Midwest Finesse Fishing: October 2024

Oct. 2

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his outing on Oct. 2 with Pok Chi Lau of Lawrence at a 64-year-old and heavily fished state reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 36 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 79 degrees. The wind was calm until 8:52 a.m., and then it angled out of the southeast and south at 5 to 22 mph. The sky was fair.  The barometric pressure was 30.19 at 12:52 a.m., 30.14 at 5:52 a.m., 30:06 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.94 at 1:52 p.m.

The water level looked to be a few inches below normal. The surface temperature was 70 degrees. The water exhibited 1 1/2 to four feet of visibility. Many shallow-water segments of this reservoir were afflicted with a lot of discolored water, and it has been this way for many weeks.  We suspect that the discolored water has played a role in the disappearance of many of the vast patches of American pondweeds and coontail that used to grace this reservoir’s underwater terrains.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 10:29 a.m. to 12:29 p.m., 10:48 p.m. to 12:48 a.m., and 4:19 a.m. to 6:19 a.m.

I haven’t fished since Sept. 17. I spent those 14 days helping my wife, Patty, recover from the uncommon surgery she endured on Sept. 18 and 19. We suspect it will take about another 26 days before she is completely back to normal. Therefore, it is unlikely we will be afloat as often as we usually are during October. 

On this Oct. 2 outing, Pok Chi and I made our first casts at 11:20 a.m. and our last ones at 1:20 p.m. During this two-hour outing, it seemed as if we were largemouth bass fishing for crappie. Consequently, we caught 17 crappie as we tangled with 25 largemouth bass and one bluegill.

One of the 25 largemouth bass and one of the 17 crappie were caught on a 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s pearl GrubZ affixed to a 1/15-ounce chartreuse Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. One largemouth bass was caught on a Z-Man's green-pumpkin Finesse ShadZ on a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. The other fish were caught on radically shortened seven-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZs affixed to a 1/15-ounce chartreuse Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ. The length of our Finesse WormZ rigs ranged from 2 ½ to three inches.

This is the 2 ½-inch Junebug Finesse WormZ rig.

All of the 17 crappie and 16 of the largemouth bass were caught across several sections of a gigantic shallow-water flat in the back of one of this reservoir’s major feeder-creek arms. This flat is the size of many football fields. It is graced with hundreds of patches of bushy pondweeds, coontail, sago pondweeds, and numerous manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. (These are the only substantial patches of submerged aquatic vegetation that enhance this reservoir's many shallow-water flats and shorelines. Nowadays, most of this reservoir's shallow-water flats and shorelines are nearly devoid of coontail and other kinds of submerged aquatic vegetation.) A submerged creek channel twists and turns along portions of the western, southern, and northern edges of this flat. Its shorelines are endowed with patches of American water willows and American pondweeds: some scanty patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds are intertwined with the American water willows and American pondweeds. One of the 17 crappie and one of the 16 largemouth bass were caught on the pearl GrubZ rig with a swim-and-slight-pause presentation in the vicinity of patches of coontail and several piles of eastern red cedar trees in about four to six feet of water. One largemouth bass was allured by the green-pumpkin Finesse ShadZ with a swimming presentation in about six feet of water around the outside edge of a patch of coontail. The other 16 crappie and 15 largemouth bass were caught on our Junebug Finesse WormZ rigs on either the initial drop or a swim-and-slight-pause presentation in four to seven feet of water around and over patches of coontail or piles of eastern red cedar trees.

Two largemouth bass were caught along a 175-yard stretch of a shallow-water shoreline that is adjacent to this shallow-water flat. It has a 25-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and silt, which are embellished with a few scanty patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds and some manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. The water’s edge is adorned with some shallow-water patches of American water willows, American pondweeds, and a few meager laydowns. The Junebug Finesse WormZ rig with a drag-and-pause presentation in about four feet of water inveigled the two largemouth bass.

One largemouth bass was caught around a flat main-lake point at the mouth of this primary feeder-creek arm. It possesses a 25-degree slope. It is enhanced with some very small patches of bushy pondweeds, several manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees, and a skimpy patch of American pondweeds. The Junebug Finesse WormZ rig with a drag-and-pause presentation around the outside edge of a patch of American pondweeds in about three feet of water allured this largemouth bass.

We eked out five largemouth bass along one of the shorelines inside a medium-sized feeder-creek arm. This shoreline possesses a 20- to 30-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of silt, gravel, and rocks, which are occasionally embellished with many manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees and scanty patches of bushy pondweeds and coontail. The water’s edge is lined with many shallow-water patches of American water willows and a few areas of American pondweeds. Our Junebug Finesse WormZ rigs with either a swimming presentation or swim-and-pause presentation caught the five largemouth bass in three to about four feet of water.

Around a main-lake point at the mouth of this medium-sized feeder-creek point, we caught largemouth bass number 25. This point has a 25-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks; some of it is enhanced with a few scrawny patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. This largemouth bass was caught on a deadstick presentation with the Junebug Finesse WormZ rig in about four feet of water.

Oct. 7

Ned Kehde and Greg Cooper of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their Oct. 7 outing at an 84-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas. 

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 50 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 71 degrees. One nearby NWS office reported that its morning’s low temperature was 36 degrees, and another office reported that the low was 42 degrees. The sky was fair. The wind was calm and variable at times, and at other times, it angled out of the north, east, northeast, and southeast at 3 to 7 mph. The barometric pressure was 30.22 at 12:53 a.m., 30:26 at 5:53 a.m., 30:24 at 11:53 a.m., and 30.16 at 2:53 p.m.

The water level looked to be about 12 inches below normal. The surface temperature was 70 degrees. The water exhibited from four to seven feet of visibility. Some of the shallow-water shorelines, shallow offshore humps, and shallow-water flats are coated with extensive wads of filamentous algae and a few patches of bushy pondweeds and coontail, but most of this reservoir’s submerged aquatic vegetation has been destroyed by schools of grass carp. On this outing, we noticed a portion of a large shallow-water flat in the backend of the primary feeder-creek arm was besieged with untold numbers of grass carp.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 1:57 a.m. to 3:57 a.m., 2:23 p.m. to 4:23 p.m., and 8:10 a.m. to 10.10 a.m.

We made our first casts at 11:20 a.m. and our last casts at 2:44 p.m.  We caught 43 largemouth bass, three green sunfish and one bluegill.

