Ned Kehde: Guide to Midwest Finesse Fishing: July 2025
Guide to Midwest Finesse Fishing: July 2025
July 1
Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his July 1 outing.
Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas, and I fished at one of several federal hill-land reservoirs in the Dallas metropolitan area.
This federal reservoir has become one of our more trying venues in north-central. The last time I fished here was on June 16 with Mike Trometer of Farmersville, Texas. The fishing was difficult, and our best efforts produced only seven largemouth bass and four spotted bass in five hours.
It was mostly sunny on July 1. Many parts of north-central Texas received rain during the early morning hours. After the rain moved off to the east, high-altitude cumulus clouds embellished about 70 percent of the sky for the remainder of the morning. The morning’s low temperature was 73 degrees and the afternoon’s high warmed to 93 degrees. The barometric pressure measured 30.05 at 6:00 a.m. and 30.04 at noon. The wind quartered out of the north-by-northwest at 5 to 10 mph.
The water level was 0.60 of a foot above normal. The water clarity ranged from 14 to 18 inches. The surface temperature varied from 81 to 85 degrees.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar table indicated that the fishing would be poor on July 1. The most productive fishing periods would occur from 4:05 a.m. to 6:05 a.m., 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., and 4:26 p.m. to 6:46 p.m.
We fished from 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
We spent these five hours in a major tributary arm at the lower end of the reservoir. The black-bass bite was better than it has been all year, and we enjoyed tussling with 18 largemouth bass and six spotted bass. We also caught three white bass, one channel catfish, and a freshwater drum by accident.
The 24 black bass were mostly scattered here and there, but two small rocky sections of the main-lake shorelines relinquished a couple of black bass.
We caught five largemouth bass and two spotted bass in two to five feet of water from seven wind-blown main-lake points on the south side of the tributary arm.
Three largemouth bass and one spotted bass were caught in three to seven feet of water from the deep-water side of a shallow rock ledge that is covered with two to three feet of water and parallels a flat clay-and-gravel main-lake shoreline. It drops off into five to eight feet of water.
Five largemouth bass and one spotted bass were caught in three to eight feet of water from two 75-yard sections of rock- and boulder-laden main-lake shorelines. One of the shorelines has a 30- to 35-degree slope; the other one is relatively flat.
Two spotted bass and one largemouth bass were caught in three to six feet of water from a 45-yard section of shaded shoreline on the west side of a main-lake island.
Three largemouth bass were caught in three to seven feet of water from two riprap embankments on each end of a major highway bridge that crosses over the tributary arm. And one largemouth bass was caught five feet below the surface in 23 feet of water next to one of 15 concrete support columns that we probed underneath the highway bridge.
We wielded 10 Midwest finesse combos, and seven of them were productive.
Nine black bass were inveigled on a steady swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ rigged on a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Four black bass, three white bass, and the freshwater drum were allured by a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead sporting a slightly shortened Z-Man’s pearl TRD TicklerZ. Four black bass and a channel catfish were enticed with a steady swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ fastened on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jighead. A steady swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s black-blue TRD TicklerZ matched with a green-pumpkin 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig attracted three black bass. Two black bass preferred a steady swimming retrieve with a 2 3/4-inch Z-Man’s mudbug TRD TubeZ affixed on a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. A swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a Z-Man’s Canada-craw TRD HogZ threaded on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead tempted one largemouth bass, and a steady swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat rigged on a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead allured one spotted bass.
July 7
Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a brief log on the Finesse News Network about his short outing at a 65-year-old and heavily fished state reservoir in northeastern Kansas on July 7. We were told that this reservoir was waylaid by anglers on July 4,5, and 6.
The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 64 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 93 degrees. The wind was calm for 10 hours; when it stirred, it fluctuated from being variable to angling out of the south, southeast, and east at 6 to 8 mph. The conditions of the sky varied from fair to cluttered with a few clouds to mostly cloudy. The barometric pressure was 29.99 at 12:52 a.m., 30.00 at 5:52 a.m., 30:04 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.49 at 3:52 p.m.
The water level looked to be about five inches below normal. The surface temperature was 89 degrees. The water exhibited five to six feet of visibility. Patches of American pondweeds are gracing some of the shallow-water shorelines. Thick and massive patches of bushy pondweeds are coating many yards of the shallow-water shorelines and shallow-water flats.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 8:12 a.m. to 10:12 a.m., 8:37 p.m. to 10:37 p.m., and 1:59 a.m. to 3:59 a.m.
This was the first time that I had fished since June 19. During the past 17 days, my 85-year-old body dealt with dental issues, bacterial infections in my eyelids, and vertigo and inner ear problems, as well as mechanical woes with my tow vehicle and a dislike of Mother Nature’s windy ways.
Consequently, this was a very short gerontological outing to test if I had remedied my eyelid and vertigo afflictions that were keeping me at bay.
I made my first cast at 2:31 p.m. and the last cast at 4:00 p.m. During these 79 minutes, I tangled with 17 largemouth bass, three channel catfish, one bluegill, and one green sunfish.
I spent 61 minutes fishing around a shallow-water flat in the back of a large feeder-creek arm. This area is about the size of four or five football fields. Its underwater terrain is embellished with vast and dense patches of bushy pondweeds. Portions of this flat are enhanced with some manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. Its shorelines are lined with shallow-water patches of American water willows. However, most of the American water willow patches were inaccessible because the thick patches of bushy pondweeds surrounded them. Three submerged and significantly silted creek channels meander across this flat. I spent the entire 61 minutes fishing the outside edges of the nearly endless patches of bushy pondweeds in water as shallow as four feet and as deep as six to seven feet. And these edges yielded 10 largemouth bass.
One of the 10 was caught on the initial drop of a slightly shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s PB&J Finesse WormZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. Two were caught on a 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin GrubZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead with a swimming presentation. Seven of the 10 were caught on a 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s smoke-purple GrubZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead with a swimming presentation.
I spent the last 29 minutes of this outing quickly fishing about 125 yards of the dam’s riprap shoreline. The dam lies along the north side of the reservoir. It is 2,280 feet long and 58 feet high. A tad of the underwater terrain is coated with scanty patches of bushy pondweeds, several submerged logs and tree limbs, and a few manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. This area yielded seven largemouth bass.
Two of the seven were caught on a slightly shortened Z-Man’s sprayed-grass TRD TicklerZ mounted on a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. One of the two was caught on the initial drop in about three feet of water. The other one was caught on a drag- and-pause presentation in six to seven feet of water.A slightly shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s purple-haze Finesse WormZ on a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead inveigled five largemouth bass. Two of these largemouth bass were allured while I was strolling by using the electric motor to slowly move the boat and drag-and-shake the Finesse WormZ rig along the bottom from about five into nine feet of water. (This kind of strolling is different than the kind of strolling retrieve that the modern-day forward-facing-sonar anglers employ. For more information about strolling, please see the description of it at this link: https://www.in-fisherman.com/editorial/six-midwest-finesse-retrieves/153946.) One was caught on the initial drop of the Finesse WormZ rig in about three feet of water. Two were caught on a drag-pause-and-shake presentation in five to eight feet of water.
The 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s smoke-purple GrubZ rig is at the top of this photograph. The slightly shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig is at the bottom. Unfortunately, these rigs are no longer manufactured.
In sum, it seems as if my bouts with infected eyelids and vertigo might be over. But some of the dental issues are waiting to be resolved. Despite that remaining woe, it was delightful to tangle with an average of about 11 largemouth bass an hour or one every 5.35 minutes.
July 7
Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his July 7 outing with Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas, at a popular federal hill-land reservoir in north-central Texas.
I haven't fished at this reservoir since Bill Kinney of Denton and I fished it on June 12. During that six-hour excursion, we caught 31 black bass; 17 were largemouth bass, and the other 14 were spotted bass.
