Ned Kehde: Guide to Midwest Finesse Fishing: August 2025

Guide to Midwest Finesse Fishing: August 2025

Bob Gum of Kansas City in Ontario, Canada, catching scores of walleye with Midwest finesse tactics.

Aug. 1, 4 & 5

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a synopsis on the Finesse News Network about three of his trying outings in northeastern Kansas on Aug. 1, 4, and 5.

Aug. 1

I fished at an 85-year-old community reservoir, which has become a lackluster largemouth bass impoundment during the past five years. Before its demise, we enjoyed numerous outings when we caught an average of 20 to 25 largemouth bass per hour.  A bountiful outing nowadays is an average of 10 per hour.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 66 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 78 degrees. The wind angled out of the northeast at 6 to 10mph; there were a few 18-mph gusts.   The sky was fair and cluttered with smoke. The barometric pressure was 30.29 at 12:52 a.m., 30.29 at 5:52 a.m., 30.34 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.32 at 2:52 p.m.

In short, this outing and the next two occurred during what many black bass anglers describe as post-cold conditions, which they say can adversely affect the fishing -- especially during the midday hours. But historically, it has rarely been a horrendous problem for those of us who are Midwest finesse anglers. Therefore, during this outing, I was hoping to locate and catch a goodly number of largemouth bass in seven to 12 feet of water along offshore ledges.  

The water level looked to be slightly below its normal level. The water exhibited 1 ½ to three feet of visibility; an algal bloom appeared to be erupting at some locals. The surface temperature ranged from 83 to 85 degrees.  This reservoir's submerged aquatic vegetation, which is Eurasian milfoil, is lackluster.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 4:45 a.m. to 6:45 a.m., 5:07 p.m. to 7:07 p.m., and 10:56 a.m. to 12:56 p.m. It was declared that the fishing would be great.

I fished from 10:50 a.m. to 2:20 p.m., which encompassed one of the highlighted times of the Solunar calendar, and I struggled to catch six largemouth bass.

One was caught along an offshore ledge in eight to 10 feet of water around rocks, boulders, and some man-made piles of brush. It was caught on a shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead with a drag-pause-and-shake presentation. All the other offshore ledges and areas that are littered with boulders and piles of rocks were fruitless. What's more, this Junebug Finesse WormZ rig failed to inveigle another largemouth bass.

Two largemouth bass were caught at the beginning of a secondary shoreline inside one of this reservoir’s major feeder-creek arms. They were caught on a shortened Z-Man’s yoga-pants Finesse TRD affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. The Finesse TRD was about two inches long. This shoreline has a 35- to 45-degree slope, and it eventually plummets into a submerged creek channel. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. The water’s edge possesses shallow-water patches of American water willows, some cattails, and a few small piles of tree limbs. One largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the rig in the vicinity of a pile of tree limbs in about three to four feet of water. The second one was caught on the next cast with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in four to five feet of water.

I fished many yards of the two secondary shorelines and around several tertiary inside this major feeder-creek arm and failed to catch another largemouth bass.

I also failed to catch a largemouth bass along a 100-yard stretch of the dam’s shoreline, along a 75-yard stretch of the beginning of a secondary shoreline inside one of this reservoir’s large feeder-creek arms, across a shallow-water main-lake flat, and around five main-lake points.

A slightly shortened Z-Man’s coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ rigged to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead caught two largemouth bass around a patch of American water willows that graces a main-lake shoreline. They were caught as I started to employ a drag-pause-and-shake presentation in about four feet of water. I failed to catch another largemouth bass along this shoreline, which is about 200 yards long. This shoreline has a 40- to 50-degree slope; gravel, rocks, and boulders constitute its underwater terrain.

The coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ rig caught the sixth largemouth bass of this perplexing outing around the beginning stretch of a colossal patch of American water willows that decorated the water’s edge of another main-lake shoreline. The initial drop of this rig lured this largemouth bass in about four feet of water. The shoreline has a 25- to 55-degree slope. There are a few submerged tree limbs enhancing the rocks and boulders that cover the underwater terrain. A steep ledge lies about 25 feet from the outside edge of the American water willows. I failed to elicit a strike elsewhere along this shoreline.

Aug. 4

Pat Kehde and I returned to this community reservoir in hopes of quickly discovering the whereabouts of a significant quantity of catchable largemouth bass during the midday hours.

It is important to note that we are midday anglers throughout the calendar year.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 57 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 80 degrees. The wind angled out of the east and northeast at 3 to 5 mph. The sky was fair.  The barometric pressure was 30.09 at 12:52 a.m., 30.07 at 5:52 a.m., 30.01 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.09 at 1:52 p.m.

The water level looked to be slightly below its normal level. The water exhibited 1 ½ to three feet of visibility; the algal bloom was not as prominent as it was on Aug. 1. The surface temperature ranged from 82 to 83 degrees.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 6:59 a.m. to 8:59 a.m., 7:24 p.m. to 9:24 p.m., and 12:46 p.m. to 2:46 p.m.

Before we launched the boat, we talked with two Midwest finesse colleagues, who reported they enjoyed a very fruitful spell from the ghost light of dawn until about 9:00 a.m. They did not keep an accurate track of the exact number of largemouth bass they caught. Their most fruitful rig was a Canada-craw Finesse TRD on a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig around the patches of American water willows that grace many yards of this reservoir’s shorelines. They noted that their catch rate declined progressively as the sun rose higher.

We made our first cast at 11:10 a.m., and we struggled. When we made our last casts at 1:30 p.m., which occurred in the middle of one of the Solunar calendar’s best fishing times, our mechanical fish counter revealed that we had caught only 10 largemouth bass. It was another midday failure.

One of the 10 was caught on a Z-Man’s Canada-craw TRD BugZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead with a deadstick presentation in about seven feet of water. It was caught about 10 feet from the outside edge of  thick patches of American water willows that embellish a secondary shoreline inside a small feeder-creek arm.  This shoreline has a 40- to 45-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are decorated with a few meager patches of Eurasian milfoil. Besides the American water willow patches, there are a few tree limbs and several overhanging trees. We failed to catch another largemouth bass along this shoreline.

And around two tertiary points and a short stretch of this feeder-creek arm’s other shoreline, we failed to catch a largemouth bass.

A slightly shortened Z-Man’s coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ rigged to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead caught one largemouth bass along about an 85-yard stretch of a main-lake shoreline in the lower half of the reservoir. The water’s edge is endowed with patches of American water willows, a deteriorating laydown, and two overhanging trees.  It has a 45- to 50-degree slope. Rocks, boulders, and a few submerged tree limbs cover the underwater terrain. A steep ledge lies about 25 feet from the outside edge of the American water willows. This largemouth bass was caught on a drag-and-shake presentation in 10 feet of water.

As we plied a main-lake shallow-water flat in the lower half of this reservoir, we eked out three largemouth bass. This flat has a 25-degree slope. It is about half the size of a football field.  Its outside edge plummets into deep water. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and many gigantic boulders. A few submerged tree limbs clutter the gravel and rocks. Shallow-water patches of American water willows line the water’s edge. One largemouth bass was caught on the TRD BugZ rig with a drag-and-shake presentation in about five feet of water. One was caught on a shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s black-neon Finesse WormZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead with a deadstick presentation in about five feet of water. This Finesse WormZ rig with a drag-and-shake presentation inveigled the third largemouth bass in about five to six feet of water.

We caught three largemouth bass along about a 300-yard stretch of a secondary shoreline inside this reservoir’s primary feeder-creek arm. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally enhanced with submerged tree limbs, some stumps, and very scanty patches of Eurasian milfoil. A submerged creek channel borders portions of this shoreline. The water’s edges are lined with two docks, patches of American water willows, many laydowns, and oodles of overhanging trees and terrestrial vegetation. This shoreline possesses a 30- to 75-degree slope. The TRD BugZ rig and a deadstick presentation in five feet of water in the shade of an overhanging tree allured one of the largemouth bass. The black-neon Finesse WormZ rig with a drag-and-shake presentation caught a largemouth bass around a partially submerged tree limb in five feet of water.  Along the outside edge of one of the docks, the initial drop of the black-neon WormZ beguiled the third largemouth bass; this dock was floating in 11 to 12 feet of water.

Along about a 150-yard stretch of another secondary shoreline inside this primary feeder-creek arm, we eked out one largemouth bass. This shoreline has a 30- to 45-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and a few meager patches of Eurasian milfoil. The water’s edge has six docks, a few overhanging trees, a concrete retaining wall, and a scanty patch or two of American water willows. The largemouth bass was caught around the outside corner of one of the docks with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation about three feet below the surface. The outside corner of this dock floated in about 14 feet of water.

After catching largemouth number 10, we made a few more fruitless casts and decided to go home, proclaiming that we would not fish this reservoir for at least two weeks.

Aug. 5

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his outing at a 93-year-old state reservoir in northeastern Kansas on Aug. 5 with Paul Weingart of Lawrence.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 57 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 87 degrees. The wind was calm for six hours, and at other times, it angled out of the south, southeast, and east at 3 to 10 mph.  The sky was fair. The barometric pressure was 30.14 at 12:52 a.m., 30.14 at 5:52 a.m., 30.19 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.17 at 3:52 p.m.

The water level looked to be about two feet above normal. The water exhibited three to six feet of visibility. Some of the patches of brittle naiad look as if they are wilting. It is interesting to note that the visibility ranged from five to 11 feet of visibility on July 30. Perhaps, this reservoir is experiencing an algal bloom, or it could be the effects of the wilting of the brittle naiad. The surface temperature ranged from 82 to 84 degrees; on July 30, the surface temperature ranged from 88 to 89. The post-cold front conditions have affected the surface temperature, and it might have something to do with the water clarity. The cold front seems to have adversely affected the largemouth bass fishing; for example, I caught 51 largemouth bass on July 30 in three hours and 38 minutes. On this Aug. 5 outing, Paul and I struggled to catch 38 largemouth bass in four hours and nine minutes.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 7:46 a.m. to 9:46 a.m., 8:12 p.m. to 10:12 p.m., and 1:32 a.m. to 3:32 a.m.

Paul is a veteran power angler. Throughout this outing, he wielded several power-angling tactics. He fished with a crankbait, several four-inch soft-plastic paddle-tail baits rigged Texas-style with a 1/8-ounce slip sinker, and an underspin jig affixed to a four-inch soft-plastic swimbait.

I worked with traditional Midwest finesse rigs and tactics. I used a Z-Man’s Canada-craw TRD BugZ rigged on a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead, 3.5-inch Z-Man’s watermelon-red-flake GrubZ on a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead, and a radically shortened 6.5-inch Z-Man’s purple-rain SMH WormZ affixed on a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead; it was shortened to 4.25 inches.

The shortened Z-Man's purple-rain SM WormZ rig was the most effective rig on the Aug.8 outing

We made our first casts at 9:52 a.m. When we made our last ones at 2:01 p.m., our mechanical fish counter revealed that we had caught 38 largemouth bass.  During the first hour, it was a struggle to catch three largemouth bass.

At the mouth of one of this reservoir’s two primary feeder creek arms, we made our first casts around a main-lake point at the mouth of one of this reservoir’s primary feeder-creek arms. The purple-rain SMH WormZ rig temporarily hooked a largemouth bass on the first cast as I employed a drag-and-shake presentation in about eight feet of water. Then, we failed to hook a largemouth bass as we dissected about 75 yards of this point’s main-lake shoreline. The underwater terrain of this point and its main-lake shoreline consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are carpeted with minor patches of brittle naiad and coontail. Some of the boulders are gigantic. The water’s edge is enhanced with thick patches of American water willows and a few laydowns. Brittle naiad and coontail patches are entwined with the outside edges of many of the American water willows. The point possesses a 45- to 50-degree slope. The shoreline has a 45-to 60-degree slope.

