Ned Kehde: Guide to Midwest Finesse Fishing: April 2026

April 1

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted this log on the Finesse News Network about his April 1 excursion at a community reservoir in north-central Texas.

April 1 began with overcast skies, but by 11:15 a.m., it was sunny, partly cloudy, and humid. The morning’s low temperature was 69 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 87 degrees. A problematic wind wailed out of the south at 20 to 30 mph. Thunderstorms and blustery winds are forecast for the next few days.  

The water level appeared to be about two feet low. It exhibited about two feet of visibility. The surface temperature was 76 degrees.

This impoundment’s submerged terrain consists of clay, small pieces of gravel, a few scattered boulders, and many large patches of baby pondweeds that are now overwhelmed by massive gobs of filamentous algae. A few of the shallow-water areas are also adorned with small clusters of cypress tree knees, but they were fruitless during this outing.

I made my first cast at about 11:00 a.m. and my last cast at around 3:00 p.m. During these four hours, I caught 16 largemouth bass, two large bluegill, and one black crappie.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar indicated that fishing would be great, and the optimum fishing periods would take place from 4:23 a.m. to 6:23 a.m., 10:34 a.m. to 12:34 p.m., and 10:55 p.m. to 12:55 a.m.

The lower end of the impoundment is flat and shallow, and the upper end is similarly shallow and flat. The upper end is also adorned with a small fishing pier and huge mats of baby pondweed, which are plagued with massive amounts of filamentous algae. The midsection of the reservoir is endowed with several minor points composed of clay mixed with small gravel, several shallow-water ledges, and large patches of baby pondweeds, which are blanketed with filamentous algae.

In the middle section of the impoundment, I caught 13 largemouth bass, two large bluegill, and one crappie. They were caught along the sides of the larger patches of baby pondweeds and wads of filamentous algae in three to five feet of water adjacent to the shallow-water ledges.

The shallow patches of baby pondweeds and filamentous algae located on the shallow flats in the upper and lower ends of the reservoir yielded three largemouth bass.

Seven of these 16 largemouth bass were allured by a slow-paced swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ matched with a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead as it was maneuvered over the top and around the sides of the patches of baby pondweed and gobs of filamentous algae. Five largemouth bass were caught on a shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s black-neon Finesse WormZ rigged on a red 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation. Four largemouth bass, two large bluegill, and one black crappie were caught on a slow swim-and-constant-shake technique with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.

At the top is the 2 1/2-inch Z-Man's green-pumpkin Slim SwimZon a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead, In the middle is the shortened 

4.75-inch Z-Man's black-neon Finesse WormZ on a red 1/16-ounceZ-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead. At the bottom is the 2 1/2-inch Z-Man's pumpkin-chartreuse

ZinkerZ on a 1/16-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead.      

As I was driving home, a local radio news station reported that March 2026 was the warmest March in Texas history. The previous March record was set 119 years ago in 1907, and so far, the first day of April has begun where March left off.

April 3

Matt Peterie of Eudora, Kansas, posted a brief log on the Finesse News Network about his April 3 outing at a federal reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 46 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 77 degrees. The wind angled out of the east, south, and southeast at speeds ranging from 5 to 21 mph; there were many gusts of wind that blew at speeds of 26 to 32 mph. The conditions of the sky varied from being fair to partly cloudy to overcast.  The barometric pressure was 29,87 at 12:52 a.m., 29.82 at 6:52 a.m., 29.81  at 11:52 a.m., and 29.81 at 1:52 p.m.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted the optimum fishing periods would take place from 11:28 a.m. to 1:28 p.m., 11:51 p.m. to 1:51 a.m., and 5:39 a.m. to 7:39 a.m.

The water level was 1.21 feet above normal. The surface temperature ranged from 57 to 58 degrees. The water exhibited about one foot of clarity.

I launched the boat at 9:30 a.m. and returned to the ramp at 12:30 p.m.

My son came along, practicing with his Rubik's cubes and occasionally fishing when it seemed we were in an area with a high likelihood he would catch a fish.

We started fishing along a wind-blown main-lake shoreline on the north side of the reservoir. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are enhanced with a pile of brush. I probed the rocky area surrounding the brush pile, keeping my boat anchor locked in seven to eight feet of water and casting to the water’s edge.  I caught one male crappie and a couple of white bass before seeking out more wind-protected water.

I then traveled to the south side of the reservoir to an area where a submerged creek channel swings near the main-lake shore. This area is surrounded by a shallow-water flat. On the east side of this channel swing, there is a shallow-water flat, and it yielded a couple of crappie, one smallmouth, a few white bass, and one freshwater drum. About 100 yards west of the channel swing, I found a nice concentration of crappie. The wind was blowing nearly parallel to the shore along this stretch, and around and across some of its minor points, the wind created current seams on the shallow flats adjacent to these points inside several small coves.  Most of the fish seemed to be situated just inside a current seam, and I caught them by casting to the water’s edge with a Z-Man’s disco-cisco MinnowZ affixed to a green-pumpkin 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jighead and retrieving it with a slow swimming presentation near the inside edge of the seam.  As I probed these seams, I kept the boat in three to four feet of water.  This area yielded 25 crappie and about 15 white bass.

I moved further downwind along this main-lake shoreline to a larger and more wind-protected cove and caught a channel catfish and a couple of white bass as I fished from the rocky main-lake point to the back of the cove.

Besides the very effective Z-Man’s disco-cisco MinnowZ, my son and I used a Z-Man’s coppertruse Finesse TRD and a Z-Man’s space guppy Shad FryZ with minimal success.  We caught most of the fish by using a slow swimming retrieve.

In sum, the black bass fishing was very problematic. We caught one smallmouth bass, one channel catfish, one freshwater dram, 16 white bass, and 26 crappie. 

 April 6

Bob Gum of Kansas City, Kansas, posted a brief log on the Finesse News Network about his April 6 outing at one of northeastern Kansas power-plant reservoirs.

The nearest National Weather Service station reported that the morning’s low temperature was 45 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 66 degrees. While I was afloat, the wind angled out of the northwest to northeast at 3 to 13 mph.  The sky was fair. The barometric pressure was 30.33 at 12:52 a.m., 30.31 at 5:52 a.m., 30.36 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.28 at 2:52 p.m.

The water level looked to be about two feet below its normal level. The surface temperature ranged from 60 degrees at sunup to 65 degrees at midday. The water exhibited 2 ½ feet of visibility along the dam’s shoreline.

I made my first cast around 6:30 a.m. and my last one at 2:00 p.m.

I spent the entire outing slowly dissecting riprap shorelines in the lower section of this reservoir. I began fishing along about a quarter of a mile of a massive shoreline immediately north of the power plant. Then I fished the shoreline around the power plant and along the access road to the power plant. I fished the entire shoreline of the dam, around the spillway, and portions of the flat adjacent to the dam.

I caught 41 fish and snagged an enormous common carp. Twenty-six of the 41 fish were largemouth bass, one of the 41 was a crappie, three were wipers, three were channel catfish, and eight were freshwater drum.

My most effective Midwest finesse rigs were a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s purple-haze ZinkerZ affixed to a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig and a Z-Man’s Californian-craw TRD HogZ affixed to a black 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig.

Most of the fish were caught while I was using a swim-glide-and-shake presentation. A few were beguiled by a dead-sticking presentation. The largemouth bass were caught in two to eight feet of water.

April 7

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted this log on the Finesse News Network about his April 7 outing with Rick Allen of Ingram, Texas, at a state reservoir in north-central Texas.

