Ned Kehde: Guide to Midwest Finesse Fishing: June 2026

June 1

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, and Rick Hebenstreit of Shawnee, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their June 1 outing at an 88-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

Mother Nature’s windy ways have subsided, but her rainy ways have been quite pronounced since May 28. For example, she dropped more than four inches of rain in our rain gauges, and a few flash floods have erupted at some locations in northeastern Kansas.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 66 degrees, and the afternoon's high temperature was 89 degrees. The wind was calm for six hours, and at other times it angled from the northwest, northeast, and east at 3 to 15 mph, and two gusts reached 20 to 21 mph. The conditions of the sky varied from thunderstorms to mostly cloudy to fair to a few clouds to partly cloudy. The barometric pressure was 29.87 at 12:53 a.m., 29.96 at 5:53 a.m., 30.02 at 11:53 a.m., and 30.02 at 2:53 p.m.

The water level looked to be about six inches above normal. The surface temperature was 79 degrees. The water exhibited two to four feet of visibility in the upper half of this reservoir; it had nearly eight feet of visibility around the dam.   Some of the patches of American water willows that grace this reservoir’s shorelines have been sprayed with an herbicide, especially along the dam, which is a tragedy. But there are vast patches of floating duckweeds, which are intertwined with wads of filamentous algae and coat the surface along many of the shorelines. There is also a resurrection of the patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 11:18 a.m. to 1:18 p.m., 11:44 p.m. to 1:44 a.m., and 5:31 a.m. to 7:31 a.m.

We made our first casts at 10:15 a.m. and our last at 2:15 p.m.

We caught 64 largemouth bass and two bluegill.

Three largemouth bass were caught on a shortened Z-Man’s hot-snakes Finesse TRD affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Nine largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s watermelon-red Finesse ShadZ attached to a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. Eleven largemouth bass were caught on a 4.75-inch Z-Man’s PB&J Finesse WormZ affixed to a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. A shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s dirt Finesse WormZ attached to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig inveigled 41 largemouth bass.

We caught these largemouth bass on four retrieves; eight were caught on a drag-and-pause presentation, eight were caught on a drag-and-subtle-shake presentation, 19 were caught on the initial drop of our rigs, and 29 were caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

As we employed these various presentations, the largemouth bass were caught from about three to 40 feet from the water’s edge and in water as shallow as three feet and as deep as 18 feet. We also fished around scores of docks, where we caught the largemouth bass either under or immediately adjacent to the outside edges of the docks. The other largemouth bass were caught between the docks, around rocks and boulders, around the floating wads of duckweeds and filamentous algae, and around the submerged patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds.

We tangled with seven largemouth bass along the shoreline of the dam. It is 1,550 feet long with a height of 58 feet and a 50- to 60-degree slope. The water’s edge is graced with a concrete water outlet tower, patches of terrestrial grasses, wads of floating duckweeds and filamentous algae, and patches of dying American water willows. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally adorned with patches of coontail, bushy pondweeds, and wads of filamentous algae. Three of the seven largemouth bass were caught on the PB&J Finesse WormZ, and five were caught on the dirt Finesse WormZ. Some were caught in water as shallow as three to four feet, and adjacent to the patches of American water willows, floating duckweeds, and filamentous algae. Others were caught in five to 11 feet of water, and they were caught on either rocky terrains or areas graced with coontail and bushy pondweeds.  Three were caught on the initial drop of our rigs. Eight were caught as we employed a slow swim-glide-and -shake presentation.

We caught three largemouth bass around two tertiary points adjacent to the spillway. These points have a 30-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and a ledge that parallels deep water; this terrain is endowed with patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds. The water’s edge is decorated with American water willows, duckweeds, and filamentous algae. The initial drop of the PB&J Finesse WormZ rig allured one of the three largemouth bass. The dirt Finesse WormZ rig with a drag-and-pause retrieve caught two of the three largemouth bass. These largemouth bass were caught in about six to seven feet of water.

Across an offshore hump that is adjacent to a main-lake point in the lower quarter of the reservoir, we caught six largemouth bass. This area has a 25- to 30-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Some of the boulders are massive. There is a ledge that quickly plummets into deep water. Some of the shallow-water areas are enhanced with patches of coontail and wads of filamentous algae. The hot-snakes Finesse TRD rig caught two of the six. The dirt Finesse WormZ rig caught four of the six. Three of the six largemouth bass were caught on the initial drop, and three were caught on a drag-and-pause presentation. Three were caught along the outside edge of the submerged patches of coontail in about six to seven feet of water. Three were caught around the boulders of the hump in about five to six feet of water. These fish were caught many yards from the water’s edge.

We fished around a main-lake point in the lower half of this reservoir. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are coated with some patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds. It has a 30-degree slope until it drops into deep water about 40 feet from the water’s edge. The water’s edge has a stone retaining wall, two docks, and some meager patches of American water willows. This point yielded four largemouth bass. One was caught on the initial drop of the hot-snakes Finesse TRD rig near the outside edge of a patch of American water willows and around patches of bushy pondweeds in about four feet of water. The dirt Finesse WormZ rig caught three largemouth bass in about seven to nine feet of water with a drag-and-pause presentation.

We fished along about a 400-yard section of about an 800-yard-long main-lake shoreline in the lower half of the reservoir. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Some of the boulders are massive. 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. The underwater terrain is occasionally embellished with patches of filamentous algae, patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds, and manmade piles of tree limbs. The shoreline possesses a 25- to 50-degree slope. The water’s edges of this 400-yard shoreline are lined with several concrete and stone retaining walls, a few overhanging trees, a few patches of floating duckweeds and filamentous algae, some patches of American water willows, and 14 docks. The dirt Finesse WormZ rig caught eight largemouth bass along this shoreline. Three were caught on the initial drop of the rig along the outside edges of three of the 14 docks. Five were caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation. They were caught in water as shallow as five feet and as deep as 18 feet.

At the south end of this 800-yard main-lake shoreline, we fished around a main-lake point, which is enhanced with an offshore hump. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are enhanced with patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds. The water’s edge is adorned with American water willows, floating duckweeds, and filamentous algae. The hump was fruitless. The point yielded one largemouth bass, which was caught on the initial drop of the dirt Finesse WormZ rig in five to six feet of water.

In the upper half of the reservoir, we failed to garner a largemouth bass along about a 75-yard main-lake shoreline and around two main-lake points.  

Along about a 200-yard stretch of a massive shoreline in the upper half of the reservoir, we caught four largemouth bass. The underwater terrain of this shoreline consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are adorned with patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds, a few PVC fish attractors, and some manmade piles of tree limbs. The shoreline possesses a 35- to 60-degree slope. The water’s edge consists of one concrete retaining wall, four docks, one small rock bridge, a few minor laydowns, several piles of brush, some patches of American water willows, several overhanging trees, and many floating patches of duckweeds and filamentous algae. Two of the four largemouth bass were caught on the watermelon-red Finesse ShadZ rig. The dirt Finesse WormZ rig caught two largemouth bass. One of the four was caught on the initial drop of the Finesse ShadZ rig near the water’s edge in about four feet of water. The others were caught around the patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

Along another 200-yard stretch of a massive shoreline in the upper half of the reservoir, we eked out two largemouth bass. The underwater terrain of this shoreline consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are coated with patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds. The shoreline possesses a 30- to 50-degree slope. The water’s edge consists of several concrete retaining walls, seven docks, some patches of American water willows, several overhanging trees, and extremely vast and thick patches of floating duckweeds and filamentous algae. The two largemouth bass were caught on the watermelon-red Finesse ShadZ rig with a dragging presentation in about nine to 10 feet of water.

In the lower half of this reservoir, we fished along two segments of a 1,200-yard main-lake shoreline, which yielded 26 largemouth bass.  These segments have a 20- to 45-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. The flatter sections are laden with some 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 26 docks, some patches of American water willows,  several retaining walls, and floating patches of duckweeds and filamentous algae.  It is also graced with two humps that are slightly offshore. The watermelon-red Finesse ShadZ rig caught five largemouth bass, the PB&J Finesse WormZ rig caught seven largemouth bass, and the dirt Finesse WormZ rig caught 14 largemouth bass. Fourteen of the largemouth bass were caught adjacent to the docks. A dozen were caught around the patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. All of them were many yards from the water’s edge. Six were caught on a dragging presentation, seven were caught on the initial drop, and 13 were caught on the slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

In conclusion, we caught an average of 16 largemouth bass per hour.

June 2

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his June 2 smallmouth bass outing with Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas, at a popular federal reservoir in south-central Oklahoma.

When we arrived at the boat ramp at about 8:40 a.m., the parking lot was empty. But by 10:30 a.m., this reservoir was bustling with people swimming and pleasure boaters, jet skiers, and other boat anglers running to and fro around the reservoir.

The sky conditions changed from overcast to partly cloudy. The morning’s low temperature was 70 degrees, and the afternoon’s high peaked at 91 degrees. The wind angled out of the north and northeast at 12 to 20 mph. The barometric pressure measured 30.02 at 9:00 a.m. and 29.99 at 2:00 p.m.  

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar indicated average fishing on June 2. It also noted that the most lucrative fishing would take place from 12:10 a.m. to 2:10 a.m., 6:23 a.m. to 8:23 a.m., and 12:35 p.m. to 2:35 p.m.

We fished from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The water exhibited between eight and ten feet of clarity. The surface temperature ranged from 79 to 81 degrees. The water level appeared to be at its normal pool level.

The last time Norman and I fished at this reservoir together was a month ago on May 2, and we caught 49 smallmouth bass and one largemouth bass in six hours.

