 

We caught one largemouth bass around a main-lake point in the lower half of the reservoir. This point has a 35- to 40-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally embellished with submerged patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds. Its water’s edge is adorned with American water willows and wads of filamentous algae. This largemouth bass was allured by the Finesse ShadZ rig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation around the patches of submerged vegetation in about seven feet of water. 

In the middle section of this reservoir, we caught two largemouth bass around a main-lake point at the mouth of a large feeder-creek arm.  This point has a 35-degree slope and a radical drop-off that plunges quickly into deep water. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are endowed with several burgeoning patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds. Its water’s edge is adorned with some American water willows, wads of filamentous algae, and several laydowns. The TRD HogZ rig and a slow swim-glide-and-subtle presentation in about seven feet of water caught one largemouth bass. The second one was caught on the TRD TicklerZ rig with a slow swim-and-glide presentation around a patch of coontail in about six feet of water.

We spent many fruitless minutes inside this main-lake point’s large feeder-creek point. But ultimately, we caught four largemouth bass. One was caught around a rock-laden and boulder-laden secondary point, which was devoid of aquatic vegetation. It possesses about a 35-degree slope. This largemouth bass was caught on the TRD HogZ rig with a slow swim-and-glide presentation in about four feet of water. Another one was caught along a secondary shoreline that was devoid of aquatic vegetation. This shoreline possesses a 30-degree slope with an underwater terrain that consists of gravel, rock, and boulders. The water’s edge is cluttered with overhanging trees and some laydowns. The TRD HogZ rig and a slow swim-glide-and-subtle-shake presentation caught this largemouth bass in about five feet of water. We caught two largemouth bass along a flat and shallow-water shoreline in the back of this feeder creek. The underwater terrain of this area was embellished with patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds. One largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the TRD TicklerZ rig along a distinct edge of a patch of coontail in about four to five feet of water. The initial drop of the TRD HogZ rig caught the second largemouth bass around some patches of coontail, bushy pondweeds, and wads of filamentous algae in about four feet of water.

In the upper half of the reservoir, we failed to catch a fish along many yards of two shorelines inside a large feeder-creek shoreline. 

But we caught one largemouth around one of the main-lake points at the mouth of this large feeder creek. This point has a 35- to 40-degree slope.  Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders that are coated with some burgeoning patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds. The water’s edge is arrayed with several metal poles, a few patches of American water willows, and many overhanging trees and terrestrial vegetation. The largemouth bass was caught around a pile of rocks and boulders under a small overhanging tree on a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation with the Finesse ShadZ rig in about three to four feet of water. 

We caught one largemouth bass around the other main-lake point of this feeder-creek arm.  This point has a 35-degree slope.  Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders that are coated with some burgeoning patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds. The water’s edge is endowed with a thick patch of American water willows and wads of filamentous algae. The TRD HogZ rig with a drag-and-shake presentation caught this largemouth bass in about six feet of water around the patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds. 

We fished along several hundred yards of this main-lake point’s main-lake shoreline, and it was a chore to catch three largemouth bass. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally coated with patches of bushy pondweeds, coontail, curly-leaf pondweeds, and wads of filamentous algae. It possesses a 25- to 60-degree slope. Its water’s edge is bestowed with scores of overhanging trees and terrestrial vegetation, many laydowns, and a few patches of American water willows. After making countless casts and retrieves without catching a fish, we finally caught three largemouth bass in about a 30-foot segment of this shoreline. One of the three largemouth bass was caught on the TRD TicklerZ rig on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation under an overhanging tree and adjacent to a laydown in four to five feet of water. The other two were caught on the TRD HogZ rig. One of the two was caught by strolling and employing a drag-and-subtle-shake presentation in about seven feet of water. The second one was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation immediately after the initial drop of the TRD HogZ rig in about four feet of water under an overhanging patch of terrestrial vegetation. 

We began this outing and finished it by fishing inside a small feeder-creek arm in the middle section of this reservoir.  The shorelines inside this feeder-creek arm are cluttered with 14 large docks, one concrete retaining wall, two concrete boat ramps, and several patches of American water willows that are coated with wads of filamentous algae. These shorelines possess a 25- to 45-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, and much of the shallow-water terrain is quilted with thick patches of coontail and many wads of filamentous algae, as well as some sprouts of curly-leaf pondweeds and bushy pondweeds. The first time we fished it we caught 13 largemouth bass in about 40 minutes, and the second or last time we fished it we caught two largemouth bass in about eight minutes. Three of the 15 largemouth were caught on the TRD TicklerZ rig and 12 were caught on the TRD HogZ rig. They were caught on either the initial drop of our rigs or on a swim-glide-shake presentation. All of them were caught around the patches of coontail and wads of filamentous algae in water as shallow as three feet and deep as six feet.

In short, it was another puzzling spring outing in northeastern Kansas. Consequently, we struggled to catch an average of 7.25 largemouth bass an hour. 

May 9 

 Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his May 9 outing with his sister Debbie Foushee of Guntersville, Alabama.

 Here is an edited version of his log. 

My sister, Debbie, is visiting me for a few days, and she had a desire to try some smallmouth bass fishing. Therefore, we traveled to southern Oklahoma and fished at a scenic federal hill-land reservoir where we hoped she could tangle with oodles of smallmouth bass. This was her first Midwest finesse outing, her first smallmouth bass outing, and her first time using a spinning outfit. 

 We were afloat from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and we fished for three hours during that time. The last 30 minutes of this outing were spent underneath a covered boat dock waiting for a storm to pass. 

 Weather wise, the sky was overcast and several thunderstorms with lightning erupted around the reservoir. By noon, they had moved too close for our liking. So, we ended the outing earlier than we had planned.

 The morning’s low was 63 degrees, and the afternoon’s high reached 71 degrees. The barometric pressure measured 29.78 at 9:00 a.m., and dropped to 29.63 by 3:00 p.m.  A vigorous wind wailed out of the northeast at 20 to 30 mph. 

 In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that fishing would be average. It also revealed that the most productive fishing periods would occur from 6:01 a.m. to 8:01 a.m., 11:46 a.m. to 1:46 p.m., and 12:16 p.m. to 2:16 p.m.

 The water was murkier than usual and exhibited four feet of clarity. Normally, the clarity ranges between five and seven feet. The water level appeared to be about two feet above normal. The surface temperature was 73 degrees.

 In short, we fished in the midsection of the reservoir’s west tributary arm, and we caught 19 smallmouth bass, one spotted bass, a freshwater drum, and one green sunfish around nine flat and rock- and boulder-laden main-lake points. We failed to elicit any strikes around an offshore hump, short sections of several main-lake shorelines, and four rocky secondary points at the entrance and in the lower sections of two feeder-creek arms. 

 We caught 10 of these 19 smallmouth bass on a steady-swimming retrieve with a three-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ rigged on a black 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Another six smallmouth bass, one spotted bass, and one freshwater drum were enticed by a swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s watermelon-red Salty Ned ShrimpZ rigged on a black 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead, and three smallmouth bass and one green sunfish were allured by a steady-swimming retrieve with a three-inch Z-Man’s watermelon-red Slim SwimZ rigged on a black 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.

 Though we were not able to tangle with oodles of smallmouth bass during this short endeavor, Debbie was able to learn about the many virtues of Midwest finesse tactics while catching her first smallmouth bass. And as we were driving home, we drove through a couple of intense thunderstorms with lightning, and we both agreed that ending the outing early was a good decision.

 May 10 

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his May 10 outing with Debbie Foushee of Guntersville, Alabama.

Here is an edited version of his log. 

 My sister, Debbie, and I thought we would pursue some more smallmouth bass after our May 9 smallmouth bass outing at a federal hill-land reservoir in southern Oklahoma was prematurely ended by lightning and several thunderstorms.  This time, we traveled to a massive federal reservoir in north-central Texas, and when we arrived at the ranger station to check in, we were informed that the boat ramps were closed because of flooding. Therefore, we decided to return to southern Oklahoma and fish at the same federal reservoir that we fished on May 9.

