Ned Kehde: Guide to Midwest Finesse Fishing: August 2026

One of the smallmouth bass Bob Gum caught on Aug. 12 in northeastern Kansas.

Aug. 3

Ned and Pat Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a brief log on the Finesse News Network about their short outing on Aug. 3 at a 64-year-old state reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 61 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 87 degrees. The wind was calm for seven hours, and at other times it angled out of the south and southeast at 3 to 12 mph. The sky was foggy, misty, fair, and cluttered with a few clouds. The barometric pressure was 29.92 at 12:52 a.m., 29.94 at 5:52 a.m., 29.96 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.90 at 4:52 p.m.

The water level looked to be about normal. The surface temperature was 83 degrees. Along the dam, the water exhibited three to five feet of visibility. Along the shorelines and across a massive shallow-water flat in the back of the primary feeder-creek arm, the visibility ranged from 12 to 18 inches.

This reservoir is heavily fished. But during this afternoon outing, there was only one other largemouth bass fisherman besides us afloat. He was wielding urchin rigs, which had lured three largemouth bass.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 2:29 a.m. to 4:29 a.m., 2:51 p.m. to 4:51 p.m., and 8:40 a.m. to 10:40 a.m.

We fished from 2:35 p.m. to 4:20 p.m., and according to the Solunar calendar, it was one of the best times to fish. And it was one of our short octogenarian outings where we struggled to catch 20 largemouth bass and one bluegill.

We fished around a main-lake point and along about 375 yards of this point’s secondary shoreline. This area has a 35- to 45-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and silt, which are regularly enhanced with submerged patches of bushy pondweeds, coontail, and a few manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. Its water’s edge is bedizened with patches of American water willows and American pondweeds. We caught one largemouth bass around the point along the outside edge of a patch of American pondweeds in about three to four feet of water; it was caught on the initial drop of a Z-Man’s Drew’s craw TRD HogZ affixed to a black 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Along the shoreline, we caught four largemouth bass. This shoreline borders the eastern side of a massive shallow-water flat in the back of this reservoir’s primary feeder-creek arm. Two of the four largemouth bass were caught on the initial drop of the Drew’s craw TRD HogZ near the outside edge of patches of American pondweeds in about three feet of water. The third largemouth bass was caught on a shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s pumpkin Finesse WormZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation at the edge of a patch of coontail in about four to five feet of water. A shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ attached to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig inveigled the fourth largemouth bass with a slow swimming presentation around a patch of American pondweeds entwined with patches of bushy pondweeds and coontail in about three to four feet of water.

We quickly fished across the massive shallow-water flat in the back of the primary feeder-creek arm. And we failed to elicit a strike.

Along about a 225-yard stretch of the west shoreline that borders the shallow-water flat, we caught four largemouth. It has a 40- to 70-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and silt, which are regularly enhanced with submerged patches of bushy pondweeds, coontail, and a few manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. Its water’s edge is embellished with patches of American water willows and American pondweeds, numerous laydowns, and a few overhanging trees. A submerged creek channel parallels segments of this shoreline. The largemouth bass were caught on the Junebug Finesse WormZ rig with a slow swim-and-pause presentation around the patches of submerged bushy pondweeds and coontail in four to six feet of water.

We caught eight largemouth bass along about a 400-yard stretch of the shoreline adjacent to the eastern side of the dam. It has a 25- to 35-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and silt, and portions of its shallow areas are coated with submerged patches of bushy pondweeds and coontail. Several manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees also enhance this underwater terrain. The water’s edge is endowed with some patches of American water willows and American pondweeds, four riprap jetties, a short stretch of riprap, one concrete boat ramp, one overhanging tree, and one dock. Two of the eight largemouth bass were caught on the Drew’s-craw TRD HogZ rig with a slow swim-and-pause presentation in about five to six feet around the rocks and boulders of two of the four jetties. The Junebug Finesse WormZ rig with a slow swim-and-pause presentation caught three of the eight largemouth bass; one was caught around the rocks and boulders of one of the jetties in about five to six feet of water; two were caught around the submerged patches of bushy pondweeds and coontail in five to six feet of water. Four of the eight largemouth bass were caught on the pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig with a swim-and-pause presentation around the submerged patches of bushy pondweeds and coontail in five to six feet of water.

We fished along the eastern half of the riprap shoreline of the dam, which lies along the north side of this reservoir. It is 2,280 feet long and 58 feet high with a 55- to 65-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. This underwater terrain is coated with a few patches of bushy pondweeds and coontail. The water’s edge possesses a few tiny and shallow-water patches of American water willows and several small piles of tree limbs and logs. We caught three largemouth bass: one largemouth bass on was caught on the Drew’s-craw TRD HogZ with a drag-and-pause presentation in about six feet of water; two were caught on the pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig with a drag-and-pause presentation in six to eight feet of water.

During this one-hour-and-50-minute outing, we caught an average of about 11 largemouth bass an hour.

Aug. 4

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Aug. 4 outing with his son-in-law Mike Myers of Lawrence at an 87-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 66 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 88 degrees. The wind was calm and variable at times; it also angled out of the south and southeast at 3 to 9 mph. The sky was fair and partly cloudy. The barometric pressure was 29.90 at 12:53 a.m., 29.95 at 5:53 a.m., 29.95 at 11:53 a.m., and 29.94 at 1:53 p.m.

The water level looked to be a few inches above normal. The surface temperature ranged from 81 to 83 degrees. The water exhibited about five feet of visibility along the dam. The visibility declined to about one to 1 ½-feet in the upper half of the reservoir. This reservoir is a heavily fished urban waterway, but we were the only anglers afloat.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 3:25 a.m. to 5:25 a.m., 3:48 p.m. to 5:48 p.m., and 9:36 a.m. to 11:36 a.m.

We made our first casts at 10:35 a.m. and our last ones at 1:57 p.m. During these 202 minutes, we caught 18 largemouth bass, 15 smallmouth bass, four bluegill, and one freshwater drum.

A shortened four-inch Z-Man’s watermelon-red Hula StickZ attached to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead caught two smallmouth bass and seven largemouth bass. A Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-goby Finesse TRD on a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead caught four smallmouth bass and five largemouth bass. We caught six largemouth bass and nine smallmouth bass 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.

The Junebug Finesse WormZ rig is at the top of this photograph. The green-pumpkin-goby Finesse TRD rig is the middle one. The watermelon-red Hula StickZ rig is at the bottom.

In the upper half of the reservoir, we fished around one main-lake point and along about 400 yards of a main-lake shoreline. This area has a 40- to 80-degree slope. Patches of Eurasian milfoil decorated portions of the underwater terrain. The water’s edge is endowed with several laydowns, many overhanging trees and terrestrial vegetation, occasional piles of tree limbs, patches of American water willows that are entwined with patches of Eurasian milfoil, and a small rock jetty with a derelict concrete dock slab. This area yielded three largemouth bass. Two largemouth bass were caught around the point on the initial drop of the Junebug Finesse WormZ rig near the outside edges of thick patches of American water willows in about four feet of water around some stems of Eurasian milfoil. The third one was caught at the edge of some overhanging patches of terrestrial vegetation in about three to four feet of water on the initial drop of the Junebug Finesse WormZ rig.

Along about another 400-yard main-lake shoreline and around two main-lake points, we struggled to catch one largemouth bass. This area possesses a 30- to 60-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders; a few of the boulders are humongous. Many portions of this terrain are enhanced with patches of Eurasian milfoil. The water’s edge is endowed with several consequential laydowns, scores of overhanging trees and terrestrial vegetation, occasional piles of tree limbs, and patches of American water willows that are entwined with patches of Eurasian milfoil. The overhanging trees and terrestrial vegetation provided many yards of shade. The Junebug Finesse WormZ rig with a swimming presentation that allowed it to tickle the top of a sunny patch of Eurasian milfoil inveigled the largemouth bass in about six feet of water.

Inside a small feeder-creek arm in the lower half of the reservoir, we failed to elicit a strike as we fished around a secondary point and along about a 60-yard stretch of the secondary point’s secondary shoreline. Moreover, we failed to engender a strike along about a 70-yard stretch of another secondary shoreline inside this small feeder-creek arm. One shoreline possesses a laydown, some piles of tree limbs, and a massive congregation of three overhanging trees. Thick patches of American water willows lined the water’s edges, and patches of Eurasian milfoil adorned significant sections of the underwater terrain.

We caught six smallmouth bass and one largemouth bass along about an 800-yard stretch of a main-lake shoreline in the lower half of the reservoir. This shoreline possesses three main-lake points, one tertiary point, and the entry to the reservoir's spillway. It has a 25- to 60-degree slope. The underwater terrains of the shoreline and its points consist of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Much of the flatter and shallower sections of the underwater terrain are coated with submerged patches of Eurasian milfoil. The water’s edge is lined with many patches of American water willows, one dock, several significant laydowns, a few overhanging trees, and some piles of tree limbs. Our Junebug Finesse WormZ rigs inveigled the largemouth bass and six smallmouth bass. One smallmouth bass was caught over a thick patch of Eurasian milfoil by using a swimming presentation that allowed the Finesse WormZ rig to tickle the top of the stems of the milfoil. The largemouth bass and five smallmouth bass were caught along the steeper section, which is laden with rocks and boulders. One smallmouth was caught by banjoing a snagged Finesse WormZ off of a submerged boulder in about five feet of water. The largemouth bass and five smallmouth bass were caught while we employed a slow swim-and-pause retrieve, which allowed the Finesse WormZ rigs to occasionally ricochet off the rocks and boulders. They were caught in about four to nine feet of water

One largemouth bass and six smallmouth bass were inveigled along the riprap shoreline of the dam, which is 2,200 feet long. This shoreline has a 50-degree slope. The water’s edge is dressed with numerous patches of shallow-water American water willows. The underwater terrain of riprap is partially adorned with patches of Eurasian milfoil and a few piles of tree limbs. Our Finesse WormZ rigs caught the largemouth bass and three smallmouth bass; one was caught by banjoing a snagged Finesse WormZ off of the submerged riprap in about four feet of water; one was caught on the initial drop in about three to four feet of water; the other two were caught on a slow swim-glide-and-subtle-shake presentation that allowed the rig to delicately ricochet off of the riprap in four to six feet of water. Three smallmouth bass were caught with a slow swimming presentation with the green-pumpkin-goby Finesse TRD rig in five to eight feet of water.

We caught three smallmouth bass and 10 largemouth bass along two offshore and submerged rock-and-boulder fences. These fences are quite large. The tops of the fences are covered with about three to seven feet of water. Portions of them are enhanced with patches of Eurasian milfoil and bushy pondweeds. This offshore spot is in the lower third of this reservoir and between the mouths of two large feeder-creek arms. The Finesse TRD rig caught one of the three smallmouth bass and four of the seven largemouth bass. Two of the three smallmouth bass and five of the seven largemouth bass were caught on the watermelon-red Hula StickZ rig. We caught them using a swimming presentation that allowed the rigs to subtly graze the tops of the fences in about four to seven feet of water. As we dissected the fences, our rigs became hung up on the rocks and boulders six times.