During this June 2 foray, we spent five hours in the midsection of the reservoir’s west tributary arm. We targeted six secondary points and an adjacent 100-yard section of a secondary shoreline inside two feeder-creek arms, two offshore main-lake humps, five major rock ledges that parallel five prominent main-lake shorelines, and a small portion of a main-lake island. And by the time we had executed our last casts and retrieves at 2:00 p.m., our mechanical counter had tallied 50 smallmouth bass and three largemouth bass. We also inadvertently caught one channel catfish.

Inside the two feeder creek arms, we caught nine smallmouth bass and one largemouth bass from six primary rocky secondary points and one major secondary rock ledge. One smallmouth bass and one largemouth bass were caught in the first creek arm, and eight smallmouth bass were caught in the second arm. The secondary points inside these two feeder-creek arms are flat, and they yielded the nine smallmouth bass. These bass were abiding in five to 11 feet of water near several large clusters of boulders mixed with chunky rocks. The 100-yard section of the secondary shoreline adjacent to one of the secondary points in the first creek arm yielded one largemouth bass. This shoreline’s main feature is a rock ledge that is lined with thick patches of American water willows growing on top of the ledge. The ledge is covered with three to five feet of water and rapidly descends into deep water. This largemouth bass was relating to the outside edge of a thick patch of American water willows on top of the ledge in about four feet of water.

The two main-lake offshore humps relinquished 16 smallmouth bass; eight were caught from each hump. These two humps are blanketed with chunky rocks and boulders. These smallmouth bass were caught in five to eight feet of water around clusters of boulders on the east and north sides of the humps, which were taking the brunt of the wind and white-capped waves.    

The five main-lake ledges, which vary in length from about 50 yards to 150 yards, yielded 24 smallmouth bass and two largemouth bass. These ledges extend about 10 to 15 feet from the water’s edge. They are embellished with numerous chunky rocks and boulders. These 26 black bass were associated with the deep-water sides of the ledges in eight to 13 feet of water.  

One smallmouth bass was caught in six feet of water from the side of a large boulder situated on the southwest perimeter of a main-lake island. We had planned on fishing a goodly portion of a boulder-laden area on the south side of the island, but two other anglers in a boat were already occupying that area.  

We caught these 53 black bass on nine Midwest finesse rigs and three presentations. One of the three largemouth bass was enticed by a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with a 2 3/4-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD TubeZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse jig. This rig was used off and on for about a dozen casts.  One smallmouth bass was caught on a steady-swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s cisco-disco Slim SwimZ rigged on a black 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. A Z-Man’s coppertreuse Finesse TRD rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig with a slow swim-and-occasional-shake presentation enticed another smallmouth bass. A Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse TRD rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig and a slow swim-and-occasional-shake presentation enticed two smallmouth bass. We utilized a Z-Man’s Mud Minnow Finesse TRD affixed on a black 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig with a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation for about two dozen casts, and it enticed three smallmouth bass. A Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse TRD attached to a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig induced six smallmouth bass. Eight smallmouth bass and one channel catfish were tempted by a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with a Z-Man’s meatdog Finesse TRD fastened on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Twelve smallmouth bass engulfed a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse TRD affixed on a 1/16-ounce green-pumpkin mushroom-style jig while it was implemented with a slow swim-and-occasional-shake retrieve. Sixteen smallmouth bass and two largemouth bass were coaxed into striking a 2 3/4-inch Z-Man’s Canada-craw TRD TubeZ matched with a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig as it was employed with a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation.            

In conclusion, it was another delightful day of smallmouth bass fishing. Even though the water temperature at this reservoir has now reached the 80-degree mark, which traditionally puts an end to our springtime shallow-water smallmouth bass bite, we were amazed that we still found a significant number of smallmouth bass still inhabiting some shallow-water lairs in this warm water. 

June 2

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about a short research outing at an 86-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 80 degrees. The wind was calm for two early-morning hours, and at other times it angled from the northwest, south, east, southeast, or northeast at 3 to 13 mph, with one gust around 2:52 p.m. reaching 21 mph. The conditions of the sky varied from fair to a few clouds to partly cloudy. The barometric pressure was 30.06 at 12:53 a.m., 30.12at 5:53 a.m., 30.21 at 11:53 a.m., and 30.17 at 3:53 p.m.

The water level looked to be about a foot above normal. The surface temperature was 81degrees. The water exhibited three feet of visibility around the dam in the upper half of this reservoir; it had nearly eight feet of visibility around the dam.  

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 12:14 a.m. to 2:14 a.m., 12:39 p.m. to 2:39 p.m., and 6:26 a.m. to 8:26 a.m.

I was on the water from 2:06 p.m. to 3:52 p.m., and I fished along the shoreline of the dam for about an hour and 10 minutes.

The dam is 600 yards long. It is 85 feet high with a 35- to 70-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gigantic boulders that are as flat as a table and almost perfectly aligned. Age and water have caused some of these boulders to disintegrate, which allows patches of American water willows to root and grow along the water’s edge, and there are some burgeoning submerged patches of Eurasian milfoil rooted in about six feet of water. Besides the American water willows, there are several piles of tree trunks and limbs scattered along the water’s edge. There is also a riprap jetty that supports a water outlet tower. The flatter and shallow-water sections at each end of the dam are enriched with the dam’s thickest patches of emergent and submerged aquatic vegetation.

My primary focus during this 70-minute outing was to compare three standard Midwest finesse rigs to one of the new urchin-style rigs. I wanted to discover the most effective ways to retrieve a Z-Man’s Fuzzy Nugget with my Z-Man Drew's Ultimate Ned Rig Spinning Rods. One of my rods sported a shortened Z-Man’s hot-snakes Finesse TRD affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. A Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse ShadZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig was on the second rod.  The third rod sported a 2.75-inch Z-Man’s Junebug TRD BugZ attached to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. On the fourth rod, I worked with a Z-Man’s yoga-pants Fuzzy Nugget attached to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig with a number one hook.

The Finesse TRD rig is at the top of this photograph.  The TRD BugZ is the second one. The third one is the Finesse ShadZ. The Fuzzy Nugget is at the bottom.

I spent 15 minutes with each rig and caught a total of 15 largemouth bass, nine channel catfish, one flathead catfish, and one green sunfish. Unfortunately, I failed to discover the best way to employ the Fuzzy Nugget; it inveigled one largemouth bass, which was the biggest of the 15, looking as if it might weigh around 2 ½ pounds, a green sunfish, and a flathead catfish. The Junebug Finesse ShadZ caught four largemouth bass and one channel catfish. The Junebug TRD BugZ caught five largemouth bass and four channel catfish. The hot-snakes Finesse TRD rig caught five largemouth bass and four channel catfish.

The Fuzzy NuggetZ caught the flathead catfish on the initial drop; the largemouth bass and green sunfish were caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation.  

Six of the other 23 fish were caught on the initial drop of the rigs. Four were caught on the hot-snakes Finesse TRD, one was caught on the Junebug TRD BugZ, and one was caught on the Finesse ShadZ.

Seven of the 23 were caught on a drag-pause-and-shake presentation. The Junebug TRD BugZ caught four of the seven, and the hot-snakes Finesse TRD caught three.

Ten of the 23 were caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation.  The hot-snakes Finesse TRD caught two. Four were caught on the Junebug Finesse ShadZ rig.  Four were caught on the Junebug TRD BugZ.

Even though I failed to figure out how to effectively employ the Fuzzy NuggetZ as a Midwest finesse rig, the three other Midwest finesse rigs helped me to catch an average of about 12 largemouth bass per hour and about 20 fish per hour.

Part of the problem might have been the section of the dam that I fished with the Fuzzy NuggetZ. I might have caught more fish on it if I had used it at the two areas where I caught fish on the TRD BugZ or Finesse TRD, which were along the middle of the dam. I used the Fuzzy NuggetZ on the eastern end of the dam.

In the days, weeks, and months ahead, I will continue to periodically experiment with other colors of the Fuzzy Nugget, as well as the Fuzzy TRD and Fuzzy BugZ, and perhaps I will eventually get to figure out how to use them.

It is interesting to note that back in the late 1970s and 1980s, the late and great Guido Hibdon occasionally made a fuzzy Guido Bug by threading strands of rubber skirt material through the torso of the Guido Bug, which was a soft-plastic crayfish lure that Dion Hibdon created in 1977 for a school project in Versailles, Missouri.  And the Hibdons taught us how to inveigle vast numbers of largemouth bass and spotted bass on the fuzzy Guido Bug back in the 20th Century. 

June 9

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted this report on the Finesse News Network about his five-hour morning outing with Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas, at a federal reservoir in north-central Texas on June 9.    

We fished at a highly pressured federal hill-land reservoir in north-central Texas from 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

It was mostly sunny on June 6, and we were dismayed that Mother Nature had turned the humidity level up a notch or two. The sky conditions changed from mostly cloudy to partly cloudy to clear. The morning's low temperature was 75 degrees. The afternoon's high temperature reached 92 degrees. The wind blew from the south and southeast at 10 to 15 mph. The barometric pressure measured 29.98 at 6:00 a.m. and 30.01 at 11:00 a.m.

According to In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar, fishing would be poor on June 9. The best fishing would most likely occur between 6:07 a.m. and 8:07 a.m., 11:56 a.m. and 1:56 p.m., and 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Depending on where we were fishing, the water exhibited between 14 and 18 inches of visibility. The surface temperature ranged from 78 degrees to 81 degrees. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been slowly releasing water from this impoundment for the past few weeks, but the water level remained 1.26 feet above 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 immediately stopped at a 35-yard section of a fairly flat clay-and-gravel secondary shoreline across the creek arm from the boat ramp. This shoreline is located at the lower end of the creek arm. We stopped to fish this particular stretch of shoreline because we had observed about a dozen white egrets wading the shallows and looking for baitfish. We quickly fished this section of shoreline with a variety of Midwest finesse baits and presentations in hopes of tussling with a few white bass and black bass, but we failed to elicit any strikes.    