According to In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar, fishing was forecast to be average on May 10. It also noted that the most lucrative fishing periods would occur from 5:58 a.m. to 7:58 a.m., 11:44 a.m. to 1:44 p.m., and 12:13 p.m. to 2:13 p.m. 

We fished from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The weather couldn’t have been more cooperative. It was sunny, and the sky was decorated with a few wispy white clouds. The morning’s low temperature was 58 degrees, and the afternoon’s high was 81 degrees. The barometric pressure measured 30.05 at 10:00 a.m. and 30.03 at 2:00 p.m. The wind quartered out of the northeast at 8 to 12 mph.

During our three-hour excursion on May 9, we primarily fished rocky main-lake points and shorelines, and an offshore hump in the middle section of the west tributary arm, and we caught 19 smallmouth bass and one spotted bass.  

On May 10, we continued to target rocky main-lake points and one offshore hump in the lower end of the reservoir, and we savored catching 44 smallmouth bass and three green sunfish in four hours.  

The water was much cleaner in the lower portion of the reservoir than it was in the middle section, exhibiting seven feet of clarity. The water level appeared to be another foot higher after the rains on May 9, and it was three feet above normal on May 10. The surface temperature was also a tad cooler and measured 72 degrees.

All 47 of these fish were allured by a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s watermelon-red Salty Ned ShrimpZ matched with a black 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. 

 

Twenty-four of the 44 smallmouth bass were caught in three to seven feet of water around patches of large boulders that adorn the ends and sides of eight major main-lake points. The other 20 smallmouth bass were caught in four to nine feet of water from clusters of large boulders around the perimeter of the offshore hump. And these 47 fish were the most fish Debbie had ever caught in an outing.

May 11 

Pat and Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their outing at an 86-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas on May 11.

Here is an edited version of their log.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 46 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 80 degrees. The wind fluctuated from being calm to angling out of the northwest, south, and southwest at 3 to 7 mph. The sky was fair for hours on end, but it was hazy at times and cluttered with a few clouds at 2:52 p.m. The barometric pressure was 29.97 at 12:52 a.m., 30.00 at 5:52 a.m., 30.00 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.94 at 2:52 p.m.  

The water level looked to be about a foot above normal. The surface temperature ranged from 70 to 75 degrees. Our nine-foot dipstick revealed that there were about three to 4 1/5 feet of visibility.  We crossed paths with a variety of submerged aquatic vegetation: curly-leaf pondweeds, bushy pondweeds, and Eurasian milfoil. All of the patches of American water willows that adorn this reservoir’s shorelines are sprouting green stems and leaves, and most of these patches are encapsulated with wads of filamentous algae, and there are many winter-dead stems entwined with the green stems and leaves. The surface of the water along the outside edges of some of the American water willow patches is coated with floating seed coats and seeds from eastern cottonwood trees.

Weatherwise, it was the most delightful day we enjoyed afloat this year. We were also serenaded by a constant and stunning chorus of bird songs. But to our chagrin, the largemouth bass fishing was as trying and puzzling as it has been for most of the first 132 days of 2024.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 1:47 a.m. to 3:47 a.m., 2:16 p.m. to 4:16 p.m., and 8:02 a.m. to 10:02 a.m. 

We made our first casts at 10:30 a.m. and our last ones at 1:30 p.m.

It was a struggle to tangle with 21 largemouth bass. Therefore, we had to employ a hodgepodge of Midwest finesse rigs and presentations in order elicit a strike between scores and scores of unfruitful casts and retrieves.

Two of the 21 largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s black/blue TRD HogZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Two were caught on a Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse ShadZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Another two were caught on a Z-Man’s coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. A Z-Man’s The Deal TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead caught four largemouth bass.  A Z-Man’s Junebug TRD TicklerZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead caught five largemouth bass.  Six of the 21 largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s purple-death TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. 

Along about a 175-yard stretch of the main-lake shoreline immediately adjacent to the dam’s spillway, we caught two largemouth bass on the TRD HogZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about four feet of water. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are enhanced with some burgeoning patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. This shoreline possesses a 25- to 40-degree slope. It is lined with a few patches of American water willows. Both of the largemouth bass were caught in the vicinity of the patches of American water willows.

The shoreline of the spillway was fruitless for largemouth bass.

We caught eight largemouth bass along the boulder-laden shoreline of the dam. It possesses about a 50-degree slope. Its water’s edge is endowed with patches of American water willows, a riprap jetty that supports an outlet tower, a few logs, and some meager piles of limbs and branches. The underwater terrain is occasionally coated with patches of submerged aquatic vegetation and several submerged eastern cedar trees. Two of the eight largemouth bass were caught on the Finesse ShadZ rig; one was allured by a drag-and-shake presentation in seven to eight feet of water as we were strolling; the other one was caught on the initial drop in three to four feet of water.  Two of the eight were caught on The Deal TRD TicklerZ rig with a drag-and-pause presentation in four to seven feet of water.  Two were caught on the purple-death TRD TicklerZ rig; one was caught on a deadstick presentation in about five feet of water; the second one was caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in three to four feet of water. Two were caught on the Junebug TRD TicklerZ rig; one was caught on the initial drop in about four feet of water; the second one was caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in six to seven feet of water. 

We failed to catch a largemouth bass along a main-lake shoreline immediately adjacent to the dam, along a short portion of a secondary shoreline inside a large feeder-creek arm, around a nearby main-lake point, and along about a 100-yard stretch of the main-lake shoreline adjacent to this point.

We caught one largemouth bass along a secondary shoreline inside a medium-size feeder-creek arm in the lower half of the reservoir. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are graced with some patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. It has a 40-degree slope. The water’s edge is embellished with patches of American water willows. This largemouth bass was caught on the Junebug TRD TicklerZ rig in front of a patch of American water willows with a drag-and-shake presentation in about five feet of water.

The main-lake point at the mouth of this feeder creek was fruitless, as was a massive stretch of this point’s main-lake shoreline.

Around a main-lake point at the mouth of a tiny feeder-creek arm in the upper half of this reservoir, we caught two largemouth bass. It possesses a 20- to 35-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, which are adorned with several patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. Portions of the water’s edge are lined with a few overhanging trees and several patches of American water willows. The two largemouth bass were caught on the purple-death TRD TicklerZ. One was caught on the initial drop near a patch of American water willows in about three feet of water; the other one was caught on a very slow swim-and-pause presentation around the patches of submerged aquatic vegetation that are about 25 feet for the water’s edge and in six to seven feet of water. 

Along about a 150-yard stretch of a secondary shoreline inside a massive feeder-creek arm in the upper half of the reservoir, we caught four largemouth bass.  This shoreline line has about a 35-degree slope.  Its underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, which are sporadically decorated with patches of Eurasian milfoil. The water’s edge is lined with thick patches of American water willows. Two of the largemouth bass were caught on the coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ rig; one was caught on the initial drop in about three feet of water in front of a patch of American water willows; the second one was caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation around a patch of Eurasian milfoil in five to six feet of water. The other two were caught on the purple-death TRD TicklerZ rig; one was caught on the initial drop in three to four feet of water in front of the American water willows; the second one was caught by strolling with a drag-and-pause presentation in about five feet of water. 

Along about a 100-yard stretch of another secondary shoreline inside this massive feeder-creek arm, we caught four more largemouth bass. This shoreline has a 30- to 50-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders that are dressed with several patches of a variety of submerged aquatic vegetation. The water’s edge is enhanced with many overhanging trees, an array of laydowns, some logs, a few piles of brush, and several patches of American water willows. Two of the four largemouth bass were caught on The Deal TRD TicklerZ rig; one was caught on a drag-and-deadstick presentation in about six feet of water; the second one was caught on a swim-and-slight-pause presentation in about four feet of water. The other two were caught on the Junebug TRD TicklerZ rig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in four to five feet of water in the vicinity of two of the laydowns. 