The morning’s low temperature on July 7 was 74 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature reached 95 degrees. The sky conditions fluctuated from being mostly cloudy to overcast with scattered rain showers to partly cloudy and sunny. The wind angled out of the southeast at 5 to 15 mph. The barometric pressure measured 29.97 at 6:00 a.m. and 30.01 at noon.
In-Fisherman's Solunar calendar forecasted poor fishing for July 7, and the most productive fishing periods would occur between 1:55 a.m. and 3:55 a.m., 8:08 a.m. to 10:08 a.m., and 8:33 p.m. to 10:33 p.m.
We fished from 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The water temperature ranged from 80 degrees at the boat ramp in the lower end of the reservoir’s east tributary arm to 81 degrees in the lower region of the west tributary arm. The water level was 0.40 feet above normal. The water clarity varied from 2 1/2 to three feet.
It took us a little over an hour to catch our first largemouth bass.
After launching the boat, we immediately lowered the trolling motor and probed two minor rocky shorelines and a riprap-laden fishing pier jetty near the boat ramp, and we failed to elicit any strikes from these three locales.
We then ventured into a major feeder-creek arm about a half mile south of the boat ramp.
Inside this creek arm, we fished the perimeter of an island without eliciting a strike.
Next, we moved a couple of hundred yards to two flat and rocky secondary points on the south side of the creek arm, and we failed to garner any strikes there.
Inside a small cove in the lower end of this creek arm, we caught our first three fish of the outing; the first was a channel catfish, the second was a freshwater drum, and the third was a largemouth bass. All of them were extracted from six to eight feet of water around a large offshore patch of Eurasian milfoil. This largemouth bass and freshwater drum were caught on a slow swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse TRD rigged on a 1/16-ounce green-pumpkin mushroom-type jig. The channel catfish was tempted by a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a Z-Man’s hot-craw Finesse TRD affixed to a red 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.
After that, we slowly dissected a 50-yard section of rocky shoreline at the mouth of this feeder-creek arm. This shoreline yielded one largemouth bass and one spotted that were abiding around a couple of clusters of large boulders in three to five feet of water. Both of them were enticed by a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl TRD TicklerZ matched to a red 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead; one was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation retrieve, and the other one was caught on the initial fall.
From that creek arm, we moved a short distance to three steep and rocky main-lake bluff points near the dam. Two of these points were fruitless. The third one yielded one largemouth bass and one spotted bass that were abiding in three to five feet of water and were associated with several large boulders at the base of the point. Both were caught on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch pearl TRD TicklerZ.
Just south of the three main-lake bluff points, we slowly dissected a 35-yard rock-and-boulder-laden main-lake shoreline and a 75-yard section of submerged riprap along the east end of the adjoining dam, and we failed to garner any strikes at those two spots.
From the east end of the dam, we travelled about three miles to another major feeder-creek arm in the lower end of the reservoir’s west tributary arm. This creek arm was more productive than the first one we fished. It relinquished a combination of 10 largemouth bass and spotted bass. Two spotted bass and one largemouth bass were caught in three to five feet of water around a patch of large rocks on a tertiary rocky point at the entrance of the creek arm. One spotted bass was caught on a swimming retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ. The second spotted bass was caught on the initial fall of the 2 1/2-inch pearl TRD TicklerZ. And the largemouth bass was caught on a slow swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s black-blue ZinkerZ fastened on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce mushroom-type jig.
Along the east shoreline in the midsection of this feeder-creek arm, we caught two largemouth bass and one spotted bass. This shoreline varies from rocky and steep to flat with a clay-and-gravel submerged terrain. One largemouth bass and one spotted bass were caught in two to three feet of water on the initial fall of the 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ around the flat gravel-and-clay portion of the shoreline. One largemouth bass was caught from the steeper section of the shoreline on a slow swimming presentation with the 2 1/2-inch black-blue ZinkerZ.Three largemouth bass were caught in two to seven feet of water in the back end of this creek arm. The first largemouth bass was caught in four feet of water from a 50-yard segment of a flat and rocky secondary shoreline with a slow swimming retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch black-blue ZinkerZ. The second one was caught in two feet of water from a minor shallow-water patch of Eurasian milfoil located on a clay-and-gravel secondary shoreline. The third one was caught in seven feet of water near the deep-water side of a shallow rock ledge. The second and third largemouth bass were induced by a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s black-neon Finesse WormZ threaded on a red 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.
In three to six feet of water across a 75-yard stretch of a boulder-covered shoreline near the entrance of this feeder-creek arm, we caught two largemouth bass. One was caught on a slow swimming retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch black-blue ZinkerZ, and the other one was tempted by a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with the black-neon Finesse WormZ.
We failed to elicit any strikes from the remnants of a dilapidated stock-pond dam wall, a floating tractor-tire reef, a clay-and-gravel levee, and several shallow patches of Eurasian milfoil.
Our next spot was a main-lake shoreline that encompasses two minor main-lake points, a shallow rock pile on a small tertiary point, and a small cove. This shoreline is located on the north side of the west tributary arm. Most of the main-lake shoreline, the two main-lake points, and the small cove were unproductive. The shallow rock pile on the tertiary point surrendered two spotted bass and one largemouth bass. They were allured by a swimming retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ.
As our outing was nearing its end, we decided to travel about two miles northward in the east tributary arm and fish a small portion of another major feeder-creek arm. At this creek arm, we fan-casted one of its submerged clay-and-gravel main-lake entry points that extends about 30 yards into the main-lake, and we caught one spotted bass in five feet of water from the top of the point. This spotted bass was caught on a swimming retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ. As we fished our way into the lower section of the creek arm, we investigated a shallow rock ledge, and it was fruitless. At the end of this ledge, it merges into a rocky secondary point. Around this secondary point, we caught one largemouth bass in 11 feet of water and one spotted bass in 17 feet of water. They were caught as we were dragging, pausing, and subtly shaking a 1/4-ounce drop-shot rig that sported an unaltered 4.75-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ. The length of the drop-leader was 14 inches.
In conclusion, we caught 22 black bass, three large bluegills, a channel catfish, and one freshwater drum. Thirteen of the black bass were largemouth bass, and nine were spotted bass.
It should be noted that we rarely utilize a drop-shot rig in the dingy waters of north-central Texas because we find it too slow of a technique to use while we are searching for largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass. During this outing, we employed it at six of the locations that we fished, and it produced one largemouth bass and one spotted bass at one of those six spots.
July 10
Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his July 10 outing.
On June 20, Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas, and I fished at a stingy federal hill-land reservoir in north-central Texas from 7:00 a.m. to noon, and the black bass fishing was the toughest we have seen this summer. Many of the locations that we targeted are usually productive during the summer months, and they entertain large swarms of threadfin shad and other small baitfish. We found plenty of threadfin shad at these locales, but few black bass. And we didn’t need our mechanical counter to tally three largemouth bass and two white bass.
On July 10, Norman and I thought we would roll the dice and return to the same federal reservoir we fished on June 20. We were afloat from 6:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
It’s been a somewhat milder summer than usual in north-central Texas. Typically, we see daytime highs reaching 102 to 110 degrees and heat advisories are common. So far this summer, we have yet to see our first 100-degree day.
It was humid on July 10. The sky conditions changed from partly cloudy to cloudless. The morning's low temperature was 73 degrees. The afternoon's high temperature reached 97 degrees. A pleasant breeze blew out of the south and southwest at 5 to 12 mph. The barometric pressure measured 29.98 at 6:00 a.m. and 29.96 at 11:00 a.m.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the fishing would be excellent. The most lucrative periods would occur from 4:34 a.m. to 6:34 a.m., 10:48 a.m. to 12:48 p.m., and 5:01 p.m. to 7:01 p.m.