In the middle section of the reservoir, we fished around a main-lake point and along about a 150-yard stretch of a main-lake shoreline. This area has a 45- to 65-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Patches of Eurasian milfoil enhance portions of this terrain. The water’s edge is endowed with a few dilapidated laydowns and thick patches of American water willows. Some of the patches of Eurasian milfoil are next to the edges of the American water willows. The point yielded two largemouth bass. They were caught on the watermelon-red Hula StickZ rig with a slow swimming presentation in about six to eight feet from the outside edge of the patches of American water willows. The shoreline was fruitless.

In sum, we struggled to catch four largemouth bass during the first 94 minutes of the outing. During the next 108 minutes, we caught 14 largemouth bass and 15 smallmouth bass. Thus, we caught an average of 11 black bass per hour of fishing.

Aug. 4

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted this log on the Finesse News Network about his August 4 outing with Roger Farish of Highland Village, Texas, at a federal hill-land reservoir in north-central Texas.

It was sunny with an occasional wispy cirrus cloud drifting overhead. The morning’s low temperature was 84 degrees, and the afternoon’s high climbed to 102 degrees. The barometric pressure measured 29.86 at 6:00 a.m., and rose slightly to 29.90 by 11:00 a.m. A mild breeze quartered out of the south-by-southeast at 3 to 5 mph.

The water level was 0.71 feet below normal pool. The water clarity was 18 inches. The surface temperature ranged from 84 degrees at the boat ramp to 88 degrees inside a medium-size feeder-creek arm in the lower end of the impoundment.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar table noted that fishing would be poor on August 4. It also indicated that the most productive fishing would occur between 3:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m., 9:41 a.m. and 11:41 a.m., and 3:53 p.m. to 5:53 p.m.

We fished from 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 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. Overall, the black bass fishing was stellar, and we enjoyed tussling with 51 black bass. Twenty-eight of them were spotted bass and 23 were largemouth bass; however, none of them were noteworthy in size. We also crossed paths with 15 large white bass. (It should be noted that we have not caught 50 or more black bass at this reservoir in several years.)

This reservoir’s underwater terrain consists of mostly clay mixed with small gravel, chunky rocks, and boulders of all sizes. There are a few areas with standing timber, thin patches of stickups, some submerged stumps, and scattered laydowns littering the shorelines. There isn’t any aquatic vegetation.

The spotted bass and largemouth bass were relating to large submerged boulders or clusters of chunky rocks in two to five feet of water along nine major main-lake points, and around 11 secondary points in the lower and midsections of two major feeder-creek arms. These points have inclines that vary from 25 to 60 degrees.

We caught the 15 white bass from two small schools when they suddenly appeared on a main-lake point and began surface-foraging on threadfin shad within casting distance of our boat in nine to 15 feet of water.

All of these points had attracted significant numbers of threadfin shad, which can be a key component in helping us locate and inveigle significant numbers of black bass in the federal and state reservoirs in north-central Texas.

We caught 18 of the 51 black bass on either the initial fall or a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with a Z-Man’s blue-steel Finesse ShadZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. Seventeen were tempted by either the initial drop or a swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a Z-Man’s pearl TRD TicklerZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. Another eight black bass and four white bass were induced by a moderate-paced swimming retrieve about two to three feet below the water’s surface with a Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat matched with a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. Seven black bass and 11 of the 15 white bass were enticed by a fast-paced swimming retrieve about a foot below the water’s surface with a three-inch Z-Man’s cisco-disco Slim SwimZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. We also wielded a 3 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl curly-tail GrubZ fastened on a black 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig for about half a dozen casts, and it lured one largemouth bass.

In conclusion, this heavily-pressured federal reservoir has become our most productive venue this summer. For example, it yielded 43 largemouth bass and spotted bass during a four-hour outing with Bill Kenney of Denton on July 3, and 40 black bass during a four-hour excursion with Norman Brown of Lewisville on July 16.

Aug. 6

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Aug. 6 outing at a 94-year-old state reservoir in northeastern Kansas with his daughter Nancy Myers and son-in-law Mike Myers of Lawrence.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 71 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 82 degrees. The wind angled out of the east at 5 to 9 mph. The sky was mostly cloudy, partly cloudy, and overcast; there was a thunderstorm between 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. The barometric pressure was 30.02 at 12:52 a.m., 30.00 at 5:52 a.m., 30.04 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.02 at 2:52 p.m.

The water level looked to be slightly above normal. The surface temperature ranged from 82 to 83 degrees. The water exhibited five to 10 feet of clarity. Massive patches of brittle naiad and coontail coat much of the underwater terrain of the shallow-water flats and shorelines. Patches of American water willows grace some of the shorelines, but many of these once thick and bountiful patches have disappeared.

This exurban reservoir is usually heavily fished. But there were only three boats afloat today.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 5:03 a.m. to 7:03 a.m., 5:31 p.m. to 7:31 a.m., and 11:17 p.m. to 1:17 a.m.

We made our first casts at 10:45 a.m. Nancy had to return to Lawrence at 12:45 p.m. Mike and I made our last casts at 2:45 p.m. I made a few casts around the boat before they arrived at 10:30 a.m. During this four-hour outing, we caught 120 largemouth bass, two channel catfish, two green sunfish, and two bluegill.

Five of the 120 largemouth bass were caught on a 2.75-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-goby Finesse TRD attached to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. A shortened Z-Man’s watermelon-red Hula StickZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig inveigled 11 largemouth bass. We caught 104 largemouth bass on a shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s pumpkin Finesse WormZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig.

This is the Z-Man’s pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig.

We began this outing by fishing around a main-lake point and along about a 450-yard stretch of the eastern shoreline inside one of this reservoir’s two primary feeder-creek arms. Parts of this shoreline border a massive shallow-water flat. The slope of this shoreline ranges from about 30 to 50 degrees. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and silt; much of it is coated with patches of brittle naiad and coontail. A few manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees also enhance the underwater terrain. The water’s edge is lined with patches of American water willows, many overhanging trees, a few piles of tree limbs, and several laydowns. We caught one largemouth bass around the point; the shoreline and parts of its flat yielded 22 largemouth bass. The Hula StickZ rig lured five of the largemouth bass, and our Finesse WormZ rigs inveigled 18 largemouth bass. Nine of the 23 largemouth bass were caught on the initial drop; a slow swim-and-pause presentation enticed the others. All of them were caught around patches of brittle naiad and coontail in about four to nine feet of water. At times, we were strolling and employing the swim-and-pause presentation. Some retrieves elicited as many as four strikes.

Around a main-lake shoreline at the mouth of this reservoir’s other primary feeder-creek arm and along the east shoreline of this feeder creek, we caught 29 largemouth bass.

The point has a 40-to 45-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. There is also a submerged house and barn foundation. Some of this terrain is festooned with patches of brittle naiad, coontail, and some manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. The water’s edge is embellished with a few American water willows. The initial drop of the pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig in three to four feet of water caught one largemouth bass along the outside edge of a patch of American water willows that is intertwined with brittle naiad.

The east shoreline inside this feeder-creek arm yielded 28 largemouth bass. This shoreline possesses a 25- to 55-degree slope. It is about 900 yards long and has three secondary points and one tertiary point; we fished about 400 yards of this shoreline and all of the secondary points. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and an ancient rock fence. Portions of this underwater terrain are decorated with brittle naiad, coontail, and a few manmade piles of brush. The water’s edge is enhanced with a few patches of American water willows, several well-aged laydowns, a dilapidated catfish feeder, and many overhanging trees. The outside edges of many of the American water willows are intertwined with brittle naiad. Two of the 29 largemouth bass were caught on the Finesse TRD rig. The Hula StickZ rig lured five largemouth bass. Twenty-two largemouth bass were caught on our Finesse WormZ rigs. Seven of the 29 were caught along the steeper and rockier section of this shoreline, and these largemouth bass were caught as we employed a slow swim-and-pause presentation that allowed our rigs to slightly tickle the tops of the rocks and boulders; a few of these rocks and boulders were graced with meager patches of brittle naiad and coontail. Sixteen of the 29 largemouth bass were caught around patches of brittle naiad and coontail on either the initial drop or as we used a swim-and-pause presentation that lightly touched the tops of the patches of brittle naiad and coontail. They were caught in water ranging from three to four feet to 15 feet deep. They were also caught from about six feet from the water’s edge to about 25 feet from the water’s edge.

Along the shoreline of the dam, we caught 22 largemouth bass. It is 1,240 feet long and has a slope of about 55 degrees. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally embellished with patches of coontail and brittle naiad. There is a significant patch of brittle naiad and coontail decorating the rocks and boulders along about a 60-foot section of the dam. There are a few manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees decorating the underwater terrain. The water’s edge possesses a water-outlet tower and a few shallow-water patches of American water willows. The Hula StickZ caught one of the 22 largemouth bass. Three were caught on the Finesse TRD rig. The initial drop of our rigs enticed the bulk of the 22 largemouth bass. The others were inveigled as we used a slow swim-and-pause presentation that allowed our rigs to lightly graze vast numbers of rocks, boulders, and bits and pieces of brittle naiad and coontail. They were caught in two feet to about 10 feet of water. Three were caught within two feet of the water’s edge; the others were caught from about five to 20 feet from the water’s edge.

After we dropped Nancy off at the boat ramp’s dock, Mike and I fished along a massive main-lake shoreline from the boat ramp’s dock to the eastern end of the dam. This area is along the south and southeastern side of the reservoir. It looks to be more than 800 yards long. It possesses a 30- to 50-degree slope. The water’s edge has two docks, two boat ramps, a tiny cove, seven rock jetties, and many patches of American water willows. One of the American water willow patches looks as if it is dying. The underwater terrain consists of natural gravel, rocks, boulders, and some manmade piles of rocks and boulders, which are many feet from the water’s edge. Patches of brittle naiad and coontail adorn many of the rocks and boulders. Along one of the shallow-water areas, the outside edge of the patches of brittle naiad and coontail is many yards from the water’s edge. We caught 21 largemouth bass along this shoreline. Seventeen of the 21 were caught along the shallower areas around the submerged patches of aquatic vegetation, and the outside edges of these patches are many feet from the water’s edge. Four of the 21 largemouth bass were caught along the steeper section and near the outside edge of the patches of American water willows that are intertwined with brittle naiad. All these largemouth bass were caught on our Finesse WormZ rigs; seven were caught on the initial drop, and 14 were caught on a swim-and-pause presentation that allowed our rigs to seductively worm their way over the top of the submerged patches of aquatic vegetation. They were caught in four feet to nine feet of water.