In closing, we caught an average of seven largemouth bass per hour, and we accidentally caught 19 green sunfish and four crappie.  It is important to note periodically that we are always hoping on every outing to tangle with an average of 25 or more largemouth bass an hour. But we have accomplished that goal only once in 2024, and that occurred on April 19 in which Justin Shiney and I tangled with 60 largemouth bass in two hours and seven minutes.

May 11

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his May 11 outing with Debbie Foushee of Guntersville, Alabama.

Here is an edited version of his log. 

My sister, Debbie Foushee, and I fished at a state reservoir located in the ex-urban countryside of north-central Texas. It is the same impoundment where John Thomas of Denton and I caught 15 black bass, 50 white bass, 2 hybrid-striped bass, four channel catfish, and one black crappie on May 7. And this was Debbie’s final outing of her four-day visit.

 North-central Texas has been pummeled by several thunderstorms during the past few days. The runoff from those rains has muddied the reservoirs in north-central Texas and flooded a couple of them.  However, for some unknown reason to us, this reservoir has not been filling up from the rain as have the other impoundments across north-central Texas.  This one remains more than 13 feet below its normal pool. 

 According to In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar, fishing would be poor on May 11. It also revealed that the best periods for fishing would occur from 1:56 a.m. to 3:56 a.m., 8:12 a.m. to 10:12 a.m., and 2:27 p.m. to 4:27 p.m.

 We fished from about 8:30 a.m. to about 11:30 a.m., then after waiting an hour for a storm to pass, we resumed fishing around 12:30 p.m. and finished at 2:00 p.m. 

 The water clarity varied from about eight inches in the upper end of the reservoir to 15 inches in its middle section to 12 inches in its lower end. The water level was 13.34 feet below normal. The surface temperature was 72 degrees everywhere we fished.  

 This impoundment’s geological terrain consists of many rock-laden shorelines and points. The bulk of them are graced with laydowns, submerged boulders, overhanging trees, and flooded buck brush and stickups. We can no longer find any aquatic vegetation such as pondweeds and hydrilla, which were pretty common throughout this reservoir several years ago. 

  The weather was unsettled with an overcast sky, and thunderstorms and lightning were erupting off and on near the west and south regions of the reservoir. Ultimately, one of those thunderstorms eventually flared up over us, and we found shelter underneath a covered boat dock for about an hour while waiting for the storm to subside.  The barometric pressure ranged from 30.04 at 8:00 a.m. to 29.99 at 2:00 p.m. The wind quartered out of the east-by-northeast at 10 to 15 mph. 

 We began the outing by probing three prominent and boulder-laden main-lake points in the middle section of the reservoir. The first one failed to yield a strike. The second one yielded one largemouth bass that was extracted from a cluster of large boulders in four feet of water. It engulfed a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s slam-shady Salty Ned ShrimpZ rigged on a blue 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead that was employed with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation. The third point relinquished two white bass that were also enticed by the 2 1/2-inch slam-shady Salty Ned ShrimpZ and slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve.

 After that miserable start, we then failed to coax a strike from two riprap-laden jetties, two main-lake islands, and two more rocky main-lake points in the midsection of the reservoir.       

 At this point, we were struggling to generate any strikes from a black bass or a white bass. So, we moved up-lake a short distance to a major main-lake point at the entrance to a large bay. This point possesses about a 30-degree slope and is adorned with riprap, three covered boat docks, a tall dilapidated pier with wood pylons, and a concrete retaining wall, and we caught two smallmouth bass, two spotted bass, and one largemouth bass in five to seven feet of water. The largemouth bass was caught near one of the pier's wood pylons in seven feet of water, and the two smallmouth bass and two spotted bass were caught near the riprap and large boulders that embellish the end or tip of this point. These five black bass were allured by a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch slam-shady Salty Ned ShrimpZ rig. 

 The most lucrative spot was a bluff shoreline on the east side of the middle section of the reservoir. We dissected the countless numbers of boulders and large rocks piled up near the water’s edge in three to seven feet of water and four covered boat docks. We inveigled nine largemouth bass, one hybrid-spotted bass, and one channel catfish around the large boulders and large rocks. All of these fish were allured by a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch slim-shady Salty Ned ShrimpZ rig. 

 Overall, the black-bass bite was slow and trying, and the white-bass bite was virtually non-existent this time around. Our catch for this outing totaled 16 black bass, which consisted of 11 largemouth bass, two smallmouth bass, two spotted bass, and one hybrid-spotted bass. We also caught two white bass and one channel catfish by accident. All of the black bass were decent ones that weighed between 1 1/2 to 2-pounds, three-ounces. None of them were dinky. 

 

All of these 19 fish were allured by a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation with the 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s slam-shady Salty Ned ShrimpZ rig. 

 We also wielded and failed to entice any strikes with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig, a shortened four-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ matched to a red 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead, a Z-Man’s The Deal TRD TicklerZ attached to a blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead, a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ that was rigged on a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead, a Z-Man’s The Deal Baby Goat rigged on a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead, a Z-Man’s sprayed-grass TRD TicklerZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead, and a hot-snakes TRD TicklerZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead

May 12 

 Bob Gum of Kansas City, Kansas, posted a brief on the Finesse News Network about his outing with Long and Lucy Zheng of Overland Park, Kansas, at a 92-year-old and heavily fished state reservoir in northeastern Kansas on May 12.

Here is an edited version of his brief.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 52 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 82 degrees. The wind fluctuated from being calm to variable to angling out of the southeast, east, south, south, and southwest at 3 to 14 mph. The conditions of the sky varied from being fair to cluttered with a few clouds to mostly cloudy to overcast. The barometric pressure was 29.89 at 12:52 a.m., 29.89 at 5:52 a.m., 29.87 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.81 at 1:52 p.m. 

The water level looked to be a few inches above normal. The surface temperature was 71 degrees. The water exhibited about six feet of clarity. Many of its flats and shorelines are endowed with uncountable numbers of patches of curly-leaf pondweeds, which have overwhelmed most of the patches of coontail. 

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 2:51 a.m. to 4:51 a.m., 3:18 p.m. to 5:18 p.m., and 9:04 a.m. to 11:04 a.m.

I began fishing around 7:00 a.m. and Long and Lucy joined me at 9:00 a.m. We fished until 1:00 p.m.  Overall, there was not a lot of boat traffic this Mother's Day. 

During the first two hours of this outing, I caught 26 largemouth bass. The three of us caught 30 more largemouth bass, one crappie, one channel catfish, and one redear sunfish during the next four hours. 

Most of these fish were caught along the dam, along several steeper main-lake and secondary shorelines, and around points that are not heavily endowed with patches of curly-leaf pondweeds. Most of these spots are located in the lower third of this reservoir. 

 

We tried to fish some of the edges of the thick patches of curly-leaf pondweeds on the shallow-water flats and shorelines, but they were not as fruitful as the steeper and deeper areas.

 Our most effective Midwest finesse rigs were a 2 ½-inch Z-Man’s PB&J ZinkerZ affixed to a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig and a Z-Man’s molting-craw TRD HogZ affixed to a black 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation. We caught them in three to slightly more than six feet of water.

 

Ned Kehde and Pok-Chi Lau of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their May 14 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 57 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 75 degrees. The wind angled out of the north and northwest at 7 to 14 mph; and from 1:53 p.m. to 3:53 p.m., some gusts ranged from 20 to 22 mph. The sky fluctuated from being foggy and misty to overcast to partly cloudy to cluttered with a few clouds. The barometric pressure was 29.69 at 12:53 a.m., 29.70 at 5:53 a.m., 29.76 at 11:53 a.m., and 29.73 at 3:53 p.m.

The water level looked to be several inches above normal. The surface temperature ranged from 70 to 71 degrees. The water exhibited about six feet of visibility at several locales in the lower half of the reservoir and three to 4 ½ feet in the upper half of the reservoir. Portions of the shorelines are endowed with patches of American water willows that are completely green and rapidly growing. The underwater terrains on several shallow-water flats and along many shorelines are graced with patches of coontail, bushy pondweeds, and wads of filamentous algae.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 4:41 a.m. to 6:41 a.m., 5:05 p.m. to 7:05 p.m., and 10:53 a.m. to 12:53 p.m. 