After that disappointing 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.  This island had attracted oodles of threadfin shad. We fished around the entire perimeter of the island, and we garnered five largemouth bass. They were caught many 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 a small open-water clay-and-gravel flat on the  north side of the island. Two of the five largemouth bass were induced by a steady-swimming retrieve with a three-inch Z-Man’s cisco-disco Slim SwimZ rigged on a blue 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.  Two more were enticed by a steady-swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s PB&J Finesse TRD attached to a green-pumpkin 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. The fifth largemouth bass was caught on a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ affixed on a blue 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig and a steady-swimming retrieve.  

Next, we moved about a quarter of a mile south of the island, where we fished two main-lake entry points to a medium-sized feeder-creek arm and two rocky secondary points inside the mouth of the creek arm.  One of the entry points is steep, and its submerged terrain consists primarily of clay, gravel, and chunky rocks. This point surrendered one largemouth bass. The other entry point is flat. Its underwater terrain consists of clay, gravel, chunky rocks, and boulders.  This point also yielded one largemouth bass. Both of these largemouth bass were abiding in less than five feet of water near submerged clusters of chunky rocks, and within 10 feet of the water’s edge. They were inveigled by a steady-swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse TRD threaded on a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. 

The two rocky secondary points just inside the creek arm were devoid of black bass.

From there, we travelled about 2 1/2 miles into the upper end of the impoundment, where we primarily 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 five of the nine points relinquished 11 largemouth bass and two spotted bass. They were caught along the sides and openings between the larger boulders. which were mixed with chunky rocks situated in three to five feet of water.  

One of the 11 largemouth bass was lured by the green-pumpkin Finesse TRD rig and a steady-swimming retrieve. One of the two spotted bass was tempted by a Z-Man’s Canada-craw Finesse TRD attached to a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Four largemouth bass were coaxed into striking the PB&J Finesse TRD combo while it was employed with a steady swimming retrieve. Six largemouth bass and the second spotted bass were caught on a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation with a 2 3/4-inch Z-Man’s black-blue-flake TRD TubeZ matched with a blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro finesse ShroomZ jig.  

In closing, the black bass fishing at this reservoir has been in an awful state for many months, and we haven’t caught 20 or more black bass at this reservoir since July 22, 2025, when Todd Judy of Denton and I caught 25 black bass during that five-hour excursion. But during this June 9 outing, the black bass fishing was slightly above average.  Even though many of the locations that Norman and I targeted in the middle and upper regions of this reservoir entertained large schools of threadfin shad, they were still bereft of catchable black bass. Ultimately, we were delighted to catch a total of 20 black bass by the end of this five-hour jaunt. Eighteen were largemouth bass, and two were spotted bass. We also tangled with two freshwater drum.

June 12

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, and Rick Hebenstreit of Shawnee, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their June 12 outing at an 88-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas. This is a heavily fished urban reservoir, and there was an array of power anglers pursuing largemouth bass today.

Mother Nature has walloped many parts of northeastern Kansas during the past six days with many inches of rain, ravaging winds, and a few tornadoes. It has made it a difficult task for us septuagenarians and octogenarians to get afloat. What’s more, some of our reservoirs are in disarray.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 57 degrees, and the afternoon's high temperature was 83 degrees. The wind was calm for hours on end, but for a few moments it was variable, angling from the south and southwest at 5 to 6 mph. The sky was absolutely cloudless. The barometric pressure was 29.98 at 12:53 a.m., 30.07 at 5:53 a.m., 30.06 at 11:53 a.m., and 30.01 at 2:53 p.m.

One of the power anglers described it as a windless post-cold front day.

The water level looked to be about six inches above normal. The surface temperature was 80 to 84 degrees. The water exhibited two to four feet of visibility in the upper half of this reservoir; it had nearly eight feet of visibility around the dam.   Some of the patches of American water willows that grace this reservoir’s shorelines have been sprayed with a herbicide, especially along the dam, which is a tragedy. But there are a few patches of floating duckweeds, which are intertwined with wads of filamentous algae and coat the surface along a few shorelines. This reservoir is experiencing a dynamic rebirth of the patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds, which were annihilated by aquatic herbicides and grass carp.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 8:14 a.m. to 10.14 a.m., 8:43 p.m. to 10:43 a.m., and 1:59 a.m. to 3:59 a.m.

We made our first casts at 9:53 a.m. and our last at 1:53 p.m.

We caught 43 largemouth bass and two bluegill.

One largemouth bass was caught on a Z-Man’s Drew’s craw TRD TicklerZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Two largemouth bass were caught on a shortened Z-Man’s hot-snakes Finesse TRD affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Eleven largemouth bass were caught on a 4.75-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ attached to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. A shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s dirt Finesse WormZ attached to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig inveigled 29 largemouth bass. The dirt Finesse WormZ rig is 3 ½-inches long, and the Finesse TRD rig is two inches long.  

One of the 43 largemouth bass was caught on an accidental deadstick and vertical presentation. Six were caught on the initial drop of our rigs. A swim-glide-and-shake presentation caught 36 largemouth bass. One was caught near the water’s edge and adjacent to a dead patch of American water willows; the others were caught many feet from the water’s edges around patches of submerged aquatic vegetation, docks, and humps and ledges of rocks and boulders. They were caught in about three to 15 feet of water.

We tangled with six largemouth bass along the shoreline of the dam. It is 1,550 feet long. It is 58 feet high and has a 50- to 60-degree slope. The water’s edge is graced with a concrete water outlet tower, patches of terrestrial grasses, and patches of dying American water willows. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are adorned with patches of coontail, bushy pondweeds, and wads of filamentous algae. One of the six largemouth bass was caught on a Drew’s craw TRD TicklerZ rig. The green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig caught one largemouth bass. Four were caught on the dirt Finesse WormZ. The initial drop of the green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig inveigled one largemouth bass adjacent to a dead patch of American water willows in three to four feet of water. The other five were caught on swim-glide-and-shake presentations around the patches of coontail and wads of filamentous algae in five to nine feet of water.

We fished along about a 100-yard stretch of the main-lake shoreline adjacent to the west end of the dam. It has a 25- to 30-degree slope. The water’s edge is lined with minor patches of American water willows and eight docks. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are adorned with patches of coontail, bushy pondweeds, and wads of filamentous algae. The dirt Finesse WormZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation caught a largemouth bass near the outside edge of a patch of coontail in about seven feet of water. The initial drop of the dirt Finesse WormZ rig along an outside corner of a dock enticed a largemouth bass.

We fished around a main-lake point in the lower half of this reservoir. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are coated with patches of coontail, bushy pondweeds, and filamentous algae. It has a 30-degree slope until it drops into deep water about 40 feet from the water’s edge. The water’s edge has a stone retaining wall, two docks, and some meager patches of American water willows. This point yielded four largemouth bass. Two were tricked by the green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation around the patches of submerged aquatic vegetation in six to eight feet of water. The dirt Finesse WormZ rig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in nine to 11 feet of water caught two largemouth bass around piles of rocks and boulders.

   We fished along about an 800-yard-long main-lake shoreline in the lower half of the reservoir. 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. The underwater terrain is occasionally embellished with wads of filamentous algae, patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds, and manmade piles of tree limbs. The shoreline possesses a 25- to 50-degree slope. The water’s edges are lined with several concrete and stone retaining walls, a few overhanging trees, a few patches of floating duckweeds and filamentous algae, some patches of American water willows, and 27 docks. The initial drop of the dirt Finesse WormZ rig inveigled two largemouth bass around the corners of two of the docks.  The green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation along the side of a dock and underwater ladder caught a largemouth bass. The initial drop of the hot-snakes Finesse TRD rig enticed a largemouth bass along the boulder ledge in about 10 feet of water.

In the upper half of the reservoir, we failed to garner a largemouth bass along about a 45-yard stretch of a main-lake shoreline and around two main-lake points.

Along about a 200-yard stretch of a massive shoreline in the upper half of the reservoir, we caught one largemouth bass. The underwater terrain of this shoreline consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are adorned with patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds, a few PVC fish attractors, and some manmade piles of submerged tree limbs. The shoreline possesses a 35- to 60-degree slope. The water’s edge consists of one concrete retaining wall, a short stretch of riprap, four docks, one small rock bridge, a few minor laydowns, several piles of brush, patches of American water willows, several overhanging trees, and a few floating patches of duckweeds and filamentous algae. Shortly after the initial drop of the hot-snakes Finesse TRD rig, a largemouth bass was caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about seven feet of water around patches of coontail.

In the lower half of this reservoir, we fished along a 600-yard stretch of a 1,200-yard main-lake shoreline, which yielded 14 largemouth bass.  This area has a 20- to 45-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. 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 26 docks, some patches of American water willows, several retaining walls, and a few floating patches of duckweeds and filamentous algae.  It is also graced with two humps that are slightly offshore. One hump yielded two largemouth bass, which were enticed by the dirt Finesse WormZ rig with a slow swimming

presentation around patches of submerged aquatic vegetation in about seven to eight feet of water. We caught four largemouth bass on the second hump with the dirt Finesse WormZ rig and swim-glide-and-shake presentation in five to seven feet of water. Eight of the 14 largemouth were caught along the main-lake shoreline. The green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation around a vast patch of coontail in about eight feet of water lured one of the eight largemouth bass. The dirt Finesse WormZ rig caught seven largemouth bass; one was caught on the initial drop along the front edge of one of the docks; one was caught on an accidental deadstick and vertical presentation in about 15 feet of water; the others were caught with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation around the patches of submerged aquatic vegetation.