Along two short sections of an 800-yard stretch of a secondary shoreline and around a secondary point inside the primary feeder-creek arm, we elicited several strikes but failed to catch a largemouth bass. The underwater terrain of this area consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are regularly adorned with numerous patches of brittle naiad and coontail. The water’s edge is enhanced with patches of American water willows, some overhanging trees, and a few laydowns. Patches of brittle naiad and coontail are entwined with the outside edges of some of the American water willows.  The point has a 35- to 45-degree slope. The shoreline segments have a 35- to 50-degree slope.

We spent about 30 minutes fishing across a massive shallow-water flat in the back of this primary feeder-creek arm. It is about the size of five football fields, and about a third of it is covered with American lotus plants; some portions of the underwater terrain are endowed with patches of brittle naiad and coontail. Manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees embellish some of the underwater terrain. Two submerged creek channels, which are silt-laden, crisscross this flat. Around several patches of coontail in about five to six feet of water, we caught three largemouth bass. One was caught on the crankbait in about six feet of water, one was caught on the purple-rain SMH WormZ rig with swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about six feet of water, and one was caught on the watermelon-red-flake GrubZ rig with a swim-and-short-pause presentation in about five feet of water.

Around three secondary points along another secondary shoreline inside this feeder-creek arm, we caught five largemouth bass. These points have a 35- to 45-degree slope.  The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are enhanced with patches of brittle naiad and coontail. These largemouth bass were caught on the purple-rain SMH Finesse WormZ rig; one was caught on the initial drop; the others were allured by a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

Besides the three tertiary points, we fished along 300 yards of this secondary shoreline, which has a 35- to 50-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and one submerged rock fence; this terrain is occasionally graced with patches of brittle naiad and coontail. A few manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees decorate the deep-water sections of the underwater terrain. The water's edge is adorned with patches of American water willows, a few overhanging trees, and some laydowns. We eked two largemouth bass along a very short span of this shoreline; one was enticed by one of Paul’s paddle-tail baits with a swimming presentation in about six feet of water; the other one was caught on the purple-rain SMH WormZ rig with a drag-and-shake presentation in about eight feet of water.

We failed to elicit a strike around the main-lake at the mouth of this secondary shoreline.

We failed to catch a largemouth bass around a main-lake point at the mouths of a small feeder-creek arm and a tiny feeder-creek arm.

 We also failed to garner a strike on a main-lake offshore hump, which is a massive pile of rocks and boulders in eight to 15 feet of water, but across one this hump’s adjacent flats, we caught two largemouth bass on the purple-rain SMH WormZ rig with slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation around a submerged eastern red cedar tree intermingled with patches of brittle naiad and coontail in about six feet of water.

At the mouth of this reservoir’s other primary feeder-creek arm and a small feeder-creek arm, we caught one largemouth bass.  This point’s underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are embellished with patches of brittle naiad and coontail, some piles of tree limbs, one minor laydown, and a submerged eastern red cedar tree.  A thick patch of American water willows graces the water’s edge. The purple-rain SMH WormZ rig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve inveigled the largemouth bass in about six feet of water along the outside edge of a coontail patch.

We fished this main-lake point’s secondary shoreline many yards into the primary feeder-creek arm. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are quilted with numerous patches of brittle naiad and coontail, some eastern red cedar trees, and a few piles of tree limbs. The water’s edge is endowed with many overhanging trees, several laydowns, and patches of American water willows that are entwined with patches of brittle naiad and coontail. It has a 25- to 40-degree slope. One of Paul’s paddle-tailed baits allured two largemouth bass; one was caught on the initial drop by a laydown in about two feet of water, and this rig caught another one in a gap between two patches of brittle naiad and coontail in about four to five feet of water. Across a flat section of this shoreline, the purple-rain SM WormZ rig allured a largemouth bass with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation around patches of coontail in five feet of water.

In the back of this primary feeder-creek arm, we spent many minutes dissecting portions of a massive shallow-water flat. This flat looks to be the size of seven football fields.  Portions of the underwater terrain are quilted with patches of coontail and brittle naiad. An array of manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees also decorated this flat; some of these piles are partially submerged.  Three submerged creek channels meander across portions of the underwater terrain; silt has filled many feet of these submerged creek channels. A small island, which is graced with rocks, boulders, concrete blocks, a muskrat hut, and a patch of American water willows, is adjacent to one of the submerged creek channels. Around the island, we caught three largemouth bass; one was enticed by one of Paul’s paddle-tailed baits with a swimming presentation in about four feet of water around several eastern red cedar trees and patches of coontail. The watermelon-red-flake GrubZ rig with a swim-and-pause presentation inveigled one largemouth bass around the island and submerged creek channel in four feet of water. The third largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the purple-rain SMH WormZ next to an eastern red cedar tree in about six feet of water.

Along the other secondary shoreline and around two of its secondary points inside this primary feeder-creek arm, we caught 19 largemouth bass. The underwater terrain of this area consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and some silt; it is endowed with patches of brittle naiad and coontail.  Several submerged eastern red cedar trees enhance the underwater terrain. The water’s edge is lined with many overhanging trees and terrestrial vegetation, patches of American water willows, and some laydowns. The watermelon-red-flake GrubZ with a slow swim-and-slight-pause presentation inveigled two largemouth bass around one of the eastern red cedar trees in seven feet of water. One of Paul’s paddle-tailed baits caught a largemouth bass on a swimming presentation over patches of brittle naiad and coontail in about six feet of water. Sixteen of the 19 largemouth bass were inveigled by the purple-rain SMH rig; the initial drop in three to four feet of water lured four of the 16; the others were caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in water as shallow as three feet and as deep as six to seven feet.

In sum, piscatorial failures, such as the ones we endured on Aug. 1,4, and 5, play a role in the life of every ardent angler.   As I reflected on these outings, I talked to several savvy anglers about these failures, and a couple of them noted that we were fishing during the heart of the so-called dog days of summer, which occur in July and August. Some anglers find that these dog days tend to be some of the most difficult days of the year to catch significant numbers of largemouth bass in northeastern Kansas.  One of them pointed out that it was the 26th warmest July in the past 132 years in northeastern Kansas. The rainfall was above average. And the low temperature was above the historical average.  One of these anglers pointed out that a radical cold front arrived on July 31 and persisted for nearly four days, with the low temperatures plummeting into the 50s. They also noted I spent two outings fishing at a very problematic community reservoir during the middle of the day. But they did not mention that Paul and I were fishing at a very fruitful state reservoir on Aug. 5, when we struggled to catch 38 largemouth bass.

I appreciate and understand the perspectives and wisdom of these anglers. But as a long-time Midwest finesse angler in Kansas and Missouri, I have never been daunted by fishing in the middle of the day during the dog days of summer. In fact, I have found it to be a very fruitful and enjoyable time of the year to fish. 

Here are some examples of past bountiful outings during the dog days of August: Dave Petro of Lecompton, Kansas, and I fished from 10:25 a.m. to 2:25 p.m. and caught 111 smallmouth bass on Aug. 9, 2016, at one of the federal reservoirs in northeastern Kansas. Rick Hebenstreit of Shawnee, Kansas, and I fished from 10:25 a.m. to 2:25 p.m. and caught 107 largemouth bass at the state reservoir where Paul Weingart and I fished. At this same reservoir, Pok Chi Lau of Lawrence, Kansas, and I fished from 11:54 a.m. to 3:29 p.m. on Aug. 30, 2024, and caught 126 largemouth bass, which is a catch rate of 31.5 largemouth bass per hour. Moreover, during August 2024, we fished this state reservoir four times for a total of 14 ¼ midday hours, and we caught and immediately released 378 largemouth bass, which is an hourly catch rate of 26 largemouth bass.

Despite my ponderings and conversations, I am still not at peace with the difficult largemouth bass and smallmouth bass fishing that has erupted hereabouts. And it is beyond my know-how to determine what is going on and how to fix it.

The fishing world is a perpetual puzzle.

Aug. 7

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Aug. 7 outing. 

Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas, and I sojourned to a popular federal hill-land reservoir in north-central Texas.

According to In-Fisherman's Solunar calendar, the fishing forecast was good. The prime fishing periods would occur from 3:22 a.m. to 5:22 a.m., 9:35 a.m. to 11:35 a.m., and 10:02 p.m. to 12:02 a.m. 

It appears that this summer’s exasperating triple-digit heat wave has finally arrived in north-central Texas. The morning’s low temperature was 74 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature soared to 102 degrees. The wind quartered out of the south-by-southeast at 5 to 15 mph. The barometric pressure measured 30.06 at 6:00 a.m. and 30.07 at 11:00 a.m. The sky was cloudless. 

This reservoir’s water level was 0.37 of a foot low. Depending on where we fished, the water exhibited 18 to 30 inches of clarity. We were a bit surprised to discover that the surface temperature wasn’t that high for this time of year; it ranged from 83 to 85 degrees. 

This reservoir’s underwater terrain consists primarily of red clay, pea gravel, chunky rocks, and quite a few large boulders. There are some burgeoning patches of Eurasian milfoil and hydrilla scattered in several of this reservoir’s feeder-creek arms. In the upper end of the reservoir, there are scores and scores of acres of thick stands of flooded timber, laydowns, stumps, brush piles, and buck brush, which is paradise to many of our power-fishing brethren. 

We had this reservoir mostly to ourselves; we saw only one other bass boat and a pontoon boat during this outing. And as we relished the peace and quiet, we found the black-bass fishing was enjoyable, too. We were afloat from 6:40 a.m. to 11:40 a.m., and we caught 24 black bass; 19 were largemouth bass and five were spotted bass, which is what we consider an above-average outing. We also caught a channel catfish, a freshwater drum, and a large bluegill by accident.

Our primary mission for this outing was to search for largemouth bass and spotted bass around several main-lake points and shorelines and inside two feeder-creek arms in the lower end of the reservoir. One creek arm is situated in the reservoir’s east tributary arm, and the second one is located in the west tributary. And on our way to those two locales, we stopped and fished at three rock-bluff points and small stretches of their adjoining main-lake shorelines, portions of the dam, and around the perimeter of a large concrete water-outlet tower at the center of the dam.

We caught one largemouth bass in five feet of water from one of the three bluff points, and another largemouth bass in three feet of water from a rocky shoreline next to one of the bluff points. We failed to elicit any strikes from the other two bluff points.

The perimeter of the water-outlet tower, which is usually one of our most productive spots this time of year, yielded only one largemouth bass this time. It was suspended about five feet below the surface in 37 feet of water next to one of the tower’s concrete walls. We caught two more largemouth bass in seven feet of water near a large concrete column that supports the walkway that leads from the top of the dam to the water outlet tower. 

The riprap shoreline that covers the nearby dam wasn’t very productive; it yielded one freshwater drum and one channel catfish, but no largemouth or spotted bass.  

The first creek arm, which is the largest of the two and situated at the lower end of the east tributary arm, yielded four largemouth bass and three spotted bass. Two largemouth bass were caught around a large submerged bed of Eurasian milfoil on the east side of an island. This island is located in the lower end of the creek arm. Its terrain is flat and comprised of red clay, small gravel, flat rocks, numerous sandstone boulders, a few large patches of Eurasian milfoil, and a couple of medium-sized laydowns. The remainder of the island’s perimeter was fruitless. The other three spotted bass and two largemouth bass were caught in three to five feet of water from two flat rock- and boulder-laden secondary points near the mouth of this feeder creek.   