We made our first casts at 11:08 a.m. and our last ones at 3:08 p.m. We were hoping to tangle with an average of at least 10 largemouth bass an hour during this four-hour outing. We failed to achieve that goal. Instead, we tangled with an average of 8.75 largemouth bass an hour and a total of 35 largemouth bass. We also accidentally caught one channel catfish, four warmouth, five bluegill, and about 19 green sunfish. 

Two of the 35 largemouth bass were caught on a three-inch Z-Man green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Six were caught on a Z-Man’s Twilight Finesse TRD affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Seven were caught on the 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin GrubZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Nine were caught on a shortened Z-Man’s The Deal TRD TicklerZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Ten of the 35 were caught on a Z-Man’s PB&J TRD MinnowZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead.

The green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ rig is at the top of the photograph. The twilight Finesse TRD rig is the second one. The green-pumpkin GrubZ rig is the third one. The Deal TRD TicklerZ rig is the fourth one. The PB&J TRD MinnoiwZ is the bottom one.

We began this outing by fishing along a 50-yard stretch of the main-lake shoreline that is immediately adjacent to the west side of the dam. It possesses a 25- to 30-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are coated with bits of coontail, bushy pondweeds, and filamentous algae. The water’s edge is endowed with three docks and patches of American water willows. The initial drop of the Twilight Finesse TRD rig inveigled one largemouth bass in about seven feet of water along the front edge of one of the docks.

We caught three largemouth bass along the shoreline of this reservoir’s 1,550-foot dam. It has a height of 58 feet with a 45- to 50-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally coated with patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds, as well as some wads of filamentous algae. These three largemouth bass were caught on our The Deal TRD TicklerZ rigs with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in five to seven feet of water.

Along about a 350-yard stretch of the main-lake shoreline that is immediately adjacent to the east side of the dam, we caught seven largemouth bass on our The Deal TRD TicklerZ rigs. It possesses a 25- to 45-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally adorned with wads of filamentous algae, coontail, and bushy pondweeds. Some of the boulders are humongous, and there are many offshore piles of boulders, and some of them have a significant ledge. Portions of the water’s edge are endowed with a spillway, some concrete and rock retaining walls, an array of docks, a concrete boat ramp, patches of American water willows, a main-lake point, and several tertiary points. One of the tertiary points yielded a largemouth bass, which was caught with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in five to six feet of water. A drag-and-pause presentation caught a largemouth bass on the concrete boat ramp in about seven feet of water. One largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop in about 3 ½ feet of water along the outside edge of a patch of American water willows at another tertiary point. Four largemouth bass were caught on top of a offshore hump that consists of rocks and boulders near the main-lake point at the end of this main-lake shoreline; they were caught in four to six feet of water as we employed a swim-glide-and-shake presentation across the piles of rocks and boulders.

Around one main-lake point and along a massive main-lake shoreline in the middle section of this reservoir, we caught eight largemouth bass. This area has a 30- to 45-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are coated with some wads of filamentous algae, as well as some burgeoning patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds. There are a substantial number of gigantic boulders and some significant ledges situated along this shoreline. The water’s edge is endowed with several patches of American water willows, some overhanging trees, and 23 docks. Three of the eight largemouth bass were caught on the twilight Finesse TRD rig; one was caught around the main-lake point in the vicinity of the patches of American water willows with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about six feet of water; one was caught shortly after the initial drop in the vicinity of the back corner of one of the docks; the other two were caught with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in five to eight feet of water. Five of the eight were caught on the TRD MinnowZ rig; two were caught on the initial drop of this rig around two of the docks; the other three were caught with a swim-glide-and-presentation in five to six feet of water around rock-laden terrains. 

In the upper half of this reservoir, we fished around four main-lake points, along about a 450-yard stretch of a main-lake shoreline, across a small section of a massive shallow-water flat, and along about a 300-yard stretch of another main-lake shoreline.   

The underwater terrains of these points, shorelines, and the flat consist of gravel, rocks, boulders, and some silt. Parts of it are quilted with coontail, bushy pondweeds, and wads of filamentous algae. They possess a 20- to 60-degree slope. The water’s edges consist of several concrete retaining walls, about two dozen docks, one small stone bridge, a few laydowns, several piles of brush, patches of American water willows, and a few overhanging trees. This gigantic territory yielded only 16 largemouth bass.  

Two of the 16 largemouth bass were caught on the twilight Finesse TRD rig; one was caught on a drag-and-shake presentation in about eight feet of water in the vicinity of one of the concrete retaining walls; the second one was caught on an offshore hump and a meager pile of brush adjacent to the small stone bridge with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about six feet of water. 

Five were caught on the TRD MinnowZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation; one was caught around one of the docks in about six feet of water; one was caught around patches of coontail in about six feet of water; one was caught around some rocks in five to six feet of water; two were caught in the vicinity of a concrete retaining wall in about five to six feet of water. 

As we approached the massive shallow-water flat and where the slope of the two main-lake shorelines declined to a 20-degree slope, we began wielding the three-inch Slim SwimZ rig and 3.5-inch GrubZ rig. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and silt, which is quilted with a variety of submerged aquatic vegetation. This area yielded nine largemouth bass. Two were caught on the Slim SwimZ rig with a swimming presentation in four to six feet of water. Seven were caught on the GrubZ rig; one was caught on the initial drop in four feet of water; six were caught on a swim-and-slight-pause presentation in four to six feet of water.  

The steeper section of the second shoreline was fruitless.

In short, we were puzzled once again about what is going with the largemouth bass in northeastern Kansas’ community and state reservoirs that we have fished this spring. This bizarre phenomenon is also puzzling many of our finesse-fishing, power-fishing, and forward-facing-sonar friends. 

 May 14

 Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his May 14 outing with Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas.  

 Here is an edited version of his log. 

 This time of May is pleasant in north-central Texas. The mornings aren’t too cold, and the afternoons aren’t too hot. But we have seen more than 12 inches of rain so far this spring, which makes it the third wettest spring on record.  

 Norman and I decided to take advantage of the mild-mannered weather and travelled to a popular federal hill-land reservoir in north-central Texas. 

 We fished this reservoir on May 3, and the fishing was what we consider to be above average. We crossed paths with 12 largemouth bass and 10 spotted bass in five hours. 

 In-Fisherman's Solunar calendar noted that fishing would be poor on May 14, and the most productive fishing periods would most likely occur from 4:50 a.m. to 6:50 a.m., 5:14 a.m. to 7:14 a.m., and 11:10 p.m. to 1:10 a.m. 

 We fished from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

 The sky was cloudless and exhibited a pale powder-blue hue. The morning’s low temperature was 57 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature reached 84 degrees. The wind angled out of the northwest at 10 to 15 mph. The barometric pressure measured 29.83 at 8:00 a.m. and fell slightly to 29.82 by 2:00 p.m.

 The water temperature ranged from 72 degrees at the dam in the lower end of the reservoir to 74 degrees in the back end of a major feeder-creek arm in the midsection of the east tributary arm. The water level was 3.76 feet above normal pool, and we discovered that one of the boat ramps in a feeder-creek arm was closed because of the high water. The water displayed three feet of clarity.

 We concentrated our efforts in the reservoir’s lower and middle regions, where the majority of its submerged terrain is composed of red clay, small gravel, chunk rocks, and countless numbers of large boulders. 

 During this six-hour endeavor, we fished a variety of locales inside four feeder-creek arms and portions of the dam. Three of the creek arms are situated in the lower section of the east tributary arm, and one is located in the lower portion of the west tributary arm.  