The water exhibited 18 inches of visibility. The surface temperature varied from 81 degrees at the dam to 85 degrees inside a feeder-creek arm in the midsection of the reservoir. Since May, this reservoir’s water level has been between six and 13 feet high. Picnic table areas and boat ramp parking lots were flooded and closed. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been slowly releasing water for the past six weeks. The water level has now receded from the picnic tables and parking lots and is 1.38 feet above normal.
We launched the boat in the middle section of the reservoir and motored about 500 yards to a series of four main-lake points.
These points are flat and rocky, and the first three were fruitless. In 2 1/2 feet of water on the top of the fourth point, we caught one largemouth bass, which was enticed by a steady swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat rigged on a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.
From those main-lake points, we travelled about 1 1/2 miles to the lower end of the reservoir and fished around a main-lake island.
This island has been virtually devoid of largemouth bass, spotted bass, and smallmouth bass this year. This time, our sonar devices revealed many large schools of threadfin shad around the perimeter of the island, and we were delighted to catch 13 largemouth bass. This island’s shallow-water areas are littered with standing timber, clusters of buck brush, laydowns, and deteriorating stumps. Its submerged terrain is mostly flat and consists of red clay, small gravel, chunky rocks, and a few boulders. These bass were caught in less than five feet of water and within 10 feet of the water’s edge. Five of the 13 largemouth bass were caught with a steady swimming retrieve with the pearl Baby Goat rig. Four were caught on a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse TRD affixed on a 1/16-ounce green-pumpkin mushroom-style jig and a swimming retrieve. Two were attracted to a swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ rigged on a white 3/32-ounce mushroom-style jig. And the last two bass were caught on a swimming retrieve with a 3 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl GrubZ matched with a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.
From the main-lake island, we traveled a short distance to a nearby feeder-creek arm. We targeted its two main-lake entry points, which are flat and rocky. We failed to elicit any strikes around the first entry point. The second entry point was more productive; it relinquished four largemouth bass that were associated with the outside edges of a few shallow patches of flooded stickups in less than three feet of water. Three of them were allured by the 3 1/2-inch pearl GrubZ and a swimming retrieve, and the fourth one was enticed by a swimming retrieve with the green-pumpkin Finesse TRD rig.
We then travelled to the lower end of the reservoir and dissected portions of two flat main-lake shorelines. We failed to elicit any strikes from the first segment of the shoreline. The second segment is covered with riprap, and we caught three largemouth bass around the submerged riprap in less than four feet of water with a slow swimming retrieve with the 3 1/2-inch pearl GrubZ.
After that, we ventured into the lower section of another major feeder-creek arm in the lower end of the reservoir. The first main-lake entry point, and its adjacent shoreline that is adorned with flooded buck brush, failed to yield a strike.
A floating tractor-tire reef, which is positioned in 32 feet of water and protects a large marina, surrendered one largemouth bass. This largemouth bass was relating to the side of the tire reef and was suspended about five feet below the surface in 32 feet of water. It was inveigled by a shortened 2 1/2-inch pearl TRD TicklerZ rigged on a blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. We temporarily hooked another fish near the tire reef on the 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ, but it pulled free before we could see it.
The opposite entry point is rocky and steep. It is adorned with scores of submerged boulders. This entry point relinquished one largemouth bass, which was caught in five feet of water around one of the numerous submerged boulders. It was tempted by a swimming retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ.
At the entrance to another major feeder-creek arm that is located about half a mile east of the one we just fished, we concentrated on a 50-yard stretch of a flat clay-and-gravel shoreline and another floating tire reef, and we failed to garner any strikes from them.
After that, we moved a short distance to a dam that is covered with riprap. This dam is 12,850 feet long and 137 feet high. The riprap along the dam relinquished two largemouth bass. One was caught in eight feet of water on a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a shortened four-inch Z-Man’s black-blue Finesse WormZ fastened on a blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. The other one was caught in 11 feet of water and was induced by a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation with the 2 1/2-inch pearl TRD TicklerZ.
Our final stop was a flat and rocky main-lake point and its adjoining rocky shoreline at the mouth of the fourth feeder-creek arm. This creek arm is located on the north shoreline in the midsection of the reservoir. We failed to locate any black bass around the main-lake entry point and the adjacent shoreline.
In conclusion, we are cautiously optimistic that the black-bass fishing is beginning to improve at this reservoir. During this five-hour jaunt, we were delighted to tangle with 25 largemouth bass. We encountered one white bass that we caught by accident.
To show how much this reservoir’s productivity has declined during the past several years, we have not caught 25 or more black bass an outing since Aug. 3, 2021, when Norman and I caught 40 largemouth bass, five spotted bass, and one smallmouth bass in five hours.
July 11
Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a brief log on the Finesse News Network about his July 11 outing at an extremely heavily fished and 87-year-old community 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 73 degrees. The wind angled out of the south, southwest, and west, with speeds ranging from 7 to 22 mph; some gusts reached 32 mph. The sky varied from being cluttered with a few clouds to partly cloudy to mostly cloudy. The barometric pressure was 29.87 at 12:53 a.m., 29.82 at 5:53 a.m., 29.83 at 11:53 a.m., and 29.80 at 3:53 p.m.
The water level looked to be normal. The surface temperature ranged from 86 to 87 degrees. The water exhibited about seven feet of visibility along the dam and about 3 ½ feet of clarity on a shallow-water flat in the upper half of this reservoir. Significant patches of filamentous algae and sheets of duckweeds are flourishing in the upper half of the reservoir. Wads and patches of filamentous algae are also prevalent on some of the shallow-water areas in the lower half of the reservoir. I found a couple of patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds, and I am guessing the wads of filamentous algae have coated most of the patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds, making them indiscernible.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 11:06 a.m. to 1:06 p.m., 11:33 p.m. to 1:33 a.m., and 5:19 a.m. to 7:19 a.m.
As I was launching my boat at 1:30 p.m., I briefly talked with two friends who had fished for about three hours, and two of those hours occurred during the 11:06 to 1:06 Solunar period. And they caught more than 30 largemouth in three hours of fishing. Upon hearing about their catch rate, I was hopeful that I would enjoy a bountiful outing.
I made my first cast at 1:49 p.m., which was 43 minutes after the end of that Solunar period. I executed my last cast and retrieve at 3:40 p.m. During these 111 minutes, I struggled to catch eight largemouth bass, seven green sunfish, and one bluegill. I did snag a humongous common carp on its dorsal fin, and after I battled it for about five of the 111 minutes, I decided to intentionally break the leader knot.
One largemouth bass was caught on a slightly shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s PB&J Finesse WormZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. A slightly shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s purple-haze Finesse WormZ on a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead inveigled one largemouth bass. The other six were caught on a shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead; this Finesse WormZ was shortened to 3 ½-inches, and I used it during the last 31 minutes of this outing. A 2 ½-inch Z-Man’s sprayed-grass ZinkerZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead failed to allure a largemouth bass. A 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s smoke-purple GrubZ on a red 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead and a 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin GrubZ on a glow 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead also failed to catch a largemouth bass.
I spent a lot of the 111 minutes dissecting the shoreline and underwater terrain of the dam. It is 516 yards long with a height of 58 feet. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are adorned with some submerged patches of aquatic vegetation and many wads of filamentous algae. It possesses a 50- to 60-degree slope. The water’s edge is graced with a concrete water outlet tower, thick patches of terrestrial grasses, and American water willows. It was a whale of a chore to catch one largemouth bass, which I caught on the PB&J Finesse WormZ rig with a drag-pause-and-shake presentation in about seven feet of water.
After my paltry endeavors along the dam, I failed to catch a largemouth bass on an offshore hump and along its adjacent ledge. The hump is about the size of three tennis courts, and it and its ledge are nested on a main-lake point in the lower quarter of this reservoir.