The second creek arm, which is located in the lower region of the west tributary arm, relinquished one spotted bass. It was caught near a patch of large rocks in three feet of water along the side of a major flat secondary point in the middle section of this feeder-creek arm. We also probed a rocky shoreline, which possesses 30- to 45-degree slopes near the flat secondary point, and it yielded a few subtle bluegill strikes but no largemouth bass or spotted bass. 

The other 11 largemouth bass and one spotted bass were extracted from five feet of water or less from three flat main-lake tertiary points composed of small gravel and flat rocks.  They are located in the lower portion of the west tributary arm.

In total, six of the 24 black bass were allured by a slow swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse TRD matched with a chartreuse 1/16-ounce mushroom-type jig. Five were tempted by a slow swimming retrieve with a 3 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl GrubZ rigged on a red 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Another five were enticed by a slow swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse TRD rigged on a 1/16-ounce green-pumpkin mushroom-type jig. Four were induced by a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a 2 3/4-inch Z-Man’s black-blue TRD TubeZ affixed on a blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Two were fooled by a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a shortened 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s mud minnow Hula StickZ fastened on a red 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. One largemouth bass was bewitched by a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s black-blue ZinkerZ attached to a 1/16-ounce chartreuse mushroom-style jig as it was being employed with a slow swimming retrieve. One largemouth bass was caught on a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ rigged on an unpainted 3/32-ounce mushroom-style jig.

In conclusion, flat and rocky main-lake points and tertiary points were much more productive than the flat shorelines, clay-and-gravel flats, the flat perimeter shorelines of the island, and the steeper shorelines and points. We also dissected an offshore rock ledge that is covered with nine feet of water and sharply descends into 23 feet of water, and it was fruitless. 

Aug. 8

Nick Robertson of Overland Park, Kansas, posted a brief log on the Finesse News Network about his outing on August 8 at an 87-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 78 degrees, and the afternoon's high temperature was 97 degrees. The wind angled out of the south and southeast at 8 to 20 mph, with gusts ranging from 25 to 30 mph. The sky was fair.  The barometric pressure was 29.88 at 7:53 a.m. and 29.82 at 11:53 pm.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best bass fishing would occur from 10:16 a.m. to 12:16 p.m., 10:42 p.m. to 12:42 p.m., and 4:03 a.m. to 6:03 a.m.

I fished in a float tube, or “belly boat” from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. I spent these four hours in the upper half of this reservoir, dissecting portions of its east, north, and west shorelines and four main-lake points.

The water along the main-lake points and shorelines exhibited about two to three feet of clarity. I was unable to take the water’s temperature, but it was the coolest water I have been in since summer had started.

The underwater terrain consisted of silt, gravel, rocks, and boulders. Patches of filamentous algae, coontail, and brittle naiad cover portions of the underwater terrain.  The water’s edges are enhanced with patches of American water willows, a few laydowns, and piles of tree limbs. Eleven docks line the east shoreline; the north shoreline has 16 docks; there are more than two dozen docks lining the west shoreline. Concrete and stone retaining walls grace several segments of these three shorelines. American water willows and overhanging trees adorn some of the water’s edges.

I caught 23 largemouth bass; seven between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., three between 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., five between 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., and eight between 11:00 a.m. and noon.

A few of these largemouth bass were caught along retaining walls and adjacent to the overhanging trees. Several were caught under or in front of docks. The submerged and emergent vegetation yielded about 75 percent of the largemouth bass The most productive areas were the emergent vegetation between the docks.

My most effective Midwest finesse rigs were a Z-Man’s green- pumpkin Finesse ShadZ on a Z-Man’s black 1/15-ounce Finesse ShroomZ jighead and a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ on a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin 1/15-ounce Finesse ShroomZ jighead. 

In sum, the belly boat with swim trunks and diving fins was an effective way to fight the wind and catch fish. Ultimately, I caught an average of slightly less than 6 black bass an hour. 

Aug. 8

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his August 8 outing at a federal reservoir in north-central Texas.

Roger Farish of Highland Village, Texas, joined me for a four-hour jaunt at a federal hill-land reservoir in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metropolitan area. During a four-hour and 10-minute outing I had at this reservoir with Bill Kenney of Denton on July 23, we accumulated a total catch of 23 black bass. Sixteen of them were largemouth bass, and seven were spotted bass.

It was sweltering hot and humid on August 8. The morning’s low temperature was 78 degrees, and the afternoon’s high peaked at 100 degrees. The wind quartered out of the southeast at 7 to 18 mph. The barometric pressure measured 29.31 at 6:00 a.m. and 29.35 at 10:00 p.m. 

The fishing forecast indicated great fishing on In-Fisherman’s Solunar Calendar. The most lucrative fishing would occur from 4:01 a.m. to 6:01 a.m., 10:14 a.m. to 12:14 p.m., and 10:40 p.m. to 12:40 a.m.  

We fished from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

The surface temperature held steady at 85 degrees. The water clarity ranged from stained with 18 inches of clarity to muddy with less than a foot of visibility. The water level was 0.44 feet below its normal level.

We spent these four hours searching for largemouth bass and spotted bass across a major tributary arm in the southwest region of the reservoir.  

As the sun was rising, we slowly motored a short distance to a prominent main-lake point at the mouth of a feeder-creek arm where we launched the boat. This point is situated on the south side and lower end of the tributary arm. Its terrain is flat and graced with red clay, small gravel, chunky rocks,  stickups, buck brush, and a submerged roadbed. This point yielded one largemouth bass, one spotted bass, and 12 white bass.  

The largemouth bass was caught in two to five feet of water near a  shallow cluster of flooded buck brush;  the spotted bass and 12 white bass were caught in two to seven feet of water from a submerged roadbed situated on the west side of the point. The largemouth bass was allured by a slow-paced swimming retrieve with a 3 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl GrubZ matched with a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. The spotted bass and 12 white bass were enticed by a moderate-paced swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ rigged on a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. 

From that point, we traveled about a mile eastward to another main-lake point and shoreline that have flat and rocky terrains. 

The flat main-lake shoreline is about 75 yards long. It features a concrete culvert, two dilapidated concrete boat ramps, and a shallow rock and gravel ledge. This shoreline yielded three spotted bass, two largemouth bass, and two white bass that were caught in five to seven feet of water from the deep-water side of the shallow ledge. The two largemouth bass, two of the three spotted bass, and the two white bass were induced by a steady swimming retrieve with our 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ rigs. The other spotted bass was enticed by a swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat affixed on a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. 

The main-lake point is located about 200 yards east of the main-lake shoreline that we just fished. It is also flat and embellished with patches of submerged boulders mixed with chunky rocks and gravel. This point relinquished five largemouth bass, one spotted bass, and three white bass. They were abiding in three to seven feet of water and were tempted by a swimming retrieve with our 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ combos.  

After that, we moved about a mile westward to a main-lake island at the lower end of the tributary arm. Its perimeter is flat. Clay mixed with small gravel makes up the majority of its submerged terrain. Portions of the shallow-water areas are graced with thick patches of partially-flooded stickups and buck brush. The southeast end of the island features large slabs and chunks of concrete from a dilapidated building foundation. Across a 75-yard stretch of the island’s south and west shorelines, we caught one largemouth bass in two feet of water.  It was caught from a shaded area on the west side of the island on the initial fall of the 3 1/2-inch pearl GrubZ rig.

From the island, we traveled a short distance to two riprap-laden bridge embankments. Both of these embankments are about 50 yards long with about 35-degree slopes.  One of the embankments surrendered one spotted bass that was related to the submerged riprap in five feet of water. It was caught on the 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ rig and a swimming retrieve. We failed to elicit any strikes from the second embankment.

After we fished bridge embankments, we traveled about a mile westward into the midsection of the tributary, where we targeted three major main-lake points and a 30-yard shallow rocky ledge next to one of the main-lake points. Two of the three main-lake points yielded three spotted bass that were relating to clusters of submerged boulders in three to five feet of water. Two largemouth bass were extracted from five to seven feet of water from the deep-water side of the shallow-water ledge. All five of these black bass were coaxed into striking our 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ rigs as we swam them over and along the sides of the submerged boulders, and at a 35-degree angle to the ledge.

Our last spot was a series of four flat main-lake points in the upper end of the tributary arm. The water clarity was horrible with less than a foot of visibility. These points are laden with small gravel, chunky rocks, and a few boulders, and one of these points relinquished one largemouth bass. It was dwelling in two feet of water near a shallow patch of large chunky rocks. It was allured by a swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s black-blue Baby Goat rigged on a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.

In a nutshell, the fishing was above average; we caught a total of 21 black bass in four hours; 12 of them were largemouth bass and nine were spotted bass. We also intentionally caught 17 white bass, which kept us entertained between black bass bites. 

On a sour note, a black cloud of bad luck has been hovering over me this August. On August 1, Roger and I were meeting at dawn to fish this reservoir, and as I was braking to stop in the boat ramp parking lot, the brake line on my truck ruptured and caused my brakes to fail. Fortunately, I was able to use my emergency brake to stop my truck before any harm was done, and we immediately cancelled our outing so I could take my truck to a nearby repair shop and have the brake line replaced. The repair took three days.

Then on August 7, Norman Brown of Lewisville and I had finished our outing at a different federal reservoir in north-central Texas. As I attempted to start my truck to trailer my boat for the drive home, I discovered that the battery in my truck was dead. A friendly boater at the ramp provided me with a quick battery jump, and I was able to get my truck to a repair shop and have the dead battery replaced that afternoon. 

My bad luck continued at the end of this August 8 outing. As I was trying to start my truck to trailer my boat, the starter on my truck failed. Ultimately, I ended up having my truck towed to a repair shop. It appears that this repair will take several days.  Therefore, my piscatorial endeavors will be on hold until the repair is completed.  

Bob Gum of Kansas City, Kansas, posted a brief report about his walleye outings with six friends in Ontario, Canada, from Aug. 2 to Aug. 9.

We fished at two lakes located about 70 miles northwest of Ignace, Ontario.

One lake covers 2,500 acres. Its maximum depth is around 40 feet. The surface temperature was 69 degrees. Its water clarity was about six feet.

The second lake is accessible by a 50-yard portage. It is an eighth of the size of the first one. It has a maximum depth of 20 feet. Its water exhibits a tea-like stain with a clarity of about four feet.

Neither lake is graced with a population of smallmouth bass. So, we fished for northern pike and walleye.

During the early morning hours, we power-fished for northern pike around patches of brittle naiad and curly-leaf pondweeds.

During the midday hours, we pursued the walleye with Midwest finesse rigs in 10 to 15 feet of water by either slowly trolling or drifting the rigs just off the bottom. When the rig contacted the bottom, we either snapped it off the bottom or gave it a series of twitches and shakes. The most fruitful area was a flat that is about 400 yards wide and 400 yards long. It has a maximum depth of 15 feet. The underwater terrain consists of piles of rocks and scattered patches of submerged aquatic vegetation.

Our most effective Midwest finesse rigs were either a Z-Man’s smelt Finesse ShadZ attached to a white 1/8-ounce mushroom-style jig or a Z-Man’s mood-ring TRD MinnowZ affixed to a 1/8-ounce jig that my friend Andrew Trembath makes. A three-inch blue-pearl-salt-and-pepper grub on a white 1/8-ounce mushroom-style jig allured a few walleyes. Our best catch rate was 17 walleye an hour.

