Ned Kehde: Guide to Midwest Finesse Fishing: March 2026

March 2

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted this log on the Finesse News Network about his March 2 outing at a state reservoir in north-central Texas.

Bear Brundrett of Valley View, Texas, and I fished at a state reservoir in north-central Texas. It is the same state impoundment that Brad DePrater of Sanger, Texas, and I fished on Feb. 13, when we caught a combination of 21 largemouth bass and five spotted bass in 5 1/2 hours.

The morning hours of Mar. 2 were overcast. By 1:30 p.m., the clouds began to break up, and it became mostly sunny. The wind angled out of the south and southeast at 5 to 10 mph. The morning’s low temperature was 50 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 69 degrees. The barometric pressure measured 30.04 at 10:00 a.m. and 29.94 at 3:00 p.m.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the most productive fishing periods would occur from 3:04 a.m. to 5:04 a.m., 9:16 a.m. to 11:16 a.m., and 9:40 p.m. to 11:40 p.m. It also indicated that fishing would be good.

We were afloat from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The black-bass bite was slow during the morning hours, then it picked up significantly in the afternoon.

We concentrated our efforts inside two major feeder-creek arms and two minor feeder-creek arms. All of these locales are situated in the upper, middle, and lower portions of the reservoir.

The water exhibited about three feet of visibility. The surface temperature ranged from 54 to 57 degrees. The water level was two feet low.

We wielded nine Midwest finesse rigs, and four of them were productive. We caught a combination of 35 largemouth bass and spotted bass; 34 were largemouth bass, and one was a spotted bass. We also caught one black crappie and one white bass.  

We caught two largemouth bass and one spotted bass in five to 13 feet of water along a steep 30-yard section of a channel-swing shoreline in the midsection of the first large feeder-creek arm. This creek arm is in the lower end of the reservoir. The underwater terrain along this shoreline consists of pea gravel mixed with chunky rocks, some boulders, and a few stumps. One of these three black bass was caught on a slow drag-shake-and-deadstick retrieve with a Z-Man’s PB&J TRD TubeZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Two were caught on a slow drag-shake-and-deadstick retrieve with a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse ShadZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.  The deadstick portion of this retrieve lasted between three and five seconds.

We then fished a steep rocky point at the entrance to this same creek arm, and it yielded one largemouth bass. This point has a 45- to 60-degree incline and is enhanced with four boat houses. Its shoreline is blanketed with chunky rocks and gravel. This largemouth bass was caught from one side of the point in about nine feet of water and about 15 feet from the water’s edge. It was enticed by a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with the Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse ShadZ combo.  

After that, we moved to another major feeder-creek arm in the lower end of the reservoir. We fished from the mouth of this creek arm to its back end, and we caught four largemouth bass. These four largemouth bass were caught between several covered boat houses in five to 10 feet of water around patches of submerged hydrilla in the lower end of the creek arm. Three were allured by a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with a shortened four-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ matched with a black 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. The other largemouth bass was caught on a 4.75-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead with a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve.  

The third feeder-creek arm, which is in the midsection of the reservoir, is the smallest of the four creek arms that we fished. It contains several boat houses, patches of cattails, and many patches of submerged hydrilla. This creek arm relinquished 25 largemouth bass. They were caught in five to 11 feet of water around patches of hydrilla near the edges of the creek channel. They were allured by either a shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig or an unshortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ. Both of these rigs were employed with a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation.

Inside the fourth feeder-creek arm, we caught two largemouth bass. This creek arm is situated in the upper section of the reservoir. Its submerged terrain is comprised of small gravel , fist-size rocks, submerged stumps, and a couple of laydowns. The west side of the creek arm is endowed with a shallow clay, chunk rock, and gravel ledge. The ledge is covered with a couple of feet of water and drops off into 12 feet of water. Both of these largemouths were caught in five to seven feet of water from the deep-water side of the ledge. One was caught on the shortened  green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig, and the other one was caught on the unshortened  green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig. Both of these worm rigs were implemented with a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve.  

In conclusion, we were fortunate to enjoy what we consider to be a stellar late-winter outing for Florida-strain largemouth bass and spotted bass; we caught 34 largemouth bass and one spotted bass in five hours.

Now that March has arrived and water temperatures are warming, we are anticipating better fishing at all the waterways in north-central Texas. 

March 3

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted this log on the Finesse News Network about his March 3 outing with John Thomas of Denton, Texas, at a federal reservoir in north-central Texas.