We caught these fish on six Midwest finesse rigs. One of the 43 largemouth bass was caught on a 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s pearl GrubZ affixed to a chartreuse 1 /15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Two were caught on a Z-Man’s Canada-craw TRD CrawZ affixed to a green-pumpkin 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Five were caught on a radically shortened seven-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ affixed to a chartreuse 1 /15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Five largemouth bass were caught on a shortened 4 1/2-inch Z-Man’s purple-haze Finesse WormZ affixed to a baby blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Eleven largemouth bass were caught on a shortened Z-Man’s coppertreuse Finesse TRD affixed to either a chartreuse or a green-pumpkin 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Nineteen were caught on a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse ShadZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead.

This is the green-pumpkin Finesse ShadZ rig, which was our most effective Midwest finesse rig.

We caught six largemouth bass along the shoreline of this reservoir’s 1,550-foot dam. The dam has a height of 58 feet with a 45- to 50-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally coated with some wads of filamentous algae and a few bits and pieces of coontail and bushy pondweeds. The water’s edge contains a concrete water outlet tower and a few meager patches of American water willows.  One largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the Finesse TRD rig in about three feet of water. Five were caught on the Finesse ShadZ rig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in four to about seven feet of water.

We caught three largemouth bass along about a 100-yard stretch of one of the shorelines immediately adjacent to the dam. This shoreline has a 35- to 45-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and gravel that are occasionally coated with filamentous algae, bushy pondweeds, and coontail. The water’s edge is endowed with patches of American water willows and four docks. Our Finesse ShadZ rig inveigled the three largemouth bass with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation around patches of submerged aquatic vegetation in about five feet of water.

We caught eight largemouth bass around and across an offshore and boulder-laden hump and its adjacent ledge. This hump lies around a main-lake point in the lower half of this reservoir. It is about the size of three tennis courts. Four docks float above some of the shallow-water segments of this hump and its ledge. There are some wads of submerged aquatic vegetation gracing the hump and ledge. The combination of the hump and ledge is about 150 yards long. Four of the eight largemouth bass were caught on the Finesse TRD rig. The other four were caught on the Junebug Finesse WormZ rig. One was caught on the initial drop in about three feet of water. Three were caught on a drag-and-pause presentation in four to six feet of water. Four were caught on a slow swim-and-pause presentation in four to seven feet of water.  

On another main-lake hump in the lower half of this reservoir, we eked out three largemouth bass. The hump is about the size of five tennis courts. Its underwater terrain is endowed with gravel, rocks, and boulders that are occasionally embellished with wads of filamentous and some patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds. Two of the largemouth bass were caught on the Finesse ShadZ rig with a drag-and-pause presentation while strolling in about eight feet of water around a patch of submerged aquatic vegetation. The third largemouth bass was caught on the Finesse TRD rig with a drag-and-shake presentation in about four feet of water around wads of filamentous algae.

Along about a 75- to 100-yard stretch of a main-lake shoreline in the middle section of this reservoir, it was a struggle to catch one largemouth bass. This shoreline possesses a 30- to 35-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Some of the boulders are humongous.

Wads of filamentous algae and patches of bushy pondweeds and coontail graced portions of the underwater terrain. The water’s edge has seven docks, several patches of American water willows, and some overhanging trees. The initial drop of the Finesse TRD rig allured the largemouth bass in about seven feet of water along the outside edge of one of the docks.

We caught four largemouth bass along about a 300-yard stretch of a main-lake shoreline in the upper half of this reservoir. It has a 30-to 60-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Meager patches of bushy pondweeds and coontail decorate segments of the underwater terrain. The shoreline is lined with several concrete and boulder retaining walls, three overhanging trees, and nine docks. It is endowed with two shallow-water coves and three main-lake points.  One largemouth bass was caught adjacent to one of the docks on the initial drop of the Finesse TRD rig. The purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig allured three largemouth bass; one was caught on the initial drop in about five feet of water in the front of a dock, and two were caught on swim-glide-and-shake presentations in five to eight feet of water.

Along about a 400-yard stretch of a shoreline in the upper half of the reservoir, we caught 13 largemouth bass. The underwater terrains of this shoreline consist of gravel, rocks, boulders, and some silt. It is adorned with some patches of bushy pondweeds, filamentous algae, and coontail. These areas possess a 25- to 60-degree slope. The water’s edges consist of several concrete retaining walls, nine docks, one small rock bridge, some riprap, a few laydowns, several piles of brush, some patches of American water willows, several overhanging trees, and one flotilla of duckweeds that are intertwined with wads of filamentous algae. One of the 13 largemouth bass was caught on the Finesse TRD rig with a drag-and-shake presentation in five to six feet of water. Two were caught on the TRD CrawZ rig; one was caught on the initial drop of the TRD CrawZ rig in about three feet of water around a pile of rocks and some aquatic vegetation; the second one was caught on the TRD CrawZ rig with a drag-and-shake presentation in about five feet of water adjacent to a dock. Two were caught on the purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig; one was on the initial drop along the outside edge of one of the docks in about 13 feet of water; the second one was caught a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about six feet of water. Eight largemouth bass were caught on the Finesse ShadZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation.  

Along two small sections of two shorelines that border a massive shallow-water flat in the back of the reservoir’s primary feeder-creek arm, we caught five largemouth bass. The underwater terrain consists of silt, gravel, and rocks. This terrain is adorned with wads of filamentous algae and intermittent patches of bushy pondweeds and coontail. Most of this terrain has been ravished by scores of grass carp. The water’s edge is enhanced with patches of American water willows, a few overhanging trees, some duckweeds, one dock, and a couple of meager piles of brush. One largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the Junebug Finesse WormZ rig by the outside edge of a patch of American water willows in about two feet of water. One largemouth bass was caught on the GrubZ rig with a swim-and-pause presentation around some wads of filamentous algae in three feet of water. One was caught on the Finesse ShadZ rig with a swim-glide-shake retrieve in three to four feet of water. Two were caught on the initial drop of the Finesse TRD rig in about three feet of water around patches of submerged aquatic vegetation.

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

Oct. 10

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his outing on Oct. 10 at one of the many heavily fished state reservoirs in northeastern Kansas.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 46 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 86 degrees. The wind was calm for five early morning hours, and when it stirred, it angled out of the east, southeast, and south at 3 to 13 mph. The sky was fair.  The barometric pressure was 30.07 at 12:52 a.m., 30.09 at 5:52 a.m., 30:12 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.07 at 2:52 p.m.