I spent the final 54 minutes of this outing fishing along about an 800-yard stretch of a shoreline in the upper half of the reservoir. The underwater terrains of this shoreline consist of gravel, rocks, boulders, and some silt, which are adorned with untold numbers of wads of filamentous algae and some man-made piles of PVC pipes. Many sheets of duckweeds cluttered the surface above the extremely shallow-water wads of filamentous algae. The shoreline possesses a 20- to 60-degree slope. The water’s edges consist of several concrete retaining walls, 11 docks, one small rock bridge, a few minor laydowns, several piles of brush, some patches of American water willows, and several overhanging trees. Sheets of duckweeds graced the outside edges of some of the patches of American water willows.
During the first 23 minutes along this massive shoreline, I struggled to catch one largemouth bass, and it was allured by the initial drop of the purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig next to a dock ladder in about seven feet of water. After those trying 23 minutes, I began wielding the Junebug Finesse WormZ rig and eked out six largemouth bass by employing a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in four to eight feet of water. A lot of these swim-glide-and-shake retrieves were executed around the outside edges of the wads of filamentous algae. Three of the six were caught in the vicinity of the outside edges of a deep-water stretch that is graced with patches of American water willows.
This short outing was another one of my attempts to get back on what I call my piscatorial feet. Essentially, the diminishing returns of old age are beginning to adversely affect the way my 85-year-old body and mind fishes. Therefore, I do not have the wherewithal to fish as I used to fish.
Much of it seems to revolve around vertigo, which began in early June after I dealt with dental surgery. The aftereffects of the surgery provoked my inner ear woes and intensified the vertigo. Then out of the blue, my eyelids became affected with a bacterial infection, which perplexed my sight and seemed to aggravate my vertigo issues.
As always, I will do the various exercises that Travis Perret of Overland Park, Kansas, taught Patty Kehde and me to do. We began working with him on Feb. 14, 2006, and he has kept many of the diminishing returns of old age from erupting in us. Nowadays, I spend about 30 minutes every morning doing one of the two series of exercises he taught us for dealing with vertigo and balance issues.
In short, Travis and the nutritional science of Dr. Joel Fuhrman have kept us octogenarians fishing.
I am hoping that by the last week of July I will be able to fish a little bit better than I did on this outing.
July 14
Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his July 14 outing.
From 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Todd Judy of Denton and I fished at a state reservoir that is situated in north-central Texas. We were surprised to see only two other fishing boats on the water, and it was a joy to fish without the ruckus of numerous jet skiers, water skiers, and wake boarders scurrying about.
My previous excursion to this impoundment occurred on June 27, when John Thomas of Denton and I fished it for five hours. The water was beginning to clear after being a muddy mess for the past several months. We discovered that the black bass fishing was decent, and we managed to inveigle a combination of 17 largemouth bass and spotted bass.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar forecasted poor fishing for July 14. It also noted that the best fishing periods would most likely occur between 1:49 a.m. and 3:49 a.m., 8:04 a.m. and 10:04 a.m., and 8:35 p.m. and 10:35 p.m.
The morning started off mostly cloudy and foggy, but by 9:15 a.m., the fog had burned off and it became partly cloudy and sunny. The morning’s low temperature was pleasant at 69 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was quite mild for July at 88 degrees. The barometric pressure increased a tad from 29.99 at 6:00 a.m. to 30.01 at 11:00 a.m. There was a light and variable breeze throughout the morning.
We primarily targeted 11 rocky main-lake points, four rocky main-lake shorelines, and a main-lake island on the east side of the lower section of the reservoir. In the upper end of the reservoir, we concentrated on a riprap jetty and two main-lake islands. The underwater terrains of these areas consist of red clay, gravel, chunky rocks, and boulders. Some of the points and shorelines are graced with buck brush, stickups, overhanging trees, and some laydowns.
We were encouraged to see that the water conditions had improved significantly since June 27. During this July 14 outing, the water level was at normal pool. The water clarity was 2 1/2 feet, and the water temperature ranged from 81 to 83 degrees.
One of the three islands we fished is in the lower end of the reservoir. Its shoreline is flat and cluttered with baseball-size rocks, boulders, and flooded stickups. It yielded three largemouth bass that were caught in less than five feet of water around the outside edges of the patches of flooded stickups, and the first two of these three largemouth bass were caught simultaneously. Two were caught on a slow swimming retrieve with a 2 3/4-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD TubeZ affixed on a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. The other largemouth bass was induced by a Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat rigged on a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead and a moderate-paced swimming retrieve.
The second and third islands are situated in the upper northwest section of the reservoir. Their shorelines are lined with boulders, standing timber, flooded buck brush, and stickups. We slowly dissected the entire perimeter of the second island, and we failed to elicit a strike.
The third island is the largest of the three and is situated about 100 yards south of the second one. We fished about a 75-yard segment of shoreline on the northeast side of this island, which has several large clusters of chunky rocks and boulders, and one of the patches of boulders that is situated in five feet of water yielded one largemouth bass. It was enticed by a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a shortened 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ fastened on a blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.
The 11 main-lake points that we investigated are located on the reservoir’s east shoreline, and they stretch from the lower end of the reservoir to its upper end. Some are flat and some are steep, and most of them were devoid of any significant aggregations of threadfin shad and black bass. Three of them yielded 17 largemouth bass and three spotted bass that were relating to large clusters of rocks and boulders in five to 13 feet of water. They were coaxed into striking either the 2 3/4-inch green-pumpkin TRD TubeZ or the 2 1/2-inch green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ. These two lures were utilized with either a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation, a slow swimming retrieve, and a slow drag-and-deadstick presentation. Three largemouth bass were caught on the initial drop of these two lures.
The four fruitful main-lake shorelines are situated in the midsection of the reservoir’s east shoreline. They are steep and possess 35- to 60-degree inclines with submerged terrains that consist of large chunky rocks and boulders. They range in length from about 50 to 150 yards, and they yielded seven largemouth bass, two spotted bass, and two hybrid-spotted bass that were abiding near large boulders and rocks in three to 13 feet of water. These black bass were allured by either the initial fall, a slow swimming retrieve, or a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ and the 2 3/4-inch green-pumpkin TRD TubeZ rigs.
We failed to locate any threadfin shad or black bass around a riprap-covered jetty in the upper end of the reservoir.
In sum, we were delighted to tussle with 28 largemouth bass, five spotted bass, and two hybrid-spotted bass in five hours. We also inadvertently caught two white bass and two bluegills. Of these 35 black bass, 16 were enticed by a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve, a slow swimming retrieve, and the initial drop with the slightly shortened 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ matched with a blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Twelve were induced by a slow swimming retrieve with a 2 3/4-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD TubeZ affixed on a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Five were fooled by a slow swimming retrieve with a 3 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl GrubZ rigged on a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. One largemouth bass was induced by a moderate-paced swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat fastened on a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. And a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin ZinkerZ threaded on a blue 3 /32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead and employed with a slow swimming retrieve induced one largemouth bass.
We failed to elicit any strikes with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ on a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead, a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ on a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead, a slightly shortened 2 1/2-inch black-blue TRD TicklerZ on a blue 1/16-ounce TRD TicklerZ, and a Z-Man’s black-blue TRD HogZ affixed on a blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.
July 17
Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his July 17 outing.
Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas, and I fished at one of several federal hill-land reservoirs in the Dallas metropolitan area. This reservoir has been pretty stingy with its largemouth bass and spotted bass for the first six months of 2025, and now it appears to be loosening up a bit in July.
The last time Norman and I fished at this impoundment was on July 1. The fishing was above average, and we caught a mix of 28 largemouth bass and spotted bass in five hours.
It was sunny and humid on July 17. The morning’s low temperature was 76 degrees, and the afternoon’s high peaked at 94 degrees. We haven’t had a 100-degree day so far this summer, which is unusual, but the forecast for July 18 indicated an afternoon high temperature of 100 degrees. The wind quartered out of the south-by-southeast at 5 to 8 mph. The barometric pressure measured 29.92 at 6:00 a.m. and 29.96 by noon.