We caught six largemouth bass along the main-lake shoreline adjacent to the west end of the dam and its spillway. This shoreline looks to be about 350 yards long. It possesses a 50- to 85-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Some of the boulders along the main-lake shoreline are humongous. These underwater terrains are covered with occasional piles of tree branches and patches of brittle naiad and coontail. Some of the water’s edges are lined with patches of American water willows, several overhanging trees, and a few dilapidated laydowns. Our pumpkin Finesse WormZ rigs caught these largemouth bass. Two were caught on the initial drop in five to six feet of water and a few feet from the outside edge of the American water willows and wads of brittle naiad. Four of the six were caught while we were using an extremely slow swim-and-pause presentation, which allowed the Finesse WormZ rig to gently glide next to the steep boulder-laden portions of this shoreline.

We caught largemouth bass number 100 around the main-lake point at the end of this 350-yard main-lake shoreline. This is the western main-lake point at the mouth of this reservoir’s second primary feeder-creek arm. It has a 55-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are enhanced with a few patches of brittle naiad and coontail. The water’s edge has a few American water willow stems and some dilapidated laydowns. The pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig with a slow swim-and-pause presentation caught this largemouth bass in about five feet of water.

From this main-lake point, we caught largemouth bass 101 to 120 along about a 300-yard stretch of the west shoreline of this feeder-creek arm. The entire shoreline looks to be more than 800 yards long. As our four hours came to an end at 2:45 p.m., largemouth bass number 120 was caught on the last cast at 2:44 p.m. The section of the shoreline has a 45- to 55-degree slope, and it is graced with two secondary points. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and some silt; patches of brittle naiad and coontail coat many of the rocks and boulders. A submerged creek channel parallels portions of this shoreline. The water’s edge is enhanced with some patches of American water willows, several laydowns, and a few overhanging trees. The outside edges of the American water willows are often intertwined with brittle naiad and coontail. The pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig inveigled these 20 largemouth bass. Two were caught on a deadstick presentation in about 10 feet of water. Two were caught as we were strolling and employing a very slow swimming presentation in five to seven feet of water. Five were caught on the initial drop in four to six feet of water. Eleven were caught with a slow swim-and-pause presentation in four to 11 feet of water, and three of the 11 were caught in the heart of the submerged creek channel.

In sum, we caught an average of 30 largemouth bass per hour. Several times, our retrieves provoked two to four strikes that we failed to hook. There were a few times when we finally hooked and caught a largemouth bass during those multiple-strike retrieves. Several times we temporarily hooked a fish, and once it was off the hook, we caught a largemouth bass a few seconds later.

Aug. 7

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted this report on the Finesse News Network about his four-hour outing with Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas, at a federal reservoir in north-central Texas on Aug. 7.

We fished at a challenging federal hill-land reservoir in north-central Texas from 6:30 a.m. to around 10:30 a.m.

It was sunny, and the sky was partly cloudy. The morning's low temperature was 85 degrees. The afternoon's high temperature reached 102 degrees. The wind blew out of the southeast, south, and southwest at 5 to 10 mph. The barometric pressure measured 30.01 at 6:00 a.m. and 30.03 at 10:00 a.m.

According to In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar, fishing would be poor. The best fishing would most likely occur between 6:09 a.m. and 8:09 a.m., 11:54 a.m. and 1:54 p.m., and 6:40 p.m. to 8:40 p.m.

The water exhibited about 18 inches of clarity in its upper end, and three feet of visibility along the dam in the reservoir’s lower end. The surface temperature ranged from 83 to 87 degrees. The water level was 0.38 feet below its normal pool level.

We launched the boat at dawn on the north side of the middle section of the reservoir, and we stopped briefly at two fairly flat main-lake points near the creek arm where we launched our boat. These points are located in the middle section of the reservoir. They feature small gravel, countless numbers of chunky rocks, and scattered boulders. We quickly fished these two points with several Midwest finesse baits and presentations in hopes of tussling with a few white bass and black bass, and we caught only one large white bass in four feet of water near a large boulder on the side of the second main-lake point. It was enticed by a steady swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat rigged on a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

After that dismal start, we travelled about two miles southward to a main-lake island. This island’s shallow-water areas are mostly cluttered with standing timber, clusters of buck brush, laydowns, a few scattered boulders, and some deteriorating stumps. Its underwater terrain consists mostly of clay and gravel. We fished around the entire perimeter of the island, and we garnered two largemouth bass and one white bass. They were caught a few yards away from any buck brush or other wood-type cover. These largemouth bass were abiding near some shallow-water schools of threadfin shad that were located in three to seven feet of water across an open-water clay-and-gravel flat on the north side of the island. One largemouth bass was induced on a steady swimming retrieve with a three-inch Z-Man’s cisco-disco Slim SwimZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. The other largemouth bass and the one white bass were enticed by a steady swimming retrieve with the pearl Baby Goat rig.

Next, we moved about a mile north of the island, where we fished along a rocky main-lake shoreline. This shoreline is about 75 yards long and has a flat terrain. Its submerged terrain consists primarily of clay, gravel, and chunky rocks. This shoreline surrendered six largemouth bass, seven white bass, one channel catfish, and one freshwater drum. These 15 fish were abiding in less than five feet of water near submerged clusters of chunky rocks, and within 10 feet of the water’s edge. Five of the six largemouth bass, six of the seven white bass, and the freshwater drum were inveigled by a steady swimming retrieve with the pearl Baby Goat combo. A Z-Man’s PB&J Finesse TRD attached to a white 1/10-ounce mushroom-style jig and a steady swimming retrieve lured one largemouth bass. A Z-Man’s coppertreus Finesse TRD attached to a chartreuse 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig and a steady swimming retrieve lured one channel catfish. A steady swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ affixed on a chartreuse 3/32-ounce mushroom-style jig and a steady-swimming retrieve lured one white bass.

After that, we travelled about half a mile eastward to the dam. The dam, which forms the reservoir’s eastern boundary, is 12,850 feet long and 137 feet high. It has about a 50-degree slope. A concrete water outlet tower is positioned near the center of the dam, and it is surrounded by 35 to 47 feet of water. We fished about 30 percent of the riprap along the dam, and it was mostly fruitless; we caught one freshwater drum and one channel catfish. The drum was caught in seven feet of water near the submerged riprap on a slow swimming retrieve with the PB&J Finesse TRD rig. The channel catfish was caught in about five feet of water near the submerged riprap on a Z-Man’s pearl Finesse ShadZ threaded on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ and employed with a slow swim-and-glide presentation. We failed to locate any black bass around the submerged riprap along the dam and around the walls of the water-outlet tower.

From there, we travelled about 2 1/2 miles westward into the upper end of the impoundment, where we focused on nine prominent and steeply-sloped main-lake points. These points are scattered across about a two-mile stretch of the reservoir’s northwest shoreline. The points are bedecked with numerous submerged boulders and large chunky rocks.

Not all of the main-lake points were productive, but three of the nine points relinquished five spotted bass, one largemouth bass, two white bass, one freshwater drum, and one channel catfish. These 10 fish were relating to the sides and openings between the larger boulders mixed with chunky rocks situated in three to five feet of water.

One of the five spotted bass was lured by a steady swimming retrieve with the pearl Baby Goat rig; two spotted bass and one freshwater drum were caught on the PB&J Finesse TRD rig; two spotted bass, one largemouth bass, two white bass, and one channel catfish were induced by a 3 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl curly-tail GrubZ matched with a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig and a slow-swimming retrieve.

In closing, the black bass fishing at this reservoir has been lackluster at best for months on end. During this Aug. 7 outing, the black bass fishing was average. Even though many of the locations that Norman and I targeted in the lower, middle, and upper regions of this reservoir entertained significant schools of threadfin shad, they were still devoid of catchable black bass. Ultimately, we caught a total of 14 black bass by the end of this four-hour jaunt; nine were largemouth bass, and five were spotted bass. We also tangled with 11 white bass, three freshwater drum, and three channel catfish.

Aug. 10

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted this report on the Finesse News Network about his Aug. 10 outing with Bill Kenney of Denton at a state reservoir in north-central Texas.

It was sunny, but not quite as hot and humid as it has been. The sky conditions changed from mostly cloudy to partly cloudy. The morning’s low temperature was 85 degrees, and the afternoon’s high peaked at 99 degrees. The barometric pressure measured 29.98 at 6:00 a.m. and 29.99 at 10:00 a.m. The wind was calm when we launched the boat at 6:20 a.m., and as the morning progressed, it quartered out of the south at 5 to 11 mph.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar forecasted poor fishing for Aug. 10, with the most productive fishing occurring between 2:45 a.m. and 4:45 a.m., 9:01 a.m. and 11:01 a.m., and 9:33 p.m. to 11:33 p.m.

We fished from 6:40 a.m. to about 10:40 a.m.

We spent these four hours in the lower and middle sections of the reservoir, where we concentrated our efforts on four rocky main-lake points, a main-lake flat, a 50-yard section of a main-lake shoreline, the dam’s riprap shoreline, a 35-yard section of a secondary shoreline inside a major feeder-creek arm, and two rock- and boulder-laden bluffs.

The vast majority of this reservoir’s submerged terrain consists of red clay, gravel, chunky rocks, and boulders. There are several varieties of aquatic vegetation: American water willows, American pondweeds, yellow floating-heart, Eurasian milfoil, coontail, and muskgrass. Also, there are a few areas inside two major feeder-creek arms that are embellished with flooded timber, stumps, and laydowns.

The water exhibited between 2 1/2 feet of clarity inside one feeder-creek arm and five feet of clarity at the dam. The surface temperature ranged from 84 to 85 degrees. The water level was 1.15 feet below its normal pool.

We wielded 14 Midwest finesse rigs to allure 10 largemouth bass, five spotted bass, and one large bluegill during this four-hour endeavor. Six of the 14 rigs were productive.

Seven of the 15 black bass were enticed by a fast-paced swimming retrieve about a foot or less below the surface of the water with a Z-Man’s The Deal Baby Goat attached to either a pearl 1/8-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse EyeZ jig or rigged weedless with a 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse BulletZ jig. Five were lured by a moderate-paced swimming retrieve about two to three feet below the water’s surface with a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Baby Goat matched with a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. A Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Fuzzy BugZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation lured one largemouth bass and one large bluegill. A four-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig that was implemented with a slow and unvarying swimming retrieve several feet below the surface of the water attracted one largemouth bass. A slow drag-and-deadstick retrieve with a 3 1/2-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD FattyZ rigged in a Texposed fashion on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s TT Lures NedlockZ EWG jig enticed one largemouth bass.

One largemouth bass was caught in three feet of water next to a thick patch of American pondweeds intermixed with clusters of chunky rocks on a main-lake flat. This flat is located in the midsection of this reservoir. It is embellished with many patches of chunky rocks, several submerged stumps, and thick patches of American pondweeds and American water willows that line the shallow-water areas near the water’s edge. This largemouth bass was caught on a moderate-paced swimming retrieve with the green-pumpkin Baby Goat rig.