We ended this outing by fishing along a main-lake shoreline and around the main-lake point at the end of this shoreline. This shoreline is adjacent to the reservoir’s spillway, which was endowed with a lot of current. This area has a 20- to 45-degree slope, and it is about 400 yards long. It is in the lower quarter of this reservoir. The water’s edge possesses 12 docks, several retaining walls, and some patches of American water willows.  The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, a submerged rock-and-boulder ledge that parallels deep water, a massive boulder hump adjacent to the main-lake point, and several smaller humps. These humps and the ledge are many yards from the water’s edge. All of the shallow-water areas are enhanced with patches of submerged vegetation and wads of filamentous algae. Around the main-lake point and along the outside edges of the patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds, we caught three largemouth bass; one was caught on the green-pumpkin Finesse TRD rig, and two were caught on the dirt Finesse WormZ rig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about eight to 10 feet of water. Along the shoreline, on the humps, and along the submerged ledge, we caught nine largemouth bass; the green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig caught five of the nine with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation, and the dirt Finesse WormZ caught four with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation. The patches of aquatic vegetation yielded three of the nine, and the humps and the ledge produced six of the nine.  

In conclusion, we caught 10.75 largemouth bass per hour. Four of the 43 largemouth bass were dinky critters. None were close to being lunkers. We elicited more than a dozen strikes that we failed to hook. We also temporarily hooked five fish that quickly unfettered themselves. Three of them broke our six-pound-test leaders, which happens only about once every two or three years. We suspect they might have been hefty channel catfish.

June 12

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted this log on the Finesse News Network about his outing at a federal reservoir in north-central Texas on June 12.

I fished at a heavily pressured federal hill-land reservoir that lies in a suburb north of the Dallas metropolitan area. It is the same reservoir that Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas, and I fished on May 20, when we struggled to eke out seven largemouth bass and one spotted bass during that perplexing five-hour ordeal.    

Thunderstorms were in the forecast for the afternoon and evening hours of June 12. Fortunately, the sky was partly cloudy, and it was sunny while I was fishing during the morning hours of June 12, though I did get caught in a 30-minute downpour as I was driving home. The morning’s low temperature was 77 degrees, and the afternoon’s high reached 89 degrees. The wind quartered out of the south and southeast at 10 to 15 mph. The barometric pressure rose slightly from 29.92 at 6:00 a.m. to 29.96 by 11:00 a.m.

Fishing was forecasted to be poor on June 12, according to In-Fisherman’s solunar table. It also indicated that the best fishing would most likely occur between 2:08 a.m. and 4:08 a.m., 8:22 a.m. and 10:22 a.m., and 8:52 p.m. to 10:52 p.m.

I was afloat for five hours from 6:20 a.m. to 11:20 a.m.

During these five hours, I fished inside the lower portions of two feeder-creek arms, around three main-lake points, two main-lake shorelines, the perimeter of a main-lake island, both sides of a riprap-laden causeway, a main-lake bluff, and two lengthy floating tractor-tire reefs at the entrance to a large marina. All of these areas are located in the reservoir’s southwest tributary arm.

The underwater terrains of these areas are mostly composed of red clay, gravel, chunky rocks, submerged boulders, a few stumps, and some riprap. The water’s edges are graced with a few laydowns, many patches of partially-flooded buck brush, patches of stickups, and some overhanging trees. There isn’t any aquatic vegetation in this reservoir.

The water exhibited 18 inches of clarity. The surface temperature ranged from 79 to 82 degrees. The water level was recorded at 1.25 feet above the normal level, but it appeared to be twice that.

I worked hard to catch two largemouth bass inside the three feeder-creek arms. These three creek arms are situated in the lower end of the tributary arm. Two are on the tributary’s south side, and one is on its north side. Both of these largemouth bass were caught in three to five feet of water from a large cluster of chunky rocks that reinforce one of the sides of a concrete boat ramp in the lower end of the north-side creek arm. They were enticed by 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. I failed to garner any strikes along several rocky secondary points and shorelines in the lower sections of the two south-side creek arms.

Around the perimeter of a main-lake island located near the mouth of the north-side feeder-creek arm, I worked hard to catch one spotted bass. This island’s topography is mostly flat. The shallow-water areas are embellished with an abundance of gravel, chunky rocks, and flooded stickups. This spotted bass was caught on a steady-swimming presentation with the three-inch cisco-disco Slim SwimZ rig in three feet of water as it was retrieved near the outside edge of one of the thick patches of flooded stickups on the south side of the island. The remainder of this island’s perimeter was unproductive.

The many yards of riprap that cover a main-lake bridge causeway in the middle section of the tributary arm weren’t very productive either; it surrendered only two largemouth bass. They were caught many yards apart in about five to seven feet of water and about 10 feet from the water’s edge. They were enticed by a steady-swimming retrieve with the three-inch cisco-disco Slim SwimZ rig as it was being retrieved parallel to the riprap shoreline.

About a quarter mile west of the causeway, I probed the large rocks and boulders that adorn the base of a main-lake bluff. This bluff is on the north side of the tributary. It is about 75 yards long. The large boulders and rocks along its base lie in three to 12 feet of water. Around the larger boulders, I caught three spotted bass. They were lured by a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation with a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig sporting a Z-Man’s white-lightning Finesse TRD.

I also investigated two large floating tractor-tire reefs at the entrance to a major marina on the south side of the lower end of the tributary arm, and they yielded three largemouth bass. The tire reefs float in water ranging from 23 to 38 feet deep. One of the three largemouth bass was caught in 23 feet of water from one end of the first tire reef, and the other two largemouth bass were caught in 27 and 38 feet of water from the midsection of the second reef. These bass were suspended about five feet below the surface and within a foot or two of the tires. All three of them engulfed the white-lightning Finesse TRD rig as it was being employed with a slow swim-and-constant-shake technique.

Around the three rocky main-lake points, I was surprised that I failed to elicit a strike. These points are situated on the south side of the lower portion of the tributary, and they are usually productive this time of year. Two of the points have flat terrains, and the third one has a 35-degree incline. They are graced with gravel, baseball-size rocks, some scattered boulders, and a few patches of stickups.

The two rocky main-lake shorelines were the most productive; they relinquished 10 largemouth bass and one spotted bass. These two shorelines are also located on the south side of the lower section of the tributary. They have flat terrains. They primarily feature small bits of gravel mixed with boulders and chunky rocks that range in size from a baseball to a coffee table. These 11 black bass were abiding in three to seven feet of water and were associated with the larger boulders. Nine of these 11 black bass were tempted by a steady-swimming retrieve with the cisco-disco Slim SwimZ rig. One spotted bass was induced into striking a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ attached to a blue 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig and a steady-swimming retrieve. And one largemouth bass was caught on a steady-swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat fastened on a blue 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

In conclusion, the fishing at this reservoir has been horrid for quite a while, but this was an above average outing, which is encouraging. I caught a total of 22 black bass. Seventeen were largemouth bass, and five were spotted bass.

Fourteen were caught on a steady swimming retrieve with a three-inch Z-Man’s cisco-disco Slim SwimZ matched with a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. Six were fooled by a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation with a Z-Man’s white-lightning Finesse TRD rigged on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. One largemouth bass was caught on a steady swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat threaded on a blue 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. One spotted bass was fooled by a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ rigged on a blue 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig that was implemented with a steady swimming retrieve.

June 15

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his outing with Pok-Chi Lau of Lawrence on June 15 at a 94-year-old state reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 52 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 82 degrees. The wind was calm at times, and when it stirred, it was angling out of the northwest and west at 3 to 10 mph; there was a 17-mph gust around noon.  The sky was fair with a few clouds. The barometric pressure was 30.11 at 12:52 a.m., 30.09 at 5:52 a.m., 30.07 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.02 at 1:52 p.m.

The water level looked to be about a foot above normal. Batches of shoreline residue revealed that the water level was recently several feet above this reservoir’s normal level. The surface temperature fluctuated from 79 to 81 degrees. Our nine-foot push pole indicated that the water had about eight feet of clarity at several locations and four to five feet at others. The massive patches of curly pondweeds have completed their annual June demise, and now massive patches of brittle naiad and coontail coat much of the underwater terrains of the shallow-water flats and shorelines. Wads of filamentous algae cling to some of the patches of brittle naiad and coontail. Some of the thick and intense patches of American water willows that have graced this waterway for decades have become thin and meager, and the humongous patch of American lotus has diminished dramatically. This exurban reservoir is usually heavily fished, but the fishing pressure was not intense today.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 11:50 p.m. to 1:50 a.m., 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m., and 5:34 p.m. to 7:34 p.m.

We made our first casts at 10:26 a.m. and our last ones at 1:12 p.m. At 11:26 a.m., we caught largemouth bass number 25, and we were hoping that we would catch largemouth bass number 50 at 12:26 p.m. But we failed to reach that goal. Instead, we caught 48 largemouth bass and accidentally caught one channel catfish, one crappie, two pumpkin seed, and four bluegill.

Three of the 48 largemouth bass were caught on a shortened Z-Man’s hot-snakes Finesse TRD affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. A shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s dirt Finesse WormZ attached to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig inveigled 45 largemouth bass. The dirt Finesse WormZ rig is 3 ½-inches long, and the Finesse TRD rig is two inches long.  

Throughout this outing, we worked with a variety of retrieves, and none of them were dominant. We caught these 56 fish and elicited about 20 strikes that we failed to hook on the following retrieves: a deadstick presentation, hop-and-bounce retrieve, drag-and-shake presentation, swim-glide-and-shake retrieve, short pitch and pendulum swing with a shake, strolling, and initial drop.  In regard to retrieves, it was a pattern-less outing.