 We began fishing inside a minor creek arm in the lower portion of the east tributary where we launched the boat. After launching the boat, we immediately deployed the trolling motor and dissected a 30-yard stretch of a riprap-covered shoreline that is situated a few yards from the boat ramp on the south side of the creek arm and its adjacent main-lake point. There are thick patches of Eurasian milfoil occupying the shallow-water areas near the shoreline and main-lake point. The milfoil patches near the riprap shoreline surrendered one spotted bass that was caught in four feet of water with a swimming retrieve with a three-inch Z-Man’s Bad Shad Slim SwimZ affixed on an unpainted 3/32-ounce mushroom-style jig. The main-lake point was unproductive. 

 Inside the second feeder-creek arm, which lies a short distance from the first one, we caught four largemouth bass and two spotted bass. 

 One largemouth bass was caught from the northeast end of an island. This island is enhanced with several large patches of Eurasian milfoil, chunky rocks, gravel, and a few scattered boulders. This largemouth bass was extracted from the top of a patch of milfoil that is situated in five feet of water. It was tempted by a slow-swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s coppertreuse Finesse TRD rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. 

 Three largemouth bass and one spotted bass were caught in three to five feet of water from a flat and rocky shoreline on the north side of the creek arm and just east of the island. This shoreline is about 75-yards long. Three of the four were enticed by a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s slam-shady Salty Ned ShrimpZ affixed on a blue 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. One was induced into striking the coppertresue Finesse TRD rig with a slow-swimming retrieve. 

 One spotted bass was caught in five feet of water around a cluster of submerged boulders along the south shoreline in the lower portion of this creek arm on the 2 1/2-inch slam-shady Salty Ned ShrimpZ combo with a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve. 

 We failed to catch any largemouth or spotted bass inside three small coves and around several rocky secondary points in the middle and upper end of this creek arm.    

 After we finished fishing the second feeder-creek arm, we travelled about two miles westward to the center section of the dam. The dam is covered with riprap. The center of the dam features a large concrete water-outlet tower with a walkway extending out to the tower from the dam. The tower is encircled by 37 to 53 feet of water. The walkway is about 30 yards long, and is supported by two concrete support columns. 

 The walls of the outlet tower relinquished one largemouth bass, one spotted bass, and one large bluegill. They were suspended five to eight feet deep below the surface of the water and within two to three feet of the tower’s walls. These three fish were caught on the slam-shady Salty Ned ShrimpZ rig. The largemouth bass and the large bluegill were caught on a swimming retrieve. The spotted bass was enticed by a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve.   

 We failed to elicit any strikes from around the two concrete support columns under the walkway.

 A 100-yard stretch of riprap that covers the dam relinquished five spotted bass and one largemouth bass.  They were scattered along the riprap in three to 13 feet of water and 10 to 25 feet from the water’s edge. All of these bass were fooled by a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch slam-shady Salty Ned ShrimpZ rig. 

 From the dam, we travelled about three miles westward to the lower section of the west tributary arm, where we ventured inside the third feeder-creek. We probed several flat secondary points and pockets that are embellished with thick stands of flooded timber and some large patches of submerged Eurasian milfoil, and we failed to garner any strikes. 

  After that, we travelled about three miles to the midsection of the east tributary arm. We fished inside a small main-lake bay that is endowed with a shallow ditch that is bordered by many yards of flooded buck brush, a couple of laydowns, and large mats of Eurasian milfoil. We dissected the outside edges, pockets, and gaps around the flooded buck brush, and across the top and sides of the submerged mats of milfoil, and we were unable to generate any strikes.  

 We finished the outing inside the fourth feeder-creek arm, which is located along the west shoreline in the middle section of the east tributary arm. This creek arm yielded four largemouth bass and one freshwater drum that were abiding around three rocky secondary points with 25- to 45-degree gradients. The first largemouth bass and the freshwater drum were caught from a secondary point near the mouth of the creek arm. The second and third bass were caught from the second point in the upper end of the creek arm, and the fourth one was caught from a point in the middle section of the creek arm. All five of these fish were abiding in three to five feet of water. The four largemouth bass were allured by a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch slam-shady Salty Ned ShrimpZ rig. The freshwater drum engulfed a Z-Man’s Junebug TRD MinnowZ rigged on a 1/16-ounce green-pumpkin-red mushroom-style jig.       

   In closing, we caught a total of 19 black bass in six hours. Ten of them were largemouth bass, and nine were spotted bass. We also inadvertently caught one freshwater drum and one large bluegill. 

 One spotted bass was caught in the first creek arm; six black bass were caught in the second creek arm, six more were caught along the riprap on the dam, and two were caught from around the water-outlet tower. The third creek arm and the main-lake bay were fruitless, but we did manage to catch four largemouth bass inside the fourth feeder-creek arm. 

 Our most effective lure was the 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s slam-shady Salty Ned ShrimpZ matched with a blue 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. 

May 15 

Bob Gum of Kansas City, Kansas, posted a brief on the Finesse News Network about his May 15 outing at a 46-year-old power-plant reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

Here is an edited version of his brief.

The nearest office of the National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 57 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 71 degrees. The wind fluctuated from being calm to angling out of the northwest, northeast, east, southeast, and south at 3 to 9 mph. The conditions of the sky varied from being foggy and misty to overcast to mostly cloudy.  The barometric pressure was 29.83 at 12:53 a.m., 29.86 at 5:53 a.m., 29.91 at 11:53 a.m., and 29. 89 at 3:53 p.m. 

The water level looked to be normal. The surface temperature warmed to 76 degrees. The water exhibited about two feet of visibility.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 5:28 a.m. to 7:28 a.m., 5:50 p.m. to 7:50 p.m., and 11:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.  

I launched my boat just before sunrise, which occurred at 6:05 a.m., and I made my last cast at 2:30 p.m.

 I spent the entire outing fishing along shorelines and points in the lower quarter of this reservoir. The bulk of the terrain is laden with riprap.

The most productive locale was along the west end of the riprap shoreline of the dam, which occurred around 1:00 p.m. 

My most effective Midwest finesse rigs were a Z-Man’s Junebug TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/20-ounce mushroom-style jig and a Z-Man’s molting-craw TRD HogZ affixed to a black 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig.

 And I caught 27 largemouth bass, six freshwater drum, four channel catfish, four crappie, and scores of green sunfish. Seven of the largemouth bass were longer than 18 inches, and an hourly average of three largemouth bass an hour. 

 These fish were allured in two to six feet of water as I was employing a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation, which allowed the rigs to gently polish the top of the riprap. 

 May 17

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, and Dave Petro of Lecompton, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their May 17 outing at a 64-year-old state reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

Here is an unedited version of their log.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 51 degrees The afternoon’s high temperature was 84 degrees. The wind fluctuated from being calm to angling out of the west and south and being variable at 3 to 9 mph. The conditions of the sky fluctuated from being foggy and misty to fair to partly cloudy to mostly cloudy to cluttered with a few clouds.  The barometric pressure was 29.80 at 12:52 a.m., 29.79 at 5:52 a.m., 29.78 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.75 at 1:52 p.m.

The water level looked to be about 1 1/2 feet above its normal level. The surface temperature was 74 degrees. The water exhibited about seven feet of visibility; it was clear enough that we saw about a dozen spawning beds, which is an unusual spectacle for anglers to see in northeastern Kansas’ reservoirs.  Vast patches of bushy pondweeds are growing along the shallow-water shorelines and across the shallow-water flats. Massive wads of filamentous algae are cluttering the surface and around the patches of submerged aquatic vegetation and emergent aquatic vegetation. 

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 6:49 a.m. to 8:49 a.m., 7:09 p.m. to 9:09 p.m., and 12:39 a.m. to 2:39 a.m.

 I hopped into Dave’s boat at 10:30 a.m., and we made our first casts at 10:33 a.m. I made my last one at 1:31 p.m. By that time, we had caught 36 largemouth bass, 22 green sunfish, and one crappie. 

Two of the 36 largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s PB&J TRD HogZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Three largemouth bass were caught on a 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin GrubZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. And 31 largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s Junebug TRD TicklerZ affixed to either a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead or a chartreuse 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig.