Six largemouth bass were caught around one of the four rocky main-lake points. These points are situated from the lower to the middle section of the reservoir. Three of the points are flat and adorned with chunky rocks, a few scattered boulders, and thick patches of American pondweeds. The fourth one is steeper and enhanced with a decorative rock retaining wall with chunky rocks reinforcing its base. These six bass were caught from the end and one side of the first main-lake point that we fished. They were abiding near several thick patches of submerged American pondweeds in three to five feet of water. Three were caught with a moderate-paced swimming retrieve with the green-pumpkin Baby Goat combo. The other three were caught with The Deal Baby Goat attached to the 1/8-ounce pearl Finesse EyeZ jig and a faster-paced swimming retrieve just below the surface of the water. The other three main-lake points were devoid of black bass.

Bill Kenney with one of the largemouth bass he caught.

Along a 35-yard section of a steep and rocky secondary shoreline inside a feeder-creek arm, we garnered only one subtle strike that we failed to hook about 25 yards out from the water’s edge as we were slowly dragging and deadsticking the 3 1/2-inch green-pumpkin TRD FattyZ rig down the slope of the shoreline into 26 feet of water.

Along the first of two rock-bluff shorelines, we caught three spotted bass and one largemouth bass. This bluff is located near the dam. It is about 200 yards long, and is graced with overhanging trees, a few laydowns, chunky rocks, large boulders, submerged tree trunks, and several stumps. These four black bass were caught in three to five feet of water near the thick patches of American pondweeds that were growing amongst the chunky rocks and boulders at the base of the bluff. Two of the three spotted bass were caught on a fast-paced swimming retrieve over the tops and along the outside edges of the patches of American pondweed with The Deal Baby Goat rig. One spotted bass was caught next to a patch of American pondweeds on the green-pumpkin Baby Goat combo and a slightly slower moderate-paced swimming retrieve.

The other bluff is situated in the midsection of the impoundment. We failed to catch any black bass from it.

There is a small concrete outlet tower and spillway located near the dam. We were unable to fish around the concrete spillway because it is a restricted area and fenced off. The outlet tower is situated about 30 yards away from the spillway and stands in 37 feet of water. We quickly probed its walls and failed to generate any strikes.

The riprap shoreline of the dam is 1,500 feet long, 96 feet high, and has about a 60-degree slope. It yielded two spotted bass and one large bluegill that were abiding in five to seven feet of water and 10 to 15 feet from the water’s edge. One of the spotted bass was caught on the initial fall of The Deal Baby Goat rig. The other spotted bass and the one hand-size bluegill were tempted by a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation with the 1.75-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Fuzzy BugZ combo.

We also fished a rocky main-lake shoreline just west of the dam. This shoreline is about 50 yards long and possesses a rock ledge that parallels the shoreline. The ledge is covered with seven to nine feet of water and descends into deeper water at about a 45-degree angle. The deep-water side of the ledge is cluttered with standing timber, numerous broken tree limbs, three large laydowns, and a couple of small brush piles. The top of the ledge is graced with several large mats of American pondweeds, a couple of large laydowns, some boulders, and a few stumps. The top of the ledge was unproductive, but the deep-water slope of the ledge relinquished two largemouth bass. One was caught on the downward slope of the ledge in 21 feet of water on the 3 1/2-inch green-pumpkin TRD FattyZ rig with a drag-and-deadstick presentation; it was relating to a minor brush pile situated on the slope of the ledge. The second largemouth bass was caught many feet from the water’s edge and about eight feet below the water’s surface in 31 feet of water with a slow and steady do-nothing retrieve with the four-inch green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig.

In conclusion, catching 15 largemouth and spotted bass at this reservoir is what we consider to be an average outing by north-central Texas’ standards. It should also be mentioned that Todd Judy of Denton and I fished this same reservoir from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on July 9, and it was a grind to catch 14 largemouth bass and spotted bass during that four-hour excursion.

Aug. 12

Bob Gum of Kansas City, Kansas, posted this brief log on the Finesse News Network about his Aug. 12 outing at a 57-year-old federal reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 75 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 96 degrees. The heat index peaked at 113 degrees. The wind was calm and variable at times, and when it stirred, it angled out of the south at 3 to 12 mph. The sky was fair. The barometric pressure was 29.81 at 12:52 a.m., 29.81 at 5:52 a.m., 29.83 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.79 at 1:52 p.m.

The water level was 2.79 feet above normal. The dam was releasing 100 cubic feet per second. The surface temperature climbed to 85 degrees. The water clarity was about three feet. There was very little boat traffic; I only saw one other fishing boat, which appeared to be trolling for white bass.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 10:44 a.m. to 12:44 p.m., 11:12 p.m. to 1:12 a.m., and 4:31 a.m. to 6:31 a.m.

I made my first cast around 6:45 a.m. and the last one around 12:45 p.m. During these six hours, I caught 32 fish: one channel catfish, one 12-pound blue catfish, two largemouth bass, 14 freshwater drum, and 14 smallmouth bass. Two smallmouth bass were 17 inches long, two smallmouth bass were 18 inches long, and one smallmouth bass was 20 inches long. This entire outing was spent in the lower 10 percent of this reservoir’s 11,146 acres.

I caught these fish along parts of a massive riprap shoreline along the causeway and bridge inside one of this reservoir’s major feeder-creek arms. I also fished around some of the points and along many yards of the shorelines of this major feeder-creek arm.

I also caught them around several main-lake points and along the main-lake shorelines adjacent to these points.

My most effective Midwest finesse rigs were a 4.75-inch Z-Man’s PB&J Finesse WormZ affixed on a red 1/20-ounce mushroom-style jig and a 2 ½-inch Z-Man’s California-craw ZinkerZ on a blue 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. They were caught on a slow swim-glide-and-periodic-shake presentation in two to six feet of water.

By the way, this ZinkerZ has allowed me to tangle with several hefty specimens this summer. On July 7, it lured a whale of a flathead catfish that pulled me off the deck of my boat and into the water; I eventually got back on the boat and the flathead into the boat. Today, this ZinkerZ caught a 12-pound blue catfish and a 20-inch smallmouth bass.

Aug. 14

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted this log on the Finesse News Network about his August 14 outing at a federal hill-land reservoir in north-central Texas with Bill Kenney of Denton. They fished from 6:20 a.m. to 11:20 a.m.

According to In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar, the fishing would be average, and the most lucrative fishing would occur between 6:24 a.m. and 8:24 a.m., 9:41 a.m. and 11:41 a.m., and 12:36 p.m. to 2:36 p.m.

It was sunny, hot, and breezy. The sky was cloudless. The wind quartered out of the south-by-southwest at 10 to 20 mph. The morning’s low temperature was 78 degrees, and the afternoon’s high reached 102 degrees. The barometric pressure measured 29.96 at 6:00 a.m. and 30.01 at 11:00 a.m.

The water level was 1.31 feet below normal pool. The water clarity varied from 12 inches around several wind-blown main-lake points to 18 inches inside one major feeder-creek arm. The surface temperature ranged from 83 to 85 degrees.

We targeted 12 main-lake points, nine secondary points in the lower and middle sections of one major feeder-creek arm and one minor creek arm, portions of a main-lake island, and three rock ledges. They are in the lower and middle section of a large tributary arm in the lower quadrant of the reservoir.

The black bass fishing was quite good, and we relished grappling with 46 black bass. Thirty-one of them were largemouth bass, and 15 were spotted bass. We also caught 18 large white bass, which were intermixed with the largemouth bass and spotted bass.

Error! Filename not specified.

This reservoir’s underwater terrain consists primarily of red clay, small gravel, chunky rocks, and boulders. There are a few areas with standing timber, thin patches of stickups, submerged stumps, and some scattered laydowns on a few shorelines and points.

Five of the 46 largemouth and 15 spotted bass were abiding in three to five feet of water on one side of a dilapidated asphalt roadbed located on the end of a main-lake point. The edges of this roadbed are adorned with chunky rocks and a few boulders.

Four largemouth bass and two spotted bass were extracted from three to six feet of water along the top edges of three rock ledges. One of the rock ledges is located along a 50-yard section of a flat clay-and-gravel main-lake shoreline in the lower end of the tributary arm, and it yielded one spotted bass. One spotted bass and one largemouth bass were caught from the second ledge, which is located about 20 yards off the south end of the main-lake island that we fished in the middle section of the tributary arm. And three largemouth bass were caught from the third ledge, which is located just inside the mouth of a minor feeder-creek arm in the midsection of the tributary arm.

A mix of 18 largemouth bass and spotted bass were caught around large patches of submerged boulders or clusters of chunky rocks in two to five feet of water along six of the 12 major main-lake points. Nine black bass were caught from two minor points on the south and west sides of the main-lake island, and eight black bass were caught from four of the nine secondary points in the lower and midsections of the major feeder-creek arms. The main-lake and secondary points have 25- to 60-degree slopes. The island’s two tertiary points are flat.

We caught 31 of the 46 black bass on either the initial fall, a moderate-paced swim-and-occasional-shake retrieve, or a steady fast-paced swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat rigged on a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. Seven were enticed by either the initial drop or a swim-and-constant-shake presentation with a Z-Man’s pearl TRD TicklerZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. A moderate-paced swimming retrieve about two to three feet below the water’s surface with a Z-Man’s The Deal Baby Goat attached to a blue 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig lured four black bass. Three black bass engulfed a 1.75-inch Z-Man’s The Deal Fuzzy BugZ threaded on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Shad HeadZ jig head either on the initial fall or a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation. One largemouth bass was caught on a fast-paced swimming retrieve about a foot below the water’s surface with a three-inch Z-Man’s cisco-disco Slim SwimZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

All of the areas that we fished were entertaining large numbers of threadfin shad, and we observed some of these largemouth bass, spotted bass, and white bass foraging upon them on the surface of the water at the end of one of the flatter main-lake points and on the downwind side of the submerged roadbed.

Aug. 17

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Aug. 17 outing with Rick Hebenstreit of Shawnee, Kansas, and Hunter Hebenstreit of Kansas City, Kansas, at a 94-year-old state reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 63 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 86 degrees. The wind angled out of the northwest, west, and northeast at 3 to 6 mph. It was calm for three hours. The sky was fair, foggy, misty, and partly cloudy. The barometric pressure was 30.10 at 12:52 a.m., 30.17 at 5:52 a.m., 30.18 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.11 at 2:52 p.m.

Nowadays my 86-year-old body can’t tolerate Mother Nature’s hot and humid ways – especially when the heat index ranges from 101 to 119 degrees. Therefore, I haven’t fished since Aug. 6.

The water level looked to be a few inches above normal. The surface temperature was 85 degrees. The water exhibited more than nine feet of clarity in the lower quarter of the reservoir. The clarity diminished to five feet in the upper half of the reservoir. Massive patches of brittle naiad and coontail coat much of the underwater terrain of the shallow-water flats and shorelines. Patches of American water willows grace some shorelines, but many of these once thick and bountiful patches have disappeared.