The water level looked to be about a foot below normal. The surface temperature ranged from 69 to 70 degrees. The water exhibited three to 4 1/2 feet of visibility. It wasn’t a heavily fished venue today; besides me, there was one bass angler in a kayak and a panfish angler in a fish-float tube.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 4:49 a.m. to 6:49 a.m., 5:17 p.m. to 7:17 p.m., and 11:03 p.m. to 1:03 a.m.

This was one of my gerontological outings, which are always short. I made my first cast at 1:00 p.m. with plans to stop fishing at 3:00 p.m. or when I caught largemouth bass number 25. I hooked largemouth bass number 25 at 3:00 p.m. and released it at 3:02 p.m. During these two hours, I also caught five crappie and two bluegill.

I spent the entire two hours fishing around and over a large shallow-water flat in the back of a primary feeder-creek arm, along about 700 yards of a shoreline inside the primary feeder-creek arm, and around a portion of a main-lake point adjacent to this shoreline.

Eight of the 25 largemouth bass were caught around three sections of the shallow-water flat. This flat is the size of many football fields. It is graced with hundreds of patches of bushy pondweeds, coontail, sago pondweeds, and numerous manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. A submerged creek channel twists and turns along portions of this flat’s western edge. Three of the eight largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse ShadZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead; one was caught on the initial drop; two were caught on a swim-and-pause presentation in four to six feet of water around patches of coontail. Five largemouth bass were caught on a radically shortened seven-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ affixed to a chartreuse 1 /15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jighead with a swim-and-pause presentation in four to seven feet of water around patches of coontail; one was caught while I was strolling and employing the swim-and-pause presentation.

Sixteen of the 25 largemouth bass were caught along this feeder creek’s shoreline. It possesses a 25- to 70-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of clay, silt, gravel, and rocks; portions of its shallow-water terrains are embellished with some patches of coontail. The water’s edge is endowed with occasional patches of shallow-water American water willows, many laydowns, a few overhanging trees, and several manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees.

Seven of the sixteen largemouth bass were caught on the green-pumpkin Finesse ShadZ rig; two were caught on the initial drop in about three feet of water; five were caught on a swim-and-pause presentation in four to eight feet of water; two were caught as I was strolling and employing the swim-and-pause presentation in eight feet of water in the submerged creek channel.

Nine of the 16 largemouth bass were caught on the Junebug Finesse WormZ rig. One was caught on a drag-and-pause presentation in about six feet of water. Two were caught on the initial drop in three to four feet of water. Six were caught on a swim-and-pause presentation around either laydowns or patches of coontail in three to six feet of water.

One of the 25 largemouth bass was caught around the main-lake point.  It has a 25-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of clay, gravel, and a few rocks; some bits and pieces of submerged aquatic vegetation enhance small segments of this terrain. The Junebug Finesse WormZ rig and a slow swim-and-pause presentation inveigled this largemouth bass around a sparse patch of submerged aquatic vegetation in about four feet of water. This was largemouth bass number 25.

In summation, I caught an average of 12.5 largemouth bass an hour. Five of those 25 were caught in the first 11 minutes of this outing, which provoked me to think and hope that I might catch 25 largemouth bass in an hour. 

Oct. 11

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, and Rick Hebenstreit of Shawnee, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their outing at a 92-year-old state reservoir in northeastern Kansas on Oct. 11.  

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 46 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 87 degrees. The wind was calm for three hours, and when it stirred, it angled out of the east, southeast, south, and southwest at 3 to 17 mph. The sky was fair. The barometric pressure was 30.10 at 12:52 a.m., 30.11 at 5:52 a.m., 30.12 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.04 at 3:52 p.m.  

The water level looked to be slightly more than a foot low. The surface temperature ranged from 69 to 71 degrees. According to our nine-foot push pole, the water exhibited five to nine feet of clarity.

This is an exurban waterway that is usually heavily fished, and it was bustling with anglers today.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 5:44 a.m. to 7:44 a.m., 6:12 p.m. to 8:12 p.m., and 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

We made our first casts at 10:27 a.m., and we executed our last ones when we caught largemouth number 70 at 1:57 p.m.

We caught 69 of the 70 largemouth bass, one bluegill, and one green sunfish on a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse ShadZ affixed to either a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead or a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. One largemouth bass was caught on a 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s pearl GrubZ affixed to a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. We worked with four other Midwest finesse rigs that failed to elicit a strike.

We caught two of the 70 largemouth bass around a series of manmade piles of boulders and rocks that are adjacent to a ledge that plummets into deep water. The underwater terrain along the inside edge of these piles is graced with occasional patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. This series of rock and boulder piles is about 90 feet long, and one segment forms a significant hump. The two largemouth bass were caught on the Finesse ShadZ rig with a dragging presentation in about eight feet of water around this significant hump.

We caught 15 largemouth bass across two small shallow-water flats and along two shorelines inside two tiny and contiguous feeder-creek arms. The underwater terrains consist of gravel, rocks, and silt. Portions of the terrains are embellished with patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds. The water’s edges are festooned with patches of American water willows, some overhanging trees, three riprap jetties, and several laydowns. The shorelines have a 25- to 35-degree slope. Our Finesse ShadZ rigs inveigled these 15 largemouth bass in about three to six feet of water. Three were caught on the initial drop. The other 12 were caught on a swim-and-pause presentation.

Around a main-lake point at the mouth of these two tiny feeder-creek arms, we caught one largemouth bass. The underwater terrain of this point consists of gravel and rocks, which are enhanced with a few minor patches of submerged aquatic vegetation.  The water’s edge is lined with American water willows. The Finesse ShadZ rig with a swim-and-pause presentation in about six feet of water allured this largemouth bass.

Along about a 250-yard stretch of the main-lake shoreline that is adjacent to the main-lake point at the mouth of the two tiny feeder-creek arms, we eked out four largemouth bass. This shoreline has a 30- to 45-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and a few boulders, which are occasionally coated with patches of coontail, bushy pondweeds, and manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. The water’s edge is decorated with many patches of American water willows, several overhanging trees, and a few laydowns. A swim-and-pause presentation with our Finesse ShadZ rigs allured these four largemouth bass in about four to six feet of water.