This reservoir is the same impoundment that Roger Farish of Highland Village, Texas, and I fished on March 21, when we caught 33 largemouth bass during that 5 1/2-hour jaunt.

April 7 was mostly cloudy with some sunshine. The wind angled out of the south at 10 to 15 mph. The morning’s low temperature was 46 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 72 degrees. The barometric pressure measured 30.20 at 10:00 a.m. and 30.11 at 4:00 p.m.

According to In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar, fishing would be poor on April 7. The best fishing periods would occur between 3:07 a.m. and 5:07 a.m., 9:20 a.m. and 11:20 a.m., and 3:33 p.m. to 5:33 p.m.

We were afloat from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

We fished inside one small cove inside one major feeder-creek arm, and inside four other minor feeder-creek arms. We primarily focused on clay, gravel, and sandy flats, as well as rocky secondary points, channel-swing shorelines, boat houses, and docks. These creek arms are situated in the middle and lower sections of the reservoir.  

The water usually exhibits about three feet of visibility, but during this outing, it was 18 inches. The surface temperature ranged from 66 to 67 degrees. The water level appeared to be four feet low.

We caught 12 largemouth bass, one spotted bass, and four white bass in the first minor creek arm. These 13 black bass were abiding in three to eight feet of water across two medium-sized sand-and-gravel flats and four rocky secondary points in the midsection of the creek arm. The underwater terrain of this feeder-creek arm and the other four creek arms consists of clay, some sand, small gravel, chunky rocks, scattered boulders, submerged stumps, some flooded timber, laydowns, and patches of hydrilla.

One of these 13 bass was caught on a slow swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. Another one was caught on a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with a shortened three-inch Z-Man’s Mud Minnow Hula StickZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Another largemouth bass was enticed by a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with a 4.75-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Nine largemouth bass and one spotted bass were induced by a Z-Man’s hot-snakes TRD TicklerZ threaded on either a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead or a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig that was implemented with a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve.

From that creek arm, we moved about a quarter of a mile eastward to another minor feeder-creek arm. We fished from the mouth of this creek arm to its back end, and we caught four largemouth bass. These four largemouth bass were caught in six to eight feet of water next to several large docks that are surrounded by large patches of submerged hydrilla in the lower end of the creek arm. Three of these four largemouth bass were allured by a hop-and-bounce retrieve with the green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig, and one of those three bass was a large specimen that weighed five pounds and two ounces. The other largemouth bass was enticed by a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with one of our hot-snakes TRD TicklerZ rigs.

Inside a small cove in the midsection of the major feeder-creek arm, which is situated about a mile east of the second creek arm, we caught seven largemouth bass. They were extracted from less than eight feet of water around a couple of large boat houses and two rocky secondary points at the mouth of the cove.  One of the seven was caught on a slow swimming retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ rig. Three were tempted by the hot-snakes TRD TicklerZ rig with a slow swim-and-constant-shake, and the other three bass engulfed the 4.75-inch green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig and a slow hop-and-bounce presentation.

The third minor feeder-creek arm is the smallest of the four creek arms that we fished. It features several boat houses, a couple of large laydowns, a 30-yard ditch along the east shoreline, and large mud flats next to the east, north, and west shorelines. There are many patches of submerged hydrilla on those three flats.  This creek arm relinquished only one largemouth bass. It was abiding in three feet of water near a patch of hydrilla on the west flat near the mouth of this creek arm. It was enticed by a slow swimming retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ rig. We failed to catch any bass in the upper end of this creek arm.  

We finished the outing inside the fourth feeder-creek arm,  probing patches of hydrilla, the areas around a dozen boat houses, five docks, and a concrete boat ramp, and we caught four largemouth bass and two spotted bass. These black bass were relating to the sides of the boathouses and docks that were floating in less than 10 feet of water.  Four were allured by a slow hop-and-bounce retrieve with the 4.75-inch green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ combo. The other two were caught on a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation with the hot-snakes TRD TicklerZ rig.    

In conclusion, we were surprised that we didn’t see any signs of black-bass spawning activity in any of these five creek arms. We caught a total of 28 largemouth bass, three spotted bass, and four white bass in 5 1/2 hours, and none of the black bass exhibited any visible injuries from spawning activity.  

April 8

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his April 8 outing with Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas, at a federal reservoir in north-central Texas. This was Norman’s first outing in 2026.

April 8 was sunny, partly cloudy, and breezy. The morning’s low temperature was 50 degrees, and the afternoon’s high reached 77 degrees. The wind angled out of the south-by-southeast at 10 to 15 mph.  The barometric pressure measured 30.12 at 11:00 a.m. and 30.02 at 3:00 p.m.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar forecasted poor fishing. It also noted that the most productive fishing periods would occur from 4:01 a.m. to 6:01 a.m., 10:14 a.m. to 12:14 p.m., and 4:27 p.m. to 6:27 p.m.

The water was murky with about 18 inches of clarity. The water temperature ranged from 67 to 70 degrees, and we were baffled that we hadn’t seen any bluegills or largemouth bass spawning activity in the shallow water areas. The water level was about a foot high.

From 11:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., we sought refuge from the incessant wind inside four feeder-creek arms in the lower section of the reservoir, and it was a trying grind to inveigle five largemouth bass and four spotted bass during this 4 1/2-hour endeavor. We also encountered two black crappie and one channel catfish.

We fished from the lower to the upper ends of these four creek arms. Their underwear terrains consist of silt, clay, gravel, chunky rocks, and boulders. Portions of the shallow-water areas are cluttered with partially flooded buck brush, stickups, and a few laydowns. The shorelines possess 25- to 40-degree inclines.

Inside the first feeder-creek arm, we caught three spotted bass and one largemouth bass. This creek arm primarily features a large marina, two large coves, a submerged roadbed, three concrete boat ramps, and numerous rocky secondary points, clay-and-gravel ledges, and clay-and-gravel flats. One largemouth bass and one spotted bass were extracted from four to seven feet of water along the deep-water side of a clay-and-gravel ledge in the midsection of the creek arm. The other two spotted bass were caught in less than five feet of water near a stretch of submerged riprap that covers a 50-yard section of a shoreline inside a cove in the upper end of the creek arm. The three spotted bass were caught on a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ matched with a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig, and the largemouth bass was allured by a Z-Man’s pearl Finesse ShadZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. Both lures were employed with a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve.

The second feeder-creek arm is located about two miles west of the first one. And to our chagrin, this creek arm yielded only one channel catfish. It was caught in three feet of water from a 10-yard stretch of a clay-and-gravel shoreline in the midsection of the creek arm on a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse TRD rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig and a slow swimming retrieve. We failed to locate any black bass at one of the main-lake entry points to the creek arm and an adjacent secondary rocky shoreline just inside the creek arm, along a channel-swing shoreline, inside two minor coves, and around three rocky secondary points in the lower and middle sections of the creek arm. The upper end of the creek arm was muddy with less than a foot of water clarity, and we decided not to fish in this area.

The third feeder-creek arm, which is located about a half mile east of the second one, was a tad more productive; it yielded one spotted bass, two largemouth bass, and two black crappie. The spotted bass was caught in four feet of water from the end of a rocky secondary point inside a small cove on the east side of the creek arm. The other two largemouth bass and two crappie were caught in three to five feet of water from a small clay-and-gravel flat inside another small cove in the upper end of the creek arm. These three black bass and one of the two crappie were allured by a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation with the 2 1/2-inch pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ rig.  The other crappie was tempted by the green-pumpkin Finesse TRD rig and a slow swimming retrieve. We failed to locate any other black bass inside another small cove, three rocky secondary points, and two rocky secondary shorelines that are situated in the lower, middle, and upper sections of the creek arm.  