This exurban reservoir is usually heavily fished, and it was today.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 2:35 a.m. to 4:35 a.m., 2:28 p.m. to 4:28 p.m., and 8:47 a.m. to 10:47 a.m.

We made our first casts at 9:52 a.m. and our last ones at 1:53 p.m. Our untold numbers of casts and retrieves inveigled 99 dinky largemouth bass, one bluegill, and one redear sunfish.

Eleven of the 99 largemouth bass were caught on a 4.75-inch Z-Man’s purple-haze Finesse WormZ attached to a blue 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. A 4.75-inch Z-Man’s watermelon-red Finesse WormZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig caught 33 largemouth bass. A 4.75-inch Z-Man’s pumpkin Finesse WormZ on a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig ensnared 55 largemouth bass.

On the south and southeastern side of the reservoir, we fished along a massive main-lake shoreline and around two main-lake points. It looks to be more than 1000 yards long. It possesses a 30- to 50-degree slope. The water’s edge has two docks, two boat ramps, two small coves, several shallow-water flats, a few tertiary points, nine rock jetties, and many patches of American water willows. One of the American water willow patches looks as if it is dying. The underwater terrain consists of natural gravel, rocks, boulders, and some manmade piles of rocks and boulders, which are many feet from the water’s edge. Patches of brittle naiad and coontail adorn many of the rocks and boulders. Along one of the shallow-water areas, the outside edge of the patches of brittle naiad and coontail is many yards from the water’s edge. We caught 25 largemouth bass along this shoreline. The points were fruitless. Five of the 25 largemouth bass were caught on the purple-haze Finesse WormZ; eight were caught on the pumpkin Finesse WormZ; 12 were caught on the watermelon-red Finesse Worms. All of them were caught around the submerged patches of brittle naiad and coontail in about five to 10 feet of water. The majority of them were caught adjacent to the edges of submerged vegetation. Seven were caught on the initial drop of our Finesse WormZ rigs. Eight were caught on a swim-and-pause presentation. Ten were caught on a lift-and-drop presentation.

Along the dam’s shoreline, we caught 10 largemouth bass. It is 1,240 feet long and has about a 55-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally embellished with patches of coontail and brittle naiad. There are a few manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees decorating the underwater terrain. The water’s edge possesses a water-outlet tower, occasional shallow-water patches of American water willows, and a partially submerged tree limb. The pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig lured five of the 10 largemouth bass; the purple-haze Finesse WormZ enticed three largemouth bass; the watermelon-red Finesse WormZ inveigled two largemouth bass. Three were caught on the initial drop. Seven were caught on either a slow swim-and-pause presentation or a lift-and-drop presentation. They were caught in two feet to 10 feet of water and as close as two feet to as far as 15 feet from the water’s edge.

At the west end of the dam, we dissected the spillway and a main-lake shoreline and caught nine largemouth bass. The spillway is flat and about 70 feet wide. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders that are adorned with brittle naiad and coontail. Its water’s edge is bordered by a concrete wall, and some meager and shallow-water patches of American water willows. The main-lake shoreline looks to be about 350 yards long, and it has a 50- to 85-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, and some of them are coated with patches of brittle naiad, coontail, tree limbs, and manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. Some of the boulders are humongous. The pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig caught four of the nine largemouth bass, and the watermelon-red Finesse WormZ rig caught five. Four largemouth bass were caught on the initial drop. Five were caught on either a lift-and-drop presentation or a slow swim-and-pause presentation. They were caught in three to 12 feet of water.

We caught 26 largemouth bass along the west secondary shoreline inside one of this reservoir’s primary feeder-creek arms and around this shoreline’s main-lake point. The shoreline and point have a 30- to 50-degree slope. The underwater terrains of the point and shoreline consist of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Some of the flat and shallow-water sections of the shoreline are covered with silt. Much of the underwater terrain is endowed with patches of brittle naiad and coontail. There are also some submerged tree limbs and manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. The shoreline looks to be more than 800 yards long, and it is graced with two secondary points. A submerged creek channel parallels portions of this shoreline. The water’s edge is enhanced with some patches of American water willows, several laydowns, and a few overhanging trees. The outside edges of the American water willows are often intertwined with brittle naiad and coontail. There are also two dilapidated catfish feeders along the shoreline. The pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig lured 16 of the 26 largemouth bass. Ten were caught on the watermelon-red Finesse WormZ. The initial drop enticed seven largemouth bass in four to seven feet of water. Two were caught on a deadstick presentation in the submerged creek channel in about seven to eight feet of water. The others were caught on either a lift-and-drop presentation or a slow swim-and-pause presentation in five to 12 feet of water. Several times, our retrieves provoked from two to four strikes that we failed to hook, and there were a few times when we hooked a largemouth bass during those multiple-strike retrieves.

Along the east shoreline inside this feeder-creek arm, we caught 11 largemouth bass. This shoreline possesses a 25- to 55-degree slope. It is about 900 yards long and has three secondary points and one tertiary point. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and an ancient rock fence. Many areas of this terrain are decorated with brittle naiad, coontail, and a few manmade piles of brush. The water’s edge is enhanced with a few patches of American water willows, several well-aged laydowns, a dilapidated catfish feeder, and many overhanging trees. The outside edges of many of the American water willows are intertwined with brittle naiad. Our pumpkin Finesse WormZ rigs caught six of the 11 largemouth bass, and five were lured by the watermelon-red Finesse WormZ. We failed to generate a strike on a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-goby Finesse TRD affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. We caught these largemouth bass in four to 15 feet of water. They were also caught from about six feet from the water’s edge to about 25 feet from the water’s edge. We caught them on four presentations: the initial drop, a lift-and-drop presentation, a drag-and-pause presentation, and a slow swim-and-pause presentation. Sometimes, we elicited as many as two to four strikes per retrieve.

Around the other main-lake point at the mouth of this primary feeder-creek and along about a 300-yard stretch of this point’s main-lake shoreline, we struggled to catch four largemouth bass. This area has a 40-to 50-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. There is also a submerged house and barn foundation. Much of this terrain is festooned with patches of brittle naiad, coontail, and some manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. The water’s edge is embellished with a few American water willows, several laydowns, and some partially submerged tree limbs. The pumpkin Finesse WormZ caught the four largemouth bass around the patches of submerged brittle naiad and coontail. The initial drop caught two of them in about five feet of water along the edge of a submerged patch of vegetation. A slow swim-and-pause presentation caught two in about seven to eight feet of water.

We caught 14 largemouth bass around a main-lake point and along about a 450-yard stretch of the eastern shoreline inside this reservoir’s second primary feeder-creek arm. Parts of this shoreline border a massive shallow-water flat. The slope of this point and shoreline ranges from about 30 to 50 degrees. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and silt; much of it is coated with patches of brittle naiad and coontail. A few manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees also enhance the underwater terrain. The water’s edge is lined with patches of American water willows, many overhanging trees, a few piles of tree limbs, and several laydowns. Some of the overhanging trees provided shallow-water patches of shade. We caught three largemouth bass around the point; the shoreline and parts of its flat yielded 11 largemouth bass. Eight of the 14 largemouth bass were caught on the pumpkin Finesse WormZ. Two were caught on a deadstick presentation around the outside edges of the patches of brittle naiad and coontail in seven to 10 feet of water and many yards from the water’s edge. Two were caught on the initial drop along the outside edge of the shade provided by the overhanging trees in about three to four feet of water. The other nine were caught on either a lift-and-drop presentation or a slow swim-and-pause presentation around the submerged patches of brittle naiad and coontail in five to nine feet of water, and two of these largemouth bass were caught by strolling and using the slow swim-and-pause presentation directly behind the boat.

This was Hunter's second full-fledged Midwest finesse outing. This is one of the 33 largemouth bass he caught

On every four-hour outing, we are always hoping to catch 101 largemouth or smallmouth bass during each outing, which is an average of 25.25 per hour. We used to call it “bass fishing 101.” On this outing, we caught an average of 24.75 dinky largemouth bass per hour.

Aug. 19

Ned Kehde and Pok Chi Lau of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their outing at a 51-year-old federal reservoir in eastern Kansas on Aug. 19.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 70 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 86 degrees. The wind angled out of the southeast, east, north, northwest, and northeast at 3 to 18 mph. There were some gusts that reached 23-mph, and it was also calm at times. The conditions of the sky varied from being fair, partly cloudy, cluttered with a few clouds, and raining lightly. The barometric pressure was 29.82 at 12:53 a.m., 29.92 at 5:53 a.m., 29.94 at 11:53 a.m., and 29.92 at 2:53 p.m.

The water level was normal. The surface temperature ranged from 82 to 83 degrees. According to our nine-foot push pole, the water exhibited three to four feet of clarity along the riprap shoreline of the dam. There was 10 cubic feet per second flowing into the reservoir and 20 cubic feet per second flowing out of the reservoir.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 4:20 a.m. to 6:20 a.m., 4:44 p.m. to 6:44 p.m., and 10:32 a.m. to 12:32 p.m.

We made our first casts along the dam’s riprap shoreline at 10:50 a.m. and our last ones on the dam at 1:08 p.m. During these two hours and 18 minutes, we caught 42 smallmouth bass and four channel catfish. We also elicited a vast number of strikes that we failed to hook, and we hooked more than 25 fish that liberated themselves from our Midwest finesse rigs after we tussled with them for a few seconds.

All of these fish were caught on a shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ affixed to either a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig or an orange 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig.

The dam’s riprap shoreline is 9,650 feet long, which is 1.827 miles or 3,216 yards. It is 188 feet high with a slope that looks to be about 45 degrees. We calculated that our Junebug Finesse Worm rigs dissected about 75 percent of its 3,216 yards.

As we fished the dam, the boat floated in five to 12 feet of water. Many of our casts were aimed to land about one to two feet from the water’s edge. But some were made at a 45-degree angle from the water’s edge in front of the boat, and a few were made at a 45-degree angle from the water’s edge behind the boat.

The smallmouth bass were caught in one to 10 feet of water. They were caught as close as one foot from the water’s edge to as far as 25 feet.

Thirteen of the 42 smallmouth bass were caught on the initial drop of our Finesse WormZ rigs. Besides the initial drop, we caught two smallmouth bass on a deadstick presentation. A vertical presentation on top of the riprap in about 10 feet of water lured three smallmouth bass. We caught four smallmouth bass while strolling and using a drag-and-pause presentation. The others were inveigled by either a slow swim-and-pause presentation or a slow swim-glide-and-subtle-shake presentation, which allowed our Finesse WormZ rigs to delicately ricochet off the submerged riprap.

Pok Chi is an ardent temperate bass angler, and at 1:08 p.m. he wanted to spend some time examining eight offshore lairs where we used to catch scores of temperate bass in the 1990s and 2000s. To his chagrin, his sonar devices failed to pinpoint the whereabouts of the temperate bass at those locales, and we headed home.