We made our first casts across the shallow-water flat and along this flat's shallow-water shorelines, which are adjacent to the boat ramp and the west end of the dam. It has about a 20- to 25-degree slope.  The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and some silt, which are endowed with untold numbers of bushy pondweeds, burgeoning eruptions of American pondweeds, and patches of coontail.   The water’s edge is lined with patches of American water willows, wads of filamentous algae, the residue of a large dock, and one pile of brush. We caught one largemouth bass on the green-pumpkin GrubZ rig with a slow swimming presentation around a large wad of filamentous algae and bushy pondweeds in about six feet of water. The rest of this flat and its entire shorelines were fruitless. 

Sixteen largemouth bass were caught along the dam. It possesses a 35- to 75-degree slope. It is about 400 yards long. It usually takes more than an hour to thoroughly dissect it, and we spent an hour and 11 minutes fishing it on this outing. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally interlaced with wads of filamentous algae and minor patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. The water’s edge is endowed with three patches of American water willows, a few piles of brush, and several logs. Two of the sixteen largemouth bass were caught on the TRD HogZ rig; one was caught as we were strolling and employing a drag-and-pause presentation in about seven feet of water; the second one was caught on the initial drop in about four feet of water adjacent to a wad of filamentous algae. The others were caught on our Junebug TRD TicklerZ rigs; a few were caught on the initial drop; a few more were caught on a drag-and-pause presentation; most were caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation. They were caught in water as shallow as two feet and as deep as three feet. 

Along the shallow-water flat and shallow-water shoreline of the spillway that is immediately adjacent to the east end of the dam, we caught two largemouth bass. This area possesses a 25- to 35-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are coated with wads of filamentous algae, patches of submerged aquatic vegetation, and a few man-made brush piles. The water’s edge is adorned with patches of American water willows, a dock, a riprap jetty, and a boat ramp. The two largemouth bass were caught on our Junebug TRD TicklerZ rigs with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about four to five feet of water.

We fished around two main-lake points. They possess a 20- to 25-degree slope.  Their underwater terrains consist of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are coated with wads of filamentous algae, patches of various kinds of submerged aquatic vegetation, and some manmade piles of brush. Each point yielded two largemouth bass; two of them were caught on the GrubZ rig with a slow swimming presentation in about five feet of water; the other two were caught on our Junebug TRD TicklerZ rigs with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about five feet of water.

Along about a 75-yard stretch of the flat shoreline immediately adjacent to one of these points, we caught two largemouth bass. Its underwater terrains consist of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are coated with wads of filamentous algae, patches of bushy pondweeds, and several man-made piles of brush. The shoreline is adorned with some shallow-water patches of American water willows. The Junebug TRD TicklerZ rig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation allured these two largemouth bass in four to six feet of water.

And along about a 100-yard stretch of the flat shoreline immediately adjacent to the other point, we caught two more largemouth bass. It has the same slope, underwater terrain, and vegetation as the other shoreline. And these two largemouth bass were caught on the Junebug TRD TicklerZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation; one was abiding in one of the piles of brush in about four feet of water; the other one was in the vicinity of a wad of filamentous and bushy pondweeds in about three feet of water.

During the final 30 minutes of this outing, we caught nine largemouth bass across a massive shallow-water flat in the back of a primary feeder-creek arm. This flat looks to be the size of five or six football fields. Its depth ranges from water as shallow as a foot to as deep as nine feet. The underwater terrain of this flat is embellished with substantial patches of coontail, sago pondweeds, and bushy pondweeds. It is also cluttered with numerous manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees and countless wads of filamentous algae.  The tops of some of the bushy pondweeds are floating on the water’s surface. A submerged creek channel meanders around the western side of this flat. All nine of the largemouth bass were caught on our Junebug TRD TicklerZ rigs; two were caught on the initial drop; the other seven were caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in five to nine feet of water.

In short, we caught an average of 12 largemouth bass an hour. 

After I hopped out of Dave’s boat, he fished for another 65 minutes and caught 10 largemouth bass inside another primary feeder-creek arm.  One was caught around a riprap jetty in 11 feet of water, and nine were caught on a shallow-water flat in 3 ½ to nine feet of water.  All 10 of them were caught on the Junebug TRD TicklerZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation. 

 May 17

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his May 17 outing with John Thomas of Denton. 

Here is an edited version of his log. 

John and I were in a predicament about where we would fish on May 17. Three of the federal reservoirs that we regularly fish in north-central Texas are muddy and in flood stage. Two of them have boat ramps that are closed. What’s more, thunderstorms were in the forecast for the two state reservoirs and another federal reservoir in southern Oklahoma that we routinely fish, so we ruled them out, too. Ultimately, we opted to fish at the same federal reservoir that Norman Brown of Lewisville and I fished on May 14.    

In-Fisherman's Solunar calendar revealed that fishing would be poor on May 17, and the best fishing periods would occur between 12:47 a.m. to 2:47 a.m., 6:57 a.m. to 8:57 a.m., and 7:16 p.m. to 9:16 p.m. 

We were afloat from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and the black-bass fishing was tediously slow.

The sky conditions changed from partly cloudy to mostly cloudy as the day progressed. The morning’s low temperature was 59 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature reached 89 degrees. A light breeze meandered out of the northwest at 5 to 10 mph. The barometric pressure measured 29.76 at 9:00 a.m. and 29.72 at 4:00 p.m.

The water has been muddy in the upper end of this reservoir for several weeks, and we didn’t venture into that area. Instead, we elected to stay in the reservoir’s lower and middle sections. In those two areas, the water was murkier than it was on May 14 and displayed about two feet of clarity. The water temperature varied from 72 to 75 degrees. The water level has risen a tad from 3.76 feet above normal on May 14 to 3.84 feet above normal on May 17. We attributed the rise of the water level and the murky water condition to several thunderstorms that rolled through north-central Texas on May 15 and 16. (We also observed some storm damage to several covered boat docks at a marina in the lower end of the reservoir.) 

When we arrived at the boat ramp at about 9:00 a.m., we were surprised to find that the parking lot was about 80 percent full of tow vehicles and boat trailers, and there was a waiting line at the boat ramp. There was also a waiting line to trailer our boat at the end of the outing, which is very unusual at this reservoir.  We were later informed by a tournament angler that a bass tournament was scheduled at this reservoir on May 18.  

This reservoir’s underwater terrain consists of red clay, small gravel, chunky rocks, and large boulders. There are also many acres of flooded timber, submerged stumps, brush piles, stickups, and numerous submerged patches of Eurasian milfoil and hydrilla.  

During this 6 1/2-hour endeavor, we fished at the entrances and interiors of two feeder-creek arms, a 35-yard section of a main-lake shoreline, and portions of the dam. One creek arm is situated in the lower section of the east tributary arm, and the other creek arm and main-lake shoreline are located in the lower portion of the west tributary arm.  

We failed to elicit any strikes along the main-lake shoreline, which is flat and rock-laden.

At one entry point and several areas inside a major feeder-creek arm in the lower portion of the west tributary arm, we caught 10 largemouth bass and four spotted bass that were abiding in five to 13 feet of water. 

One largemouth bass was caught from a flat and rocky entry point; two were caught from the side of a submerged gravel-and-clay levee near the entrance of the creek arm; three were caught from a steep and rocky shoreline on the east side and in the middle section of the creek arm; eight were caught around the vestiges of an old stock-pond dam and patches of Eurasian milfoil at the lower end of the east shoreline. 

Ten of these 14 black bass were allured by a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s slam-shady Salty Ned ShrimpZ rigged on a blue 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. The other four black bass were beguiled by a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s Salty Ned ShrimpZ in the opening-night hue, which was affixed on a blue 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.   

Inside the second feeder-creek arm, which is situated in the lower portion of the east tributary arm, we caught four largemouth bass.  They were caught in six to 10 feet of water from the top of a couple of large offshore patches of Eurasian milfoil in the middle section of the creek arm. Three were caught on the slam-shady Salty Ned ShrimpZ rig, and one was enticed by the opening-night Salty Ned ShrimpZ combo. Both of these rigs were employed with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation.      