The fourth feeder-creek arm also contains a large marina, several rocky secondary points, a couple of clay-and-gravel ledges, a channel-swing shoreline, and a small cove. These numerous locales surrendered two largemouth bass, which were abiding in five to seven feet of water next to the channel-swing shoreline in the midsection of the creek arm. They were caught with a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with a 4.75-inch Z-Man’s black-neon Finesse WormZ rigged on a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.        

In closing, the black-bass fishing in north-central Texas has been either feast or famine. On April 7, Rick Allen of Ingram, Texas, and I fished for 5 1/2 hours, and we relished catching 31 black bass and four white bass at a north-central Texas state reservoir. What’s more, Rick said that this was the best black-bass fishing he has experienced so far this year. In contrast, Norman and I worked hard to catch five largemouth bass, four spotted bass, two crappie, and a channel catfish during this awful 4 ½-hour endeavor, and we haven’t a clue as to the whereabouts of the larger aggregations of black bass in this reservoir. 

April 9

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, and Rick Heberstreit of Shawnee, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their April 9 outing at an 88-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

Mother Nature’s windy ways and unusual weather patterns kept us at bay for most of the first 96 days of 2026, and when she allowed us to fish, the largemouth bass fishing was trying.  Even though the wind was a touch pestering on April 9, the fishing was quite fruitful.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 52 degrees, and the afternoon's high temperature was 78 degrees on April 9. The wind angled out of the south and southwest at 5 to 18 mph with gusts ranging from 24 to 28 mph. The sky fluctuated from being fair to partly cloudy to cluttered with a few clouds. The barometric pressure was 30.06 at 12:53 a.m., 30.10 at 5:53 a.m., 30.06 at 11:53 a.m., and 30.12 at 2:53 p.m.

The wind was brisk enough to blow the hats off our heads and into the water twice, and we used a drift sock about half of the time to tame the wind’s dastardly effect on our abilities to control the boat.

The water level looked to be normal. The surface temperature ranged from 60 to 61 degrees. The water exhibited about nine feet of visibility in the vicinity of the dam and about six feet of visibility along the shorelines in the upper half of the reservoir.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 4:46 a.m. to 6:46 a.m., 5:11 p.m. to 7:11 p.m., and 10:58 a.m. to 12:58 p.m.

We made our first casts at 10:23 a.m. and caught our first fish. We made our last casts at 2:23 p.m. and caught fish number 101. Ninety-five of these 101 fish were largemouth bass, five were crappie, and one was a wiper.  

One of the 95 largemouth bass was caught on a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Hula StickZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. A 4.75-inch Z-Man’s purple-haze Finesse WormZ rigged on a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig caught one largemouth bass. A slightly shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig inveigled 93 largemouth bass, five crappie, and one wiper.

This is our green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig.

We caught these fish with a variety of presentations. Three were caught on a short deadstick presentation. Five were caught on the initial drop of our rigs.  The others were caught on either a swim-glide-and-shake presentation or a drag-pause-and-shake presentation.  

As we employed these various presentations, the largemouth bass were caught from about 10 to about 40 feet from the water’s edge and in water as shallow as five feet and as deep as 12 feet. We also fished around 98 docks, which yielded 21 of the 101 fish.

We spent three of the four hours in the lower half of the reservoir, and most of those three hours were spent fishing along about 1,200 yards of a massive main-lake shoreline. This area has a 20- to 45-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Some of the flatter sections are laden with silt. Wads of filamentous algae and a few burgeoning patches of submerged aquatic vegetation decorate portions of the underwater terrain, as well as several manmade piles of tree limbs and PVC fish attractors.  The Hula StickZ rig caught one largemouth bass, the purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig caught one, and our green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rigs caught 56 largemouth bass.  We caught them in five to 12 feet of water and 10 to 40 feet from the water’s edge. The steeper areas were more fruitful than the flatter areas.

We fished along another main-lake shoreline and around two of its main-lake points. This area is about 800 yards long. The underwater terrains consist of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally embellished with patches of filamentous algae, burgeoning patches of submerged aquatic vegetation, and piles of tree limbs. The shoreline possesses a 25- to 50-degree slope. The points have a 25- to 30-degree slope. The water’s edges of this area are lined with several concrete and stone retaining walls, a few overhanging trees, some meager and burgeoning patches of American water willows, and 23 docks. One main-lake point was fruitless, and the second point yielded two largemouth bass. We caught 17 largemouth bass along the shoreline.  Our green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rigs caught these 19 largemouth bass in six to 12 feet of water and 15 to 30 feet from the water’s edge.

In the upper half of the reservoir, we fished around two small main-lake points and along short sections of the shorelines adjacent to these points. This area has a 30-to 50-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, some wads of filamentous algae, and a few small patches of budding submerged aquatic vegetation. The water’s edge is lined with several concrete retaining walls, one stone retaining wall, a few piles of brush, two overhanging trees, some meager patches of burgeoning American water willows, and 12 docks. Each point is endowed with one dock. One point yielded one largemouth bass. We caught five largemouth bass on the second point. These six largemouth bass were caught on our green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ in nine to 12 feet of water and many yards from the water’s edge.  The shoreline was fruitless.

Along about a 200-yard stretch of a shoreline in the upper half of the reservoir, we caught eight largemouth bass on our green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rigs in six to 12 feet of water and 10 to 20 feet from the water’s edge. The underwater terrain of this shoreline consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and some silt, which are adorned with a few wads of filamentous algae, a few PVC fish attractors, and several meager patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. The shoreline possesses a 35- to 60-degree slope. The water’s edge consists of one concrete retaining wall, four docks, one small rock bridge, a few minor laydowns, several piles of brush, some burgeoning patches of American water willows, and several overhanging trees.

We caught four largemouth bass along about a 100-yard stretch of another shoreline in the upper half of this reservoir. The underwater terrain of this shoreline consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and some silt, which are endowed with occasional patches of aquatic vegetation, some wads of filamentous algae, a few piles of brush, and some PVC fish attractors. The shoreline possesses a 40- to 60-degree slope. The water’s edge is lined with eight docks, concrete and stone retaining walls, some slim patches of American water willows, and a few overhanging trees. Our green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rigs inveigled these largemouth bass in eight to 12 feet of water and from 15 to 40 feet from the water’s edge.

In conclusion, we caught an average of 23 largemouth bass per hour and slightly more than 25 fish per hour.

April 12

Matt Peterie of Eudora, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his April 12 outing with his son at an 88-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

The National Weather Service reported the low temperature was 63 degrees.  The high temperature was 72 degrees. The wind angled out of the south and southwest at 10 to 15 mph with gusts ranging from 20 to 31 mph. The sky fluctuated from being rainy to foggy to misty to overcast to mostly cloudy to cluttered with a few clouds to fair. The barometric pressure was 29.90 at 12:53 a.m., 29.93 at 5:53 a.m., 29.89 at 11:53 a.m., and 29.78 at 5:53 p.m.

The water level looked to be normal. The surface temperature ranged from 59 to 64 degrees. The water exhibited six to eight feet of visibility.

We launched the boat at 5:40 p.m. and put it on  the trailer at 7:30 p.m. During these 110 minutes, we caught 20 largemouth bass. None of the 20 bass appeared to show worn or damaged tails from spawning.