We caught 31 largemouth bass on a massive shallow-water flat in the back of one of this reservoir’s two primary feeder-creek arms. This entire area looks to be about the size of seven football fields. We fished across and around an area about the size of 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 endowed with a small island, which is embellished with patches of American water willows and littered with scores of concrete blocks and small boulders. Many segments of the underwater terrain are quilted with patches of coontail, some manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees, and patches of bushy pondweeds. A submerged creek channel meanders across this flat, and much of it has become cluttered with silt. One of the 31 largemouth bass was caught on the pearl GrubZ rig with a swimming presentation in about seven feet of water.  The other 30 were caught on our Finesse ShadZ rigs. A few were caught on the initial drop of these rigs; the others were caught on a swim-and-slight-pause presentation in water as shallow as two feet and as deep as seven feet. Eight of the 31 largemouth bass were caught around or along several of the manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. The others were caught on or near the patches of submerged aquatic vegetation.     

Around a main-lake point at the mouth of this reservoir’s second primary feeder-creek arm and along a 50-yard stretch of its main-lake shoreline, we caught one largemouth bass. This area has a 35- to 40-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders that are carpeted with some meager patches of coontail and pushy pondweeds.  The water’s edge is enhanced with patches of American water willows and some dilapidated laydowns. The largemouth bass was caught on the Finesse ShadZ rig as we were strolling along the shoreline and employing a dragging presentation in about seven feet of water.

We caught eight largemouth bass across a massive shallow-water flat in the back of the second primary feeder-creek arm. This flat is the size of about four football fields, and an area about the size of two football fields is covered with thousands of American lotus plants. Many of the American lotus plants are in their autumn motif and turning brown. Three of the eight largemouth bass were caught on the initial drop of our Finesse ShadZ rigs in three to four feet of water. The other five were allured by a swim-and-pause presentation in about three to six feet of water. All of these largemouth bass were inhabiting areas that are graced with patches of submerged aquatic vegetation.

Along about a 100-yard stretch of a shoreline that is halfway inside the second primary feeder-creek arm, we caught largemouth bass numbers 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, and 70. This shoreline has a 30- to 45-degree slope, The underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks; some of this terrain is coated with coontail and bushy pondweeds. The water’s edge consists of American water willows, some overhanging trees, and a few laydowns. Two of the nine largemouth bass were caught on the initial drop of our Finesse ShadZ rigs in about four feet of water; the others were caught on a swim-and-pause presentation in about four to six feet of water.

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

Oct 12, 13, and 14

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his outings with his grandson James Cox of San Antonio, Texas, on Oct. 12, 13, and 14. 

This is his second year pursuing a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering at Wichita State University. Since October 2023, he has spent several days of his school’s fall break in Lawrence. He is an intrinsically talented angler, who unfortunately doesn’t get to fish often. Therefore, we try to squeeze in a few hours of fishing during his October visits.  Ultimately, we fished three times for a total of seven hours and 15 minutes.  We were joined by his college roommate, Gavin Barnes of Holton, Kansas, on Oct. 14.

An hour after he arrived on Oct 12 and a few hours before a family dinner, we hitched up the boat trailer and went fishing at one of northeastern Kansas’ state reservoirs.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 51 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 93 degrees. The wind angled out of the east, southeast, south, southwest, west, north, and northwest at 5 to 30 mph. The sky was fair.  The barometric pressure was 30.03 at 12:52 a.m., 30.00 at 5:52 a.m., 29.98 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.86 at 4:52 p.m.

The water level looked to be about 1 ½ feet below normal. The surface temperature ranged from 69 to 70 degrees. The water exhibited three to 4 1/2 feet of visibility. There were scores of anglers afloat.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 5:44 a.m. to 7:44 a.m., 6:12 p.m. to 8:12 p.m., and 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

We made our first casts at 4:15 p.m. and our last ones at 5:15 p.m. We eked out six largemouth bass and six crappie.

We spent the entire 60 minutes fishing in the backend of a primary feeder-creek arm. But to our disappointment, there were anglers in two bass boats plying the shallow-water areas that we wanted to fish.

Therefore, we quickly fished around a small segment in the middle of a large shallow-water flat, focusing on patches of coontail and manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees that the other anglers were not fishing. James is a wizard at wielding a three-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead, and he inveigled one largemouth bass and six crappie by employing a swim-and-slight-pause presentation in about seven feet of water.

Here is a photograph of the first fish James caught. We didn’t take the time to photograph any of the other fish.

We spent the last 25 minutes of the outing fishing along about a 100-yard stretch of the shoreline adjacent to the shallow-water flat. The underwater terrain of this shoreline consists of silt, clay, gravel, rocks, and some small boulders. A submerged creek channel parallels much of the shoreline, and it has a 25- to 50-degree slope. The water’s edge is endowed with a significant tertiary point and two minor tertiary points, many laydowns and piles of brush, and several patches of American water willows. Occasional patches of bushy pondweeds and coontail are coating some sections of the underwater terrain. Another angler preceded us along this shoreline. And we somehow eked out five largemouth bass by employing a radically shortened seven-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ affixed to a chartreuse 1 /15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jighead; this rig is about three inches long. One of the largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop in about three feet of water adjacent to a patch of American water willows entangled with a patch of coontail. Two were caught on a drag-and-pause presentation in the vicinity of a series of laydowns. The other two were caught on a slow swim-and-pause presentation in four to six feet of water.

On Oct. 13, we fished from 12:30 p.m. to 2:55 p.m. at one of northeastern Kansas’ many community reservoirs.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 45 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 72 degrees. The wind angled out of the north and northwest at 6 to 32 mph. (And while we were fishing, the wind was horrendous.) The sky was fair.  The barometric pressure was 30.00 at 12:52 a.m., 30.07 at 5:52 a.m., 30.19 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.18 at 4:52 p.m.

The water level looked to be about two feet below normal. The surface temperature ranged from 69 to 70 degrees. The water was afflicted by an algae bloom, and it exhibited two to three feet of visibility. We were pleased to cross paths with burgeoning patches of submerged aquatic vegetation, which should enhance the black bass fishing at this reservoir in years to come.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 7:26 a.m. to 9:26 a.m., 7:53 p.m. to 9:53 p.m., and 1:13 a.m. to 3:13 a.m.

We made our first casts at 12:39 p.m., and our last ones at 2:55 p.m. We spent the entire outing trying to hide from the devilish north wind and its dastardly gusts. At times, we tamed its effects by using a drift sock. We were the only anglers afloat.