The riprap that covers the center and west portions of the dam relinquished only one spotted bass that was related to the submerged riprap in five feet of water on the west end of the dam. 

It was inveigled by a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with the slam-shady Salty Ned ShrimpZ rig. We took a moment to look at the gullet of this bass to see if we could tell what it was foraging on, and we could see the antennae of a crawfish protruding from its gullet.

The center of the dam, which features a large concrete water outlet tower and is encircled by 37 to 53 feet of water, failed to yield a largemouth bass or a spotted bass. 

In conclusion, we caught 19 black bass in 6 1/2 hours. Fifteen of them were largemouth bass and four were spotted bass. We also inadvertently caught two channel catfish, one freshwater drum, one white bass, and one large bluegill on these same two Salty Ned ShrimpZ rigs and swim-glide-and-shake retrieve. We also utilized 11 other Midwest finesse rigs during this outing, and they were ineffective.

 May 21 

 Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his May 21 outing with Marcus Coxol of Denton.

Here is an edited version of his log. 

Marcus is an ardent crappie fisherman and has never been bass fishing. We thought it would be fun to go after some smallmouth bass at a picturesque federal hill-land reservoir in southern Oklahoma for his inaugural black bass and Midwest finesse excursion.

We got our first taste of summer on May 21. It was humid. The sky was mostly overcast with brief spells of sunshine. The morning’s low temperature was 78 degrees, and the afternoon’s high soared to 96 degrees. The barometric pressure measured 29.74 at 8:00 a.m. and 29.71 at 2:00 p.m. The wind was problematic and wailed out of the south and southwest at 25 to 35 mph.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar forecasted great fishing on May 21. It also noted that the most productive fishing periods would occur from 3:07 a.m. to 5:07 a.m., 9:19 a.m. to 11:19 a.m., and 9:41 p.m. to 11:41 p.m. 

We were afloat from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The last time I fished at this reservoir was on May 10 with my sister, Debbie Foushee, of Guntersville, Alabama. Debbie and I targeted rocky main-lake points and one offshore hump in the lower end of the reservoir and reveled in catching 44 smallmouth bass and three green sunfish in four hours. 

The water exhibited seven feet of clarity. The water level appeared to be about five feet above normal on May 21, which was a couple of feet higher than it was on May 10. The surface temperature was also warmer, and it measured 74 to 75 degrees.

During this May 21 excursion, we started the outing in the lower end of the reservoir and investigated several secondary points and flats in the middle and lower regions of a major feeder-creek arm where we launched the boat, and we failed to elicit any strikes. 

We then moved out to the main-lake basin, and we dissected two offshore humps, four main-lake points, and five main-lake shorelines, and we caught 32 smallmouth bass, two largemouth bass, and we accidentally caught two green sunfish. One of the smallmouth bass and a largemouth bass were caught simultaneously. All of these fish were caught in three to nine feet of water and were associated with clusters of large boulders. The main-lake points and main-lake shorelines that were flat and wind-blown were much more fruitful than steeper ones and those areas protected from the wind. 

 Five of the 34 black bass were caught around the four main-lake points; eight were caught from the two offshore humps; and 21 were caught along the five main-lake shorelines.  

We also probed a 100-yard section of a long bluff shoreline inside another major feeder-creek arm in the lower end of the reservoir, and it yielded only one green sunfish. 

In sum, 18 of these 34 black bass were enticed by a swimming retrieve with a three-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ matched with a black 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Nine were allured by a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. It was a struggle to wield a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s watermelon-red Salty Ned ShrimpZ rigged on a black 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead in the robust wind with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation, and it enticed seven black bass. 

And as we were driving home, Marcus and I discussed this outing. He informed me that this was the most fish he had ever caught in an outing. 

May 22

Ned Kehde and grandson Gabe Bonanno of Brooklyn, New York, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their outing at an 85-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas on May 22. 

Here is an edited version of their log.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 51 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 78 degrees. The wind fluctuated from being calm to variable to angling out of the north, southeast, south, and east at 3 to 7 mph.  The conditions of the sky oscillated from being mostly fair to raining lightly to overcast to mostly cloudy. The barometric pressure was 29.96 at 12:52 a.m., 29.95 at 5:52 a.m., 29.926 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.88 at 4:52 p.m.  

The water level looked to be about a foot above normal. The surface temperature ranged from 78 to 79 degrees. Our nine-foot dipstick revealed that the water clarity ranged from about 1 ½ feet in the back half of one primary feeder-creek arm to about 4 1/2 feet in the vicinity of the dam. 

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 9:54 a.m. to 11:54 a.m., 10:18 p.m. to 12:18 a.m., and 3:42 a.m. to 5:42 a.m. 

We made our first casts at 2:02 p.m. and our last ones at 5:01 p.m. During this nearly three-hour outing, we caught 31 largemouth bass and one smallmouth bass, and accidentally caught 21 green sunfish, four crappie, three bluegill, and one redear sunfish.

The shortened TRD TicklerZ rig is at the top. The 3 1/4-inch Finesse WormZ rig is at the bottom.

 The smallmouth bass was caught on a 3 1/4-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.  Five of the 30 largemouth bass were caught on a shortened Z-Man’s Junebug TRD TicklerZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Twenty-five largemouth bass were caught on the 3 1/4-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.  

We caught one smallmouth bass and 13 largemouth bass along the rock- and boulder-laden shoreline of the dam. It possesses about a 50-degree slope. Its water’s edge is endowed with many patches of American water willows, a riprap jetty that supports an outlet tower, a few logs, and some small piles of limbs and branches. There are a few submerged eastern cedar trees and meager patches of submerged aquatic vegetation enhancing the underwater terrain.  One largemouth bass was caught on the TRD TicklerZ rig while strolling and employing a drag-and-pause presentation in about eight feet of water. The smallmouth bass and 12 largemouth bass were caught on the Finesse WormZ rig in three to about nine feet of water. Two were caught on a deadstick presentation. Three were caught on the initial drop. Three were caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation. Five were caught on either a drag-and-shake presentation or a drag-and-pause-and-shake presentation. 

We quickly fished along short potions of five shorelines inside three feeder-creek arms that failed to yield a largemouth bass.

Along about a half-of-a-mile stretch of a main-lake shoreline, which encompasses five main-lake points and two tertiary points, we caught 17 largemouth bass. These points and the shoreline possess a 25- to 50-degree slope. The sections with the steeper slopes were slightly more fruitful than the ones with the gentler slopes. The water’s edges are regularly endowed with many patches of American water willows, a few laydowns, and a limited number of overhanging trees. The underwater terrains consist of gravel, rocks, and occasional boulders, which are sporadically coated with patches of Eurasian milfoil and bushy pondweeds. 

Four of the 17 largemouth bass were caught on the TRD TicklerZ rig, and thirteen were caught on the shortened Finesse WormZ rig.  

Three of the five main-lake points yielded a largemouth bass. One of the tertiary points yielded one largemouth bass. The other 13 largemouth bass were caught along the main-lake shoreline in the vicinity of the patches of American water willows. 

Four of the 17 were caught on the initial drop of our rigs in about 3 ½ to five feet of water. The others were caught as we employed either a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation or a drag-and-shake presentation in about four to 10 feet of water. 

 In short, we caught an average of 10 black bass an hour, and we accidentally caught an average of nine panfish an hour. It is interesting to note that the last time that our grandson Gabe fished this reservoir with me occurred on April 23, 2014. On that outing, we were accompanied by his brother-in-law, Tyler Sova of Lawrence, and we caught 101 largemouth bass in four hours and 20 minutes. The splendor of the largemouth bass fishing at this reservoir has declined dramatically since then. In our eyes, some of this decline revolves around the demise of submerged aquatic vegetation and the many applications of aquatic and terrestrial herbicides that have been applied to the water and around its terrestrial landscapes. What’s more, some of the patches of American water willows that once adorned some of the shorelines have been destroyed.

May 28

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, and Rick Hebenstreit of Shawnee, Kansas, posted a log about their outing at an 82-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas on May 28.

 Here is an edited version of this log.