(Here is a link to one of our In-Fisherman blogs that explains how we implement the stroll, hop-and-bounce retrieve, swim-glide-and-shake retrieve, and drag-and-shake retrieve: https://www.in-fisherman.com/editorial/six-midwest-finesse-retrieves/153946.)

As we fished around three main-lake points, along three main-lake points, around three secondary points and several tertiary points, and along three secondary shorelines, we caught these 56 fish from as close as six feet to as far as about 30 feet from the water’s edge. We caught them in water as shallow as four feet and as deep as 15 feet.

Around a main-lake point at the mouth of this major feeder-creek arm and along about a 50-yard stretch of its main-lake shoreline, we caught five largemouth bass. This shoreline possesses a 45- to 70-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Some of the boulders are quite large. The shallow-water areas are carpeted with a few wads of filamentous algae and some patches of brittle naiad and coontail.  The water’s edge is lined with patches of American water willows and a couple of well-worn laydowns, which are interlaced with bits of brittle naiad. The shoreline yielded one largemouth bass, which was inveigled by the Finesse WormZ rig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in eight to 10 feet of water. The main-lake point produced four largemouth bass. Two of the four largemouth bass were caught on the hot-snakes Finesse TRD rig, and the Finesse WormZ caught two.  One was caught on the initial drop; one was caught on a drag-and-shake presentation; two were caught on a swim-glide-and-subtle-shake presentation.

We caught 23 largemouth bass along about a 400-yard stretch of a secondary shoreline inside one of this reservoir’s major feeder-creek arms. This shoreline has a 30- to 55-degree slope. It is graced with two secondary points and one tertiary point. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders; portions of this terrain are endowed with patches of brittle naiad, coontail, and filamentous algae. The water’s edge is enhanced with some patches of American water willows, several well-aged laydowns, and a few overhanging trees. The outside edges of many of the American water willows are intertwined with brittle naiad. Our Finesse WormZ rig inveigled the 23 largemouth bass, and they were caught as we employed a variety of retrieves in shallow and deep water, near the outside edges of the aquatic vegetation, and many feet from the vegetation.

Twelve largemouth bass were caught along about a 400-yard stretch of another secondary shoreline inside this feeder-creek arm. This shoreline possesses a 25- to 55-degree slope. It is endowed with two secondary points and three tertiary points. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, and the shallow-water sections of this terrain are carpeted with wads of filamentous and patches of brittle naiad and coontail. The water's edge is adorned with numerous patches of American water willows, one ancient rock fence, a few old laydowns, a dilapidated catfish feeder, and a few manmade piles of brush. More than 50 percent of this shoreline was fruitless. One of the secondary points yielded four largemouth bass. Two were caught around a massive patch of brittle naiad and coontail along a flat section of this secondary shoreline. The other six were caught along the stepper section of this shoreline. All of them were inveigled on our Finesse WormZ rig with a variety of retrieves, including the short pitch and pendulum swing in 20 feet of water, many yards from the water’s edge, and about 15 feet from the boat.

The Finesse WormZ rig and slow swim-glide-shake presentation caught one largemouth bass around the second main-lake point at the mouth of this major feeder-creek arm. Thick patches of American water willows embellish the water’s edge. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are graced with wads of filamentous algae and patches of brittle naiad and coontail. This largemouth bass was caught along the outside edge of the submerged aquatic vegetation.

Along about a 250-yard stretch of this point’s main-lake shoreline, we struggled to catch five largemouth bass. This shoreline has about a 45- to 50-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and a concrete and rock foundation of a dilapidated barn. Some wads of filamentous algae are entwined with vast patches of brittle naiad and coontail.  The water’s edge is lined with thick patches of American water willows and several laydowns. Four of the five were caught as we strolled with our Finesse WormZ rigs and using a drag-and-shake presentation in eight to 12 feet of water. The initial drop of the hot-snakes Finesse TRD rig around a thick patch of brittle naiad in four feet of water caught one of the five largemouth bass,

Largemouth bass number 48 was caught around a main-lake point at the mouth of a small feeder-creek arm.  The underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, which are carpeted with many patches of brittle naiad and coontail. It has a 35- to 45-degree slope. This largemouth bass was lured by the Finesse WormZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about six to seven feet of water around a significant patch of brittle naiad and coontail.

We failed to elicit another strike as we ended this outing by fishing around a secondary point and along about 125 yards of its secondary shoreline.

In conclusion, we caught an average of slightly more than 12 largemouth bass per hour.

June 15

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted this log on the Finesse News Network about his morning jaunt at a problematic federal reservoir in north-central Texas on June 15.  

On June 9, Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas, and I fished at this ungenerous federal hill-land reservoir in north-central Texas from 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The black bass fishing wasn't great by any means, but it was above average for this reservoir. The locations that we targeted are situated in the middle and upper end of the reservoir, and we caught 18 largemouth bass and two spotted bass in five hours.

On June 15, I decided to roll the dice and chance another outing at this reservoir. I opted to fish in the reservoir’s middle and lower sections this time, and it was a chore to catch 15 largemouth bass.

I was afloat from about 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., but I fished only four of these five hours.    

The sky was overcast as I launched my boat at 6:30 a.m., and it lightly rained on me several times for the first three hours I was afloat. However, one of the showers was more intense than the others, and it sent me scurrying for cover under a covered boat dock inside a nearby marina for about an hour. By 9:45 a.m., the sky conditions changed from overcast to partly cloudy, and the sun began to shine. The morning's low temperature was 71 degrees. The afternoon's high temperature reached 83 degrees. A pleasant cool breeze blew out of the north-by-northeast at 5 to 10 mph. The barometric pressure measured 30.00 at 6:00 a.m. and 30.01 at 11:00 a.m.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the fishing would be excellent on June 15. The most lucrative periods would occur from 5:07 a.m. to 7:07 a.m., 5:41 p.m. to 7:41 p.m., and 11:58 p.m. to 1:58 a.m.

When I arrived at the boat ramp, I discovered that the water was dingier than usual from the recent thunderstorms during the past couple of days, and there was about 14 inches of clarity. The surface temperature varied from 79 degrees to 80 degrees. The water level was 1.32 feet above normal.  

I launched the boat in the middle section of the reservoir and motored about 100 yards to a couple of main-lake points on the north side of the reservoir.  

These points are flat and rocky, and at a couple of spots on the points, there are several large concrete slabs that lie in two to four feet of water. On top of the first point and next to one of the concrete slabs that is situated in about 2 1/2 feet of water, I caught one largemouth bass. I caught two more largemouth bass from a group of concrete slabs that are situated on top of the second point in three feet of water. Two of the three were enticed by a steady swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s Okeechobee-craw Baby Goat rigged on a blue 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig, and the third one was induced by a steady swimming retrieve with a three-inch Z-Man’s space guppy Slim SwimZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.    

From those two main-lake points, I travelled about a mile to the southeast end of the reservoir and fished around a main-lake island. This island’s underwater terrain is mostly flat and consists of red clay, small gravel, chunky rocks, and a few scattered boulders. Its shallow-water zones are cluttered with flooded buck brush, standing timber, laydowns, and stumps. The perimeter of the island surrendered six largemouth bass. These bass were caught in the open pockets and along the outside edges of the flooded buck brush in about three feet of water. Five of the six largemouth bass were caught either on the initial fall or the beginning of a steady swimming retrieve with the Okeechobee-craw Baby Goat rig. One was caught on the three-inch space-guppy Slim SwimZ with a swimming retrieve.

From the main-lake island, I traveled a short distance southward to a major feeder-creek arm. I focused on its two main-lake entry points, which are primarily flat and rocky. I caught one largemouth bass in three feet of water near a large boulder on one side of the first point. It was lured by a steady swimming retrieve with the Z-Man’s Okeechobee-craw Baby Goat. I failed to elicit any strikes around the second entry point.

From that creek arm, I travelled about a mile eastward to the entrance of a minor feeder-creek arm on the south side of the reservoir.

The first main-lake entry point to the creek arm, and its adjacent main-lake shoreline that is enhanced with flooded buck brush, failed to yield a strike. A floating tractor-tire reef that is positioned in 32 feet of water and positioned at the entrance of a large marina also failed to yield a strike. The opposite main-lake entry point yielded two largemouth bass. This entry point is rocky and steep. It is adorned with scores of submerged boulders. The two largemouth bass were caught in five feet of water around a couple of the numerous submerged boulders adorning this point. They were tempted by a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with a 2 3/4-inch Z-Man’s black-blue-flake TRD TubeZ fastened to a blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

The Z-Man's coppertreuse Fuzzy BugZ.

A 50-yard stretch of a rocky main-lake shoreline located along the north shoreline in the reservoir’s lower quadrant surrendered three largemouth bass, and one of them was a feisty lunker that weighed six pounds and nine ounces. This shoreline has a minor slope of about 20 degrees. It is embellished with scores and scores of chunky rocks the size of a softball, and a few flooded buck-brush shrubs. These three largemouth bass were scattered along the shoreline and abiding in three to five feet of water. They were caught with a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation with a 1.75-inch Z-Man’s coppertreuse Fuzzy BugZ matched with a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig.

My final stop was at a dam that is blanketed with riprap. This dam is 12,850 feet long and 137 feet high. I fished about 85 percent of the dam, and I failed to garner any strikes.    

In conclusion, this reservoir has been in decline for the past several years.  And to show how much this reservoir’s productivity has declined, we haven’t caught 40 or more black bass in an outing since Aug. 3, 2021, when Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas, and I caught 40 largemouth bass, five spotted bass, and one smallmouth bass in five hours.