Aug. 13

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, and Rick Hebenstreit of Shawnee, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their outing at a 93-year-old state reservoir in northeastern Kansas on Aug. 13.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 66 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 87 degrees. The wind was calm for 12 hours, and at other times, it was variable, angling out of the east, northeast, and southeast at speeds of 3 to 6 mph.   The sky was fair for 12 hours, and at other times it varied from being mostly cloudy, partly cloudy, and cluttered with a few clouds. The barometric pressure was 30.01 at 12:53 a.m., 30.01 at 5:53 a.m., 30.04 at 11:53 a.m., and 30.01 at 2:53 p.m.

The water level looked to be about 1 ½ feet above normal. The water exhibited five to eight feet of visibility. The surface temperature ranged from 82 to 85 degrees.

This exurban reservoir is usually heavily fished, but we were the only anglers afloat. As we were launching our boat, we briefly talked to two anglers who were putting their boats on their trailers. One said he wielded power baits and struggled to catch one largemouth bass; the other angler said he caught 14 largemouth bass, which were caught on a wacky rigged worm and a small crankbait.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 2:14 a.m. to 4:14 a.m., 2:39 p.m. to 4:39 p.m., and 8:27 a.m. to 10:27 a.m.

We made our first casts at 10:17 a.m., and when we made our last casts at 2:07 p.m., our fish counter indicated that we had caught and immediately released 72 largemouth bass.

A 2 ¾-inch Z-Man’s Junebug TRD BugZ on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead caught two largemouth bass. A shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s PB&J Finesse WormZ affixed on a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead caught two largemouth bass. Four largemouth bass were inveigled on a radically shortened 6.5-inch Z-Man’s purple-rain SMH WormZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead; it was shortened to 4.25 inches. Eleven largemouth bass were caught with a 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s watermelon-red-flake GrubZ on a red 3/32-ounce mushroom-style jig. Fifty-three largemouth bass were enticed by a slightly shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ attached to either a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead or a 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s mushroom-style jighead.

This photograph features one of our Z-Man's green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rigs. The hook's barb has been removed, which is a way to prevent seriously injuring the fish we catch. Some anglers fret about rigging the worm so that it is absolutely straight, but we are not concerned about having a straight worm.  

We began this outing dissecting several segments of a massive flat inside one of this reservoir’s primary feeder-creek arms.

The underwater terrain of this flat consists of gravel, rocks, and silt. It is coated with many patches of brittle naiad and coontail. Submerged manmade piles of red eastern red cedar trees bespangle a significant number of areas of this huge flat.

Along a portion of one of this flat’s shorelines, we fished around two secondary points and one tertiary point.

One of the secondary points yielded three largemouth bass. This point has a 35- to 40-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, which are partially coated with patches of brittle naiad and coontail.  One of the three largemouth bass was caught on the PB&J Finesse WormZ rig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation that polished the tops of the patches of brittle naiad and coontail in about six feet of water. Two were caught on our green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rigs with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in five to seven feet of water. These largemouth bass were caught many feet from the water’s edge.

The tertiary point and the other secondary point were fruitless.

Around an offshore hump that is enhanced with patches of brittle naiad and coontail and a submerged eastern red cedar tree, we caught four largemouth bass. One was caught on the purple-rain SMH WormZ rig with a deadstick presentation in about eight feet of water. Three were caught on our green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rigs with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about eight feet of water.

We caught seven largemouth bass across two segments of the west side of this massive flat. The largemouth bass abiding around patches of brittle naiad, coontail, and a few manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees in about five to seven feet of water. Our green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rigs allured these largemouth bass; two were caught on the initial drop, and five were caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

In the heart of this massive shallow-water flat, we caught seven largemouth bass. This area is endowed with two submerged creek channels, a small island, many patches of brittle naiad and coontail, some minor ledges and humps, and several manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. One was caught on the initial drop of the Junebug TRD BugZ rig in four to five feet of water along the shoreline of the island. The green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation caught one largemouth bass in about seven feet of water around a patch of coontail. The initial drop of the PB&J Finesse WormZ rig adjacent to a pile of eastern red cedar trees entwined with patches of brittle naiad and coontail allured one largemouth bass. The watermelon-red-flake GrubZ rig with a swimming presentation in four to five feet of water around piles of submerged eastern red cedar trees and patches of brittle naiad and coontail allured four largemouth bass.

Along about a 100-yard stretch of a main-lake shoreline, we eked out one largemouth bass. This shoreline has a 40- to 45-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, which are adorned with submerged patches of brittle naiad and coontail.  The water’s edge is lined with wonderful patches of American water willows, some overhanging trees, and a few laydowns. This largemouth bass was caught many feet from the outside edge of the American water willows; it was caught on the purple-rain Finesse WormZ rig with a drag-pause-and-shake presentation along the outside edge of the submerged patches of brittle naiad and coontail in about 10 feet of water.

At the mouth of this reservoir’s other primary feeder-creek arm, we caught one largemouth bass. This point has a 40- to 45-degree slope.  Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. This terrain is also enhanced with a stone and concrete foundation of a barn and house. Submerged patches of brittle naiad and coontail coated portions of the underwater terrain. The water’s edge is garnished with thick patches of American water willows, which are intertwined with brittle naiad. The largemouth bass was allured by the Junebug TRD BugZ rig with a strolling and dragging presentation in 10 to 11 feet of water and many feet from the water’s edge.

Inside this primary feeder-creek arm, we fished about 900 yards of one of its secondary shorelines and around this shoreline’s secondary and tertiary points, which lie on the east side of this feeder creek. The slope of this vast area ranges from about 25 to 55 degrees. 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 coated with patches of brittle naiad and coontail, as well as several manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. The water’s edge is often lined with thick patches of  American water willows, some overhanging trees, and several well-aged laydowns. This area yielded 18 largemouth bass. One was caught on the initial drop of the purple-rain SMH WormZ rig in about four feet of water along the outside edge of a patch of brittle naiad. Seventeen were caught on our green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rigs; four were caught on the initial drop along the outside edges of the American water willows; the others were caught as we employed a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in water as shallow as three feet and as deep as seven feet. The flatter and shallower shorelines were more fruitful than the steeper and deeper shorelines.

In the back of this primary feeder-creek arm, we fished across a portion of a massive shallow-water flat. It is about the size of five football fields, and about a third of it is covered with American lotus plants; some portions of the underwater terrain are endowed with patches of brittle naiad and coontail. Manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees embellish some of the underwater terrain. Two submerged creek channels, which are silt-laden, crisscross this flat. On an area about the size of four tennis courts, which is enriched with patches of coontail and a nearby submerged creek channel, we caught 17 largemouth bass. Seven were caught on the watermelon-red-flake GrubZ rig with a slow swimming presentation in five to seven feet of water. Ten were caught on our green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rigs; five were caught with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation that polished the tops of the patches of coontail; one was caught on a deadstick presentation; one was caught on the initial drop of the rig.

Along three portions of about an 800-yard stretch of another secondary shoreline and around two secondary points inside the primary feeder-creek arm, we caught 10 largemouth bass. The underwater terrain of the points and shoreline consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are regularly adorned with numerous patches of brittle naiad and coontail. Some of the boulders are humongous. The water’s edge is often enhanced with patches of American water willows, some overhanging trees, and a few laydowns. Patches of brittle naiad and coontail are entwined with the outside edges of some of the American water willows.  The points have a 35- to 45-degree slope. The shorelines have a 25- to 50-degree slope. One largemouth bass was caught on the purple-rain SMH WormZ rig; nine were inveigled on our green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rigs. Three were caught on the initial drop; seven were caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation. They were caught in water as shallow as two feet and as deep as seven feet. Two were caught adjacent to the outside edges of the patches of American water willows; the others were associated with patches of brittle naiad and coontail. The flatter areas yielded all of the largemouth bass. We failed to elicit a strike along the steeper and boulder-laden areas.

We spent a few minutes fishing across two small shallow-water flats inside two small feeder-creek arms and around the main-lake point at the mouth of these feeder-creek arms. We caught one largemouth bass on the initial drop on one of our green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rigs in about five feet of water around a patch of brittle naiad on one of the flats. The main-lake point was fruitless, as was the other shallow-water flat.

We finished the outing by fishing quickly around two riprap jetties and a main-lake flat. We failed to elicit a strike on the jetties, but our green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rigs with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation around patches of brittle naiad allured largemouth bass numbers 70, 71, and 72.  They were caught in five to six feet of water.

During this midday outing, in which we fished for three hours and 50 minutes, we caught an average of slightly more than 18 largemouth bass an hour. Once again, we found that the most fruitful areas to catch largemouth bass during the middle of the day in the flatland reservoirs of northeastern Kansas are around shallow-water shorelines, points, and flats that are adorn with significant patches of submerged aquatic vegetation, and this is true throughout the calendar year – even when the water temperature is in the high 30s and low 40s and in the high 80s and low 90s.

Aug. 15

Nick Robertson of Overland Park, Kansas, posted a brief log on the Finesse News Network about his outing on August 15 at a community reservoir in northeastern Kansas. This reservoir was built in the 1950s, and it became a community reservoir and park in 2017.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 69 degrees, and the afternoon's high temperature was 95 degrees. While I was fishing, the wind angled out of the south and southeast at around 8 mph, with gusts ranging from 14 to 18 mph. The barometric pressure was 29.96 at 2:15 p.m. and 29.94 at 5:15 p.m.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best bass fishing would occur from 4:03 a.m. to 6:03 a.m., 4:31 p.m. to 6:31 p.m., and 10:17 a.m. to 12:17 p.m.

I fished in a float tube, also known as a belly boat, from 2:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. I spent these three hours dissecting the lily pads along the west shoreline, the riprap dam along the reservoir’s north side, and its eastern shoreline, which is a flat that gradually gets deeper like a beach.

The water exhibited about three to three and a half feet of clarity. I was unable to take the water’s temperature, but it was comfortable and even cool at times on my legs and feet as I sat in the belly boat.

The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are coated with patches of filamentous algae in most areas. The west and northeast shorelines are enhanced with lily pads. The east shoreline is endowed with a few laydowns and some standing timber.

I caught 19 largemouth bass; six were caught between 2:15 p.m. and 3:15 p.m., eight between 3:15 p.m. and 4:15 p.m., and five between 4:15 p.m. and 5:15 p.m.

The first ones were caught on the bottom and about 15 feet in front of the outside edge of the lily pads; the wind seemed to be creating some current at this spot. The majority of the largemouth bass were caught in shallow water along the riprap shoreline of the dam. The remainder were caught along a flat endowed with emergent vegetation and sporadic standing timber. The most productive areas were near vegetation or along the riprap. Almost every fish was caught on the drop or with a do-nothing retrieve. Two fish were caught with a deadstick presentation under my belly boat.

I fished with the 4.75-inch Z-Man’s Finesse WormZ, which was shortened a quarter of an inch. I used three colors: watermelon, green pumpkin, and PB&J affixed to a Z-Man’s red 1/15-ounce Finesse ShroomZ jig. The PB&J rig was the most effective rig.

This is a photograph of the PB&J rig,

Overall, the theme of today was keeping it simple, and it was productive. Ultimately, I caught an average of slightly more than six largemouth bass an hour.

Aug. 15

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Aug. 15 outing at a federal reservoir in north-central Texas.