 The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 57 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 82 degrees. The wind was calm for eight hours, and at other hours, it angled out of the west, north, south, and northwest at 3 to 13 mph; a 20-mph gust erupted around 2:54 p.m. The condition of the sky was fair. The barometric pressure was 30.05 at 12:54 a.m., 30.10 at 5:54 a.m., 30.15 at 11:54 a.m., and 30.11 at 2:54 p.m.

 This reservoir was bushwhacked by a tornado on May 19.  The water level looked to be about a foot above normal. The surface temperature ranged from 78 to 79 degrees. According to our push pole, which we call our Secchi stick, the water exhibited from two to four feet of visibility. Significant wads of filamentous algae littered many of the shallow-water shorelines, and some of these wads encapsulated the patches of coontail, bushy pondweeds, and American water willows.

 In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 3:16 a.m. to 5:16 a.m., 3:44 p.m. to 5:44 p.m., and 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. 

 We made our first casts at 10:33 a.m. and executed our last ones at 2:33 p.m. 

 During this four-hour outing, we caught four smallmouth bass and 30 largemouth bass, and we accidentally tangled with one channel catfish, two warmouth, two green sunfish, and five bluegill.

 One smallmouth bass and four largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-goby Finesse TRD rigged on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce mushroom-style jig.  Nine largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse ShadZ affixed to either a chartreuse or a red mushroom-style jig.   Three smallmouth bass and 16 largemouth bass were caught on a 3 ¼-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.   

Inside a small feeder-creek arm, we caught seven largemouth bass. This feeder creek is located in the middle section of the reservoir. The shorelines inside this feeder-creek arm are cluttered with 12 large docks, one concrete retaining wall, and two concrete boat ramps. These shorelines possess a 25- to 45-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, and portions of this terrain are quilted with patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds, which are often surrounded with wads of filamentous algae. These largemouth bass were caught many feet from the water’s edge. One of the largemouth bass was caught on the Finesse TRD rig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about five to six feet of water around some patches of coontail and wads of filamentous algae. Three were caught on the Finesse ShadZ rig; one was caught as we were quickly strolling along the outside edge of one of the docks in about 12 feet of water; two were caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation around patches of coontail and wads of filamentous algae in about seven to eight feet of water. Three were caught on the Finesse WormZ rig; one was caught on the initial drop in about eight feet of water along the outside edge of a patch of coontail; the second one was caught on the initial drop around a wad of filamentous algae and a patch of coontail in about six feet of water; the third one was caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about seven feet of water around patches of coontail and wads of filamentous algae.  

Around a main-lake point at the mouth of this small feeder-creek arm, we caught two largemouth bass. This point has a 25-degree slope.  Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders that are somewhat quilted with patches of coontail and wads of filamentous algae. One largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the Finesse WormZ rig in about six feet of water. The second one was caught on the Finesse Shadz rig with a drag-and-shake presentation in six to seven feet of water. And they were caught many feet from the water’s edge.

 Around the other main-lake point at the mouth of this small feeder-creek arm, we caught two largemouth bass. It possesses a 35-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders that are occasionally enhanced with patches of coontail, bushy pondweeds, and wads of filamentous algae. The water’s edge is lined with patches of American water willows and wads of filamentous algae. The two largemouth bass were caught on the Finesse ShadZ rig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation around patches of submerged aquatic vegetation in about seven feet of water and many yards from the outside edges of the patches of American water willows.

 Along the main-lake shoreline that is adjacent to this main-lake point, we caught six largemouth bass. This shoreline looks to be about 400 yards long. It possesses a 15- to 40-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders; some of the boulders are humongous. The water’s edge is frequently endowed with thick patches of American water willows, which are interwoven with filamentous algae, bushy pondweeds, and coontail. Two of the six largemouth bass were caught on the Finesse ShadZ rig; one was caught on the initial drop around a boulder and along the inside edge of a patch of coontail in about four feet of water; the second one was caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about six feet of water around a patch of coontail, bushy pondweeds, and filamentous algae. Four of the six were caught on the Finesse WormZ rig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation around the patches of submerged aquatic vegetation in four to six feet of water.

 Around the main-lake at the end of this main-lake shoreline, we caught three largemouth bass. This point has a 30-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, which are moderately enhanced with patches of coontail, bushy pondweeds, and filamentous algae. The initial drop of the Finesse ShadZ rig caught one of the largemouth bass along the inside edge of a patch of submerged vegetation in three to four feet of water. The Finesse WormZ rig caught two largemouth bass near the outside edge of the patches of submerged aquatic vegetation with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

 Across an offshore hump and shallow-water flat inside a medium-size feeder-creek arm in the middle section of this reservoir, we caught one largemouth bass. The underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, which are scantily clad with some submerged aquatic vegetation. This largemouth bass was caught on a drag-and-pause presentation with the Finesse WormZ rig  in four to five feet of water.

 On a main-lake shallow-water flat in the middle section of this reservoir, we caught two largemouth bass. This flat is about the size of three football fields. Its underwater terrain is comprised of gravel and rocks, and there is an area about the size of two tennis courts that is enhanced with meager patches of bushy pondweeds. One largemouth bass was caught on the Finesse ShadZ rig with a dragging presentation in five to six feet of water around the patches of bushy pondweeds. The Finesse WormZ rig caught the second largemouth bass around these bushy pondweeds with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in five to six feet of water.

 Around a main-lake point at the mouth of a large feeder creek in the upper half of this reservoir, we caught one smallmouth bass and one largemouth bass. This area possesses a 30- to 40-degree slope, and the underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders that are dressed with a few patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. The water’s edge is cluttered with several laydowns, some overhanging trees and terrestrial vegetation, and a few patches of American water willows. The largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the Finesse WormZ rig in about four feet of water in the vicinity of an overhanging tree in about four feet of water.  The smallmouth bass was caught as we were strolling and employing a drag-and-shake presentation in about seven feet of water in the vicinity of some patches of submerged aquatic vegetation.

 Around the other main-lake point at the mouth of this large feeder-creek arm and along about a 250-yard stretch of this main-lake point’s main-lake shoreline, we caught four largemouth bass and three smallmouth bass. The underwater terrains of this area consist of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are coated with a few minor patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. The water’s edge is endowed with patches of American water willows, some laydowns, a few piles of brush, and many overhanging trees and terrestrial vegetation. Two of the four largemouth bass were caught on the Finesse WormZ rig; one was caught as we were strolling and employing a drag-and-subtle-shake presentation in about six feet of water around a patch of submerged aquatic vegetation; the second one was caught on the initial drop in the vicinity of a patch of American water willows in about four feet of water. The other two largemouth bass were caught around the boulders that grace a tertiary point on a dragging presentation with the Finesse TRD rig. One of the three smallmouth bass was caught with the Finesse TRD rig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about six feet of water. Two of the three smallmouth bass were caught on the Finesse WormZ rig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in five to six feet of water.

 Along about a 500-yard stretch of a main-lake shoreline in the upper half of the reservoir, it was a struggle to catch three largemouth bass. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Some of the boulders are gargantuan. And a few meager patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds enhance some of the boulders. The water’s edge is adorned with a few patches of American water willows, untold numbers of overhanging trees, and scores of laydowns. One of the three largemouth bass was caught on the Finesse WormZ rig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about five feet of water near a patch of American water willows and some minor patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. The Finesse TRD rig caught two of the three largemouth bass, and they were caught in the vicinity of some of the overhanging trees; one was caught on the initial drop in about 3 ½ feet of water; the second one was caught on a dragging presentation in about five feet of water.

In short, we caught an average of 8.5 black bass an hour. When we include the one channel catfish, two warmouth, two green sunfish, and five bluegill, our hourly catch rate is 11 fish per hour. But we made oodles of casts and retrieves that were fruitless. During the first 149 days of 2024, we have had a difficult time locating and catching substantial numbers of largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. Consequently, we haven't come close to catching 101 largemouth bass or smallmouth bass in four hours, which is our coveted goal.