The water level was 0.25 of a foot above normal pool. The surface temperature varied from 81 to 85 degrees.
The water clarity ranged from muddy with four inches of visibility in the upper end of a major tributary arm in the lower region of the reservoir to stained with 24 inches of clarity in the midsection of this tributary.
According to In-Fisherman’s Solunar table, fishing would be great on July 17. The best fishing would occur between 4:34 a.m. and 6:34 a.m., 10:46 a.m. and 12:46 p.m., and 4:58 p.m. and 6:58 p.m.
We fished from 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
We spent the entire five hours searching for largemouth bass and spotted bass inside a major tributary arm in the southwest region of the reservoir. The black bass fishing was better than it was on July 1; we inveigled 31 black bass, which consisted of 23 largemouth bass and eight spotted bass. We also inadvertently caught one white bass and one channel catfish.
As we were fishing for black bass, we occasionally observed small schools of white bass chasing shad on the surface of the water, and we caught one of them when a small school surfaced near our boat. Their surface foraging lasted only a few seconds, and they would disappear as quickly as they appeared.
We caught these 31 black bass in eight feet of water or less. Most of them were associated with 13 flat and rocky main-lake points and short segments of their main-lake shorelines in the lower and middle sections of the tributary, where we had never fished before. They were relating to submerged clusters of boulders and chunky rocks that were entertaining schools of threadfin shad. The water became muddier at the upper end of the tributary, and its clarity diminished to four inches, and the number of strikes diminished substantially there.
We also probed a couple of rocky secondary points and shorelines, and a segment of a submerged roadbed inside two major feeder-creek arms that feed the tributary arm. We caught one largemouth bass from a riprap-laden shoreline in the back end of one of the creek arms. The secondary points and roadbed were fruitless.
We caught four largemouth bass, three spotted bass, and one channel catfish in two to five feet of water around a 50-yard stretch of the perimeter of a main-lake island in the lower section of the tributary arm. The submerged terrain around this island is composed of gravel, chunky rocks, and a few boulders. The water’s edge is adorned with flooded stickups and buck brush. Three of the black bass were caught on back-to-back casts near the remnants of a concrete building foundation, which is situated on the south side of the island. And one largemouth bass was caught in seven feet of water from a bluff shoreline in the midsection of the tributary.
We probed the submerged riprap that covers two bridge embankments at the lower end of the tributary. One of the embankments yielded one largemouth bass in three feet of water.
In sum, we employed nine Midwest finesse rigs, and seven of them were effective.
July 22
Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his July 22 outing.
On July 10, Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas, and I fished at a challenging federal hill-land reservoir in north-central Texas from 6:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., and the black bass fishing was above average. Many of the locations that we targeted in the middle and lower regions of the reservoir entertained large schools of threadfin shad, and after completing our last cast and retrieve, our mechanical counter tallied 25 largemouth bass.
On July 22, Todd Judy of Denton and I thought we would return to the same federal reservoir that Norman and I fished on July 10. This was one of our shorter outings; we fished for three hours from about 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
It was sunny on July 22, and we were grateful that Mother Nature had turned the humidity level down a notch or two. The sky was partly cloudy. The morning's low temperature was 75 degrees. The afternoon's high temperature reached 98 degrees. The wind blew out of the south at 10 to 15 mph. The barometric pressure measured 29.94 at 7:00 a.m. and 29.96 at 10:00 a.m.
According to In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar, fishing would be poor on July 22. The best fishing would most likely occur between 2:42 a.m. and 4:42 a.m., 8:57 a.m. and 10:57 a.m., and 9:28 p.m. to 11:28 p.m.
The water exhibited 18 inches of visibility. The surface temperature held steady at 82 degrees. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been slowly releasing water from this impoundment for the past six weeks, and now that the water level is back to its normal pool level, the Corps is no longer releasing water.
We launched the boat on the north side of the middle section of the reservoir, and we travelled about two miles southward to a main-lake entry point at the entrance to a major feeder-creek arm on the south side of the reservoir.
This point, and about 50-yards of its adjoining main-lake shoreline, are flat and rocky. This point and stretch of shoreline surrendered six largemouth bass that were abiding in two to three feet of water and within 10 feet of the water’s edge. Four of the six were caught by employing a steady swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat rigged on a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. The other two were enticed by a steady swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ affixed on a red 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.
From that main-lake point and shoreline, we travelled about 200 yards to a main-lake island. This island’s shallow-water areas are cluttered with standing timber, clusters of buck brush, laydowns, a few scattered boulders, and some deteriorating stumps. The island had attracted oodles of threadfin shad and yielded 13 largemouth bass on July 10, but this time, it was virtually devoid of largemouth bass and threadfin shad. We fished around the entire perimeter of the island, and we garnered only one largemouth bass that was caught in three feet of water and within five feet of the water’s edge. It was induced by a steady swimming retrieve with the pearl Baby Goat rig.
From the main-lake island, we traveled about a mile eastward to another feeder-creek arm on the south side of the reservoir. We focused on its two main-lake entry points.
The first entry point is flat and adorned with riprap, chunky rocks, small gravel, and a concrete boat ramp. As we were fishing around this point, a boat angler slowly idled up to the boat ramp to trailer his boat. We spoke with him briefly, and he reported that he had failed to elicit any strikes. After speaking with the boat angler and failing to provoke any strikes around the main-lake point, we continued to fish westward across a short 50-yard section of a flat main-lake shoreline adjacent to the main-lake point. This shoreline is graced with riprap, small gravel, and chunky rocks. It surrendered two largemouth bass that were relating to the shallow riprap in less than three feet of water. The first bass engulfed the pearl Baby Goat rig on its initial fall near the outside edge of the submerged riprap, and the second bass engulfed the 2 1/2-inch pearl Sim SwimZ combo as it was being steadily retrieved around the outside edge of the submerged riprap.
The second entry point, which is steep and bedecked with numerous submerged boulders and large chunky rocks, was fruitless.
Our final stop was in the lower end of the reservoir where we slowly dissected the center portion of riprap that covers a dam. The dam is 12,850 feet long and 137 feet high. The center-section of riprap that we probed is approximately 1,427 feet long, and it relinquished five largemouth bass. One was caught in about eight feet of water on a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin ZinkerZ rigged on a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Another largemouth bass was caught in 12 feet of water with a slow swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s slam shady GrubZ fastened on a blue 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse jig. The other three bass were allured by a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a Z-Man’s black-blue TRD BugZ matched with a blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead in nine to 13 feet of water.
In closing, we caught 14 largemouth bass in three hours, which we consider to be an average outing by north-central Texas’ standards. We were surprised that we didn’t cross paths with any other species of gamefish such as spotted bass, smallmouth bass, white bass, channel catfish, crappie, and bluegill which also inhabit this impoundment.
July 22
Ned and Pat Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their brief octogenarian outing at a 93-year-old state reservoir in northeastern Kansas on July 22.
The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 75 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 94 degrees. The wind angled out of the southeast, east, and south at 3 to 17 mph. The conditions of the sky varied from fair to mostly cloudy to cluttered with a few clouds. The barometric pressure was 29.95 at 12:52 a.m., 29.90 at 5:52 a.m., 29.93 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.92 at 2:52 p.m.
Since July 17, some areas in northeastern Kansas were walloped with a multitude of significant thunderstorms. For instance, Shawnee, Kansas, received 8.71 inches on July 17 and 1.44 inches on July 21. As the proverbial crow flies, Shawnee is about 20 miles from the watershed of this state reservoir. The National Weather Service at Lawrence, Kansas, noted on July 16 that it had received 15.83 inches of rain in 2025, which is 4.35 inches below normal, and six days later, it had received 21.43 inches of rain in 2025, which is 0.56 inches above normal.