June 21 & 22

Between June 18 and 22, we enjoyed the company of 19 members of our family as we celebrated Father’s Day, several birthdays, and other family delights. It was, however, virtually impossible to find time to fish. But four of us found a way to squeeze in three hours to tangle with 52 largemouth bass. Here are two logs that describe how, when, and where these largemouth bass were caught.

June 21

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his short outing with his grandson, James Cox of San Antonio, Texas, on June 21 at a 64-year-old state reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 68 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 79 degrees. The wind was calm for two hours, and at other times it angled out of the southeast, northeast, northwest, north, south, west, and southwest at 3 to 14 mph, with a few gusts of 18 to 20 mph. The sky was overcast and mostly cloudy with heavy rain, light rain, and thundershowers.   The barometric pressure was 29.82 at 12:52 a.m., 29.71 at 5:52 a.m., 29.76 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.76 at 2:52 p.m.

The water level looked to be about two feet above normal. The surface temperature was 80 degrees. Along the dam, the water exhibited three to five feet of visibility.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 4:45 a.m. to 6:45 a.m., 5:07 p.m. to 7:07 p.m., and 10:56 a.m. to 12:56 p.m.

Before our family celebrated three birthdays and Father’s Day, James and I tried to catch 25 largemouth bass in one hour.  We made our first casts at 11:29 a.m. and our last ones at 12:29 p.m. To our chagrin, it was a struggle to catch 12 largemouth bass and one green sunfish.

The Pink Fuzzy BugZ rig.

One of the 12 largemouth bass was caught on a 1.75-inch Z-Man’s pink Fuzzy BugZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead. A shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ attached to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jighead caught 11 largemouth bass. The Finesse WormZ was shortened to 3 ¼ inches.

We spent 43 minutes quickly fishing the entire 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 several thick patches of bushy pondweeds and some wads of filamentous algae. The water’s edge possesses five tiny patches of American water willows and several small piles of tree limbs and logs. We caught one largemouth bass on the Fuzzy BugZ rig with a drag-and-pause presentation in about six to seven feet of water. The Junebug Finesse WormZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation inveigled one largemouth around patches of bushy pondweeds in about six feet of water. One largemouth bass was caught on a very slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in five to seven feet of water with the Junebug Finesse WormZ rig. The initial drop of the Junebug Finesse WormZ rig lured a largemouth bass in about four feet of water near a small pile of submerged tree limbs.

We spent the final 17 minutes of this outing fishing 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 patches of bushy pondweeds and coontail.  This underwater terrain is also enhanced by several manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. The water’s edge is endowed with some patches of American water willows, four riprap jetties, a short stretch of riprap, one concrete boat ramp, one overhanging tree, and one dock. Our Junebug Finesse WormZ rigs inveigled eight largemouth bass. One was caught under the overhanging tree and around patches of bushy pondweeds in about three feet of water with a swimming presentation. Three were caught around the riprap jetties with a swim-glide-and-subtle-shake presentation in four to five feet of water. Four were caught around the patches of bushy pondweeds with a swim-glide-and-subtle-shake presentation in five to six feet of water.

Along the dam, we caught an average of one largemouth bass every 11.75 minutes. Along the shoreline adjacent to the dam, we caught an average of one largemouth bass about every two minutes.

June 22

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his outing with his daughter, Anna Kehde of San Antonio, Texas, and his grandson, Andrew Cox of San Antonio, Texas, on June 22 at a 94-year-old state reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 61 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 72 degrees. The wind angled out of the northeast, north, and east at 6 to 12 mph. The sky was overcast and mostly cloudy. The barometric pressure was 29.93 at 12:52 a.m., 29.96 at 5:52 a.m., 30.07 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.08 at 1:52 p.m.

The water level looked to be about 2 ½ feet above normal. The surface temperature was 78 degrees. Our nine-foot push pole indicated that the water had more than nine feet of clarity at several locations and five feet at others. Massive patches of brittle naiad and coontail coat much of the underwater terrains of the shallow-water flats and shorelines. Patches of American water willows grace some of the shorelines. This exurban reservoir is usually heavily fished, but not today.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the fishing would be great, and the best fishing would take place from 5:31 a.m. to 7:31 a.m., 5:33 p.m. to 7:33 p.m., and 11:21 a.m. to 1:21 p.m.

We made our first casts at 10:30 a.m. and our last ones at 11:56 p.m. At 11:30 a.m., we caught largemouth bass number 30, and fished until we caught largemouth bass number 40, which we caught at 11:56 a.m.

Six of the 40 largemouth bass were caught on a shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. A shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s dirt Finesse WormZ attached to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig inveigled 32 largemouth bass. Our Finesse WormZ rigs were shortened to 3 ½-inches.

We caught these largemouth bass on a variety of retrieves: a swim-glide-and-shake presentation, the initial drop, a short pendulum swing with a subtle shake, a deadstick presentation, and while strolling with a slow swim-and-subtle-shake presentation many yards from the water’s edge. On some retrieves, we elicited three to five strikes.

We caught these 40 largemouth bass from as close as six feet to as far as about 40 feet from the water’s edge. We caught them in water as shallow as five feet and as deep as 15 feet.

We spent this hour and 26 minutes fishing around a main-lake point at the mouth of one of this reservoir’s two primary feeder-creek arms and along portions of two of this feeder creek's secondary shorelines.

One largemouth bass was caught around the main-lake point. It has a 40- to 50-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and concrete and rock foundations of a dilapidated barn and house; this terrain is enhanced with patches of brittle naiad and coontail.  The water’s edge is lined with patches of American water willows, which are intertwined with brittle naiad. The dirt Finesse WormZ rig with a slow swim-and-subtle-shake presentation caught the largemouth bass near the outside edge of patches of brittle naiad in about eight to 10 feet of water.

We caught 29 largemouth bass along about a 300-yard stretch of this main-lake secondary shoreline. It has a 25- to 55-degree slope. It has three secondary points and one tertiary point. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and an ancient rock fence. This terrain is decorated with brittle naiad, coontail, filamentous algae, and a few manmade piles of brush. The water’s edge is enhanced with 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 Finesse WormZ rigs inveigled the 29 largemouth bass as we employed a variety of retrieves in shallow and deep water. Some were caught near the outside edges of the aquatic vegetation, and some were caught many feet from the vegetation.

We caught 10 largemouth bass along about a 200-yard stretch of another secondary shoreline inside this feeder-creek arm. This stretch of the shoreline has a 30- to 50-degree slope. It is graced with one secondary point and one tertiary point. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders; much of this terrain is endowed with patches of brittle naiad and coontail. The water’s edge is enhanced with some patches of American water willows, several laydowns, and a few overhanging trees. The outside edges of many of the American water willows are intertwined with brittle naiad. Our Finesse WormZ rig inveigled these largemouth bass. They were caught at a variety of depths and on various presentations. Most were lured around or within close proximity to submerged patches of aquatic vegetation.

During this 86-minute family outing, we caught an average of 26 per hour and one every two-and-a-quarter minutes. The shortened Finesse WormZ rig continues to be our most effective rig, and it has been that way since April 9, 2026.

June 24

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his June 24 outing with his grandson, Logan Cayton of Las Vegas, Nevada, at an 88-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 68 degrees, and the afternoon's high temperature was 84 degrees. The wind angled from the south, southwest, west, and northwest at 3 to 10 mph, and two gusts reached 17 to 18 mph. The conditions of the sky varied from mostly cloudy to partly cloudy to a few clouds to fair. The barometric pressure was 30.12 at 12:53 a.m., 30.10 at 5:53 a.m., 30.09 at 11:53 a.m., and 30.03 at 2:53 p.m. 

The water level looked to be several inches above normal. The surface temperature varied from 80 to 81 degrees. The water exhibited four feet of visibility in the upper half of this reservoir; it had nearly eight feet of visibility around the dam.  The water’s edges of several shorelines are coated with patches of floating duckweeds. Some of the duckweed patches are dead. Patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds decorate many acres of the shallow-water shorelines and flats. Wads of filamentous algae coat many of the underwater objects, including the patches of bushy pondweed and coontail. Some of the filamentous algae are also intertwined with some of the patches of duckweeds.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 6:49 a.m. to 8:49 a.m., 7:11 p.m. to 9:11 p.m., and 12:38 a.m. to 2:38 a.m.

We made our first casts at 10:50 a.m. and our last at 2:39 p.m.

It was a struggle to catch 34 largemouth bass and one bluegill.

Two of the 34 largemouth bass were caught on a shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s purple-haze Finesse TRD affixed to a blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig.  A shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s dirt Finesse WormZ attached to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig inveigled 32 largemouth bass. The worms are 3 ¼ inches long.

We caught three largemouth bass along the dam's shoreline. It is 1,550 feet long.  It is 58 feet high with a 50- to 60-degree slope. The water’s edge is graced with a concrete outlet tower, wads of filamentous algae, and patches of dying American water willows. (The managers of this reservoir sprayed a herbicide on the American water willows, but it looks as if some of them are growing again.)  The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, and they are adorned with patches of coontail, bushy pondweeds, and wads of filamentous algae. The three largemouth bass were caught on the dirt Finesse WormZ with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation around patches of submerged aquatic vegetation in about six to eight feet of water.

Along the main-lake shoreline that is at the eastern end of the dam, we caught eight largemouth bass. This shoreline is about 500 yards long. It is endowed with a boat ramp, a spillway, three tertiary points, 13 docks, several retaining walls, some patches of American water willows, a series of offshore humps and ledges, and countless patches of bushy pondweeds, coontail, and filamentous algae.  The spillway is embellished with a significant flow of current. This area has a 20- to 45-degree slope. Our dirt Finesse WormZ rigs inveigled the eight largemouth bass. All of them were many yards from the water’s edge. Two were caught on the initial drop. Six were caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation. Two were caught on one of the humps in five to six feet of, and six were caught around the patches of submerged aquatic vegetation in six to 10 feet of water.