After spending the last eight days having a defective battery, brake line, and starter replaced on my truck, I was ready to go toe-to-toe with the Texas heat. I joined Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas, at an urban federal hill-land reservoir in the Dallas metropolitan area.

This August has become blowtorch hot and humid. The afternoon high reached 102 degrees with a heat index of 117 degrees on Aug. 14. It reached 100 degrees with a heat index of 105 degrees during the afternoon of Aug. 15, and a balmy 84 degrees during the early morning of Aug. 15 as I was hitching my boat up to my truck at about 5:30 a.m. The barometric pressure measured 29.95 at 6:00 a.m. and 30.01 at 11:00 a.m. The wind made it feel a tad cooler as it quartered out of the south at 10 to 15 mph.  

The water level was a foot below normal. The water clarity ranged from 12 to 18 inches. The surface temperature varied from 84 to 86 degrees.

In-Fisherman’s solunar table indicated that the fishing would be poor on Aug. 15. The most productive fishing periods would occur from 4:12 a.m. to 6:12 a.m., 10:26 a.m. to 12:26 p.m., and 4:39 p.m. to 6:39 p.m.

We fished from 6:40 a.m. to 11:40 a.m.

We spent these five hours in the lower and middle sections of a major tributary arm in the lower end of the reservoir. We traveled no more than two miles from the boat ramp where we launched. The black-bass bite at this reservoir has been above average since the middle of June, but it was a bit slower during this excursion. Instead of catching our usual 21 to 31 largemouth and spotted bass per outing at this reservoir, we had to work hard to catch nine largemouth bass and nine spotted bass. Besides these 18 black bass, we also caught two white bass and a large black crappie.  

During the past few weeks, wind-blown main-lake points with flat and rocky terrains have been our most dominant summertime black bass pattern. We tested this location pattern again today and fished a total of nine prominent rocky main-lake points with flat terrains. One of the points surrendered two spotted bass and two largemouth bass that were abiding in two to five feet of water; another point yielded one spotted bass that was dwelling in three feet of water; and one white bass was extracted from seven feet of water from a third point. We were surprised that the other six rocky points, which have been productive in past outings this summer, were fruitless this time.

Two main-lake rock ledges that vary from 35 to 60 yards in length and are situated in three to five feet of water failed to yield a largemouth bass, spotted bass, or a strike. (These two locales relinquished a total of 11 largemouth and spotted bass on Aug. 7.)

Five offshore rock piles that we haven’t fished in several years and are located in five to eight feet of water yielded only one large black crappie.

Four spotted bass, two largemouth bass, and a white bass were caught in three to eight feet of water from five wind-blown rock- and boulder-laden main-lake shorelines. Two of the shorelines have 45- to 60-degree slopes; the other three are relatively flat.

Two spotted bass and one largemouth bass were caught in three to six feet of water from a 45-yard section of shaded shoreline on the west side of a main-lake island.

Three largemouth bass were caught in three to seven feet of water along two riprap highway bridge embankments. Another largemouth bass was caught five feet below the surface in 23 feet of water next to one of eight concrete support columns that we probed underneath the highway bridge.

We wielded nine Midwest finesse combos, and seven of them were productive.

We caught six black bass, one white bass, and one crappie on a slow swimming retrieve with a 3 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl GrubZ rigged on a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Five black bass and one white bass were allured by a fast-paced swimming retrieve with either a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead or an unpainted 3/32-ounce mushroom-style jighead sporting a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ. Three more black bass were enticed by a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a Z-Man’s Bama Bug TRD BugZ fastened on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. A steady swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse TRD matched with a chartreuse 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig attracted two black bass. One black bass was fooled by a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. And a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a shortened 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl TRD TicklerZ threaded on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead tempted one largemouth bass.

We failed to garner any strikes with a steady retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s watermelon-red Slim SwimZ rigged on a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead and a swim-and-pause presentation with a Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat rigged on a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.

Aug. 19

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Aug. 19 outing at a state reservoir in north-central Texas.

Roger Farish of Highland Village, Texas, and I opted to fish at one of several state reservoirs in north-central Texas. We were hoping to match the catch of 35 largemouth bass and spotted bass that Todd Judy of Denton and I enjoyed on July 14.

It was sunny and brutally hot and humid on Aug. 19. The morning’s low temperature was 84 degrees when we launched the boat at 6:30 a.m. It was 100 degrees when we trailed the boat at 11:15 a.m., and as we were driving home, several local thermometers registered the afternoon’s high temperature between 106 and 110 degrees. The wind was calm, and it failed to stir all morning. The barometric pressure remained steady at 29.98.  

The fishing forecast was poor according to In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar. It also noted that the most opportunistic fishing periods would most likely occur from 1:45 a.m. to 3:45 a.m., 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., and 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Because of the excessive heat, this was a shorter outing than our usual five- to six-hour excursions at this reservoir. We made our first casts as the sun was rising at 7:00 a.m. and our last ones at 11:00 a.m. We focused on the shaded areas of a main-lake island, main-lake points, and main-lake shorelines that are situated on the east shoreline in the lower and middle quadrants of the reservoir.

The fishing was better than it was on July 14; we reveled in scuffling with 31 spotted bass, 12 largemouth bass, four bluegill, two green sunfish, two white bass, and a feisty five-pound four-ounce blue catfish.

The water exhibited about three feet of visibility. The surface temperature ranged from 85 to 87 degrees. The water level was 1.52 feet below the normal pool.

Around the main-lake island, which is located in the lower end of the reservoir, we caught seven largemouth bass and one white bass. This island’s topography is flat and cluttered with thick patches of partially flooded bushes, stickups, and standing timber. The island’s west shoreline is adorned with chunky rocks and boulders.

These seven largemouth bass and the one white bass were caught in three to five feet of water around the outside edges of the thick patches of partially flooded bushes and stickups that embellish the east shoreline of the island. Five of the largemouth bass were allured by a swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat affixed on a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. The other two largemouth bass and the white bass were enticed by a steady swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ rigged on a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.

Seven spotted bass and one largemouth bass were caught from two of six main-lake points that we targeted; the other four points were fruitless. The two productive points were flat and adorned with large rocks and boulders. The four unproductive points were also graced with large rocks and boulders, but they were steeper with 30- to 45-degree gradients. These eight black bass were tempted by a steady swimming retrieve with either the pearl Baby Goat combo or the 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ rig.    

The shaded areas of five rock-and-boulder-laden shorelines relinquished the other 24 spotted bass, four largemouth bass, four bluegill, two green sunfish, one white bass, and one blue catfish.  The steepest shoreline, which is a rock bluff about 100 yards long, yielded 15 of the 24 spotted bass and three of the four largemouth bass. All of these fish were caught around the deep-water sides and in the openings between the large boulders in three to seven feet of water.

Five of the 24 spotted bass were induced by either a slow swimming retrieve or the initial fall of the pearl Baby Goat combo. The other 19 spotted bass, four largemouth bass, four bluegill, two green sunfish, the blue catfish, and a white bass were inveigled by a slightly shortened 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s Hot Snakes TRD TicklerZ matched with a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead that was employed with a slow swim-and-constant-shaking presentation.

In sum, this was a stellar four-hour black-bass endeavor and our most bountiful catch this summer. Twenty-three of the 43 largemouth and spotted bass that we caught were allured by a slow swim-and-constant-shaking retrieve with a shortened 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s Hot Snakes TRD TicklerZ matched with a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. A Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat rigged on a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead and utilized with either a steady swimming retrieve or the initial drop of the lure enticed 11 black bass. And a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ fastened on a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead and a steady swimming retrieve tempted nine black bass. 

Aug. 20

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, and his cousin Rick Hebenstreit of Shawnee, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their Aug. 20 outing at an 85-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 72 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 88 degrees. The sky varied from being fair to mostly cloudy to cluttered with a few clouds.  The wind angled out of the east and northeast at 3 to 9 mph. The barometric pressure was 30.09 at 12:53 a.m., 30:07 at 5:53 a.m., 30:12 at 11:53 a.m., and 30.10 at 1:53 p.m.

The water level looked to be a few inches above normal. The surface temperature ranged from 85 to 87 degrees. The water exhibited from four to eight feet of clarity. Many of the shallow-water shorelines, shallow offshore humps, and shallow-water flats are coated with wads of filamentous algae and some patches of brittle naiad and coontail, but most of this reservoir’s submerged aquatic vegetation has been destroyed by schools of grass carp. We did not examine all the patches of submerged aquatic vegetation that we fished around and over; therefore, we do not know if it was coontail or brittle naiad. Along many of the shorelines in the upper half of the reservoir, significant patches of duck weeds coat the surface around patches of American water willows and wads of filamentous algae.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 8:41 a.m. to 10:41 a.m., 9:09 p.m. to 11:09 p.m., and 2:27 a.m. to 4:27a.m.

We executed our first casts at 9:58 a.m., which was in the heart of one of the Solunar calendar’s best fishing times. When our last casts were made at 1:58 p.m., our fish counter noted that we tangled with only 29 largemouth bass. During what the Solunar calendar described as some of the best fishing minutes of Aug. 20, we struggled to catch three largemouth bass from 9:58 a.m. to 10:41 a.m.

We had numerous strikes that we failed to hook, and we surmised that many of them were either bluegill or green sunfish. Throughout the 240 minutes of this outing, we accidentally caught 19 green sunfish and three bluegill.

One of the 29 largemouth bass was caught on a 3.5-inch Z-Man’s smoke-purple GrubZ attached to a baby-blue 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Two were caught on a slightly shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s PB&J Finesse WormZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Two were caught on a 3.5-inch Z-Man’s watermelon-red-flake GrubZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Twelve were caught on a slightly shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s watermelon-red flake Finesse WormZ on either a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig or a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Another dozen was inveigled by a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TDR TicklerZ affixed to a black 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig.

It was such a puzzling and frustrating outing that we felt as if most of these 29 largemouth bass were catching us rather than us catching them.

We began this outing by fishing the shoreline of this reservoir’s 1,550-foot dam and short portions of its two adjacent shorelines.  The adjacent shorelines were fruitless. Three largemouth bass were caught along the 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 brittle naiad The water’s edge contains a concrete water outlet tower and patches of American water willows.  One largemouth bass was caught on the PB&J Finesse WormZ rig as we were strolling and employing a drag-and-shake presentation in about nine feet of water and many feet from the water’s edge.  The other two were caught with the watermelon-red-flake Finesse WormZ with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about four to six feet of water.

Around a main-lake point, we caught one largemouth bass.  The underwater terrain of the main-lake point consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, occasional wads of filamentous algae, and a meager patch or two of submerged aquatic vegetation that we did not sample. It has a 25-degree slope that eventually plummets radically into deep water. The water’s edge is lined with a stone retaining wall, two docks, and patches of American water willows. The largemouth bass was caught on the green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in five to six feet of water in front of a patch of American water willows.