From 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., John and I fished at what we consider to be a very challenging federal hill-land reservoir in north-central Texas.

I have not visited this reservoir since Feb. 6, when I struggled mightily to catch four largemouth bass in three hours.

According to In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar, fishing was forecasted to be great. It also indicated that the best fishing would occur from 4:01 a.m. to 6:01 a.m., 10:12 a.m. to 12:12 p.m., and 10:34 p.m. to 12:34 a.m.

Except for an irksome 18 to 25 mph wind coming from the south, Mar. 3 was a pleasant and sunny day. The morning’s low temperature was 62 degrees, and the afternoon’s high reached 83 degrees. The barometric pressure measured 29.97 at 11:00 a.m., and it dropped to 29.88 by 4:00 p.m.

The water exhibited between 14 and 18 inches of visibility. The surface temperature ranged from 59 degrees in the main-lake basin to 61 degrees inside three feeder-creek arms in the midsection of the reservoir. The water level was normal.

We spent these five hours dissecting portions of three feeder-creek arms in the middle section of the reservoir. We opted not to travel to the upper or lower ends of the impoundment in the blustery wind and white-capping waves.

The underwater terrains inside these three feeder-creek arms are similar and consist of clay, some sand and silt, gravel, fist-size rocks, and sandstone boulders. There are patches of flooded buck brush, stickups, and stumps that grace many sections of the shallow-water areas inside these creek arms. There isn’t any aquatic vegetation in this impoundment.

The black-bass bite was nonexistent in the first two feeder-creek arms that we fished, but we did scrounge up 10 largemouth bass and two spotted bass inside the third creek arm. 

Two largemouth bass were caught from a prominent rocky secondary point in the lower section of this creek arm. It is adorned with numerous fist-size rocks, boulders, and flooded buck brush. It also has a 45-degree incline. Both largemouth bass were abiding near two clusters of submerged boulders on the steeper side of the point in five to seven feet of water. They were allured by a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with a Z-Man’s pearl Finesse ShadZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. 

The other eight largemouth bass and two spotted bass were caught in eight to 15 feet of water from a rock bluff and a rocky shoreline next to the bluff in the midsection of the creek arm. This bluff and its adjacent shoreline are about 75 yards long with a 45- to 60-degree slope. They are laden with chunky rocks, boulders, and flooded buck brush.

Of these 10 black bass, eight were inveigled by a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with a shortened 4.75-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ matched with a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. One was enticed by the pearl Finesse ShadZ rig and a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation. One was induced by a Z-Man’s Bama-Bug TRD BugZ fastened on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig and employed with a slow drag-shake-and-deadstick retrieve.

We failed to locate any black bass around two rocky secondary shorelines, four shallow clay-and-gravel flats, inside five small coves, around five other rock- and boulder-laden secondary points, and across a channel-swing shoreline.

In closing, it appears that the black bass that inhabit this reservoir are beginning to stir from their wintertime blahs. And with the unseasonably warm-weather trend in north-central Texas, we are optimistic that the wretched black-bass fishing that has plagued us for the past three months may be coming to an end soon.

March 5

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, and Rick Hebenstreit posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their March 5 outing at an 87-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 42 degrees. The afternoon's high temperature was 61 degrees. The sky varied from foggy and misty to overcast to mostly cloudy to fair. The wind angled out of the northeast, east, southeast, and south at 3 to 14 mph; there were some wind gusts that reached 18 to 20 mph. The barometric pressure was 29.97 at 12:53 a.m., 29.96 at 5:53 a.m., 29.96 at 11:53 a.m., and 29.87 at 3:53 p.m.  

The water level looked to be normal. The surface temperature ranged from 44 to 46 degrees. The water exhibited about four feet of visibility in the upper half of this reservoir and about six feet of clarity along the dam.  

In-Fisherman's Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 11:16 a.m. to 1:16 p.m., 11:38 p.m. to 1:38 a.m., and 5:27 a.m. to 7:27 a.m.

We made our first casts at 11:20 a.m. and the last ones at 3:20 p.m. This was a bass fishing for trout outing, which we often do in March and sometimes in November. Some of these trout affairs can be quite bountiful, such as the outing on March 8, 2017, when we caught and released 110 largemouth bass and 21 trout in four hours. But during our March 5, 2026, pursuit of trout and largemouth bass with our standard Midwest finesse rigs, we struggled to catch 12 largemouth bass and 10 rainbow trout. We accidentally caught three freshwater drum.