Nowadays, as I am hobbling into the last half of my octogenarian years, I have retired from driving to and launching my boat to fish northeastern Kansas’ federal reservoirs. But I was delighted to get into Pok Chi’s tow vehicle and boat and catch an average of 17 smallmouth bass per hour.

Aug. 19

Ned and Pat Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about one of their geriatric outings on Aug. 19. This one took place at a 94-year-old state reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 62 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 82 degrees. The wind was calm and variable, and when it stirred, it angled out of the northeast, east, and southeast at 3 to 7 mph. The sky was fair. The barometric pressure was 29.98 at 12:52 a.m., 30.01 at 5:52 a.m., 30.08 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.07 at 12:52 p.m.

The water level looked to be an inch or two above normal. The surface temperature was 84 degrees. The water exhibited more than nine feet of clarity in the lower quarter of the reservoir.

Massive patches of brittle naiad and coontail coat the underwater terrains of this reservoir’s shallow-water flats and shorelines. Patches of American water willows grace some shorelines.

This exurban reservoir is usually heavily fished, but we were the only anglers afloat today.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 5:08 a.m. to 7:08 a.m., 5:31 p.m. to 7:31 p.m., and 11:19 p.m. to 1:19 a.m.

Our geriatric outings are midday ones. And they are two hours or less. This time we made our first casts at 11:00 a.m. Our last casts occurred at 12:47 p.m. During this hour and 47 minutes, we caught 26 largemouth bass.

One of the 26 largemouth bass was caught on a four-inch Z-Man’s PB&J Hula StickZ attached to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. The Hula StickZ was shortened to 2.75 inches. A shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s pumpkin Finesse WormZ on a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig inveigled 25 largemouth bass; it was shortened to 3.25 inches.

We struggled to catch four largemouth bass around a main-lake point and along about a 200-yard stretch of the eastern shoreline inside one of this reservoir’s second primary feeder-creek arm. The slope of the point and shoreline ranges from about 30 to 50 degrees. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders; much of it is coated with patches of brittle naiad and coontail. A few manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees also enhance the underwater terrain. The water’s edge is lined with patches of American water willows, many overhanging trees, a few piles of tree limbs, and several laydowns. Some of the overhanging trees provided shallow-water patches of shade. Around the main-lake point, the PB&J Hula StickZ rig inveigled one largemouth bass with a slow swim-and-pause presentation in about six to seven feet of water around submerged patches of coontail. Along the shoreline, our pumpkin Finesse WormZ rigs and a slow swim-and-pause retrieve lured three largemouth bass around patches of brittle naiad and coontail in five to seven feet of water and many feet from the water’s edge.

Along a short stretch of the main-lake shoreline adjacent to the main-lake point at the mouth of this reservoir’s second feeder-creek arm, we caught three largemouth bass. This area has a 40-to 50-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and a submerged house and barn foundation. Segments of this terrain are decorated with patches of brittle naiad, coontail, and some manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. The water’s edge is embellished with a few American water willows, several laydowns, and some partially submerged tree limbs. The pumpkin Finesse WormZ caught the four largemouth bass around the patches of submerged brittle naiad and coontail. The initial drop caught one of them in about five feet of water. A slow swim-and-pause presentation caught two in about six to seven feet of water.

The main-lake point was fruitless.

Along a portion of the east shoreline inside the second feeder-creek arm, we caught five largemouth bass. We fished around one secondary point and along about a 200-yard stretch of this 900-yard shoreline. This part of the shoreline possesses a 35- to 55-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and a submerged rock fence. Many sections of this terrain are decorated with brittle naiad, coontail, and a few manmade piles of brush. The water’s edge is enhanced with a few patches of American water willows, several well-aged laydowns, and a few overhanging trees. A deadstick presentation with our Finesse WormZ rigs caught two of the five largemouth bass in about 10 feet of water. Three of the five were caught on a very slow swim-and-pause presentation in five to nine feet of water.

We caught eight largemouth bass along the west secondary shoreline inside the second primary feeder-creek arm. We fished about a 150-yard stretch of this shoreline, which is about 800 yards long. We fished the section of the shoreline that has a 45- to 50-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Patches of brittle naiad and coontail decorate some areas of the underwater terrain. Piles of submerged tree limbs and manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees enhance the underwater terrain. A submerged creek channel parallels portions of this shoreline. The water’s edge is enhanced with some patches of American water willows, laydowns, and overhanging trees. A deadstick presentation in about seven to eight feet of water with our pumpkin Finesse WormZ rigs enticed two of the eight largemouth bass. The other six were caught on either a drag-and-pause presentation or an extremely slow swim-and-pause presentation, and two of the six were caught while we were strolling and employing the drag-and-pause presentation in six to 12 feet of water and many feet from the water’s edge.

The second main-lake point at the mouth of this reservoir’s second feeder-creek was fruitless.

At the west end of the dam, we fished along the spillway and a main-lake shoreline. The spillway is flat and about 70 feet wide. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders that are adorned with brittle naiad and coontail. Its water’s edge is bordered by a concrete wall, with some shallow-water patches of American water willows and cattails. The main-lake shoreline is about 350 yards long, and it has a 50- to 85-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, and some of them are coated with patches of brittle naiad, coontail, tree limbs, and manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. Some of the boulders are humongous. Our pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig with a swim-and-pause presentation caught one largemouth bass around the submerged vegetation at the spillway in about five feet of water. We caught two largemouth bass along the steep section of the shoreline with a slow swim-and-glide presentation that allowed our Finesse WormZ rig to gracefully ricochet off of the boulders in seven to 10 feet of water.

We fished about 75 yards of the riprap shoreline of the dam, and it was fruitless.

On the southeastern side of the reservoir, we fished along about 200 yards of a massive main-lake shoreline. The entire shoreline looks to be more than 1000 yards long. The section we fished has a 30- to 45-degree slope. The water’s edge has one small cove, several shallow-water flats, five rock jetties, and many patches of American water willows. The underwater terrain consists of natural gravel, rocks, boulders, and some manmade piles of rocks and boulders, which are many feet from the water’s edge. Patches of brittle naiad and coontail adorn many of the rocks and boulders. Our pumpkin Finesse WormZ rigs with a swim-and-pause presentation lured three largemouth bass around patches of brittle naiad in five to seven feet of water. As soon as we caught largemouth bass numbers 25 and 26 along this shoreline, we put our rods away and went home.

Even though this was a purely recreational outing, we were hoping to catch an hourly average of 25 largemouth bass. Instead, we happily caught an average of about 14 per hour.

Aug. 21

Nick Robertson of Overland Park, Kansas, posted a brief log about his belly-boat outing on Aug. 21 at a 90-year-old community reservoir in east-central Kansas.

The nearest National Weather Service station reported a morning low of 66 degrees and an afternoon high of 93 degrees. The wind was calm and variable, and when it stirred, it angled out of the south and southeast at 3 to 7 mph. The sky was fair. The barometric pressure was 30.07 at 12:53 a.m., 30.04 at 5:53 a.m., and 30.08 at 11:53 a.m.

The water level looked to be a few inches above normal. I didn’t have a thermometer to measure the surface temperature. The water exhibited 2 ½ to three feet of clarity.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 5:52 a.m. to 7:52 a.m., 6:17 p.m. to 8:17 p.m., and 11:39 a.m. to 1:39 p.m.

I made my first cast at 7:00 a.m., and the last one at 11:00 a.m.

I fished along this reservoir’s south main-lake shoreline from 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. This area was windless, and the surface was smooth as glass. I spent too much time trying to dissect scores of laydowns, which were fruitless. Ultimately, I caught four largemouth around the outside edges of patches of American water willows. Two of the four were lured by a shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s pumpkin Finesse WormZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation. A shortened four-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin ZinkerZ attached to a black 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig caught two largemouth bass with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation. The Finesse WormZ was shortened to 3.25 inches. The ZinkerZ was shortened to 2.5 inches. They were caught in one to three feet of water.

The last two hours of this outing were spent along the west side of the reservoir, which was graced by a touch of wind and waves. I fished around four points, inside two coves, and many yards of main-lake shorelines. The water’s edges are devoid of laydowns, but they are endowed with patches of American water willows. What’s more, patches of coontail embellish much of the underwater terrain. I wielded two micro-finesse rigs. One was a 1.50-inch section of the anterior end of a 4.75-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ affixed to a blue 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jig. The second one was a 1.50-inch section of the anterior end of a 4.75-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ attached to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. I fished them in one to three feet of water with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

This is the 1.50-inch Junebug Finesse WormZ rig.

These downsized Midwest finesse rigs, combined with the wind, made for a very productive finale. I inveigled 44 largemouth bass and eight bluegill around and near the outside edges of the patches of American water willows. I caught them either on the initial drop or while I employed a swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

In short, it was a very interesting day. The micro-finesse Finesse WormZ rigs saved my butt! I will never waste a piece of trimmed ElaZtech again. Fishing in a belly boat with pieces amputated from a Z-Man’s ElaZtech bait is the epitome of frugal and simple Midwest finesse fishing.

Aug. 25

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted this report on the Finesse News Network about his August 25 outing with Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas, at a federal hill-land reservoir in north-central Texas.

When we pulled into the boat ramp parking lot at around 6:20 a.m., there was only one boat trailer hitched to a pick-up truck that was already parked in the parking lot. We also saw only one other boat on this reservoir the entire time we were afloat.

It was overcast, and a couple of rain showers that also produced some lightning and thunder were erupting over the northwest end of the reservoir. The morning’s low temperature was a balmy 87 degrees, and the afternoon’s high climbed to 107 degrees. The barometric pressure measured 29.90 at 6:00 a.m., and rose slightly to 29.94 by 11:00 a.m. The wind quartered out of the south, southwest, and northwest at 10 to 15 mph.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar Calendar’s fishing forecast was a poor one for Aug. 25. It also noted that the most productive fishing periods would occur between 2:51 a.m. and 4:51 a.m., 9:03 a.m. and 11:03 a.m., and 9:27 p.m. to 11:27 p.m.

The water level was 1.95 feet below normal pool. The water clarity was 18 inches. The surface temperature ranged from 84 degrees at the boat ramp to 85 degrees inside a medium-size feeder-creek arm in the lower end of the impoundment.

We fished from 6:40 a.m. to 11:10 a.m. We spent these 4 1/2 hours in the lower and middle sections of a major tributary arm in the lower end of the reservoir.

The black bass fishing was not nearly as productive as it was on Aug. 14, when Bill Kenney of Denton and I enjoyed tussling with 31 largemouth bass, 15 spotted bass, and 18 large white bass during that five-hour jaunt. What’s more, Bill fished this same reservoir on Aug. 21, and though he relished catching 35 white bass during that morning outing, it was a chore for him to catch an additional four largemouth bass and four spotted bass.