Along a massive main-lake shoreline in the middle section of this reservoir, around two of its offshore humps, and along several of its offshore ledges, we caught 10 largemouth bass. We fished along about 1,000 yards of this shoreline. These humps and ledges are the residue of parts of the rock quarry that this reservoir covers.  The shoreline has a 20- to 45-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally coated with wads of filamentous algae and submerged aquatic vegetation that we did not examine. There is a substantial number of gigantic boulders littering the underwater terrains. The water’s edge is endowed with a few patches of American water willows, some duck weeds, several overhanging trees, some rock and concrete retaining walls, and dozens of docks. Five of the 10 largemouth bass were caught on the TRD TicklerZ rig. Three were caught on the watermelon-red-flake Finesse WormZ rig. One of the 10 was caught on the smoke-purple GrubZ rig. The PB&J Finesse WormZ rig caught one of the ten largemouth bass. As we probed the shoreline, ledges, docks, humps, and patches of aquatic vegetation, several times we a few saw largemouth bass pursing gizzard shad on the surface behind us, and five of the 10 bass that we caught were among those surface feeders; one of the five was caught on the initial drop of the PB&J Finesse WormZ rig, one was caught one the initial drop of the watermelon-red-flake Finesse WormZ rig, and three were caught on the TRD TicklerZ rig on either the initial drop or a swimming presentation.  These surface feeding largemouth bass were in about 25 feet of water. Elsewhere, the TRD TicklerZ rig caught one on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation along the side of a dock in seven feet of water, and it caught another one on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation around a patch of submerged aquatic vegetation in about four to six feet of water. Around other shallow-water patches of submerged aquatic vegetation, the watermelon-red-flake Finesse WormZ rig with a swim-glide-shake presentation caught two largemouth bass in four to five feet of water, and the smoke-purple GrubZ caught one with a swim-and-pause presentation.

This is one of the surface-feeding largemouth bass.

We failed to catch a largemouth bass around and across a shallow-water flat in the middle section of this reservoir.

We fished around one main-lake point and along about an 800-yard stretch of a shoreline in the upper half of the reservoir. We failed to elicit a strike at the point. The shoreline yielded four largemouth bass. This entire area has a 25- to 70-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and silt, which are enhanced with wads of filamentous algae and many patches of submerged aquatic vegetation that we did not sample. The water’s edge is littered with about three dozen docks, some concrete retaining walls, several stone retaining walls, several overhanging trees, one massive laydown, a few piles of brush, one patch of water primrose, some patches of American water willows, and many patches of floating duck weeds. The TRD TicklerZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation shortly after the initial drop caught one largemouth bass along a patch of submerged aquatic vegetation in about four feet of water. The watermelon-red-flake Finesse WormZ rig with a drag-pause-and-shake presentation caught one largemouth bass in about 12 feet of water around the front edge of one of the docks. The watermelon-red-flake GrubZ rig with a swim-and-slight-pause presentation caught two largemouth bass around patches of submerged aquatic vegetation in about five feet of water.

We struggled mightily to catch one largemouth bass along another massive shoreline in the upper half of the reservoir.

This shoreline has one main-lake point, which is flat, and its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and silt that are enhanced with patches of coontail, wads of filamentous algae, and many floating particles of duck weeds. We failed to elicit a strike around this point.

The shoreline possesses a 25- to 60-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and silt. Parts of this terrain are quilted with wads of filamentous algae and other kinds of submerged aquatic vegetation that we did not examine. The water’s edge consists of several concrete retaining walls, some stone retaining walls, some riprap, 10 docks, one small rock bridge, a few laydowns, several piles of brush, some patches of American water willows, and a few overhanging trees. The largemouth bass was caught at a shallow-water area adjacent to the bridge in about five feet of water around submerged patches of aquatic vegetation. It was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation of the watermelon-red-flake Finesse WormZ rig, which elicited three strikes before this largemouth bass was hooked.

Along about a 300-yard stretch of another shoreline in the upper half of the reservoir, we caught three largemouth bass. It has four main-lake points, which were fruitless. Its gradient has a 25- to 50-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are enhanced with wads of filamentous algae and some patches of submerged aquatic vegetation that we did not sample. The water’s edge is littered with 14 docks, some stone and concrete retaining walls, several overhanging trees, one pile of tree limbs and lumber, and a few patches of American water willows. One of the three largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the watermelon-red-flake Finesse WormZ rig under an overhanging tree in about four feet of water. The other two largemouth bass were pursuing gizzard shad on the surface behind us; one was caught on the initial drop of the TRD TicklerZ rig, and the second was caught on a swimming presentation on the TRD TicklerZ.

We caught two largemouth bass around a main-lake point that separates the upper half of the reservoir from the lower half. It has a 40-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally coated with wads of filamentous algae and patches of brittle naiad and coontail. One largemouth bass was caught on a dragging presentation with the TRD TicklerZ rig in about seven feet of water. The second one was caught on the watermelon-red-flake Finesse WormZ rig on the deadstick portion of a drag-and-deadstick retrieve in about seven feet of water, and it was caught on the third strike of that retrieve.

Along another shoreline in the middle section of the reservoir, we caught five largemouth bass. This shoreline has a 30- to 45-degree slope and is about 500 yards long. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally coated with a few patches of brittle naiad and coontail, as well as wads of filamentous algae. There is a substantial number of gigantic boulders and some significant ledges situated along this shoreline. The water’s edge is endowed with a few patches of American water willows, some overhanging trees, a short stretch of riprap, some stone retaining walls, and 23 docks. Two of the five were caught on the TRD TicklerZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in five to seven feet of water. The other three were caught on the watermelon-red-flake Finesse WormZ rig; one was caught on the initial drop under one of the docks in about three feet of water; the second one was caught on a drag-pause-and-shake presentation along the side of another dock in about seven feet of water; the third one was caught on an accidental deadstick presentation between two docks in about seven feet of water.

In sum, we caught an average of 7.25 largemouth bass an hour, which is about three bass below our normal hourly average. Of course, our hope-filled average is 25 bass an hour.

Aug.  23

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his unusual Midwest finesse outing at an 85-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas on Aug. 23.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 63 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 87 degrees. The wind was calm for eight of the morning hours, and then it angled out of the northwest and north at 7 to 12 mph. It began to rain at 7:45 a.m. for about 55 minutes, and after the rain waned, the conditions of the sky varied from overcast to mostly cloudy to partly cloudy to cluttered with a few clouds to fair.  The barometric pressure was 30.05 at 12:52 a.m., 30.06 at 5:52 a.m., 30.11 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.08 at 3:52 p.m.

The water level looked to be more than a foot below its normal level. The water was affected with an algae bloom, and the water clarity fluctuated from about 12 inches in some areas to about 3 ½ feet in other locales. The surface temperature ranged from 79 to 82 degrees.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 11:29 p.m. to 1:29 a.m., 4:55 a.m. to 6:55 a.m., and 5:18 p.m. to 7:18 p.m. It also predicted that the fishing would be excellent.

This outing revolved around a request by members of the Kansas Kayak Anglers to explore and compare the manifold virtues of Neko rigs and Midwest finesse rigs. To do this, three kayak anglers joined me for four hours and five minutes of fishing. (Here is the link to the Kansas Kayak Anglers’ webpage: https://www.kansaskayakanglers.com/.)

There was so much going on amongst the four of us that it was impossible for me to assemble enough accurate details to compose a traditional Midwest finesse log. What’s more, my 85-year-old brain and memory cannot function as well as it used to function. Therefore, this is somewhat of a haphazard report of what transpired.

Here is an abbreviated description of the areas where we fished and how many largemouth bass these spots yielded. We are unable to note the depths, the types of retrieves, and the names of the lures that inveigled each of the 52 largemouth bass we caught.

We made our first casts at 8:10 a.m., and the last ones were made at 12:15 p.m. Everyone used spinning tackle.

Marty Hughes of Auburn, Nebraska, who is a much-heralded Neko-rig angler and champion of many Kayak tournaments, spent the entire four hours and five minutes wielding a Neko rig. He worked with two rigs: a Z-Man’s molting-craw Big TRD and a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Big TRD.  They were affixed to a Snyder Sleeve and an Eagle Claw 1/0 Trokar TK150 Drop Shot Hook. The sinker was a 1/16-ounce KJ’s Button Head in the dragon-fly hue, which is similar to a baby-blue hue. (See the information at this link for more details about his tournament career: https://tourneyx.com/app/profile/kayakjak. Here is a link to an article with details about his Neko tactics: https://www.wired2fish.com/neko-rig-tips/neko-rig-hacks-that-get-more-bites.)

Tony Boyden of Barryton, Kansas, wielded a quarter-ounce weedless jig with a blue and chartreuse skirt and a Z-Man’s coppertreuse Finesse TRD as a trailer.

Austin Applegate of Baldwin City, Kansas, used two standard Midwest finesse rigs. For about 30 minutes, he worked with a 2 ½-inch soft-plastic stick bait in a black-and-blue hue affixed to a 3/32-ounce chartreuse mushroom-style jig. During the rest of the outing, he used a Z-Man’s five-foot, four-inch Drew’s Ultimate Ned Rig Rod with a  Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ on a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead,  a slightly shortened Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead, and  Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse ShadZ on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead.

I used an array of Midwest finesse rigs: a Z-Man’s coppertreuse Finesse TRD on a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead, a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ on a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead, a slightly shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s watermelon-red-flake Finesse WormZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead, a slightly shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ affixed to a  chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead, a Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse ShadZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead, and a slightly shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s black-neon Finesse WormZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead.

Marty and I spent the entire outing in the boat. Tony spent about half of the outing fishing in the boat. During the other half, he fished in a kayak directly behind the boat. Austin spent the first half of the outing fishing in the kayak directly behind the boat, and he fished in the boat during the last half of the outing.

We began by fishing a main-lake point at the mouth of a small feeder-creek arm.  It yielded one largemouth bass. This point has a 35-to 45-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. The water’s edge is devoid of emergent vegetation, as is the underwater terrain.

We fished portions of both shorelines inside the small feeder-creek arm. The shorelines are about 250 yards long. The underwater terrains consist of gravel, rocks, and a few boulders; some of this terrain is coated with filamentous algae and bits of Eurasian milfoil. The water’s edges are graced with magnificent patches of American water willows, several overhanging trees, two tertiary points, a dock, and a boathouse. We caught six largemouth bass along these shorelines. One of the six was a 21-inch largemouth bass, which was inveigled on the green-pumpkin Big TRD Neko rig.

We fished around this small feeder-creek arm’s other main-lake point. Its terrain and slope are similar to the other main-lake point. This one, however, has a concrete boat ramp. We failed to elicit a strike at this point.

Then, we fished along a main-lake shoreline, which is adjacent to this point. It is about 425 yards long. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are endowed with a few skimpy patches of submerged vegetation.  The boulders are quite numerous and large. About a third of the shoreline is enhanced with patches of American water willows, which is where we caught seven largemouth bass.

At the mouth of a large feeder-creek arm, we fished around another main-lake point. The underwater terrains consist of gravel, rocks, and a few boulders. It eventually plummets into deep water. It possesses a 30- to 35-degree slope. The water’s edge is devoid of American water willows. This point yielded one largemouth bass.

Inside this large feeder-creek arm, we fished along about a 120-yard stretch of this point’s secondary shoreline. Its underwater terrain is similar to the point’s terrain. It is steeper, exhibiting a 40-to 50-degree slope. The water’s edge contains one dock, two overhanging trees, patches of American water willows, and a short section of a concrete retaining wall. This area yielded two largemouth bass.

On the other side of this feeder-creek arm, we fished about a 350-yard stretch of another secondary shoreline. As we approached this shoreline, we fished around the cables of several large buoys in hopes of catching some of the largemouth bass that occasionally gather around the cables below the buoys, but we failed to elicit a strike.

This shoreline has a 35-to 45-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and several submerged stumps; some of the stumps and boulders are humongous. There is one offshore collection of rocks and boulders that parallels a 100-foot section of the shoreline. Some of the rocks and boulders are graced with minuscule patches of Eurasian milfoil. The water’s edge is adorned with some thick patches of American water willows and one marvelous overhanging tree. This shoreline yielded four largemouth bass.