Twelve of the 20 were caught on a Z-Man’s coppertruse Finesse TRD on a green-pumpkin 1/10-ounce Z-Man's Finesse ShroomZ jig head. Eight were caught on a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ on a green-pumpkin 1/15-ounce mushroom-style jig. The Finesse TRD might have been more effective because it was fished from the front of the boat.

The entire outing was spent in the lower portion of the reservoir.  During the first hour, we fished along the main-lake shore on the western side of this reservoir. The final 50 minutes were spent along a main-lake shore on the eastern side of the reservoir.

Both shorelines are cluttered with scores of docks.  The outside edges of the docks on the west shoreline were in five to seven feet of water. The eastern shoreline is steeper, and the outside edges of the docks were in 15 to 20 feet of water.

The underwater terrains of these shorelines consist of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are the residue of a humongous rock quarry that this reservoir has covered for nearly eight decades. Some of this terrain is coated with wads of filamentous algae, and our sonar revealed a few minor patches of submerged aquatic vegetation between several of the docks.

We caught some largemouth bass next to the docks, and others were caught in the spaces between the docks.

Our most effective retrieve was to slowly swim our Midwest finesse rigs near the bottom. At the deep end, we caught them by allowing our rigs to fall all the way to the bottom.

I briefly spoke with another angler, and after I made positive comments about the evening's fishing, he responded that the lake was much better in the past, and tournament anglers used to be able to catch 25- to 30-pound bags of largemouth bass before the largemouth bass virus decimated the population.

April 13

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted this log on the Finesse News Network about his April 13 smallmouth bass outing with Bear Brundrett of Valley View, Texas, at a federal reservoir in southern Oklahoma.  

This was our first outing for either of us at this reservoir in 2026.

Weather-wise, the sky was overcast until about 2:30 p.m., then it became partly cloudy and sunny.  The barometric pressure measured 30.00 at 9:00 a.m. and 29.93 at 4:00 p.m. The wind was problematic and blew continuously out of the south at 15 to 25 mph.  The morning’s low temperature was 66 degrees, and the afternoon’s high reached 84 degrees.

Poor fishing was forecasted for April 13 by In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar. The calendar also noted that the most productive fishing periods would occur between 2:17 a.m. and 4:17 a.m., 8:29 a.m. and 10:29 a.m., and 8:51 p.m. to 10:51 p.m.

We fished from 9:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., and we needed to employ a drift sock for about 85 percent of the time that we were afloat.

The water exhibited between four and six feet of clarity. The water level appeared to be about two feet high. The surface temperature ranged from 66 to 69 degrees.

We launched the boat inside a major feeder-creek arm in the lower end of the reservoir’s west tributary arm and began probing a series of seven large secondary points and two sand-and-gravel flats. These areas are in the middle and upper sections of the creek arm.

Around the secondary points and the two flats with sand, gravel, rocks, and minor patches of boulders adorning them, we caught 13 smallmouth bass, two largemouth bass, and one large bluegill that were abiding in three to nine feet of water. Ten of these 15 black bass were allured by a slow-swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pumpkin curly-tail GrubZ affixed on either a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead or a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Four were enticed by a swimming presentation with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ affixed on a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. One smallmouth bass was tempted by a slow-swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s bloodworm curly-tail GrubZ.  

One smallmouth bass was caught from an offshore main-lake hump, which is located in the midsection of the west tributary arm. It is laden with chunky rocks and boulders, and the top of the hump is covered with two to three feet of water. This smallmouth bass was caught in five feet of water near a cluster of large boulders with a slow-swimming retrieve with one of our 2 1/2-inch pumpkin GrubZ combos.

Inside two medium-sized bays in the upper end of the reservoir, we caught 13 smallmouth bass and one bluegill. They were abiding in three to nine feet of water around the sides of several rocky secondary points with flat terrains. All of them were allured by our 2 1/2-inch pumpkin curly-tail GrubZ rigs and a slow swimming retrieve.

Across four major main-lake shorelines in the middle and lower portions of the west tributary arm, we caught 70 smallmouth bass and two largemouth bass. They were in water as shallow as three feet and as deep as seven feet. All of them were bedazzled by the 2 1/2-inch pumpkin GrubZ combos and a slow- swimming retrieve along the deep-water sides of several shallow rock ledges that parallel these shorelines.

In conclusion, it was an outstanding smallmouth bass outing. We were delighted to tangle with 101 black bass and two large bluegill on a blustery spring day. Of these 101 black bass, 97 were smallmouth bass, and four were largemouth bass.

This reservoir isn’t known for producing large smallmouth bass, but they are plentiful. Most of them measured between 12 and 16 inches, but their hard-fighting shenanigans kept us entertained throughout the day, and they keep us coming back for more.

April 16

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his outing on April 16 with Pok Chi Lau of Lawrence at a 94-year-old state reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

The morning’s low temperature was 44 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 82 degrees. The wind was calm until 7:52 a.m., and when it stirred, it was blowing from the east, south, and southeast at 3 to 17 mph; gusts reached 22 to 23 mph. The sky was fair. The barometric pressure was 29.81 at 12:52 a.m., 29.83 at 5:52 a.m., 29.87 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.84 at 1:52 p.m.

The water level looked to be a few inches above normal. The surface temperature was 66 degrees.  During the past year, this reservoir has been endowed with almost crystal-clear water, exhibiting as much as 16 feet of clarity during the fall of 2025 and winter of 2025-26.  But a significant algae bloom has erupted, creating a greenish hue and an ugly and strange yellow, gold, and orange hue.  The water exhibited about two to seven feet of clarity, and we suspect that Mother Nature’s windy ways might have compounded some of the demise of the water clarity and contributed to its ugliness.  Most of the shallow-water flats and shorelines are endowed with significant patches of curly-leaf pondweeds, which are interlaced with some wads of filamentous algae.

This has been the windiest, oddest, and ugliest spring in northeastern Kansas we can remember. For instance, two of our communities were walloped by a tornado this week.  More foul weather might be in our near future: The National Weather Service is predicting that April 17 could be entangled with a whirlwind of baseball-size hail, thunderstorms, flash floods, wind gusts broaching 75 mph, and even a tornado. All of these nearly persistent winds and radical weather patterns have kept many of us old codgers at bay this spring.

This exurban reservoir is usually heavily fished. But it wasn’t today, which might reflect how trying its fishing has been here since the winter of 2025/26.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 9:57 a.m. to 11:57 a.m., 10:22 p.m. to 12:22 a.m., and 3:45 a.m. to 5:45 a.m.

We made our first casts at 10:27 a.m. And when we made our last casts at 1:22 p.m., our fish counter revealed that it was a struggle to catch 42 extremely dinky largemouth bass, six crappie, one channel catfish, one bluegill, and one pumpkinseed.

Two of the 42 largemouth bass were caught on a 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s twilight Trick ShotZ affixed to a baby blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig.   A Z-Man’s Canada-craw TRD HogZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig inveigled two largemouth bass. A slightly shortened Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ attached to a red1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig lured 38 largemouth bass.

We failed to discover an effective retrieve. Three were caught as we were strolling and employing a constant dragging presentation. Four were caught on the initial drop. We caught five largemouth bass with a straight swimming presentation a foot or two below the surface as we fished along the outside edge of a massive patch of curly-leaf pondweeds. A drag-and-pause presentation enticed 14 largemouth bass. Sixteen were caught as we used a slow swim-and-pause presentation.

We caught the 42 largemouth bass in a variety of depths -- as shallow as four feet and as deep as 12 feet.

We failed to count the number of strikes that we failed to hook or temporarily hook. A conservative guess is about two dozen, and most of them were very meager strikes, which we contributed to panfish or some of the dinky largemouth bass that we did catch.