We caught three largemouth bass and three smallmouth bass around a main-lake point and along this point’s secondary shoreline inside a large feeder-creek arm in the lower quarter of the reservoir. Two sections of this shoreline are graced with a shallow-water flat that is enhanced with patches of submerged aquatic vegetation and one large dock. This shoreline has a 20- to 25-degree slope. The outside edge of the dock yielded the first largemouth bass of the outing. It was inveigled on the three-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead with a swim-and-slight-pause presentation. The steeper section of this shoreline yielded three smallmouth bass and two largemouth bass. The steeper section possesses a 30- to 45-degree slope, and its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are infrequently coated with submerged aquatic vegetation. The water’s edge is endowed with a boat ramp, two docks, several patches of American water willows, about a dozen overhanging trees, many laydowns and piles of tree limbs, and a riprap jetty.  Two of the smallmouth bass were caught on the radically shortened seven-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ affixed to a chartreuse 1 /15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jighead. They were caught in five to six feet of water with a drag-and-pause presentation. One smallmouth bass was caught on the radically shortened seven-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ affixed to a chartreuse 1 /15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jighead with a drag-and-pause presentation in six feet of water; this rig is two inches long. We simultaneously caught two largemouth bass in the vicinity of the trunk of a dilapidated laydown with a slow swim-and-pause presentation in four to five feet of water; one was caught on the two-inch Finesse WormZ rig, and the other one was caught on the three-inch Finesse WormZ rig.

On the top of a shallow-water boulder hump immediately adjacent to the dam, we caught one largemouth bass and two smallmouth bass. These boulders are about 40 feet from the water’s edge. They were caught on the three-inch Finesse WormZ rig with a drag-and-pause presentation in about five feet of water. Portions of this hump were adorned with thin patches of submerged aquatic vegetation.

We tangled with three smallmouth bass and one largemouth bass along two short sections of the dam’s riprap shoreline. This shoreline has a 45-degree slope.  The water’s edge is endowed with patches of American water willows, which are completely out of the water. The underwater terrain of riprap is partially coated with some patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. The largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the two-inch Finesse WormZ rig in about three feet of water. The three smallmouth bass were caught on the three-inch Finesse WormZ rig as we were strolling and dragging the rig in five to seven feet of water. The largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the two-inch Finesse WormZ rig in about three feet of water.

Around three main-lake points and along about a 400- to 500-yard stretch of the main-lake shoreline that is adjacent to the dam and its spillway, we caught six smallmouth bass, two largemouth bass, and two freshwater drum. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rock, and boulders, which are occasionally quilted with some sprouts of Eurasian milfoil. It possesses a 25- to 50-degree slope.  Patches of American water willows adorn many yards of the water’s edge, some overhanging trees, one dock, a tertiary point, several laydowns, and a few piles of brush. Three smallmouth bass were caught on the two-inch Finesse WormZ rig with a drag-and-pause presentation in four to six feet of water. The other three smallmouth bass were caught on the three-inch Finesse WormZ rig; one was caught on the initial drop in front of a patch of American water willows and around a pile of boulders in about three feet of water; the other two were caught on a drag-and-pause presentation in five to seven feet of water. One of the largemouth bass was caught on the three-inch Finesse WormZ rig as we were strolling and employing a drag-and-pause presentation in about seven feet of water. The second largemouth bass was caught adjacent to a laydown on the two-inch Finesse WormZ rig on a swim-and-pause presentation in about four feet of water.

Inside a small feeder-creek arm in the lower third section of the reservoir, we caught two largemouth bass along one of its three shorelines. These shorelines possess a 30- to 45-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders; this terrain is partially enhanced with patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. The shorelines are lined with many patches of American water willows, several overhanging trees and terrestrial vegetation, two docks, one laydown, and a few piles of three limbs. Both of the largemouth bass were caught on the three-inch Finesse WormZ rig with a drag-and-pause presentation in about five to six feet of water.

In sum we caught an average of 10 black bass an hour on this horribly wind-blown outing.

On Oct 14, Gavin Barnes joined us at another state reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 30 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 64 degrees. The wind was calm for seven hours and variable for two hours. It also angled out of the northwest at 3 to 8 mph. The sky was fair. The barometric pressure was 30.31 at 12:52 a.m., 30.34 at 5:52 a.m., 30.33 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.23 at 2:52 p.m.  

The water level looked to be slightly more than a foot low. The surface temperature ranged from 66 to 68 degrees. The water exhibited three to nine feet of clarity.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 8:13 a.m. to 10:13 a.m., 8:38 p.m. to 10:38 p.m., and 2:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m.

We made our first casts at 10:10 a.m. with hopes of tangling with 100 largemouth bass. But by the time we made our final casts at 2:00 p.m., our mechanical fish counter noted that we had struggled to catch 40 largemouth bass. To mollify our disappointments, we rationalized that we were contending with the consequences of the first significant cold weather of the fall. What’s more, the barometric pressure was high. And we have been told by scores of talented and professional largemouth bass anglers, guides, and tournament anglers across the years that post-cold-front conditions and high barometric pressures adversely affects their abilities to catch largemouth bass.

To allure these 40 largemouth bass, we had to wield five Midwest finesse rigs: a shortened four-inch Z-Man’s purple-haze Finesse WormZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead, a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse ShadZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead, a Z-Man’s Canada-craw TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead, a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Micro TRD affixed to a red 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead, and a three-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead.

We caught one of the 40 largemouth bass around a series of manmade piles of boulders and rocks that are adjacent to a ledge that plummets into deep water. The underwater terrain along the inside edge of these piles is graced with occasional patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. This series of rock and boulder piles is about 90 feet long, and one segment forms a significant hump. This largemouth bass was caught on the Finesse ShadZ rig with a dragging presentation in about eight feet of water around this significant hump.

We caught two largemouth bass around a main-lake point at the mouth of two small feeder-creek arms. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and silt. Some of the terrain is embellished with patches of coontail. The water’s edges are embellished with magnificent patches of American water willows. The shoreline has a 25- to 35-degree slope. The Finesse ShadZ rig inveigled one of these largemouth bass on the initial drop near the outside edge of the American water willows in about three feet of water. The second one was caught on a swim-and-pause presentation with the Finesse ShadZ rig in about five to six feet of water.

Around another main-lake point at the mouth of one of these two small feeder-creek arms, we caught four largemouth bass. The underwater terrain of this point consists of gravel and rocks, which are enhanced with a few minor patches of submerged aquatic vegetation.  The water’s edge is lined with American water willows. Our Finesse ShadZ rigs with a swim-and-pause presentation in about three to six feet of water allured these four largemouth bass.