During this Aug. 25 outing, Norman and I covered about four square miles of the lower and midsection of this major tributary arm in order to inveigle 15 largemouth bass, 10 spotted bass, 10 white bass, one large green sunfish, and one bluegill.

This reservoir’s underwater terrain consists primarily of clay mixed with small gravel, chunky rocks, and boulders of all sizes. There are a few areas with standing timber, thin patches of stickups, some submerged stumps, and scattered laydowns cluttering some of the shorelines. There isn’t any aquatic vegetation in this impoundment.

The main-lake and secondary points have inclines that vary from 15 to 35 degrees. The perimeter of a main-lake island is flat.

We caught a mixed bag of sixteen largemouth bass and spotted bass around large clusters of submerged boulders in two to five feet of water along eight major main-lake points. Four spotted bass were caught in five to seven feet of water from the top and sides of an old and crumbling concrete roadbed on the end of one of the main-lake points. One largemouth bass and one spotted bass were caught around several minor rocky secondary points in the lower end and midsection of the first of two feeder-creek arms that we fished. Unfortunately, the upper end of the first creek arm and the second feeder-creek arm were fruitless. One largemouth bass and one spotted bass were caught in five to seven feet of water around patches of submerged boulders that lie around the base of a 75-yard-long main-lake rock bluff, and one largemouth bass was caught in three feet of water from the end of a minor clay-and-gravel tertiary point on the west-side shoreline of a main-lake island.

We caught 12 of these 25 black bass on either the initial fall or a moderate-paced swimming retrieve about a foot or two below the water’s surface with a Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat matched with either a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig or a white 1/10-ounce mushroom-style jig. Another 12 black bass were tempted by a moderate-paced swimming retrieve with a three-inch Z-Man’s cisco-disco Slim SwimZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig about a foot or so below the water’s surface. We also wielded a Z-Man’s mud-minnow Finesse TRD fastened on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation for about two dozen casts, and it enticed one largemouth bass.

The 10 white bass, one green sunfish, and one bluegill were allured by a moderate-paced swimming retrieve with our pearl Baby Goat rigs and three-inch cisco-disco Slim SwimZ combo.

We also employed nine other Midwest finesse rigs with a variety of presentations, but we are unable to generate any strikes with them.

Aug. 25

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Aug. 25 outing with Pok Chi Lau of Lawrence and Denis Horner of Lenexa, Kansas, at an 86-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

The National Weather Service reported the morning’s low temperature was 68 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 86 degrees. The sky was fair, partly cloudy, and cluttered with a few clouds. The wind was variable and calm at times; it also angled from the east and north at 3 to 8 mph. The barometric pressure was 30.02 at 12:53 a.m., 30.00 at 5:53 a.m., 30.05 at 11:53 a.m., and 30.01 at 1:53 p.m.

The water level was nearly normal. The surface temperature was 82 degrees. The water looked as if it had a minor algal bloom, and it exhibited about 3 ½ to 4 ½ feet of clarity. Vast patches of bushy pondweeds and coontail are coating many acres of the underwater terrain. Floating and thick wads of filamentous algae and patches of duckweeds are covering the surface of most of the water’s edges along this reservoir’s shorelines. We have never seen this many patches of duckweeds.

We were fishing in Pok Chi’s boat, and we were the only anglers afloat at this heavily fished suburban reservoir.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 8:08 a.m. to 10:08 a.m., 8:33 p.m. to 10:33 p.m., and 1:56 a.m. to 3:56 a.m.

We made our first casts at 9:53 a.m. and our last ones at 1:38 p.m. We caught 51 largemouth bass and three bluegill.

Three of the 51 largemouth bass were caught on a 4.75-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ affixed to a black 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. Seven of the 51 largemouth bass were caught on a shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s purple-haze Finesse WormZ attached to a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jighead. A 2.75-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse TRD on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig inveigled nine largemouth bass. Ten were caught on a shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s PB&J Finesse WormZ attached to either a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead or an orange 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jighead. Another 10 were caught on a Z-Man’s mood-ring Finesse TRD affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. A shortened Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead lured 12 largemouth bass.

We didn't count how many strikes we failed to hook or how many we temporarily hooked, but there were a significant number of them.

We fished along the main-lake shoreline that is adjacent to the eastern end of the dam. This shoreline looks to be about 500 yards long. Its water’s edge is endowed with a boat ramp, a spillway, three tertiary points, 13 docks, several retaining walls, some patches of American water willows, and many floating and thick wads of filamentous algae and wilted patches of duckweeds. It is also enhanced with a series of offshore humps and ledges. This area has a 20- to 45-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are coated with many patches of coontail and some patches of bushy pondweeds. We caught 11 largemouth bass along this shoreline. Two were caught on the green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig; one was caught on the initial drop in about six feet of water; the second one was caught while strolling and using a drag-and-deadstick presentation in about six feet of water. The PB&J Finesse WormZ rig caught four largemouth bass; two were caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in five to seven feet of water; two were caught by strolling and a drag-and-pause presentation in eight to 12 feet of water. Five of the 11 were caught with the Junebug Finesse WormZ rig and a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in six to 12 feet of water. These fish were caught many feet and yards from the water’s edge.

Along the shoreline of the gravel-rock-and-boulder-laden dam, we caught 11 largemouth bass. The dam’s shoreline is 516 yards long. It has a height of 58 feet with a 45- to 50-degree slope. Its underwater terrain is coated with many patches of coontail, bushy pondweed, and some wads of filamentous algae. The water’s edge contains a concrete water outlet tower, a few meager patches of American water willows, and many floating and thick wads of filamentous algae and patches of wilted duckweeds. The initial drop of the green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig caught one largemouth bass in about four to five feet of water around patches of coontail. The green-pumpkin Finesse TRD rig caught two largemouth bass; one was caught on the initial drop in about four feet of water; the second one was inveigled by strolling and using a drag-and-pause presentation in six to 10 feet of water. Three largemouth bass were lured by the Junebug Finesse WormZ rig; one was caught on the initial drop in about five feet of water around patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds; two were caught on a slow swim-and-pause presentation in five to seven feet of water. The mood-ring Finesse TRD rig lured five largemouth bass; two were caught on the initial drop in about four to five feet of water; three were caught by strolling and using a slow swim-and-pause presentation in six to 10 feet of water.

We fished along two portions of a massive main-lake shoreline that begins at the western end of the dam. This shoreline is about 1,200 yards long and has 20- to 45-degree slopes. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Some of the flatter and shallow-water areas are covered with silt. Much of this underwater terrain is decorated with submerged patches of coontail, bushy pondweeds, wads of filamentous algae, and several manmade piles of tree limbs. The water’s edge has dozens of docks, patches of American water willows, several retaining walls, and floating wads of filamentous algae and wilted duckweeds. It is also graced with two humps that are slightly offshore. We struggled to catch seven largemouth bass. Two were lured by the initial drop of the Junebug Finesse WormZ rig along the edges of two docks in about seven to eight feet of water. The initial drop of the green-pumpkin Finesse TRD rig around patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds caught one largemouth bass in about six feet of water. The purple-haze Finesse WormZ with a swim-and-pause presentation inveigled two largemouth bass in about six to eight feet of water on one of the humps. The mood-ring Finesse TRD and a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation enticed two largemouth bass around patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds in six to eight feet of water. These largemouth bass were caught many feet and yards from the water’s edge.

In the upper half of the reservoir, we fished along a massive main-lake shoreline and across a short portion of a huge shallow-water flat that borders the upper reaches of this shoreline. The shoreline looks to be about 800 yards long, and we fished about 500 yards of it. The underwater terrain of this shoreline’s steeper section consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. The underwater terrain of the shallow-water flat consists of silt. Much of the underwater terrain is decorated with many patches of coontail, bushy pondweeds, and some wads of filamentous algae. There are also a few underwater PVC fish attractors and some manmade piles of submerged tree limbs. The shoreline possesses a 20- to 60-degree slope. The water’s edge consists of several stone and concrete retaining walls, 10 docks, one small rock bridge, a few minor laydowns, several piles of brush, patches of American water willows, several overhanging trees, and vast patches of floating and green duckweeds, which are occasionally intertwined with wads of filamentous algae. The duckweeds were not wilted; instead, they exhibited a brilliant green hue. Across the shallow-water flat, we caught one largemouth bass, which was inveigled on the initial drop of the PB&J Finesse WormZ in about four feet of water. Along the shoreline, the green-pumpkin Finesse TRD rig caught four largemouth bass; one was caught on the initial drop near a concrete retaining wall in about five feet of water; three were caught while strolling with a drag-and-deadstick presentation in about six to 10 feet of water.

We caught five largemouth bass along about a 500-yard main-lake shoreline and around two of its three main-lake points. It has a 30- to 45-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are coated with thick and deep-water patches of coontail. The water’s edge is endowed with 14 docks, patches of American water willows, one overhanging walnut tree, and a few piles of tree limbs. Most sections of the surface of the water’s edge are covered with immense patches of floating duckweeds, as well as some wads of filamentous algae. The five largemouth bass were caught many yards from the water’s edge. One was caught on the mood-ring Finesse TRD rig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about seven to eight feet of water around one of the three main-lake points. The Junebug Finesse WormZ rig caught two largemouth bass; one was caught with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation around a large and deep-water patch of coontail that graces one of the three main-lake points; the second one was caught by strolling and using a dragging presentation along a rock-and-boulder ledge of the shoreline in about 10 to 12 feet of water. Two largemouth bass were caught on the purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in six to eight feet of water.

Back in the lower half of the reservoir, we fished across an offshore hump and the hump’s main-lake shoreline. This shoreline is about 800 yards long, and it has two main-lake points. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. There is also a ledge, which is many feet from the water’s edge and adjacent to deep water. Portions of the ledge are enhanced with gigantic boulders. Much of the underwater terrain is embellished with bushy pondweeds, coontail, and manmade piles of tree limbs. The shoreline possesses a 35- to 50-degree slope. The water’s edge is lined with several concrete and stone retaining walls, a few overhanging trees, some patches of American water willows, 27 docks, and many floating and thick wads of filamentous algae and patches of wilted duckweeds.

We fished around both of the points, which were fruitless.

The hump yielded one largemouth bass. It was enticed by the PB&J Finesse WormZ rig with a drag-and-pause presentation in about eight feet of water.

We fished along about 70 percent of the 800 yards of the shoreline and caught 11 largemouth bass. We stopped fishing when we caught largemouth bass number 51 at 1:38 p.m. Four of the 11 were caught on the PB&J Finesse WormZ rig; two were caught on a dragging presentation amongst the gigantic boulders of the ledge in about 10 feet of water; the third one was caught on the initial drop of the rig along the outside edge and corner of one of the docks in about 12 feet of water; the fourth one was caught on a slow swim-and-pause presentation about patches of coontail in about six to seven feet of water. The purple-haze Finesse WormZ caught three largemouth bass; two of the three were caught on the initial drop in about five to six feet of water; one was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about six to seven feet of water. The mood-ring Finesse TRD rig caught two largemouth bass by strolling with a drag-and-pause presentation in eight to 10 feet of water. The green-pumpkin Finesse TRD rig inveigled two largemouth bass by strolling with a drag-and-deadstick presentation in eight to 12 feet of water.