Our most fruitful area was about 400 yards of a secondary shoreline inside one of this reservoir’s primary feeder-creek arms.  The slope of this shoreline is about 30 to 55 degrees. It is graced with two secondary points and two tertiary points. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and a significant submerged rock-and-boulder fence. Most of the flat and shallow-water sections of the underwater terrains are enhanced with thick patches of curly-leaf pondweeds and occasional wads of filamentous algae. The water’s edge is often lined with thick patches of winter-dead American water willows and several well-aged laydowns.  This shoreline yielded 20 largemouth bass. They were caught on our Finesse WormZ rig. Five of the 20 were caught as we used a rather quick swimming presentation along the outside edge of a massive patch of curly-leaf pondweeds. One largemouth bass was caught around one of the secondary points on the initial drop of the Finesse WormZ rig near the edge of a patch of curly-leaf pondweeds. The other 14 were caught along the steeper sections of this shoreline. Three of these 14 were caught while we were strolling with the wind and a drift sock and using a dragging presentation.  Two were caught on the initial drop of our rigs. The other nine were caught as we employed either a slow swim-and-pause presentation or a drag-and-pause presentation along the rock-and-boulder terrain and around the submerged fence, which were not endowed with thick patches of aquatic vegetation.

We quickly fished portions of another secondary shoreline inside this primary feeder-creek arm. This shoreline is about 400 yards long. It is similar to the one that yielded 20 largemouth bass, but it yielded only three largemouth bass, which we caught on our Finesse WormZ rig.

We spent the rest of this outing fishing around three main-lake points and two main-lake shorelines.

One of the main lake points is at the mouth of a small feeder-creek arm. It has a 35-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are coated with several patches of curly-leaf pondweeds. The water’s edge is enhanced with thick patches of winter-dead American water willows. The largemouth bass was caught along the outside edge of a patch of curly-leaf pondweeds on the Finesse WormZ rig in about five feet of water with a slow swim-and-pause presentation.

The second main-lake point and its main-lake shoreline yielded a dozen largemouth bass. The main-lake point has a 55-degree slope. The main-lake shoreline has a 50- to 85-degree slope. The underwater terrains consist of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Some of the boulders along the main-lake shoreline are humongous. This shoreline is about 300 yards long, and it eventually merges with the dam’s spillway. These underwater terrains are covered with occasional patches of curly-leaf pondweeds and some piles of tree branches.  Some of the water’s edges are lined with thick patches of winter-dead American water willows and a few dilapidated laydowns. We caught one largemouth bass around the point in about seven to eight feet of water on the Finesse WormZ rig. The shoreline yielded 11 largemouth bass in five to about 12 feet of water. Two were caught on the TRD HogZ rig. The Trick ShotZ rig caught two.  Our Finesse WormZ rig caught seven. Two were caught on the initial drop of our rigs. The others were caught on either a slow swim-and-pause presentation or a drag-and-pause presentation.

Around the second main-lake point and along its main-lake shoreline, we caught five largemouth bass.  They possess a 35- to 45-degree slope.  The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Much of the shoreline’s flat and shallow-water sections are carpeted with patches of curly-leaf pondweeds and wads of filamentous algae, and the water clarity in some segments of this area was afflicted with the odd yellowish-gold hue. The water’s edge possesses thick patches of winter-dead American water willows, several overhanging trees, some laydowns, and a few piles of brush.  We caught one largemouth bass around the point on the Finesse WormZ rig with a drag-and-pause presentation in about seven feet of water. Our Finesse WormZ rigs caught four largemouth bass along the shoreline. Two were caught on the drag-and-pause; the other two were caught on a swim-and-pause presentation around patches of curly-leaf pondweeds.

In sum, we caught slightly more than an average of 14 largemouth bass per hour. But because the water was so ugly and the fish so dinky, we could not muster the wherewithal to fish for more than two hours and 55 minutes. And it is unlikely that we will return to this reservoir until the algae bloom disappears and the vast patches of curly-leaf pondweeds wilt and disappear in June.

April 16

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted this report on the Finesse News Network about his April 16 outing with Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas, at a troublesome federal reservoir in north-central Texas.  

From about 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., we fished at one of several federal hill-land reservoirs in north-central Texas.

According to In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar, the best fishing would occur from 3:52 a.m. to 5:32 a.m., 10:05 a.m. to 12:05 p.m., and 10::29 p.m. to 12:29 a.m. The calendar also indicated that fishing would be excellent.

April 16 was sunny and breezy. The morning’s low temperature was 65 degrees, and the afternoon high was 87 degrees. While we were afloat, the wind quartered out of the south and southeast at 15 to 20 mph. The barometric pressure measured 29.94 at 11:00 a.m., and it fell to 29.85 by 4:00 p.m.  

This is the same challenging reservoir that Bill Kenney of Denton and I fished on April 9. During that four-hour excursion, we concentrated our efforts inside two major feeder-creek arms and along portions of the riprap that covers the dam, and we had a trying time scrounging up seven black bass in four hours.  

During this April 16 endeavor, we decided to investigate a few areas that Bill and I didn’t fish on April 9, and a couple of areas that were productive for Bill and me on April 9. This time, Norman and I spent some of our time probing 17 wind-blown main-lake areas, which consisted of 13 rocky main-lake points, three main-lake sand-and-gravel flats that are adorned with partially-flooded stickups and buck brush, and a rock-and boulder-laden shoal that extends about 15 yards out from the end of one of the main-lake points. We also plied portions of two feeder-creek arms in the middle section of the reservoir. We decided not to travel a couple of miles to the dam in the peppy wind and incessant rows of white-capped waves.  

The water was dingy with 14 to 18 inches of visibility. The water level was a foot high. The water temperature ranged from 71 to 74 degrees.    

The black bass fishing was a tad worse during this April 16 outing than it was on April 9, and we failed to find any aggregations of largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, or spotted bass that inhabit this reservoir. Our best efforts garnered five largemouth bass and one spotted bass, which we stumbled across inside two feeder-creek arms in the midsection of the reservoir. Four largemouth bass and one spotted bass were caught inside the first creek arm, and one largemouth bass was caught inside the second arm.

Of the five black bass caught in the first creek arm, four of them were abiding in three to five feet of water and relating to the sides of four rocky secondary points situated on the east side and in the lower and middle section of the creek arm. These points have 25- to 35-degree inclines. The fifth black bass was caught in 10 feet of water near a west-side rock bluff in the midsection of the creek arm. We didn’t locate any black bass around seven other rocky secondary points, four short secondary shorelines, a couple of clay-and-gravel flats, and another rock-bluff shoreline.

The one largemouth bass caught in the second creek arm was abiding in three feet of water at the tip of a wind-blown clay-and-gravel secondary point in the backend of the creek arm. Two small coves on the east side of this creek arm that are cluttered with flooded stickups and buck brush, and a rocky secondary point on the west side of the creek arm were fruitless.  

We wielded 12 Midwest finesse rigs to tempt these 10 fish. Two largemouth bass were allured by a swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse TRD rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. Two more largemouth bass were teased into striking a shortened four-inch Z-Man’s black-neon Finesse WormZ fastened on a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig and a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation. One largemouth bass was enticed by a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with a 2 3/4-inch Z-Man’s molting-craw TRD TubeZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. The one spotted bass was allured by a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig dressed with a Z-Man’s coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ.      