Along about a 125-yard stretch of the main-lake shoreline that is adjacent to the main-lake point at the mouth of one of the small feeder-creek arms, we eked out three largemouth bass. This shoreline has a 30- to 45-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and a few boulders, which are occasionally coated with patches of coontail, bushy pondweeds, and manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. A submerged creek channel parallels portions of this shoreline. The water’s edge is decorated with many patches of American water willows, several overhanging trees, and a few laydowns. One of the three largemouth bass was allured by the Slim SwimZ rig with a swim-and-pause presentation around a pile of rocks and boulder near the inside edge of the submerged creek channel. The other two were caught on the purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig with a swim-pause-and-shake presentation in four to six feet of water.

We caught 13 largemouth bass on a massive shallow-water flat in the back of one of this reservoir’s two primary feeder-creek arms. This entire area looks to be about the size of seven football fields. We fished across and around an area about the size of 2 ½ football fields. The water’s edge of this flat is cluttered with significant patches of American water willows, many overhanging trees, and numerous laydowns. The center of the flat is endowed with a small island, which is embellished with patches of American water willows and littered with scores of concrete blocks and small boulders. Many segments of the underwater terrain are quilted with patches of coontail, some manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees, burgeoning patches of curly-leaf pondweeds, and patches of bushy pondweeds. A submerged creek channel meanders across this flat, and much of it has become cluttered with silt. There are two tiny submerged creek channels crisscrossing portions of this flats; these channels are littered with silt. One of the 13 largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the TRD TicklerZ rig in about seven feet of water. Two were caught on the Micro TRD rig; both were caught on the initial drop in about seven feet of water. Four were caught on the Slim SwimZ rig with a swimming presentation in three to seven feet of water. Six were caught on our Finesse ShadZ rigs with a swim-and-pause presentation in two to seven feet of water; three of these six largemouth were caught around a big manmade pile of eastern red cedar trees that were intertwined with patches of coontail; the other three were caught with a swim-and-pause presentation around patches of coontail in six to eight feet of water. 

Around a main-lake point at the mouth of this reservoir’s second primary feeder-creek arm and along a 50-yard stretch of its main-lake shoreline, we caught three largemouth bass. This area has a 35- to 40-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders that are carpeted with some meager patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds. A massive stone and concrete barn foundation is submerged in six to 10 feet of water. The water’s edge is enhanced with patches of American water willows and some dilapidated laydowns. One largemouth bass was caught on the Finesse ShadZ rig as we were strolling along the shoreline and employing a dragging presentation in front of the patches of American water willows in four to five feet of water. One largemouth bass was caught on the Micro TRD rig with a drag-and-pause presentation in about six feet of water. One largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the Slim SwimZ rig at the outside edge of a patch of American water willows in about 2 ½ feet of water.

We caught six largemouth bass across a massive shallow-water flat in the back of the second primary feeder-creek arm. This flat is the size of about four football fields, and an area about the size of two football fields is covered with thousands of American lotus plants. Some of the American lotus plants are entwined with patches of coontail. The rest of the flat is endowed with some manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees and patches of coontail, bushy pondweeds, and burgeoning patches of curly-leaf pondweeds. Many of the American lotus plants are in their autumn motif and turning brown. Two of the six largemouth bass were caught around the outside edge of the American lotus plants; one was caught on the Slim SwimZ with a swim-and-slight-pause presentation in about four feet of water; the second was caught on the initial drop of the Micro TRD rig in about four to five feet of water. The TRD TicklerZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation inveigled one of the six largemouth bass around some patches of coontail in six to seven feet of water. One largemouth bass was caught on the Mirco TRD rig with a swimming presentation in about 2 ½ feet of water along the inside edge of patches of bushy pondweeds and coontail. Two of the six were caught on our Finesse ShadZ rigs with a swim-and-pause presentation; one was caught in three feet of water; the other one was caught in about seven feet of water. 

Around a secondary point that is adjacent to this shallow-water flat, we caught four largemouth bass.  It has a 25- to 65-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of silt, gravel, and rocks; portions of it are coated with patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. A submerged creek channel meanders against some sections of this point. The water’s edges consist of American water willows, some overhanging trees, and a few laydowns. The Finesse ShadZ rig with a slow swim-glide-and-shade presentation in about five feet of water allured one of the four largemouth. The initial drop of the TRD TicklerZ rig caught one largemouth bass in about three feet of water adjacent to a laydown. Two largemouth bass were caught on the Micro TRD rig on the initial drop in about three feet of water along the outside edge of the patches of American water willows.

Along about a 120-yard stretch of a shoreline that is slightly more than halfway inside the second primary feeder-creek arm, we caught four largemouth bass. This shoreline has a 25- to 45-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks; some of this terrain is coated with coontail, bushy pondweeds, and burgeoning curly-leaf pondweeds.  A shallow-water flat graces the end of this shoreline. The water’s edges consist of American water willows, some overhanging trees, some minor piles of tree limbs, and a few aged laydowns. One largemouth bass was caught on the Mirco TRD rig with a drag-and-pause presentation in about four feet of water.  Our Finesse ShadZ rigs inveigled three largemouth bass as we employed a swim-and-pause in three to six feet of water.

During these three hours and 50 minutes, we caught an average of 10 largemouth bass an hour, which was far fewer than the 25 an hour we were hoping to catch.

During James’ three outings, we fished for a total of seven hours and 15 minutes and struggled to catch 69 largemouth bass and an average of nine an hour.

In the late 1960s, when the late and great Guido Hibdon of Gravois Mills, Missouri, was a young fishing guide on the Gravois Arm of the Lake of the Ozarks, he taught me how to be a multispecies fishing guide. And one of the things he taught me was that October was a problematic time to fish on the Lake of the Ozarks. He blamed some of the trying fishing on October’s many wind-blown days and frequent cold fronts.  Because these piscatorial woes corresponded with baseball’s World Series, we called it the World Series doldrums. Eventually, those doldrums disappeared in very late October and early November.

When I moved to northeastern Kansas in 1970, I learned that the October doldrums are more poignant in northeastern Kansas than they are in the northern Ozarks. What’s more, the wind is much more brutal on northeastern Kansas’ waterways than it is on the Lake of the Ozarks.

And on Oct. 11, 12, and 13, James and Gavin learned a few things about the October doldrums in northeastern Kansas.

Oct. 20

Talban Kantala of Cypress, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his outing on October 20 at a massive saltwater bay on Texas’ Gulf Coast.