It was speculated by several area anglers that the water level at a nearby community reservoir rose nearly 10 feet during one of the many horrendous downpours on July 17. We suspected the water level at this state reservoir would be four to five feet above its normal level, and the water would be murky. But we were surprised to discover that the water level was only about 2 ½ feet above normal, and according to our nine-foot push pole, the water exhibited three to 6 ½ feet of clarity. The surface temperature was 84 degrees. Its submerged aquatic vegetation is quite magnificent; it consists of brittle naiad and coontail. From early November to late June, this reservoir’s shallow-water shorelines and flats are covered with intense patches of curly-leaf pondweeds. One shallow-water flat is coated with a gigantic patch of American lotus plants. Most of the shorelines are lined with thick patches of American water willows.
This exurban reservoir is usually heavily fished, but there were only four largemouth bass anglers afloat today. We suspected that the heat and the aftereffects of the recent thunderstorms were keeping many anglers at bay.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 8:50 a.m. to 10:50 a.m., 9:21 p.m. to 11:21 p.m., and 2:34 a.m. to 4:34 a.m.
During the past 58 days, both of us have been confounded by several health issues – especially my incessant woes with Demodex blepharitis, which has adversely affected my vision and provoked many spells of vertigo and lightheadedness. Therefore, it has been difficult for us to fish, and this short outing was more of a physical therapy endeavor than a traditional Midwest finesse outing.
We made our first casts at 11:33 a.m. and our last ones around 1:40 p.m. We took a break for about 16 minutes of these 127 minutes to eat a small lunch in the shade under a magnificent overhanging oak tree along one of this reservoir’s wonderful shorelines.
During the 111 minutes that we fished, we caught 17 largemouth bass, two bluegill, and one crappie. One of the largemouth bass was caught on a shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s purple-haze Finesse WormZ affixed on a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. A 2 ½-inch Z-Man’s sprayed-grass ZinkerZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead allured four largemouth bass. Five largemouth bass were caught on a shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s PB&J Finesse WormZ affixed on a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. A 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin GrubZ on a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead inveigled seven largemouth bass.
On the second cast of this outing, the initial drop of the purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig allured a largemouth bass along the outside edge of a submerged patch of brittle naiad in about five feet of water on a main-lake point that is situated at the mouth of a primary feeder-creek arm and a small feeder-creek arm. The underwater terrain of this point consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are carpeted with patches of brittle naiad and coontail. The water’s edge is enhanced with thick patches of American water willows. This point possesses a 40-degree slope.
Inside this primary feeder-creek arm, we failed to catch a largemouth bass along about a 250-yard stretch of secondary shoreline that is immediately adjacent to the main-lake point. This shoreline’s underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally enhanced with patches of brittle naiad and coontail. It has a 40- to 50-degree slope. The water’s edge is lined with thick patches of American water willows, many overhanging trees, several laydowns, and few piles of tree limbs.
Across a small section of a massive shallow-water flat and along a short stretch of this flat’s shoreline in the back of this primary feeder-creek arm, we caught seven largemouth bass. This entire area looks to be about the size of seven football fields. We quickly fished across and around an area about the size of two football fields. The water’s edge of this flat is cluttered with significant patches of American water willows, many overhanging trees, and numerous laydowns. The center of the flat is also endowed with a small island, which is embellished with patches of American water willows and littered with scores of concrete blocks and small boulders. Portions of the underwater terrain are quilted with patches of coontail and brittle naiad. An array of manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees also decorated this flat; some are partially submerged, and others are totally submerged. Three submerged creek channels meander across portions of the underwater terrain; silt has filled many feet of these submerged creek channels. Our green-pumpkin GrubZ rigs enticed these seven largemouth bass. Three were caught around two piles of submerged eastern red cedar trees in about five feet of water. Four were caught around patches of brittle naiad and coontail in about six to seven feet of water. We inveigled them as we employed a swim-and-pause presentation.
Around a main-lake point at the mouth of another primary feeder-creek arm, we caught one largemouth bass. This point possesses a 40- to 45-degree slope. The underwater terrains consist of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are enhanced with patches of coontail. The water’s edges are enhanced with patches of American water willows that are adorned with a few minor laydowns, and their outside edges are entwined with patches of brittle naiad. The largemouth bass engulfed our sprayed-grass ZinkerZ rig in about seven feet of water as we employed a drag-pause-and-shake presentation.
Around a secondary point and a short segment of this point’s secondary shoreline, we caught two largemouth bass. This area possesses a 35- to 45-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and the remnants of a rock fence. This terrain is occasionally coated with patches of brittle naiad and coontail. The water’s edge is comprised of a small patch of American water willows and several overhanging trees. Our PB&J Finesse WormZ rigs inveigled the two largemouth bass. One was caught on the initial drop in about three feet of water under an overhanging tree. The other one was caught on a very slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about eight feet of water.
We caught one largemouth bass around another secondary point inside this feeder-creek arm. This point possesses a 40-degree slope. Its underwater terrain is endowed with gravel, rocks, and boulders that are coated with some patches of brittle naiad and coontail. The water’s edge is graced with one overhanging tree and a few patches of American water willows. The initial drop of the PB&J Finesse WormZ rig allured this largemouth bass in about four feet of water.
We failed to catch a largemouth bass around two secondary points that are about halfway inside this primary feeder-creek arm.
We ended this short conjugal and physical therapy outing by fishing around a secondary point and a portion of its secondary shoreline in the back of this feeder-creek arm. This area possesses a 35- to 45-degree point. Its underwater terrain is endowed with gravel, rocks, and boulders that are endowed with scores of patches of brittle naiad and coontail. The water’s edge is graced with many overhanging trees and scores of thick and magnificent patches of American water willows that are interlaced with patches of brittle naiad and coontail. We eked out five largemouth bass from this point and shoreline. Two of the five largemouth bass were caught on our PB&J Finesse WormZ rig; one was caught on an accidental deadstick presentation in about six feet of water; the second one was caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about four to five feet of water. The other three were caught on our sprayed-grass ZinkerZ rigs; one was allured by a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about six feet of water; two were caught on the initial drop in about four feet of water adjacent to the outside edges of the American water willow patches.
July 23
Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his outing with Bill Kenney of Denton at a federal reservoir in north-central Texas on July 23.
We fished at a federal hill-land reservoir in the Dallas metropolitan area. During a previous outing on July 17 at this reservoir with Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas, Norman and I amassed a mixture of 31 largemouth and spotted bass in five hours.
It was sunny and hot on July 23. The morning’s low temperature was 76 degrees, and the afternoon’s high peaked at 98 degrees with a heat index in the low 100s. The wind quartered out of the south and southeast at 5 to 8 mph. The barometric pressure measured 29.97 at 6:00 a.m. and 30.00 by 10:00 p.m.
The fishing forecast indicated good fishing on July 23 according to In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar. The most productive fishing would occur between 3:39 a.m. and 5:39 a.m., 9:54 a.m. and 11:54 a.m., and 10:25 p.m. and 12:25 a.m.
We fished from 6:31 a.m. to 10:41 a.m.
We spent these four hours and 10 minutes searching for largemouth bass and spotted bass inside a major tributary arm in the southwest region of the reservoir.
The water level was at its normal level. The water clarity ranged from stained with 18 inches of clarity in the middle section of this major tributary arm to muddy with less than a foot of visibility in the upper section of the same tributary arm.
We began the outing just as the sun was rising, and we slowly motored a short distance to a prominent main-lake point at the mouth of a feeder-creek arm where we launched the boat. This point is situated on the south side and lower end of the tributary arm. Its terrain is flat and graced with red clay, small gravel, chunky rocks, stickups, buck brush, and a submerged roadbed. This point yielded five largemouth bass and one spotted bass.
Four largemouth bass were caught in two to five feet of water near the shallow clusters of flooded buck brush and stickups, and one largemouth bass and one spotted bass were caught in two to four feet of water from one side of the submerged roadbed. These six black bass were allured by a moderate-paced swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat matched with a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.