In the lower half of the reservoir, we fished along a main-lake shoreline, around its two main-lake points, across an offshore hump that is adjacent to one of the main-lake points. This area is about 800 yards long. 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 wads of filamentous algae, patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds, and manmade piles of tree limbs. The shoreline possesses a 25- to 50-degree slope. The points have a 25- to 35-degree slope. The water’s edges are lined with several concrete and stone retaining walls, a few overhanging trees, some patches of American water willows, and 27 docks. The two main-lake points and the offshore hump were fruitless. This shoreline yielded 10 largemouth bass, which were lured by our dirt Finesse WormZ rigs. Five were caught around the sides of the docks; three were caught on the initial drop; two were caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve; these docks floated in six to 16 feet of water. Our dirt Finesse WormZ rigs caught five largemouth bass around the patches of submerged aquatic vegetation in about five to eight feet of water; three were caught on the initial drop, and two were caught on the swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

In the upper half of the reservoir, we caught two largemouth bass along an offshore ledge adjacent to a main-lake point. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. The ledge is many yards from the water’s edge. The dirt Finesse WormZ rig and a drag-and-pause presentation lured these largemouth bass in 12 to 14 feet of water as we were strolling along and over the ledge.

Along about a 200-yard stretch of a massive shoreline in the upper half of the reservoir, it was a struggle to entice one largemouth bass. The underwater terrain of this shoreline consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are adorned with patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds, a few PVC fish attractors, wads of filamentous algae, and some manmade piles of submerged tree limbs. The shoreline possesses a 35- to 60-degree slope. The water’s edge consists of one concrete retaining wall, four docks, one small rock bridge, a few minor laydowns, several piles of brush, patches of American water willows, several overhanging trees, and floating wads of filamentous algae intertwined with dead duckweeds. The largemouth bass was caught on the purple-haze Finesse WormZ rig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about seven feet of water around patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds.

We fished along about a 100-yard stretch of another massive main-lake shoreline in the upper half of the reservoir. It has a 45- to 60-degree slope.  Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are adorned with patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds, wads of filamentous algae, and some piles of submerged tree limbs. The water’s edge consists of retaining walls, five docks, one overhanging tree, patches of duckweeds, and wads of filamentous algae. The dirt Finesse WormZ rig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation caught one largemouth bass in about 10 feet of water and many feet from the water’s edge and the docks.

In the lower half of this reservoir, we fished along many yards of a massive main-lake shoreline. This shoreline is about 1,200 yards long. It merges with the western end of the dam. It yielded nine largemouth bass.  This area has a 20- to 45-degree slope. 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, wads of filamentous algae, and a few floating patches of duckweeds. It is also graced with two humps that are slightly offshore. One hump was fruitless. The other hump yielded two largemouth bass around patches of submerged aquatic vegetation; one was enticed by the dirt Finesse WormZ rig in about eight feet of water with a slow swimming presentation; the second largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the purple-haze Finesse WormZ in about four feet of water. The dirt Finesse WormZ rig inveigled seven largemouth bass along the shoreline; two were caught on the initial drop around the edges of the docks; five were caught around the patches of submerged aquatic vegetation with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in six to 10 feet of water.

In conclusion, it was a struggle to tangle with about nine largemouth bass per hour, or about one every six minutes. We suspect that many of this reservoir’s largemouth bass are exhibiting their common summertime motif of being suspended and pelagically exploring the extremely offshore areas that abound with schools of suspended gizzard shad.  And as we were about to put the boat on the trailer, we saw three schools of gizzard shad being foraged upon on the surface by some largemouth bass.

June 24

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted this log on the Finesse News Network about his outing with Frank Gosnell of Sanger, Texas, on June 24 at a federal reservoir in north-central Texas,

It was hot and muggy. The morning’s low temperature was 75 degrees, and the afternoon’s high reached 95 degrees with a heat index of 103 degrees. The barometric pressure measured 29.99 at 7:00 a.m., and it rose slightly to 30.01 by 11:00 a.m. The wind blew out of the south at 10 to 15 mph.

The water level was 1.14 feet high. The water exhibited about 18 inches of visibility. The surface temperature ranged from 81 to 84 degrees.

According to In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar, the most productive fishing would occur from 12:46 a.m. to 2:46 a.m., 6:57 a.m. to 8:57 a.m., and 7:19 p.m. to 9:19 p.m. The calendar also forecasted poor fishing for June 24.

As we fished from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., we searched for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and spotted bass across four rocky main-lake shorelines, nine rocky main-lake points, around the perimeter of a main-lake island, along two bluffs, and the bottom and one side of a creek channel inside one major feeder-creek arm. Though these areas had an abundance of threadfin shad, most of them were devoid of catchable black bass.

The underwater terrains of these locales consist primarily of clay, small gravel, some sand, silt, countless numbers of baseball-size rocks, and scores and scores of sandstone boulders of various sizes. There isn’t a single sprout of aquatic vegetation to be found in this reservoir.

The black-bass fishing was atrocious, and we failed to find any large aggregations of largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, or spotted bass that inhabit this reservoir. And after four exasperating hours of fishing, it was a chore to eke out eight largemouth bass, one smallmouth bass, and two freshwater drum.

We inveigled four largemouth bass from the perimeter of a main-lake island. This island is located at the lower end of the impoundment. Its shorelines are flat with clay-and-gravel terrain. The terrestrial vegetation that decorates its shorelines was flooded about a month ago, but the water level has receded about three feet since then, and the vegetation is now on dry land.  These largemouth bass were caught in three to seven feet of water and 10 to 15 feet from the water’s edge across a 30-foot section of a clay-and-gravel shoreline on the northwest portion of the island. Two of the four were enticed by a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation with a 1.75-inch Z-Man’s electric-shad Fuzzy BugZ rigged on a blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. One was induced by a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation with a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse TRD fastened to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. The fourth largemouth bass was caught on a 2.75-inch Z-Man’s black-blue-flake TRD TubeZ attached to a black 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig and a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation.

One of the four rocky main-lake shorelines that we probed surrendered three largemouth bass and one freshwater drum. These shorelines are about a mile apart from each other. This particular shoreline is flat and about 100 yards long. It is located in the lower section of the reservoir. It is adorned with mostly baseball-size rocks and a few small boulders the size of watermelons. Two of these three largemouth bass and the freshwater drum were fooled by the black-blue-flake TRD TubeZ rig and a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation. The third largemouth bass was tempted by the green-pumpkin Finesse TRD combo and a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve.

The other three rocky main-lake shorelines, which are situated in the middle and upper regions of the impoundment, were fruitless.  

One of the nine main-lake points yielded one smallmouth bass, one largemouth bass, and one freshwater drum. This point has a 60-degree slope. Its submerged terrain is composed mostly of larger sandstone rocks and boulders. The smallmouth bass was caught in three feet of water next to one of the larger boulders on one side of the point on the electric-shad Fuzzy BugZ rig and a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation. The largemouth bass and freshwater drum were caught around a couple of large sandstone boulders in four to five feet of water on a moderate-paced swimming retrieve with a three-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ matched with a blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig.    

We failed to garner any strikes around the other eight rocky main-lake points.  

  We also failed to elicit any strikes or locate any largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, or spotted bass along two rock bluffs and a creek channel inside the lower portion of a major feeder-creek arm in the midsection of the reservoir.

In sum, the black bass fishing at this reservoir remains in an awful state, and we were befuddled that we could catch only eight largemouth bass and one smallmouth bass in four hours. 

June 25

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

This is a different federal reservoir than the one Frank Gosnell of Sanger, Texas, and I fished on June 24.    

It was mostly sunny on June 25. High-altitude cirrus clouds embellished about 60 percent of the sky for most of the morning. The morning’s low temperature was 76 degrees, and the afternoon’s high warmed to 96 degrees. The barometric pressure measured 29.93 at 6:00 a.m. and 29.92 at 11:00 a.m. The wind quartered out of the south and southeast at 10 to 20 mph.  

The water level was 2.40 feet above normal. The water clarity ranged from 14 to 18 inches. The surface temperature varied from 81 to 84 degrees.

In-Fisherman’s solunar table indicated that the fishing would be poor. The most productive fishing periods would occur from 1:25 a.m. to 3:25 a.m., 7:37 a.m. to 9:37 a.m., and 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

We fished from 6:30 a.m. to 11:14 a.m.

We spent these four hours and 44 minutes in the lower and middle sections of a major tributary arm at the lower end of the reservoir. The black bass bite was decent, and we enjoyed tangling with 13 largemouth bass and six spotted bass. We also caught four white bass and one channel catfish.  

Fifteen of the 19 black bass were mostly scattered here and there, but one small 50-foot section of a clay-and-gravel main-lake shoreline relinquished four largemouth bass that were abiding in less than five feet of water. This shoreline has a 25- to 30-degree incline. And while we were fishing along this area, we witnessed a large blue heron at the water’s edge catch and engulf what appeared to be a 14- or 15-inch largemouth bass.

We caught three largemouth bass and one spotted bass in two to five feet of water from seven rocky main-lake points on the south side of the tributary arm. The four white bass were caught in less than five feet of water around three wind-blown rocky main-lake points on the north side of the tributary arm, and we didn’t catch any largemouth or spotted bass around these three points. All of these points are flat and enhanced with many chunky rocks and boulders, several large laydowns, and three small concrete support columns.      