According to The Weather Channel, the morning’s low temperature was 69 degrees, and the afternoon's high was 79 degrees. The cooler fall temperatures have finally arrived in southeast Texas, bringing much relief after an unusually hot summer. The morning was bright and sunny. The barometric pressure was 30.28 at 6:30 a.m. and 30.26 at 11 a.m. High tide occurred at 1:28 a.m. at 1.72 feet, with low tide expected at 3:28 p.m. at -0.04 feet. The water temperature averaged 71 degrees throughout the morning. The Weather Channel predicted winds ranging from 10 to 13 mph out of the northeast, and a nearby NOAA buoy recorded wind speeds ranging from 10 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.

I fished from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. During these 3.5 hours, I caught and released three flounder, two sand trout, and one Atlantic croaker.

On this outing, I decided to revisit an area I had fished earlier in the summer. However, upon arriving, I noticed that the water across the bay was choppy, and this location offered very little protection from the strong northeast winds and white-capped waves. I opted to bypass this section of the bay and moved to another spot that provided more shelter from the wind and waves.

This new spot encompasses a levee system connected to a floodgate. The floodgate separates the main bay from a saltwater lake. During this outing, the floodgate was closed. Generally, the floodgate acts as a corridor for fish traveling from the main bay into the lake when the gate is open.

The lake covers approximately 2,575 square acres, and its edges consist of shallow mud flats and several bayous that connect to smaller bays. The lake’s shoreline is lined with Spartina grass, while the area near the floodgate is covered with large rocks and scattered loose oyster shells. Near the floodgate, there’s a channel about 30 feet deep. I chose to dissect a portion of the lake that is situated about 100 yards from the floodgate. This area is a shallow flat that covers roughly 0.34 square acres. The flat is littered with loose oyster shells, clay, and isolated rocks. The water in this shallow-water area dips sharply from six feet into 30 feet of water at its outer edge. The water exhibited about 18 inches of clarity. I started wade fishing in three to four feet of water. 

I wielded a 3 1/2-inch Z-Man’s Meat Dog Trick ShotZ rigged on a black 1/6-ounce Z-Man Finesse ShroomZ Jighead, and quickly enticed a nice 12-inch flounder while slowly hopping it along the bottom. After losing my rig to a snag, I switched to a 4-inch Z-Man’s The Deal Finesse ShadZ, which was also rigged on a black 1/6-ounce Z-Man's Finesse ShroomZ Jighead. I felt several bites while slowly hopping and bouncing the lure along the bottom, likely from small pinfish. However, this rig met the same fate as the last one when it became snagged.

I decided to employ another 3 1/2-inch Z-Man's Meat Dog Trick ShotZ, and this time, it was affixed to a black 1/6-ounce Z-Man's Finesse BulletZ Jighead.  I utilized the same slow hop-and-bounce technique and I caught two more flounder (the largest measured 15 inches), two sand trout, and one Atlantic croaker. Most of these fish were caught on the outer edges of the flat. I encountered fewer snags after switching to the Z-Man's Finesse BulletZ Jighead.

Overall, it was a great time learning a new spot and experimenting with new Z-Man ElazTech baits and jigheads. 

Oct. 22

Ned Kehde and Pok Chi Lau of Lawrence posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their outing at a community reservoir in northeastern Kansas where they seldom fish.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 57 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 84 degrees. The wind angled out of the south, southwest, west, and northwest at 6 to 35 mph. (And while we were fishing, the wind angled out of the southwest and west at 12 to 23 mph.) The sky was fair.  The barometric pressure was 29.92 at 12:53 a.m., 19.91 at 5:53 a.m., 29.95 at 11:53 a.m., and 29.93 at 2:53 p.m.

The water level looked to be about three feet below normal. Most of this reservoir’s patches of American water willows were out of the water. The surface temperature ranged from 60 to 63 degrees. The water was stained, exhibiting one to 2 ½ feet of clarity.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 3:25 a.m. to 5:25 a.m., 3:55 p.m. to 5:55 p.m., and 9:40 a.m. to 11:40 a.m.

We made our first casts at 10:37 a.m. with hopes of catching an array of largemouth bass and temperate bass. But by the time we made our last ones at 2:00 p.m., we had caught only 11 largemouth bass, four white bass, and one channel catfish. Even though four of the largemouth bass and the channel catfish were hefty creatures, we said it was unlikely that we would venture to this waterway anytime soon. We prefer to tangle with scores and scores of black bass and white bass rather than to tangle with five hefty specimens.

We caught five of the largemouth bass on a radically shortened seven-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZs affixed to a 1/15-ounce chartreuse Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ. The length of our Finesse WormZ rigs ranged from 2 ¾ to three inches. We caught four largemouth bass on a three-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. A slightly shortened Z-Man’s coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead caught two largemouth bass. The channel catfish and three of the four white bass were caught on the Slim SwimZ rig. One white bass was caught on the three-inch Finesse WormZ rig.

We caught one white bass and seven largemouth bass during the first 29 minutes of this outing. Then, we struggled to catch four largemouth bass, three white bass, and one channel catfish during the next 174 minutes.

Five of the largemouth bass were caught along a wind-sheltered shoreline inside a major feeder-creek arm in the lower quarter of this reservoir. This shoreline possesses a 20- to 30-degree slope.  Its underwater terrain consists of silt, gravel, rocks, and boulders. The water’s edge is littered with scores of tree stumps, tree branches, and a few laydowns; the front edges of the patches of American water willows are in one to two inches of water. Three of the five largemouth bass were caught on our Slim SwimZ rigs in 1 ½ to 2 ½ feet of water; one was caught on the initial drop; two were caught on a swim-and-pause presentation. The other two were caught on our Finesse WormZ rigs; one was caught on the initial drop in about a foot of water; the other one was caught on a drag-pause-and-shake presentation in about two feet of water. The white bass was caught on the initial drop on the Slim SwimZ rig in about two feet of water. Most of these fish were caught many yards from the water’s edge.

Around the main-lake point at the mouth of this major feeder-creek arm, we caught the biggest largemouth bass of the day, and we guessed it weighed slightly more than five pounds. This point has a 30-degree slope.  Its underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks. The shoreline is endowed with an overhanging tree and a laydown. The initial drop of the TRD TicklerZ rig inveigled the largemouth bass under the overhanging tree in about three feet of water.

Along the flat main-land shoreline immediately adjacent to the main-lake point, we caught largemouth bass number seven in two feet of water. The underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks. The water’s edge is endowed with patches of American water willows that are mostly on dry land. This largemouth bass was caught on the Finesse WormZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about 2 ½ feet of water and many yards from the water’s edge. We also caught a white bass on the Finesse WormZ rig with a swim-and-pause presentation in about three feet of water around a tertiary point on this main-lake shoreline.