The 13 rocky main-lake points and the main-lake rock shoal failed to yield a strike. The three main-lake flats surrendered four white bass that were caught in less than five feet of water and within 10 to 15 feet of the water’s edge. Three of the four were allured by a moderate-paced swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ matched with a blue 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.  The other white bass was enticed by a slow swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ rigged on a pearl 3/32-ounce mushroom-style jig.    

In sum, the reason or reasons behind the lousy black-bass fishing at this federal reservoir remain a mystery to us. During this five-hour jaunt, we had a difficult time locating and inveigling five largemouth bass and one spotted bass. They were caught inside the two feeder-creek arms.

We’re concerned that we haven’t seen any signs of spawning activity at this impoundment. Furthermore, we failed to locate any black bass at any of the 17 main-lake locales that we fished, but we did encounter four white bass on the three main-lake flats.

April 20

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted this report on the Finesse News Network about his April 20 outing with Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas, at a state reservoir located in an exurban area of north-central Texas.

This was our first outing at this reservoir in 2026, and we fished from 9:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.

The weather in north-central Texas has been unstable during the past few days. On April 20, it was mostly cloudy with a few brief periods of sunshine. (More rain is forecast for the late evening hours of April 20 and throughout the day on April 21.) The morning’s low temperature was 49 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 74 degrees. The wind quartered out of the south-by-southeast at 5 to 10 mph, and at times, it was calm. These are the lightest wind conditions we have seen in many weeks this spring. The barometric pressure dropped from 30.37 at 9:00 a.m. to 30.34 at 3:00 p.m.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar table noted that the best fishing would most likely occur between 1:36 a.m. and 3:36 a.m., 7:52 a.m. and 9:52 a.m., and 2:08 p.m. to 4:08 p.m. It also forecasted poor fishing on April 20.

We spent this outing dissecting rocky secondary shorelines, main-lake and secondary points, a concrete-debris covered jetty, several brush-laden flats, two concrete boat ramps, and some covered docks inside three bays, and one main-lake island.

These locales are situated in the lower and middle sections of the reservoir.

The water’s surface temperature varied from 66 to 67 degrees. The water level was 4.63 feet below normal pool. The water exhibited a brownish tint in the main-lake area, and depending on where we were fishing in the three bays, it had 12 to 18 inches of clarity.

We started on the east side of the first bay in the lower end of the reservoir, where we slowly fished a rocky shoreline. It is about 100 yards long and has an incline of about 35 to 40 degrees. Sections of this shoreline are adorned with patches of flooded stickups and boulders. We fished this shoreline twice, and we struggled to eke out seven largemouth bass and two spotted bass that were scattered along this shoreline in five to seven feet of water. We also inadvertently caught one freshwater drum.

Along three riprap-covered shorelines on the west and north sides of the bay, we caught one spotted bass. These shorelines have 30- to 35-degree gradients and are blanketed with riprap, gravel, chunky rocks, and boulders. This spotted bass was caught near a submerged boulder in three feet of water.

About a mile east of the first bay, we fished around the rock- and brush-laden shoreline of a main-lake island. Most of the shoreline was fruitless, but we did catch one largemouth bass and one spotted bass. Both of these black bass were abiding in less than five feet of water and near a couple of meager patches of flooded stickups on the east side of the island.  

From the main-lake island, we travelled another mile northward along the reservoir’s east shoreline to the entrance to the second bay. At this bay’s entrance, we fished around a jetty that is carpeted with primarily concrete demolition debris and twisted rods of rusty steel rebar. This jetty yielded five largemouth bass and one spotted bass. They were caught in three to five feet of water and within five feet of the water’s edge. The spotted bass was caught as it was chasing shad next to a large slab of concrete debris with several rods of rusted steel rebar protruding from it in three feet of water and within a couple of feet of the water’s edge.

After that, we fished a flat and rocky shoreline on the north side of the bay that produced one largemouth bass. This shoreline is about 75 yards long. It is enhanced with several boathouses, several shallow rock ledges, and two lengthy rock-and-concrete retaining walls with chunky rocks reinforcing the base of the walls. We failed to elicit any strikes from about 99 percent of this shoreline. One largemouth bass was caught in four feet of water near the chunky rocks at the base of one of the rock-and-concrete retaining walls. We also failed to garner any strikes from an adjacent rocky entry point to this bay at the end of this shoreline.          

From the second bay, we ventured into the third  bay, which is located just north of the second bay. Inside this large bay, we probed three rocky secondary points, four coves, and several brush-laden clay flats, two concrete boat ramps, four boat houses, and around a couple of docks in three to 20 feet of water in the back end of the bay, and we were dismayed that we caught only one largemouth bass in this bay. It was caught in five feet of water from the side of one of the steeper rocky secondary points in the back of the bay.

Overall, the black bass bite was slow, and we worked hard to catch 15 largemouth bass, five spotted bass, and one freshwater drum in six hours.  

Eight of these 20 black bass were caught on a four-inch Z-Man’s black-neon Finesse WormZ rigged on a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve. Seven were allured by a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse TRD affixed on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce mushroom-type jig and a steady-swimming retrieve. Two were enticed by a steady-swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ fastened on a blue 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. Two more were induced by a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a Z-Man’s hot-snakes TRD TicklerZ matched with a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. And one largemouth bass and one freshwater drum were caught on a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation with a Z-Man’s pearl Finesse ShadZ on a blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. 

April 22

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his April 22 outing with Nick Robertson of Overland Park, Kansas, at an 88-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 59 degrees, and the afternoon's high temperature was 66 degrees. The wind angled out of the south and southwest at 7 to 15 mph with gusts ranging from 17 to 24 mph. The sky was overcast. The barometric pressure was 30.04 at 12:53 a.m., 30.03 at 5:53 a.m., 30.04 at 11:53 a.m., and 29.98 at 2:53 p.m.

The water level was normal. The surface temperature ranged from 67. The water exhibited about six to nine feet of visibility.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 3:44 a.m. to 5:44 a.m., 4:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m., and 9:59 a.m. to 11:59 a.m.

We made our first casts at 10:28 a.m. and caught our first fish. By the time we made our last casts at 2:28 p.m., our mechanical fish counter revealed that we had tangled with 82 largemouth bass, six bluegill, four green sunfish, two crappie, one hybrid green sunfish, and one channel catfish.

Nick is a recent convert to Midwest finesse fishing, and he is wedded to Z-Man’s Ultimate Ned Rig Rods, lightweight spinning reels, four- and six-pound-test braided lines, light fluorocarbon leaders, lightweight jigheads, and an array of Z-Man’s ElaZtech finesse baits. Moreover, he is infatuated with fishing in a belly tube, which is a tactic that the late and great Chuck Woods of Kansas City, who is the forefather of Midwest fishing, used in the 1950s and 1960s to inveigle countless numbers of largemouth bass in northeastern Kansas.

Two of the 82 largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s hot-snakes TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.  Two were caught on a slightly shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-red-flake Finesse WormZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig; this Finesse WormZ is no longer manufactured.  Three largemouth bass were caught on a significantly shortened Z-Man’s coppertreuse Bang StickZ on a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. A Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-orange Finesse TRD affixed to a black 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig caught four largemouth bass. And a shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ on a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig waylaid 77 largemouth bass.

We caught these fish with a variety of presentations. Two were caught on a short deadstick presentation. Six were caught on the initial drop of our rigs.  The others were caught on the swim-glide-and-shake retrieve, drag-pause-and-shake retrieve, and hop-and-bounce retrieve.  