Two spotted bass were caught in three to seven feet of water from the top of a shallow main-lake rock ledge that is covered with two to three feet of water. This ledge  parallels a flat clay-and-gravel main-lake shoreline. It drops off into five to eight feet of water. Another spotted bass was caught from the end of an old and crumbling concrete boat ramp that is situated on one end of the ledge.  

Two spotted bass, one largemouth bass, and one channel catfish were caught in three to eight feet of water from a 75-yard section of a rock- and boulder-laden main-lake shoreline on the north side of the tributary. This shoreline has a 30- to 35-degree slope.  

Two largemouth bass were caught in three to six feet of water from a 45-yard section of a shaded flat shoreline adorned with chunky rocks mixed with small gravel on the south side of the tributary arm. While we were dissecting this shoreline, we became distracted by a small pod of white bass that were surface-foraging on small threadfin shad many yards offshore. We attempted to pursue them, but they quickly vanished before we could get into casting range.

We failed to elicit any strikes from a shaded riprap embankment on one end of a major highway bridge that crosses over the tributary arm. Shortly after that, we caught two largemouth bass in three to seven feet of water from a flat shoreline that we probed adjacent to the riprap embankment and underneath the highway bridge. This shoreline is graced with small gravel, chunky rocks, and some scattered boulders.

The flooded bushes intertwined with chunky rocks that embellish the perimeter of a main-lake island surrendered one largemouth bass. It was extracted from three feet of water from an opening between two small clusters of flooded buck brush near the water’s edge.

In the lower and middle sections of a medium-sized feeder-creek arm in the lower end of the tributary arm, we fished around two concrete boat ramps, two flat secondary points, a flat clay-and-gravel secondary shoreline, a riprap-laden shoreline next to one of the boat ramps, and the bottom of a creek channel. Although there were oodles of threadfin shad and white bass around this spot, we were surprised that we couldn’t provoke any strikes.

In closing, we caught nine black bass and three of the four white bass 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. A steady swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat rigged on a blue 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig lured three black bass. A slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with a Z-Man’s Goby Bryant Finesse TRD fastened on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse jig also enticed three black bass. Two black bass and one white bass were tempted by a swimming retrieve with a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig sporting a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ. Two more black bass and a channel catfish were enticed by a Z-Man’s hot-snakes Finesse TRD fastened to a green-pumpkin 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig and a slow swimming retrieve.

June 26

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his June 26 outing with Bill Kenney of Denton at a popular federal reservoir in north-central Texas.

The last time I fished at this reservoir was on May 28 with Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas. We fished from 7:20 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. and caught 27 largemouth bass and three spotted bass. Bill and I were hoping to duplicate that productive outing today.  

In-Fisherman's Solunar calendar forecasted poor fishing for June 26, and the most lucrative fishing periods would occur from 2:35 a.m. to 4:35 a.m., 8:46 a.m. to 10:46 a.m., and 9:08 p.m. to 11:08 p.m.

We fished from 6:31 a.m. to 10:31 a.m.

It was mostly overcast until 10:14 a.m., and when the clouds drifted off to the east, the sun began to shine. The morning’s low temperature was 76 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature reached 95 degrees. The wind was problematic, blowing incessantly out of the south and southwest at 20 to 30 mph. The barometric pressure measured 29.87 at 6:00 a.m. and 29.90 at 10:00 a.m.

The water temperature ranged from 78 degrees at the dam in the lower end of the reservoir to 81 degrees in the upper end of a major feeder-creek arm in the east tributary arm. The water level was 1.59 feet above normal.  The water clarity ranged from 12 inches of visibility along a wind-blown shoreline of an island to 2 1/2 feet of clarity at the dam.

We focused our attention inside one major feeder-creek arm, along one minor main-lake shoreline, three main-lake points, and along the center portion of the riprap-laden dam in the reservoir’s lower end. The submerged terrains at these areas are composed mostly of red clay, small gravel, chunky rocks, and countless large boulders. Several areas are also graced with riprap, a few laydowns, a brush pile or two, an offshore rock pile, and significant patches of Eurasian milfoil and hydrilla.

As soon as we launched the boat, we made a hasty beeline to a nearby major feeder-creek arm in hopes of finding protection from the robust wind, and inside this creek arm, we ultimately caught 20 largemouth bass and seven spotted bass.

We started off fishing around the perimeter of an island, which is situated at the lower end of the creek arm, and we caught six largemouth bass and two spotted bass. This island is endowed with several large patches of Eurasian milfoil, chunky rocks, gravel, and many scattered boulders. One spotted bass was caught in seven feet of water near a large patch of submerged Eurasian milfoil at the northeast end of the island. It was caught on a moderate-paced swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s The Deal Baby Goat rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce fish head-shaped jig. The other six largemouth bass and one 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 east and west sides of the island. Three of these seven black bass were enticed by a swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s cisco-disco Slim SwimZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. Three other largemouth bass were induced by a steady swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat rigged on a blue 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. And one largemouth bass was tempted by The Deal Baby Goat combo with a steady swimming retrieve.

Three largemouth bass and one spotted bass were caught in less than five feet of water along a 35-yard-long flat secondary shoreline with a rocky terrain on the north side of the creek arm. This shoreline is situated just east of the island. Two of the three largemouth bass and the spotted bass were enticed by a swimming presentation with the 2 1/2-inch cisco-disco Slim SwimZ rig. One largemouth bass was caught with a swimming retrieve with a 1/4-ounce shad-hue swim jig with a pearl 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s GrubZ attached as a trailer.  

Along a wind-blown secondary shoreline laden with gravel, chunky rocks, submerged boulders, a couple of large broken tree limbs, several large patches of Eurasian Milfoil, and a slightly offshore rock pile, we caught five largemouth bass. This shoreline is about 75 yards long. It is situated in the middle section and on the north side of the creek arm. Two of these five largemouth bass were caught in three feet of water on back-to-back casts from a small group of boulders enhanced with a large tree limb lying on top of the boulders. The other three were caught here and there near clusters of chunky rocks in three to five feet of water and within 10 feet of the water’s edge. Three of the five largemouth bass were caught on a swimming retrieve with the shad-hue swim jig, including the two bass that were caught from the boulders on back-to-back casts. One largemouth was caught on a swimming retrieve with the cisco-disco Slim SwimZ rig, and the fifth one was caught on the initial fall of the pearl Baby Goat combo near a large boulder.    

In the upper end of the creek arm, we dissected a rocky secondary shoreline with a flat terrain, which yielded two largemouth bass. Both of these largemouth were caught in less than five feet of water around patches of submerged boulders mixed with chunky rocks and gravel. One was enticed by a steady swimming retrieve with the cisco-disco Slim SwimZ rig.  The other one was induced by the shad-hue swim jig and a steady swimming presentation.

We failed to entice any strikes from three secondary points and the offshore rock pile.  

Around seven secondary points on the south side of the creek arm, we caught six largemouth bass and two spotted bass. These points are steeper than the unproductive ones we fished on the north side of the creek arm; these points have gradients that range from 30 to 50 degrees. The submerged terrain consists of gravel, chunky rocks, boulders, a minor brush pile, and several large mats of Eurasian milfoil. The brush pile is located on one side of one of the secondary points in five feet of water. Four of the six largemouth bass and one of the spotted bass were caught near clusters of chunky rocks and boulders in less than five feet of water and within 10 feet of the water’s edge. They were enticed by the cisco-disco Slim SwimZ rig and a steady swim retrieve. Two of the six largemouth bass were caught on back-to-back casts with the cisco-disco Slim SwimZ rig as it was being steadily retrieved close to the brush pile. The other spotted bass was caught on the shad-hue swim jig that was implemented with a swimming retrieve.

From the feeder-creek arm, we traveled southward to the east end of the dam. Here, we probed a portion of the riprap that covers the dam, an adjacent riprap-laden main-lake shoreline, and three prominent main-lake points. The riprap on the east end of the dam was unproductive, and so were the three main-lake points. But one largemouth bass was caught from the main-lake shoreline. This shoreline is about 25 yards long and has about a 30-degree slope. This largemouth bass engulfed an urchin-style bait rigged on a blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig on the initial fall in five feet of water and near the submerged riprap.

From this area, we moved to the center of the dam, which is about a mile west of the feeder-creek arm. The center of the dam features a large concrete water-outlet tower with a walkway extending out to the tower from the top of the dam. The tower is surrounded by 37 to 53 feet of water. The walkway is about 30 yards long and is supported by two concrete support columns. The walls of the outlet tower relinquished two largemouth bass and one large spotted bass. These three black bass were suspended five to eight feet deep below the surface of the water and within a couple of feet of one of the tower’s walls that was casting a large shadow on the water. The two largemouth bass were caught in the shaded area on a slow swim-and-pause presentation with a Z-Man’s mud-minnow Finesse TRD matched with a black 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. The large spotted bass, which weighed three pounds and one ounce, was inveigled by the green-pumpkin urchin-style bait as it was slowly sinking next to the tower wall on the initial fall.  

We failed to elicit any strikes from around the two concrete support columns under the walkway, and along about a 50-yard section of riprap along the center section of the dam.

From the dam, we cautiously travelled about two miles northward to a main-lake shoreline. By this time, the wind had increased to about 30 mph, and after a couple of large waves crashed over the bow of the boat, we decided to play it safe and headed back to the boat ramp.

In conclusion, the fishing was significantly better at this federal reservoir than the other two reservoirs we plied on June 24 and 25.  During this four-hour jaunt, we caught a total of 31 black bass, which consisted of 23 largemouth bass and eight spotted bass. All but one of them were relating to either some type of rock or concrete cover. Only one spotted bass was associated with any type of submerged aquatic vegetation.