Largemouth bass number eight was caught along a wind-sheltered and massive shoreline inside another major feeder-creek arm. This feeder creek lies immediately up the lake from the first feeder creek that we fished. This shoreline possesses a 20- to 35-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of silt, gravel, rocks, and boulders; this terrain is studded with stumps and piles of brush. The shoreline possesses several tertiary points, tree branches, laydowns, and patches of American water willows that are virtually out of the water. The largemouth bass was caught on the Finesse WormZ rig with a drag-and-shake presentation in about two feet of water.

In the middle section of this reservoir, we caught largemouth bass numbers nine and 10 along another wind-sheltered shoreline inside a medium-sized feeder-creek arm. The shoreline possesses a 20- to 35-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of silt, gravel, rocks, and boulders; it is endowed with many stumps and piles of brush. The shoreline possesses five tertiary points, tree branches, laydowns, and patches of American water willows that are virtually out of the water. We caught both of the largemouth bass around one of the tertiary points. One was caught on the Slim SwimZ rig with a swim-and-pause presentation in about three feet of water. The second one was caught on the initial drop of the TRD TicklerZ rig in about two feet of water.

We spent the rest of this unfruitful outing plying the wind-blown shorelines around two main-lake points in the middle section of this reservoir, along many wind-blown yards of a massive main-lake shoreline in the lower half of the reservoir, and along about 80 percent of the dam’s riprap shoreline.

The underwater terrains of the points and shorelines consist of silt, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally littered with tree branches. They possess a 20- to 35-degree slope. The riprap shoreline of the dam has a 30- to 45-degree slope.

The Slim SwimZ rig with a swimming presentation allured the channel catfish in about three feet of water around one of the main-lake points.

We caught one white bass along the massive shoreline; it was caught in about 3 ½ feet of water as we employed the Slim SwimZ rig with a slow swimming presentation.

Between two steel pipes along the riprap shoreline of the dam, we caught largemouth bass number 11. It was caught on a swim-and-pause presentation of the three-inch Finesse WormZ rig in about four feet of water.

In sum, this was one of the worst manifestations of the annual October doldrums that we can remember enduring.

Oct. 24

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Oct. 24 outing at an 84-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas. 

Here is an unedited version of his log.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 50 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 87 degrees. The conditions of the sky varied from being fair to cluttered with a few clouds to mostly cloudy to overcast to partly cloudy to thunderstorms and rain. The wind angled out of the east, southeast, and south at 7 to 36 mph. The barometric pressure was 30.15 at 12:53 a.m., 30:08 at 5:53 a.m., 29.94 at 11:53 a.m., and 29.81 at 2:53 p.m.

The water level looked to be about two feet below normal. The surface temperature ranged from 62 to 63 degrees. The water exhibited from five to nine feet of visibility.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 6:06 a.m. to 8:06 a.m., 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and 11:55 a.m. to 1:55 a.m.

I made my first cast at 12:05 p.m. and my last one when I caught largemouth bass number 30 at 2:33 p.m.

One of the 30 largemouth bass was caught on a three-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Four were caught on a three-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Twenty-five were caught on a radically shortened seven-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ affixed to a 1/15-ounce chartreuse Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ; it was shortened to three inches.

Ten of the 30 largemouth bass were caught along the shoreline of this reservoir’s 1,550-foot dam. The dam has a height of 58 feet with a 45- to 50-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Portions of this terrain are coated with wads of filamentous algae and bits and pieces of coontail and bushy pondweeds. The water’s edge contains a concrete water outlet tower and two meager patches of American water willows.  The three-inch Finesse WormZ rig allured these 10 largemouth bass. They were caught in five to 10 feet of water. Four were caught on a slow swim-and-pause presentation. Six were caught on a drag-and-pause presentation. Five of the 10 were caught as I was slowly strolling with the wind and electric trolling motor and employing the drag-and-pause presentation.  It took me 52 minutes to fish the dam.

I caught two largemouth bass around an offshore and boulder-laden hump. This hump lies on a main-lake point in the lower half of this reservoir. There is a dock floating over a shallow-water segment of the hump. Wads of filamentous algae and a minor patch or two of submerged aquatic vegetation adorn parts of the hump. I caught the two largemouth bass on the Finesse WormZ rig as I was strolling with the wind and employing a drag-pause-and-shake presentation in seven to 10 feet of water.

I caught one largemouth bass around another main-lake point in the lower half of the reservoir. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders.  It possesses a ledge that plummets into deep water. The water’s edge is lined with a boulder retaining wall, two docks, a boat ramp, and about a dozen patches of American water willows. This largemouth bass was caught on the Finesse WormZ rig as I was strolling with the trolling motor into the wind and using a drag-and-shake presentation in about six to eight feet of water.

Along about a 250-yard stretch of a shoreline in the upper half of the reservoir, I caught 17 largemouth bass. The underwater terrain of this shoreline consists of silt, gravel, rocks, and boulders. It is adorned with many patches of filamentous algae, several piles of brush, and bits and pieces of submerged aquatic vegetation. Most of the patches of submerged vegetation are covered with wads of filamentous algae. This shoreline possesses a 25- to 45-degree slope. The water’s edges have several concrete retaining walls, about 100 feet of riprap, 10 docks, one small rock bridge, a few minor laydowns, one concrete and rock jetty, one overhanging tree, and some shallow-water patches of American water willows. Along one of the shallow-water sections of this shoreline, I employed a swim-and-pause presentation with the pearl Slim SwimZ rig to catch one largemouth bass and the green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ rig to catch four largemouth bass; these five largemouth bass were abiding around the wads of filamentous algae and submerged aquatic vegetation in about three to four feet of water. The other 12 largemouth bass were caught on the Finesse WormZ rig. Two of the 12 were caught on the initial drop in two to three feet of water. A swim-and-pause presentation caught three largemouth bass in about six feet of water. Seven largemouth bass were caught on a drag-pause-and-shake presentation in six to 10 feet of water. Three were caught as I was strolling with the wind and a drift sock.

In sum, I caught an average of 12 largemouth bass an hour.

Oct. 31

Mother Nature’s wind-blown ways of unveiling gusts that reached 51 mph on Oct. 28, 29, and 30 kept us at bay. What’s more, we elected not to tangle with the aftereffects of her robust cold front that arrived on Oct. 30 and 31. We hope to get afloat on Nov. 1.