As we employed these various presentations, the largemouth bass were caught about five to about 40 feet from the water’s edge and in water as shallow as four feet and as deep as 15 feet. We also fished around 63 docks, and we caught 31 of the 82 largemouth bass either under or immediately adjacent to the docks. The others were caught between the docks around rocks and boulders or amongst the burgeoning patches of submerged aquatic vegetation.

We spent three hours and 20 minutes of the four hours in the lower half of the reservoir.

We fished along two segments of a 1,200-yard main-lake shoreline, which yielded 42 largemouth bass.  These segments have a 20- to 45-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. The flatter sections are laden with silt. Wads of filamentous algae and a few sprouting patches of submerged aquatic vegetation decorate portions of the underwater terrain, as well as several manmade piles of tree limbs and PVC fish attractors.  The water’s edge has 32 docks, some burgeoning patches of American water willows, and a few retaining walls. Two largemouth bass were caught on the hot-snakes TRD TicklerZ rig, two were caught on the green-pumpkin-red-flake Finesse WormZ rig, and 38 were caught on the green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rigs. We caught them in five to 12 feet of water and eight to 40 feet from the water’s edge. The steeper areas were more fruitful than the flatter areas.

We fished along another main-lake shoreline and around two of its main-lake points. This area is about 800 yards long. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally embellished with patches of filamentous algae, burgeoning patches of submerged aquatic vegetation, and piles of tree limbs. The shoreline possesses a 25- to 50-degree slope. The points have a 25- to 30-degree slope. The water’s edges of this area are lined with several concrete and stone retaining walls, a few overhanging trees, some sprouting patches of American water willows, and 24 docks. Along this shoreline, our green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rigs enticed 19 largemouth bass in five to 14 feet of water.

One of this shoreline’s main-lake points was fruitless, and the second point yielded four largemouth bass. The water’s edge of the second point has a 25-degree slope, and it is endowed with one dock, a few meager and burgeoning patches of American water willows, and a boulder retaining wall. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are enhanced with patches of submerged aquatic vegetation, and endowed with a boulder-laden ledge next to a sharp drop-off. Our green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rigs lured the four largemouth bass in about eight to 10 feet of water along the ledge and around a patch of submerged vegetation.

Adjacent to this main-lake point, we fished along about a 100-yard stretch of a flat shoreline inside a small feeder-creek arm. This water’s edge possesses five docks, two tiny riprap jetties, and a few retaining walls. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and some silt; portions of it are coated with patches of submerged aquatic vegetation.  Three of the four largemouth bass were caught on the initial drop of the green-pumpkin-orange Finesse TRD rig under two of the five docks. One was caught on this Finesse TRD Rig in the vicinity of one of the retaining walls and a patch of submerged vegetation. The fifth largemouth bass was caught on the green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig along the edge of a patch of submerged vegetation.

We caught six largemouth bass along a main-lake shoreline that is next to the spillway. It has a 20- to 45-degree slope. The water’s edge possesses six docks, several retaining walls, three tertiary points, and some patches of American water willows. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and a rock-and-boulder ledge that parallels deep water. Some of the shallow-water areas are enhanced with a few patches of submerged vegetation. Three of the six largemouth bass were attracted to the coppertreuse Bang StickZ rig in the vicinity of the docks and submerged patches of vegetation. The green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig caught three largemouth bass; one was caught around a patch of submerged vegetation a few feet from the outside edge of a dock; two of the three tertiary points bore a largemouth bass.

In the upper half of this reservoir, we quickly fished about a 250-yard stretch of a main-lake shoreline, where we eked out four largemouth bass. The underwater terrain of this shoreline consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and some silt, which are endowed with occasional patches of aquatic vegetation, some wads of filamentous algae, a few piles of brush, and some PVC fish attractors. The shoreline possesses a 40- to 60-degree slope. The water’s edge is lined with 13 docks, concrete and stone retaining walls, some slim patches of American water willows, and a few overhanging trees. Our green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rigs inveigled these largemouth bass in eight to 15 feet of water and from 15 to 40 feet from the water’s edge.

In conclusion, we tangled with an average of 20 largemouth bass per hour. We elicited more strikes than we could accurately count. In fact, there were some retrieves that produced three strikes. We need to note that this was only my third outing this April. My 86-year-old mind, body, and enthusiasm haven’t possessed the wherewithal to tangle with Mother Nature’s windy and bizarre weather eruptions.

April 24

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his brief outing on April 24 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 51 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 71 degrees. The wind angled out of the east, north, northeast, and northwest at 5 to 12 mph. The sky was fair.  The barometric pressure was 29.68 at 12:52 a.m., 29.78 at 5:52 a.m., 29.85 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.89 at 3:52 p.m. During the evening of April 23, northeastern Kansas was walloped with severe thunderstorms, heavy wind, hail, and several tornadoes. And April 24 was a typical post-cold-front day.

The water level looked to be six inches above normal. The surface temperature was 67degrees. The water exhibited three to 3 ½ feet of visibility.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 5:46 a.m. to 7:46 a.m., 6:13 p.m. to 8:13 p.m., and 11:33 a.m. to 1:33 p.m.

When I made my first cast at 1:53 p.m. at the west end of the dam’s riprap shoreline, I was hoping to catch 25 largemouth bass in an hour and go home. But I didn’t catch largemouth bass number 25 until 3:20 p.m., and at the east end of the dam’s riprap shoreline.

The dam lies along the north side of this reservoir. It is 2,280 feet long and 58 feet high with a 55- to 60-degree slope.  The entire shoreline was sheltered from the mild-mannered north wind. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are coated with occasional wads of filamentous algae, several small patches of unidentified submerged vegetation, and several manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees in deep water. The water’s edge possesses three small patches of American water willows and several small piles of tree limbs and logs.

I opted to use three of our Midwest finesse rigs. I caught seven largemouth bass on a radically shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. A slightly shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig inveigled 18 largemouth bass, one very hefty channel catfish, one crappie, and one green sunfish.  I failed to elicit a strike on a 3 ½-inch Z-Man twilight Trick ShotZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig.

Three of the 25 largemouth bass were caught on the initial drop of the green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig. The other largemouth bass were caught on a drag-pause-and-shake presentation.  It was a difficult task to determine the exact depth of water that most of these largemouth bass were abiding in. All I could do was conjecture that the depth ranged from about three to 12 feet, and they were caught from as close as four feet to as far as 20 feet from the water’s edge.

In short, it was a delightful 87 minutes of not having to struggle with all the wind that Mother Nature has plagued us with this spring.  

April 25

Patty and Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their outing on April 25 at an 87-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas. This was a brief and casual outing, and it was Pat’s first outing in 2026.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 46 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 77 degrees. The wind was calm for one hour, and when it stirred, it angled from the east and southeast at 3 to 13 mph with one short 22-mph gust. While we were afloat, the sky was fair, partly cloudy, and mostly cloudy. The barometric pressure was 29.68 at 12:52 a.m., 29.68 at 5:52 a.m., 29.85 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.83 at 3:52 p.m.

This reservoir and its watershed were walloped with several significant thunderstorms, strong winds, and a nearby tornado on April 23. Consequently, the water in this reservoir’s feeder-creek arms was roiled up.

The water level looked to be a few inches above normal. The surface temperature ranged from 66 to 67 degrees. The water exhibited about one foot or less of visibility inside some of the feeder-creek arms and 3 1/2 feet of clarity in the vicinity of the dam.  Many wads of filamentous algae clutter the underwater objects along the shallow-water shorelines. The patches of American water willows, which grace the water’s edges of many of this reservoir’s points and shorelines, are becoming resurrected from their winter-dead motif.  Patches of submerged aquatic vegetation are sprouting on portions of the underwater terrains.