We were somewhat reluctant to fish the shoreline of the dam, but it was not as lackluster as we feared. It is 480 yards long and 45 feet high. It has a 50-to 60-degree slope. It consists of gigantic boulders. Some of the boulders have deteriorated to gravel and rocks. The water’s edge is lined with many shallow-water patches of American water willows. It is also endowed with a water outlet tower on a riprap jetty, a few piles of submerged tree limbs, and some manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. We eked out nine largemouth bass.

The dam’s spillway failed to yield a largemouth bass. And we failed to catch a largemouth bass as we quickly fished along a 250-yard stretch of the main-lake shoreline that is immediately adjacent to the spillway.

We spent the rest of this outing in the upper half of this reservoir, fishing around two main-lake points and along portions of three secondary shorelines.

The points were fruitless.

We caught seven largemouth bass along about a 550-yard stretch of the northwest shoreline inside one of this reservoir’s primary feeder-creek arms. It has a 25- to 40-degree slope. The underwater terrain contains gravel, rocks, bits of silt, and some boulders, which are coated with tads of Eurasian milfoil. The water’s edge is endowed with a tertiary point, 13 docks, a concrete boat ramp, several cement retaining walls, patches of American water willows, many overhanging trees, and some submerged three limbs.

Along a 400-yard stretch of the south-by-southwest shoreline inside the primary feeder-creek arm, we caught eight largemouth bass.  This shoreline has a 25- to 55-degree slope. A submerged creek channel meanders by the steeper portions of this shoreline. The underwater terrain is comprised of gravel, rocks, an array of stumps, and a few boulders. There are some occasional patches of Eurasian milfoil sprouting along some of the shallow-water segments of this terrain.  The water’s edge is furnished with many overhanging trees and terrestrial vegetation, three docks, scores of laydowns, and numerous piles of tree limbs. The flatter areas, which were graced with thick patches of American water willows, were more fruitful than the steeper sections.

The last 15 minutes of the outing occurred along about a 150-yard segment of a massive shoreline along the west side of this reservoir’s second primary feeder-creek arm. This section of the shoreline has a 30- to 40-degree slope. The underwater terrain is cluttered with gravel, rocks, and boulders, and it is enhanced with a significant ledge. The water’s edge is enriched with a patch of cattails, two overhanging trees, patches of American water willows, and a few submerged tree limbs. This shoreline yielded seven largemouth bass.

Besides catching 52 largemouth bass, we caught one flathead catfish, one channel catfish, two bluegill, and six green sunfish. For about four minutes, the molting-craw Big TRD Neko rig tangled with a humongous carp, but it eventually unfettered itself from the Neko rig. We also elicited a vast number of skimpy strikes that we failed to hook, and we hooked five largemouth bass that liberated themselves.

This largemouth bass was caught on the Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Big TRD affixed to a Neko rig. 

Sixteen of the 52 largemouth bass were caught on the Neko rigs. Thirteen were caught on the skirted jig rig. The various Midwest finesse rigs caught 23 largemouth bass, but it took two anglers to catch them.

Aug. 27

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his outing on Aug. 27 at a 63-year-old and heavily fished state reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 49 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 84 degrees. The wind varied from calm to angling out of the southeast, south, and southwest at 3 to 10 mph. The sky was fair to partly cloudy to mostly cloudy.  The barometric pressure was 30.25 at 12:52 a.m., 30.24 at 5:52 a.m., 30.21 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.17 at 1:52 p.m.

The water level looked to be more than a foot below normal. The surface temperature ranged from 79 to 80 degrees. The water exhibited 1 1/2 to 4 1/2 feet of visibility. Some of the shallow-water flats and shorelines of this reservoir are graced with patches of coontail, sago pondweeds, brittle naiad, filamentous algae, American pondweeds, and American water willows. The coontail is exhibiting a renaissance this year; during the past few years, we have been worried that it was disappearing, and we are grateful and hoping that untold numbers of largemouth bass will be inhabiting these burgeoning patches during the last four months of 2025.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 1:47 a.m. to 3:47 a.m., 2:08 p.m. to 4:08 p.m., and 7:58 a.m. to 9:35 a.m.

I made my first cast at 10:57 a.m. and the last at 1:44 p.m. During this two-hour and 47-minute outing, it was a struggle to catch 22 largemouth bass and accidentally tangle with two channel catfish, two crappie, two green sunfish, and two bluegill.  

Two of the 22 largemouth bass were caught on a 3.5-inch Z-Man’s pearl GrubZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Three largemouth bass were caught on a 3.5-inch Z-Man’s coppertreuse Finesse TRD FattyZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Seven largemouth bass were caught on a slightly shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s watermelon-red-flake Finesse WormZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Ten were caught on a Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse ShadZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead.

I was hoping to catch 25 largemouth bass on 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 brittle naiad, coontail, sago pondweeds, and numerous manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. 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, American pondweeds, laydowns, and a beaver hut.  The patches of aquatic vegetation are rooted in the underwater terrain that consists of gravel, rocks, and silt. On the shallow-water flat, I fished around an area the size of two football fields, and I struggled to catch two largemouth bass. They were caught on the pearl GrubZ rig with a slow swimming presentation around patches of coontail in about seven feet of water; the tops of the coontail patches were three to four feet below the surface. I failed to elicit a strike along portions of this flat’s two shorelines.

I eked out two largemouth bass on a flat in the back of a small feeder-creek arm. This flat is about the size of two football fields. Its underwater terrain, which consists of gravel, rocks, and silt, is endowed with patches of brittle naiad, coontail, and many manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. The two largemouth bass were caught on the initial drop of the Finesse WormZ rig in about five feet of water.

I failed to catch a largemouth bass along the entire northern shoreline inside this feeder-creek arm. This shoreline is flat with a 25-degree slope. It is about 200 yards long.  It is appointed with many shallow-water patches of American water willows and a variety of submerged aquatic vegetation.

One of the main-lake points at the mouth of this feeder-creek arm yielded two largemouth bass. This point is flat with a 25-degree grade, and it possesses a significant ledge many yards from the water’s edge. The underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks on which there are several patches of coontail, brittle naiad, and piles of eastern red cedar trees. The Finesse WormZ rig inveigled the two largemouth bass. One was caught on the initial drop adjacent to an eastern red cedar in about five feet of water. The second one was caught around patches of aquatic vegetation in about six feet of water on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation that polished the tops of the aquatic vegetation.

Sixteen largemouth bass were caught along the riprap shoreline of the dam. It is 600 yards long with a height of 85 feet. It possesses a 35- to 75-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of riprap, which is occasionally interlaced with wads of filamentous algae and minor patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. The flatter and shallow-water sections at each end of the dam are enriched with the dam’s thickest patches of emergent and submerged aquatic vegetation, but the aquatic vegetation failed to yield a largemouth bass. There are a few minor piles of submerged tree limbs decorating the riprap. Three of the 16 largemouth bass were caught on the Finesse WormZ rig; two were allured on the initial drop in three to four feet of water; one was inveigled on a drag-pause-and-shake presentation in about seven feet of water. The Finesse FattyZ rig caught three largemouth bass; one was caught on the initial drop around some submerged tree limbs in about five feet of water; two were allured by drag-and-shake presentations in five to seven feet of water. The Finesse ShadZ rig inveigled 10 largemouth bass; four were caught on the initial drop of the rig in three to five feet of water; six were caught on either a drag-and-shake presentation or a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in three to eight feet of water.

In sum, I elicited very few strikes throughout the entire outing, and  it was a scuffle to catch an average of about eight largemouth bass an hour. Some anglers might contend that the post-cold-front conditions made the fishing lackluster, but I have never been able to determine why the fishing is difficult or why it is bountiful. All I can tell you is where and how I caught or did not catch them.  In years past, I have caught largemouth bass galore on post-cold-front outings, and I have also struggled mightily to catch just a few on other post-cold-front outings. During the past few years, I have been thinking that the diminishing returns of being an octogenarian are affecting my angling abilities, and those factors seemed to be confounding me on this Aug. 27 outing.

Aug. 29

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Aug. 29 outing at a federal reservoir in north-central Texas.

There is an early hint of fall in the air in north-central Texas. Daytime high temperatures have fallen from the upper 90s and low 100s into the 80s, and the nighttime lows are dipping from the low 80s into the lower 70s and upper 60s.

Aug. 29 was an overcast day. A much-needed thunderstorm rumbled across north-central Texas around 3:00 a.m., and it had moved eastward by 5:00 a.m. The morning low temperature was 72 degrees, and the afternoon high was 83 degrees. The wind quartered out of the east and northeast at 8 to 10 mph. The barometric pressure was 29.97 at 7:00 a.m. and 29.99 at 1:00 p.m.  

John Thomas of Denton and I opted to take advantage of the delightfully cooler weather and fished at one of several federal hill-land reservoirs in north-central Texas from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The water level was 1.68 feet low. The water exhibited 2 1/2 feet of visibility. The surface temperature ranged from 82 to 83 degrees.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar table noted that fishing would be poor on Aug. 29, and the most productive fishing periods would occur from 3:31 a.m. to 5:31 a.m., 9:42 a.m. to 11:42 a.m., and 3:54 p.m. to 5:54 p.m.

During this outing, we focused on the lower quadrant of the reservoir and investigated two prominent main-lake points, portions of two rocky main-lake shorelines, sections of two feeder-creek arms, a minor creek channel that winds back and forth across a large clay and gravel main-lake flat just west of the dam, one water-outlet tower, and about 80 percent of the riprap shoreline of the dam.

For most of this summer, flat and rocky main-lake points and shorelines have been our most productive black-bass locations, and that pattern appears to be petering out now.

The two main-lake points that we targeted are flat and covered with red clay, small gravel, chunky rocks, and clusters of large boulders. Several segments of their shallow-water areas are embellished with thick patches of buck brush, stickups, and a couple of laydowns. Both of these points have yielded numerous largemouth bass, spotted bass, and white bass during the past couple of months. But this time, we were surprised that we were unable to elicit any strikes from the first main-lake point, and the second point yielded only one white bass. It was caught in three feet of water near a patch of large rocks with a swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ rigged on a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.  

The two main-lake shorelines weren’t very productive either. These shorelines are flat and adorned with chunky rocks and large boulders.

The first shoreline is about 100 yards long and graced with a long and shallow rock ledge. The top of the ledge is covered with a couple of feet of water, and then it descends into 17 feet of water. In three to five feet of water near the deep-water side of the ledge, we caught one largemouth bass and one spotted bass. The largemouth bass was enticed by a swimming retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ rig, and the spotted bass was induced by a swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s chartreuse-sparkle GrubZ affixed on a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.  

The second main-lake shoreline is about 200 yards long, and we fished about 75 yards of it. This shoreline is also flat and features a main-lake tertiary point, five rock piles, a boat ramp, and a courtesy dock. We caught one spotted bass in 13 feet of water from one side of the courtesy dock, and another spotted bass in four feet of water from one of the rock piles. Both of these spotted bass were allured by a slow swimming retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch chartreuse-sparkle GrubZ combo.

Inside the two feeder-creek arms, we fished from their lower sections to their upper ends. We focused on a variety of black-bass lairs such as clay-and-pea-gravel flats cluttered with flooded stickups and buck brush, small protected coves in the upper and midsections of the creek arms, three steep clay-and-gravel shorelines, rock- and boulder-laden secondary points, a submerged asphalt roadbed, a riprap-covered secondary shoreline that is about 50 yards long, and the area around a large concrete boat ramp. We fished in water as shallow as two feet and as deep as 13 feet, and most of these locales were fruitless.