In sum, we caught an average of 13.6 largemouth per hour. We were using a variety of Midwest finesse rigs and presentations, and it was a difficult task to keep a perfectly accurate and detailed description of what transpired during these 235 minutes of fishing.

Aug. 28

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his short outing on Aug. 28 at an 86-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 57 degrees, and the afternoon's high temperature was 88 degrees. The wind was calm for many hours, and when it stirred, it blew from the northwest, south, and southeast at 5 to 8 mph. The sky conditions varied from fair to fog and mist to a few clouds. The barometric pressure was 30.10 at 12:52 a.m., 30.11 at 5:52 a.m., 30.16 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.16 at 2:52 p.m.

The water level looked to be a few inches below its normal level. The surface temperature was 84 degrees. The water exhibited a significant algal bloom, and it was quite unsightly. The visibility was about three feet around the dam. Elsewhere, the visibility dropped to 10 to 18 inches.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 11:06 p.m. to 1:06 a.m., 5:56 a.m. to 7:56 a.m., and 5:17 p.m. to 7:17 p.m.

This community reservoir used to be one of Midwest finesse anglers' most bountiful largemouth bass venues in northeastern Kansas. But something has gone awry during the past 10 years. The problem began after the fisheries biologist and lake managers began spraying this water with an aquatic herbicide to kill patches of Eurasian milfoil. The milfoil was castigated as an invasive species, which would adversely affect water quality and fish life. The herbicides also killed the patches of coontail, southern naiad, and curly-leaf pondweeds. Besides the aquatic herbicides, this reservoir’s waters have been walloped several times by potent terrestrial herbicides that were applied around some of the reservoir’s shorelines.

Recently, several fellow Midwest finesse anglers have complained about the sorry largemouth bass fishing at this reservoir, and my Aug 28 outing was a quick examination and minor test of what is going on.

My first observation focused on the nastiness of the algal bloom and its effect on the water clarity. Then I spent one hour and 30 minutes quickly examining and fishing around eight of the traditionally best largemouth bass lairs in the lower portions of this reservoir during August and early September.

I made my first cast at 1:00 p.m. and my final cast at 2:30 p.m.

I failed to catch a largemouth bass around two main-lake points, along about a 50-yard stretch of a secondary shoreline, along about a 75-yard stretch of a main-lake shoreline, along about a 50-yard stretch of another main-lake shoreline, and along about a 100-yard stretch of the dam’s 600-yard shoreline.

I did, however, catch three largemouth bass on an offshore rock-and-boulder hump inside a large feeder-creek arm adjacent to the dam. They were inveigled along the inside edge of the hump in about eight to nine feet of water on the initial drop of 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. The Finesse WormZ rig is 3 ¼-inches long.

Along a short section of a secondary shoreline inside this feeder-creek arm, I caught one largemouth bass on the initial drop of the Junebug Finesse WormZ rig in about two feet of water along the outside edge of a patch of American water willows. This shoreline has a 45-degree slope that plummets into deep water. Its water’s edge has several patches of American water willows, two docks, a concrete retaining wall, and one overhanging tree.

Across a shallow-water flat, I caught four largemouth bass on the initial drop of the Junebug Finesse WormZ rig in about six feet of water. This flat is the size of six tennis courts, and its underwater terrain is cluttered with scores of rocks and gigantic boulders. These largemouth bass were abiding around several of the boulders.

Adjacent to this flat, I caught one largemouth bass along a steep main-lake shoreline, which is about 35 yards long. It has about a 50-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. The water’s edge is lined with thick patches of American water willows. The initial drop of the Junebug Finesse WormZ rig in about four feet of water along the outside edge of the American water willows inveigled this largemouth bass.

In sum, the algal bloom made it a daunting one hour and 30 minutes, during which I caught an hourly average of six largemouth bass. And all of them were lured by the initial drop of the Junebug Finesse WormZ rig, which was unusual and puzzling.

Aug. 28

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Aug. 28 outing with Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas, at a heavily pressured federal reservoir in north-central Texas.

In-Fisherman's Solunar calendar forecasted excellent fishing for Aug. 28, with the most lucrative fishing periods occurring from 12:16 a.m. to 2:16 a.m., 6:27 a.m. to 8:27 a.m., and 12:38 p.m. to 2:38 p.m.

It was sunny and hot. The sky was partly cloudy. The morning’s low temperature was 83 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature reached 102 degrees. A light breeze angled out of the northeast at 5 to 8 mph. The barometric pressure measured 29.99 at 6:00 a.m. and 30.03 at 11:00 a.m.

The water temperature ranged from 83 degrees at the boat ramp in the lower end of the reservoir to 85 degrees in the middle section of a major feeder-creek arm in the east tributary arm. The water level was 0.97 feet below normal. The water exhibited 3 1/2 feet of clarity.

We fished from 6:40 a.m. to 11:10 a.m., and focused our attention on portions of two major feeder-creek arms, two minor main-lake shorelines, and four main-lake points in the lower and middle sections of the reservoir’s east tributary arm.

The submerged terrain at these locations is composed of mostly red clay, small gravel, chunk rocks, countless numbers of large boulders, a few laydowns, a couple of brush piles, an offshore rock pile, and significant patches of Eurasian milfoil and American pondweed. The two minor shorelines that we fished are also graced with riprap.

We launched the boat inside a small cove in the lower end of the reservoir’s east tributary arm. We immediately deployed the trolling motor and began fishing around the riprap bordering the boat ramp, a minor flat and rocky secondary shoreline adjacent to the boat ramp, and another rocky secondary shoreline with a flat terrain on the south side of the cove.

The riprap bordering the boat ramp, the boat ramp, and the rocky secondary shoreline next to the boat ramp were unproductive.

We caught one largemouth bass and one spotted bass around clusters of submerged chunky rocks that adorn the rocky secondary shoreline on the south side of the cove. Both of these black bass were abiding in two to three feet of water and within five feet of the water’s edge. Both of them engulfed a three-inch Z-Man’s cisco-disco Slim SwimZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig as it was being steadily retrieved at a moderate pace parallel to the shoreline.

We then travelled about half of a mile southeastward and ventured into a major feeder-creek arm. In the lower section of this creek arm, we dissected the perimeter of an island, and we caught two spotted bass and one largemouth bass. This island is adorned with several large patches of Eurasian milfoil, chunky rocks, gravel, and many scattered boulders. The largemouth bass was caught in five feet of water near a large patch of submerged Eurasian milfoil on the east side of the island. It was caught on a moderate-paced swimming retrieve with the three-inch cisco-disco Slim SwimZ rig. The two spotted bass were caught in three to five feet of water and many yards apart from each other around the chunky rocks and boulders on the west side of the island. They were also enticed by a swimming retrieve with the three-inch Z-Man’s cisco-disco Slim SwimZ rig.

Two spotted bass were caught in less than five feet of water and within 10 feet of the water’s edge along a 35-yard-long flat secondary shoreline with a rocky terrain on the north side and in the midsection of the creek arm. This shoreline is situated just east of the island. One of the spotted bass was caught on a swimming presentation with the three-inch cisco-disco Slim SwimZ rig. The other spotted bass was caught with a swimming retrieve with a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig sporting a Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat.

Along five prominent secondary points on the south side of the creek arm, we caught six spotted bass and four largemouth bass. These secondary points have relatively flat terrains and are carpeted with gravel, chunky rocks, submerged boulders, a couple of large laydowns, and several large patches of Eurasian milfoil. These points are situated in the middle and lower sections of the creek arm. Eight of these 10 black bass were scattered and caught here and there near large clusters of large chunky rocks or groups of large boulders in three to five feet of water and within 10 feet of the water’s edge. Two were caught simultaneously and within a few feet of each other.

Seven of the 10 were caught on a swimming retrieve with the cisco-disco Slim SwimZ rig, and the other three were caught on a swimming retrieve with the pearl Baby Goat combo.

We failed to locate any largemouth bass or spotted bass around a couple of small clay-and-gravel secondary flats, four secondary pockets in the shorelines, a couple of clay-and-gravel flats, and a slightly offshore rock pile in the upper end of this creek arm.

From the feeder-creek arm, we traveled about half a mile southward to a main-lake shoreline that’s about 35 yards long and blanketed with riprap, and three prominent main-lake bluff points just north of the riprap shoreline. The main-lake shoreline and two of the three bluff points were unproductive. One largemouth bass was caught from the third bluff point. The base of this point is endowed with numerous large boulders and chunky rocks. This largemouth bass engulfed a Z-Man’s pearl TRD TicklerZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig on the initial fall in five feet of water near a cluster of submerged boulders.

From this area, we moved about two miles northward to the middle section of the east tributary arm, where we investigated a conspicuous main-lake entry point, a shallow rock ledge, and six rocky secondary points.

The main-lake entry point yielded one largemouth bass. It was caught in less than three feet of water from a patch of chunky rocks at the top of the point on a steady swimming retrieve with the three-inch cisco-disco Slim SwimZ. This point extends about 50 yards out into the main-lake basin, and the end of the point radically descends into 30-plus feet of water. It is covered with two to eight feet of water, chunky rocks, scattered boulders, and a few submerged stumps and stickups.

The shallow rock ledge parallels the south shoreline just inside the entrance of the creek arm. It’s about 50 yards long, and is covered with boulders and chunky rocks. The water’s edge is graced with thin patches of brown and heat-stressed American water willow stems. The top of the ledge is covered with a foot of water, and the base of the ledge bottoms out in 23 to 25 feet of water. The deep-water side of the ledge yielded one largemouth bass and one spotted bass. They were caught in five and seven feet of water; they were caught close to the ledge on a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ matched with a red 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig and a slow-paced swimming retrieve parallel to the ledge.

The six secondary points surrendered three largemouth bass. These points are embellished with small gravel, chunky rocks, scattered boulders, several laydowns, and sparse patches of Eurasian milfoil. They are also flat. We caught three largemouth bass in three to five feet of water from the ends of two of these secondary points. Two of the three were caught with a slow swimming retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ rig, and the third one was induced by a moderate-paced swimming retrieve with the three-inch cisco-disco Slim SwimZ rig.

In conclusion, the last time I fished at this reservoir was on July 31 with Bill Kenney of Denton. We fished from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and caught 25 black bass, which consisted of 14 largemouth bass and 11 spotted bass. During this 4 1/2-hour jaunt, we caught a total of 24 black bass; 12 were largemouth bass, and 12 were spotted bass.

Twenty-three of the 24 were related to some type of rock cover. Only one largemouth bass was associated with any type of submerged aquatic vegetation. We were a bit surprised that we didn’t cross paths with any other species of fish such as white bass, channel catfish, freshwater drum, or bluegill.