From that point, we traveled about a mile eastward to another main-lake point and shoreline that possesses flat and rocky terrains. These two areas are situated next to each other, and neither one of them yielded a largemouth bass, spotted bass, or a strike.
In two to five feet of water along one side of another major main-lake point that is located about 300 yards east of the one we just fished, we caught two largemouth bass. This point is also flat, and its submerged terrain consists of red clay, pea-size gravel, and a few scattered boulders. The water’s edge is decorated with patches of buck brush and a laydown.
The first largemouth bass was tempted by a moderate-paced swimming retrieve with the blue jig and pearl Baby Goat rig, and the second one engulfed a Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat that was rigged on a pearl 3/16-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse EyeZ jig that was also employed with a moderate-paced swimming retrieve.
Our next stop was at a main-lake island in the lower end of the tributary. Its perimeter is flat. Clay and small gravel make up the majority of its submerged terrain. Portions of the shallow-water areas are adorned with thick patches of partially-flooded stickups and buck brush. The southeast end of the island features large slabs and chunks of concrete from a dilapidated building foundation.
We caught five largemouth bass and one spotted bass in two to five feet of water across a 75-yard stretch of the island’s south and west shorelines. Two largemouth bass were caught from the concrete debris of the building foundation on a swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s The Deal Baby Goat affixed on a chartreuse 3/16-ounce Z-Man’s Trout Eye jig. Three largemouth bass and a spotted bass were caught along the west shoreline. Three were caught on a swimming retrieve with the blue jig and pearl Baby Goat rig, and one was caught on a swimming presentation with The Deal Baby Goat combo. Bill temporarily hooked then lost a hefty fish on The Deal Baby Goat combo, whose mannerisms mirror those of a hybrid-striped bass. Unfortunately, it broke Bill’s eight-pound fluorocarbon leader before we could see it.
After that, we travelled about three miles westward into the upper end of the tributary arm, where we targeted seven flat main-lake points and main-lake shorelines between several of the points on the south side of the tributary. We noticed that the water clarity had diminished to less than a foot of visibility. These points and shorelines are laden with small gravel, chunky rocks, and a few boulders, and they relinquished two spotted bass and one largemouth bass that were dwelling in two to four feet of water. The two spotted bass were allured by a swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s black-blue Baby Goat rigged on a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Bill inveigled the largemouth bass with a customized dice-lure rig. (Bill constructed this lure from a 3/4-inch section of a Z-Man’s plum Turbo FattyZ and threaded multiple black and red rubber strands from a spinnerbait skirt through the 3/4-inch piece of FattyZ with a sewing needle. He rigged it wacky-style with an extra-wide-gap worm hook, and inserted a small nail weight into the lure to help it sink. Bill employed this rig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve.)
After we finished fishing the main-lake points and shorelines on the south side of the tributary arm, we moved back to the middle section of the tributary arm where the water had 18 inches of clarity. Along the tributary’s north shoreline, we investigated four main-lake points and three stretches of its main-lake shoreline.
The four main-lake points weren’t very productive; two of the four main-lake points yielded two spotted bass and one largemouth bass. These four points are flat and graced with pea-size gravel, large rocks the size of a bowling ball, and some larger boulders. These three black bass were abiding near the large rocks in two to four feet of water and within 10 feet of the water's edge. They were enticed by employing a swimming retrieve with the blue jig and pearl Baby Goat.
The three sections of the main-lake shoreline weren’t very fruitful either. One of the sections is a rock bluff that is about 200 yards long, and we failed to elicit any strikes along this bluff.
Another section of the shoreline is located a short distance from the main-lake bluff and is about 50 yards long. It yielded one spotted bass. This stretch of shoreline has a level terrain that is embellished with a rock ledge cluttered with chunky rocks and boulders. This spotted bass was extracted from five feet of water along the deep-water side of the rock ledge after it engulfed the blue jig and pearl Baby Goat that was utilized with a slow swimming retrieve at a 45-degree angle to the ledge.
The last segment of the main-lake shoreline is about 100 yards in length. It has a level terrain littered with large rocks and a few scattered boulders. A large portion of it is shaded by a broad highway overpass. In the shaded areas of this shoreline, we caught one largemouth bass and one white bass. Both of these fish were caught in three to five feet of water on a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s slam shady GrubZ rigged on a blue 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig with a slow swimming motif.
At one end of this same stretch of shoreline, there is a small rock-and-gravel-laden tertiary point that was saturated with bright sunshine; it yielded one spotted bass that was caught from the end of the point on the pearl Baby Goat and a slow swimming retrieve.
In closing, this was Bill’s first outing since recovering from back surgery in mid-June. The fishing was above average; we caught a total of 23 black bass. Sixteen of them were largemouth bass, and seven were spotted bass. We also encountered five white bass and one humongous fish that broke Bill’s eight-pound fluorocarbon leader before we could see it.
July 28
Dave Weroha of Kansas City, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his outing on July 28 at a federal reservoir in northeastern Kansas.
Today's outing took an unexpected detour. My friend Bryan had a last-minute conflict, which meant his boat was not available. So I decided to fish by walking along two segments of the reservoir’s north shoreline from 12:20 p.m. to 2:20 p.m. By the time I made my last cast, the heat was unbearable. It was a strenuous ordeal carrying my fishing gear and trying to walk along the rock-and-brush-laden shoreline, pushing the heat past tolerable limits.
The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 73 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 96 degrees. The heat index reached 112 degrees. The wind angled out of the southeast, northeast, east, south, and southwest at 3 to 13 mph. The sky was fair. The barometric pressure was 30.05 at 12:52 a.m., 30.07 at 5:52 a.m., 30.12 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.09 at 2:52 p.m.
The water level was 1.7 feet above normal. The inflow was 50 cubic feet per second, and the outflow was 21 cubic feet per second. The surface temperature was in the mid-80s. The water exhibited a greenish hue with 2 ½ to three feet of visibility.
In total, I caught 17 fish: two channel catfish, five smallmouth bass, and 10 white bass. I elicited several strikes that I failed to hook.
My primary retrieve was the drag, pause, and shake. The swim-glide-and-shake retrieve failed to elicit any strikes. My casts were executed at about a 30-degree angle from the water’s edges.
All of the fish were caught about 12 to 15 feet from the water’s edge. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally enhanced with piles of brush, logs, and standing timber. Every strike was elicited along the bottom.
Twelve of the 17 fish were caught on this customized Z-Man’s Junebug ZinkerZ, which is 3 ¼ inches long and adorned with a purple marabou tail. The marabou tail gave the ZinkerZ a fantastic lifelike action, and the south wind and waves provoked the marabou to gyrate provocatively. The ZinkerZ is affixed to a Bass Pro Shops’ 1/0 weedless wacky rig hook. A Bass Pro Shops’ 1/8-ounce hook weight is attached to the shank of the hook. When the hook and weight are rigged to the ZinkerZ, the weight is situated near the center of the ZinkerZ, which accentuates a horizontal, gliding, and slower fall rate. And the marabou tail flared up as the rig fell horizontally to the bottom.
Five of the 17 fish were caught on this radically customized Z-Man’s Finesse ShadZ, which is adorned with a patch of blood-quill-brown marabou that radiates from the Finesse ShadZ’s abdomen and hook slot. From some angles, it looks as if the marabou is being excreted from the ShadZ’s anus. The torso of the Finesse ShadZ has a blackish-red hue, which was created by dying the ElasZtech material with Elastint stain. An artificial fish eye is attached to each side of the Finesse ShadZ’s head. This rig sports a XFisherman’s 1/0 weedless wacky worm hook. A short piece of braided line is attached near the bend of the hook’s shank, and a 1/8-ounce weight is affixed to the braided line Then the marabou is tied to the end of the braided line. In my eyes, this unique four-inch Finesse ShadZ rig rivals the effectiveness of a four-inch bucktail jig.