In the backend of the first feeder-creek arm, we caught two spotted bass and two largemouth bass. The two spotted bass and one of the two largemouth bass were caught in less than five feet of water from the edges of the asphalt roadbed. The other largemouth bass was caught in three feet of water along the 50-yard riprap shoreline. All four of these black bass were tempted by a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s Space Guppy Slim SwimZ matched with a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead and a steady swimming presentation parallel to the riprap at the water’s edge.  We failed to elicit any strikes around several minor rocky secondary points, two clay-and-gravel secondary shorelines, and a mud flat in the midsection and lower end of this creek arm.

Inside the second feeder-creek arm, which is located about a mile east of the first one, we probed a medium-sized flat that is composed of red clay and gravel, two concrete boat ramps, three rocky shorelines, seven rocky secondary points, a shallow rock ledge at the mouth of the creek arm, and a small cove in the midsection of the creek arm. Ultimately, we caught three spotted bass and one largemouth bass in the middle section of the creek arm from a ridge of chunky rocks that border the sides of the two concrete boat ramps in less than three feet of water. The three spotted bass were caught on a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation with a Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse ShadZ fastened to a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. The largemouth bass was caught on a steady swimming retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ rig.

We failed to locate any largemouth or spotted bass around the shallow rock ledge, the three steep rocky shorelines, the seven rocky secondary points, and inside the small cove.

We also failed to locate any spotted bass or largemouth bass along a minor creek channel that cuts across a massive clay and gravel flat just west of the dam.  

Our most fruitful locale was the dam area. This dam is 130 feet high and 32,328 feet long. Besides the riprap that covers the dam, there are four major water-outlet towers. We fished about 80 percent of the riprap and one of the four towers. The riprap on the dam yielded three largemouth bass, two channel catfish, one hybrid-striped bass, one white bass, and a three-foot alligator gar. Two of the three largemouth bass, one of the two channel catfish, the hybrid-striped bass, and the alligator gar were enticed by the 2 1/2-inch chartreuse-sparkle GrubZ as it was slowly retrieved at a 30- to 45-degree angle to the riprap along the water’s edge. The other largemouth bass was caught on a swimming presentation with the 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ rig.

From one of the four large outlet towers, we caught 18 largemouth bass and one large bluegill. This tower stands in 25 feet of water, and these 19 fish were suspended about five to eight feet below the surface of the water near the tower’s west-side wall. Thirteen of the largemouth bass and the large bluegill were coaxed into striking a shortened 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl TRD TicklerZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead on either the initial fall or a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation. The other five largemouth bass were inveigled by a swimming retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ combo.

During this outing, we were unable to elicit any strikes with a Z-Man’s purple-death TRD TicklerZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead and a Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat threaded on a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.  

In closing, we caught 25 largemouth bass, eight spotted bass, two white bass, two channel catfish, one hybrid-striped bass, one alligator gar, and one bluegill.

It was an enjoyable outing to end the month of August.

Aug. 29

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, and Rick Hebenstreit of Shawnee, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their outing at a 93-year-old state reservoir in northeastern Kansas on Aug. 29.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 55 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 82 degrees. The wind fluctuated from being calm to angling out of the east, south, and southeast at 3 to 17 mph.   The conditions of the sky ranged from being foggy to fair. The barometric pressure was 30.13 at 12:52 a.m., 30.13 at 5:52 a.m., 30.13 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.09 at 2:52 p.m.

The water level looked to be about 20 inches above normal. The water exhibited five to eight feet of visibility. The surface temperature was 80 degrees. We were delighted to see that this reservoir’s patches of coontail have expanded significantly this summer. Perhaps the arrival of the zebra mussels, which has paralleled the dramatic improvement of this reservoir’s water clarity, has helped the patches of coontail to expand. For many years, we have also found that the existence of zebra mussels in our community, state, and federal reservoirs in northeastern Kansas provides us with very fruitful largemouth bass and smallmouth bass fishing, and when the zebra mussels somehow disappear, as they have at several of our reservoirs, the numbers of largemouth bass and smallmouth bass we catch decline – some of those declines have been quite significant.

In years past, this exurban reservoir was usually heavily fished, but it was not on this outing. In fact, the fishing pressure has been surprisingly paltry at most of the community and state reservoirs in northeastern Kansas that we have fished in 2025.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 3:24 a.m. to 5:24 a.m., 3:47 p.m. to 5:47 p.m., and 9:35 a.m. to 11:35 a.m.

We made our first casts at 11:00 a.m., and caught a largemouth bass on our first casts. By noon, we had caught 25 largemouth bass, and we caught number 50 at 1:12 p.m. From 1:13 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., we caught 33 largemouth bass, and our fish counter revealed that we had caught 83 largemouth bass, five bluegill, two crappie, and one channel catfish.

One largemouth bass was caught with a 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s watermelon-red-flake GrubZ on a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead.  A Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-blue-flake Finesse ShadZ on a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead caught six largemouth bass. A 2 ¾-inch Z-Man’s Canada-craw TRD BugZ on a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig inveigled eight largemouth bass. Thirty-one largemouth bass were enticed by a shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ attached to a black 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jighead. A shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s watermelon-red-flake Finesse WormZ and a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead caught 37 largemouth bass.

We caught 32 largemouth bass across four segments of a massive flat in the back of one of this reservoir’s primary feeder-creek arms.  It is endowed with four submerged creek channels, a small island, humps, and minor ledges. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and silt. Portions of the submerged creek channels are silt-laden. Patches of brittle naiad, burgeoning patches of coontail, and many manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees adorn the underwater terrains. Six of the 32 largemouth bass were caught around a significant offshore hump that is enhanced with patches of brittle naiad and coontail and a submerged eastern red cedar tree.  The other 26 were caught across small segments of the flat, and there were many areas of this flat where we failed to elicit a strike. The GrubZ rig with a swim-and-pause presentation caught one largemouth bass around patches of coontail adjacent to a submerged creek channel in about seven feet of water. The TRD BugZ rig tangled with eight largemouth bass in four to eight feet of water; two were caught on the initial drop, and six were caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation around patches of coontail and submerged eastern red cedar trees. Seven largemouth bass were caught on the green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig in four to almost 10 feet of water around patches of coontail and eastern red cedar trees on either the initial drop or a swim-glide-and-shake presentation. The watermelon-red-flake Finesse WormZ rig allured 16 largemouth bass around patches of coontail and eastern red cedar trees in about three to 10 feet of water. Several times, a retrieve generated two to three strikes before a largemouth bass was hooked.

At the mouth of this reservoir’s second primary feeder-creek arm, we caught seven largemouth bass around the main-lake point and along about a 75-yard stretch of its main-lake shoreline. This area has a 40- to 45-degree slope.  Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. This terrain is also enhanced with a stone and concrete foundation of a barn and house. Submerged patches of brittle naiad and coontail coated portions of the underwater terrain. The water’s edge is garnished with thick patches of American water willows, which are intertwined with brittle naiad, an occasional laydown, and few piles of tree limbs. Three largemouth bass were caught on the Finesse ShadZ rig; two were caught on the initial drop in four to five feet of water; one was caught on a drag-and-pause presentation in six to seven feet of water. Four were caught on the green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig; one was caught on the initial drop in about four feet of water; three were caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about five to seven feet of water.

Inside this second primary feeder-creek arm, we fished about 900 yards of one of its secondary shorelines and around this shoreline’s secondary and tertiary points. The slope of this vast area ranges from about 25 to 55 degrees. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and one significant submerged rock-and-boulder fence. Most of the flat and shallow-water sections of the underwater terrains are coated with patches of brittle naiad and coontail, as well as several manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. The water’s edge is often lined with thick patches of American water willows, some overhanging trees, and several well-aged laydowns. This shoreline and its points yielded 16 largemouth bass. We caught six largemouth bass along the steeper section of this shoreline, which is about 100 yards long and devoid of American water willows, but it is endowed with several overhanging trees and the submerged rock fence. One largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig in about four feet of water, and five were caught on the watermelon-red-flake Finesse WormZ rig; two were caught on the initial drop in about four feet of water; three were caught on a drag-pause-and-shake presentation in about five to seven feet of water. Along the flatter section of this secondary shoreline, which is endowed with one secondary point and three tertiary points, we caught 10 largemouth bass. Four were caught on the green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ on either the initial drop or a swim-glide-and-shake presentation along either the outside edges of the American water willows or around the patches of brittle naiad and coontail. The watermelon-red-flake Finesse WormZ caught six largemouth bass; one was caught on a swimming presentation in about four feet of water around thick patches of brittle naiad and coontail on a shallow-water flat; one was caught on the initial drop at one of the tertiary points; the others were caught many yards from the water’s edge with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in six to eight feet of water.

In the back of this primary feeder-creek arm, we fished across a portion of a massive shallow-water flat. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and silt.  It is about the size of five football fields, and about a third of it is covered with American lotus plants; some portions of the underwater terrain are endowed with patches of brittle naiad and coontail. Manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees embellish some of the underwater terrain. Two submerged creek channels, which are somewhat silt-laden, crisscross this flat. A relatively small section of this flat yielded nine largemouth bass. Four were caught with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation with the watermelon-red-flake Finesse WormZ rig in five to seven feet of water. Five were caught on either the initial drop or a swim-glide-shake presentation with the green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ in five to about eight feet of water.

Around the main-lake point and about a 100-section of its main-lake shoreline at the mouth of this second primary feeder-creek arm, we caught five largemouth bass. This shoreline has a 40- to 50-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are adorned with a few submerged patches of brittle naiad and coontail.  The water’s edge is lined with wonderful patches of American water willows, some overhanging trees, and a few laydowns. Two of the five largemouth bass were caught on the green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ; one was caught on the initial drop in front of a patch of American water willows in about five feet of water; the other one was caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in six to seven feet of water. The initial drop of the Finesse ShadZ rig allured two largemouth bass in front of the patches of American water willows in about five feet of water; another largemouth bass was caught on a drag-and-pause presentation in about seven to eight feet of water, and we had three strikes on this retrieve before this largemouth bass was hooked on a long pause.

Along about an 800-yard stretch of another secondary shoreline and around two secondary points inside the second primary feeder-creek arm, we caught 14 largemouth bass. The underwater terrain of the points and shoreline consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are regularly adorned with some patches of brittle naiad and coontail. Some of the boulders are humongous. The water’s edge is often enhanced with patches of American water willows, many overhanging trees, and a few laydowns. Patches of brittle naiad and coontail are entwined with the outside edges of some of the American water willows.  The slope of this shoreline and its points range from 25 to 50 degrees. Six largemouth bass were caught on the watermelon-red-flake Finesse WormZ rig; one was caught on a deadstick presentation in about seven to eight feet of water; two were caught on the initial drop in four feet of water; three were caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation around submerged patches of aquatic vegetation. Eight largemouth bass were caught on the green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig; one was caught on a long and accidental deadstick presentation in six to seven feet of water; two were caught on the initial drop in four to five feet of water; five were caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve in four to seven feet of water.

In sum, we caught an average of 20 largemouth bass an hour. It is interesting to note that this reservoir has been our most fruitful one in northeastern Kansas during the past few years. For instance, we caught 126 largemouth bass in four hours and one minute on Aug. 30, 2024, 75 in four hours on Aug. 16, 2024, 107 in four hours on Aug. 9, 2024, and 70 in three hours and 43 minutes on Aug. 2, 2024.