One of the parking lots was jam-packed with tow vehicles and boat trailers. The bulk of the largemouth bass anglers were probing the stained-water areas inside the feeder-creek arms.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 6:32 a.m. to 8:32 a.m., 6:56 p.m. to 8:56 p.m., and 12:20 a.m. to 2:20 a.m.

We made our first casts at noon and the last ones at 1:30 p.m. During these 90 minutes, we caught 16 largemouth bass.

A radically shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig caught two largemouth bass. Three were caught on a Z-Man’s coppertreuse Finesse TRD affixed to a red 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Eleven of the 16 were caught on a slightly shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig.

We spent the first 46 minutes of this outing inside two primary feeder-creek arms plying short sections of two secondary shorelines. These shorelines have a 35- to 40-degree slope. Their underwater terrains consist of gravel, rocks, and silt. These terrains are occasionally endowed with patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. Their water’s edges are lined with burgeoning patches of American water willows, a few laydowns, two docks, occasional piles of tree branches, a short concrete retaining wall, and wads of filamentous algae.

Inside the first feeder-creek arm, our Junebug Finesse WormZ rig with a drag-pause-and-shake presentation caught two largemouth bass along the shoreline in about five to six feet of water.

Inside the second feeder-creek arm, we caught one largemouth bass on the initial drop of the coppertreuse Finesse TRD rig in about two to three feet of water around a pile of tree limbs and in front of a patch of American water willows.

We spent the rest of the outing fishing the entire shoreline of the dam, which is 1,400 feet long. The dam is 45 feet high and has about a 55-degree slope. The underwater terrain of the dam’s shoreline consists of limestone boulders, rather than riprap. Many of the boulders are about four feet long, 2½ feet wide, and 2½ feet high. Many of these boulders have crumbled and become gravel and rocks.  Wads of filamentous algae and some meager patches of submerged aquatic vegetation coat portions of the underwater terrain. The water’s edge possesses burgeoning patches of American water willows, a riprap jetty with a concrete outlet tower, a few meager piles of brush and tree limbs, and several partially submerged logs.

The dam yielded 13 largemouth bass. Two were caught on the coppertreuse Finesse TRD rig; one was caught on the initial drop in about three to four feet of water in front of a shallow-water patch of American water willows; the second was caught on a dragging presentation in about six feet of water. Eleven were caught on the green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig with a drag-pause-and-shake presentation in water as shallow as five feet and as deep as seven to 10 feet of water.

Nowadays, we are rarely afloat on Saturdays or Sundays. On this Saturday, we were afloat to enjoy just a few minutes of no 20- to 30-mph winds and a waterway devoid of whitecaps, which have regularly plagued us this year. During these 90 minutes, we were pleased to leisurely catch an average of 10 largemouth bass per hour.

April 27

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted this log on the Finesse News Network about his April 27 outing with Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas, at a popular federal reservoir in north-central Texas. It was their first outing at this reservoir in 2026.

The sky conditions changed from hazy and mostly cloudy to sunny and partly cloudy. The morning’s low temperature was 73 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature peaked at 94 degrees. The wind quartered out of the south-by-southwest at 10 to 20 mph. The barometric pressure measured 29.70 at 8:00 a.m., and rose slightly to 29.72 by 2:00 p.m.

According to In-Fisherman's Solunar calendar, fishing would be poor. The most productive periods were 1:55 a.m. to 3:55 a.m., 8:05 a.m. to 10:05 a.m., and 8:26 p.m. to 10:26 p.m.

We concentrated our efforts in this reservoir’s lower region, where the vast majority of its submerged terrain is composed of red clay, small gravel, chunky rocks, and countless numbers of large boulders. There are also numerous laydowns adorning most of the shorelines, and some thick stands of flooded timber cluttering a few of the coves.  And during this six-hour endeavor, we fished a variety of locales inside a minor main-lake cove and two major feeder-creek arms, which provided some relief from the incessant wind and white-capped waves. These three locales are situated in the lower and middle sections of the east tributary arm.  

The water level was at its normal pool level. The surface temperature ranged from 68 to 74 degrees. The water was abnormally dingy from recent rains. There was 12 to 18 inches of visibility.

Inside the main-lake cove and the two feeder-creek arms, we targeted a slew of rocky secondary points and shorelines, a lengthy rock ledge, several large clay and gravel flats, and the perimeter of a large island. Most of these areas are graced with numerous patches of submerged Eurasian milfoil and hydrilla in two to nine feet of water.

The black bass fishing was mostly slow, and we had a difficult time catching 17 black bass, consisting of three spotted bass and 14 largemouth bass. We also crossed paths with two channel catfish and one large bluegill.

We started this outing in the lower end of the east tributary arm inside a minor main-lake cove where we launched the boat, and we failed to elicit any strikes around two riprap shorelines, two clay and gravel flats, and two flat and rocky secondary points.  

From that cove, we moved southward a short distance to the first major feeder-creek arm, where we caught 13 largemouth bass and one spotted bass. One largemouth bass was caught from a shallow patch of chunky rocks in three feet of water from a flat sand and gravel shoreline on one side of a large island in the lower end of the creek arm. Two largemouth bass were caught in four to six feet of water from several large patches of Eurasian milfoil that are spread across a 75-yard stretch of a rocky shoreline in the midsection of the creek arm. Seven largemouth bass were caught in three to five feet of water from two minor clay and gravel secondary points inside a cove in the upper end of the creek arm; two of the seven were caught simultaneously, and three were caught on back-to-back casts.  And three largemouth bass and one spotted bass were caught from three rocky secondary shorelines with flat terrains in the lower end of the creek arm. Several other rocky secondary points, their adjoining shorelines, and several small pockets along these shorelines were fruitless.

After that, we traveled about two miles northward in the east tributary arm to the second feeder-creek arm, which is located in the middle section of the tributary arm. This creek arm yielded two spotted bass, one largemouth bass, two channel catfish, and one large bluegill.  These five fish were abiding in two to five feet of water and five to 10 feet from the water’s edge along two rock-laden secondary points and a shallow rock ledge in the lower end of the creek arm. We failed to elicit any strikes around several rocky secondary points, a couple of gravel and clay shorelines, and bunches of patches of Eurasian milfoil inside three large coves in the middle section of the creek arm.  

Of these 17 black bass, eight were allured by a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation with a 2 3/4-inch Z-Man’s California-craw TRD TubeZ matched with a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. Seven were enticed by a steady-swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse TRD rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. We also utilized a 2 3/4-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD TubeZ fastened on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig that was employed with a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve for about 30 minutes at the end of this outing, and it allured one largemouth bass, one spotted bass, two channel catfish, and one large bluegill. A Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat fastened to a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig fooled one largemouth bass as it was employed with a steady-swimming retrieve.

In closing, this outing was a bit puzzling to us. We failed to discover any black-bass spawning activity in the main-lake cove and the two creek arms, and none of the black bass displayed any spawning-related injuries.

Furthermore, with the water temperature rising into the mid-70s in the creek arms, we were hopeful that we would stumble across oodles and oodles of spawning bluegill and some aggressive post-spawn largemouth and spotted bass loitering around the outside edges of the bluegill beds, but it doesn’t appear that this phenomenon has materialized yet. 

April 30

Mother Nature’s windy and wet weather in northeastern Kansas during most of April’s 30 days kept many recreational anglers at bay. For instance, Ned Kehde and his colleagues fished only five times. During the 14 hours they fished, they caught 257 largemouth bass, averaging 18 per hour.