July 30
Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his outing at a 93-year-old state reservoir in northeastern Kansas on July 30.
The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 72 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 86 degrees. The wind was calm for four hours, and at other times, it angled out of the north, northeast, and east at 6 to 12 mph; there were some 20 to 28 to 30 mph gusts. The conditions of the sky varied from fair to mostly cloudy to partly cloudy to cluttered with a few clouds. The barometric pressure was 30.05 at 12:52 a.m., 30.11 at 5:52 a.m., 30.08 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.05 at 3:52 p.m.
The water level looked to be about 2 ½ feet above normal. The water exhibited five to 11 feet of visibility. The surface temperature ranged from 88 to 89 degrees.
This exurban reservoir is usually heavily fished, but I was the only angler afloat.
In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 3:22 a.m. to 5:22 a.m., 3:42 p.m. to 5:42 p.m., and 8:32 a.m. to 10:32 a.m.
For the past 65 days, my ability to fish has been confounded by Demodex blepharitis, which has adversely affected my vision and provoked many spells of vertigo and lightheadedness. Fortunately, I was back on my feet today and feeling nearly normal throughout this outing.
I caught a largemouth bass on my first cast at 11:45 a.m., and I made my last one when I caught largemouth bass number 51 at 3:22 p.m.
Two of the 51 largemouth bass were caught on a shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s PB&J Finesse WormZ affixed on a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead; it was shortened to 3.75 inches. Seven largemouth bass were caught on a 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s watermelon-red-flake GrubZ on a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. A 2 ½-inch Z-Man’s sprayed-grass ZinkerZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead allured 12 largemouth bass. Thirty largemouth bass were inveigled on a radically shortened 6.5-inch Z-Man’s purple-rain SMH WormZ affixed on a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead; it was shortened to 4.25 inches.
The watermelon-red-flake GrubZ rig is at the top of this photograph. The sprayed-grass ZinkerZ rig is the second from the top. The PB&J Finesse WormZ rig is the third from the top. And the purple-rain SMH WormZ rig is at the bottom of this photograph.
At the mouth of one of this reservoir’s two primary feeder creek arms, I caught 13 largemouth bass around a main-lake point and along about a 400-yard stretch of the main-lake shoreline adjacent to this point. The underwater terrain of this point and shoreline consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are carpeted with minor patches of brittle naiad and coontail. Some of the boulders are gigantic. The water’s edge is enhanced with thick patches of American water willows and a few laydowns. Brittle naiad and coontail patches are entwined with the outside edges of many of the American water willows. The point possesses a 45- to 50-degree slope. The shoreline has a 45-to 70-degree slope. The SMH WormZ rig allured all the largemouth bass in six to 14 feet of water as I employed a drag-pause-and-shake presentation. I was casting parallel to the shoreline and about 10 to 20 feet from the outside edge of the patches of American water willows. On six consecutive casts and retrieves, I caught a largemouth bass along the steepest section of the shoreline, and most of this area was devoid of submerged aquatic vegetation.
Along about a 75-yard stretch of the dam’s riprap shoreline, I caught one largemouth bass. The dam is 1,240 feet long and 63 feet high. Much of the riprap is comprised of boulders, which are coated with algae and a few patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. The largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the purple-rain SMH WormZ rig in about six feet of water.
I failed to catch a largemouth bass around the dam's spillway. I hooked one fish on the watermelon-red-flake GrubZ rig that quickly unfettered itself from the rig.
Along portions of about an 800-yard stretch of a secondary shoreline and around three secondary points inside the primary feeder-creek arm, I caught 17 largemouth bass. The underwater terrain of the points and shoreline consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are regularly adorned with numerous patches of brittle naiad and coontail. The water’s edge is enhanced with patches of American water willows, some overhanging trees, and a few laydowns. Patches of brittle naiad and coontail are entwined with the outside edges of some of the American water willows. The points have a 35- to 45-degree slope. The shorelines have a 25- to 50-degree slope. The sprayed-grass ZinkerZ rig allured five of the 17 largemouth bass with a drag-pause-and-shake presentation in seven to 11 feet of water and many feet from the water’s edge. Eleven largemouth bass were caught on the purple-rain SMH WormZ rig on a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in six to eleven feet of water; most of my casts and retrieves were parallel to the shoreline and 15 to 20 feet from the outside edge of the patches of American water willows. One was caught on the watermelon-red-flake GrubZ rig with a slow swimming presentation in about six feet of water around a patch of coontail on a flat section of the shoreline.
I spent about 15 minutes quickly examining and fishing across a massive shallow-water flat in the back of this primary feeder-creek arm. It is about the size of five football fields, and about a third of it is covered with American lotus plants; some portions of the underwater terrain are endowed with patches of brittle naiad and coontail. Manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees embellish some of the underwater terrain. Two submerged creek channels, which are silt-laden, crisscross this flat. Around several patches of coontail in about five to six feet of water, the purple-rain SMH WormZ rig caught four largemouth bass; one was caught on the initial drop, and three were caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation.
Around two secondary points and along portions of another secondary shoreline inside this feeder-creek arm, I caught nine largemouth bass. The points have a 35- to 45-degree slope. The shoreline has a 40- to 45-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and one submerged rock fence; this terrain is occasionally graced with patches of brittle naiad and coontail. A few manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees decorate the deep-water sections of the underwater terrain. The water's edge is adorned with patches of American water willows, a few overhanging trees, and a few laydowns. One of the secondary points yielded two largemouth bass; one was caught on the initial drop of the PB&J Finesse WormZ rig in about six feet of water around a patch of coontail and brittle naiad; this WormZ rig and a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation inveigled a largemouth bass in about 10 feet of water. The other secondary point was fruitless. Seven largemouth bass were caught along about a 125-yard stretch of the secondary shoreline on the sprayed-grass ZinkerZ rig. Six were caught as I employed a drag-pause-and-shake presentation in 10 to 16 feet of water, and as I was making casts parallel to the shoreline and 15 to 25 feet from the water's edge.
I failed to elicit a strike around this primary feeder-creek arm's other main-lake point and its main-lake shoreline.
I also failed to garner a strike on a main-lake offshore hump, which is a massive pile of rocks and boulders in eight to 15 feet of water.
I ended this outing across a small section of a massive shallow-water flat in the back of this reservoir's other primary feeder-creek arm. This flat looks to be the size of seven or more football fields. Portions of the underwater terrain are quilted with patches of coontail and brittle naiad. An array of manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees also decorated this flat; some of these piles are partially submerged. Three submerged creek channels meander across portions of the underwater terrain; silt has filled many feet of these submerged creek channels. I quickly fished along a short stretch of one of the creek channels, around several partially submerged piles of eastern red cedar trees, and along one side of a small island, which is embellished with a meager patch of American water willows and littered with scores of concrete blocks and small boulders. One of the seven largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the purple-rain SMH WormZ rig in about six feet of water around patches of brittle naiad and coontail. The other six were caught on the watermelon-red-flake GrubZ rig with a swimming presentation in five to six feet of water; three were caught around a couple of partially submerged eastern red cedar trees entangled with brittle naiad; the other three were caught adjacent to the submerged creek channel and around patches of brittle naiad and coontail.
During this three-hour and 38-minute outing, I caught an average of about 14 largemouth bass an hour. The 51 largemouth bass were the only species that I caught. None of the 51 would have impressed a lunker hunter, a tournament angler, or a producer of a television show or YouTube show. What's more, it doesn't come close to equaling our perpetual quest when we were young and more energetic anglers to catch an average of 25 black bass an hour. But for this 85-year-old angler who has been out of sorts for about two months, it was a delightful three hours and 38 minutes of Midwest finesse fishing. What’s more, the hellishly hot and humid weather has abated, and the weather forecasts indicate that it will be unseasonably cool and devoid of horrendous thunderstorms during the next five days.