The hot-snakes Finesse TRD rig is at the top of this photograph. The twilight Finesse TRD rig is in the middle. The Canada-craw Hula StickZ rig is at the bottom.

One of the 10 trout was caught on a slightly shortened Z-Man’s hot-snakes Finesse TRD affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. A Canada-craw Hula StickZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jighead caught two of the 10 trout. A Z-Man’s twilight Finesse TRD affixed to either a red or baby blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig inveigled seven trout. Our hot-snakes Finesse TRD rig caught five largemouth bass. The twilight Finesse TRD rig lured seven largemouth bass.

Our most effective presentation with these rigs was a slow swim-glide-and-shake one. Several of our retrieves generated as many as three strikes before we would temporarily hook a trout, which would quickly liberate itself by executing an array of radical twists, turns, and somersaults.

In the upper half of this reservoir, we failed to garner a strike around four main-lake points, along two secondary shorelines, and three main-lake shorelines.

We caught all of our fish in the lower half of the reservoir.

TTwo trout and four largemouth bass were caught along about a 150-yard stretch of a massive main-lake shoreline. This shoreline possesses a 40-to-60-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally enhanced with a few patches of submerged aquatic vegetation, which we failed to identify, but we suspect it is Eurasian milfoil. The water’s edge is graced with several laydowns, partially submerged piles of tree limbs, and thick patches of winter-dead American water willows. The two trout and three of the four largemouth bass were caught around and in the vicinity of a tertiary point. The fourth largemouth bass was caught many yards from the tertiary point. Three of the largemouth bass and one trout were caught on the hot-snakes Finesse TRD rig about 10 to 15 feet from the outside edge of the patches of American water willows in about six to eight feet of water. The Twilight Finesse TRD rig enticed one trout and one largemouth bass in six to eight feet of water.

We fished along a secondary shoreline inside a small feeder-creek arm in the lower half of the reservoir. This shoreline yielded two largemouth bass and two trout. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders; this terrain is adorned with occasional patches of winter-wilted submerged aquatic vegetation, which we failed to identify, and a few piles of tree limbs. Patches of winter-dead American water willows line most of the water’s edge. There are also two docks and one overhanging tree that touches the surface. This terrain possesses a 25- to 40-degree slope. The two largemouth bass were caught at a small spot along this shoreline; one was caught on the hot-snakes Finesse TRD rig, and the second largemouth bass was caught on the twilight Finesse TRD rig. They were caught in about six to seven feet of water and many feet from the patches of winter-dead American water willows. The trout were allured many feet from the water’s edge by the twilight Finesse TRD in five to seven feet of water.

Along about a 700-yard stretch of a main-lake shoreline in the lower half of the reservoir. We caught one trout and four largemouth bass. This shoreline possesses the entry to the reservoir's spillway, three main-lake points, and one tertiary point. The underwater terrains of the shoreline and points consist of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally coated with submerged patches of aquatic vegetation that were not identified. The water’s edge is lined with many patches of winter-dead American water willows, one dock, several well-worn laydowns, a few overhanging trees, and occasional piles of tree limbs. The slope of these areas ranges from 25 to 50 degrees. We caught one trout and one largemouth bass at the same spot along the shoreline. The twilight Finesse TRD rig caught the trout about 15 feet from the water’s edge in about eight to nine feet of water; the largemouth bass was caught on the hot-snakes Finesse TRD in about seven feet of water. We caught three largemouth bass around one of the main-lake points on our twilight Finesse TRD rigs in about five to six feet of water and about eight to 10 feet from the water’s edge.

Along the riprap shoreline of the dam, which is 2,200 feet long, we caught three trout near the east end of the dam. This shoreline has a 45- to 50-degree slope.  The water’s edge is dressed with numerous patches of winter-dead American water willows, which are in very shallow water. The underwater terrain of riprap is partially adorned with some patches of submerged aquatic vegetation, which we failed to identify.  Two of the trout were caught on the Canada-craw Hula StickZ rig, and one was caught on the twilight Finesse TRD rig. These three trout were caught in five to seven feet of water and 15 to 20 feet from the water’s edge. Along the eastern end of the dam, we elicited many strikes that we failed to hook, and we hooked four trout that quickly jettisoned our rigs.

Along a main-lake shoreline adjacent to a main-lake point, we caught one trout. This shoreline has a 35-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, concrete blocks, and boulders. Its water’s edge is lined with patches of winter-dead American water willows, several overhanging trees, and a massive dock. The twilight Finesse TRD rig inveigled this trout in about six feet of water and 20 feet from the water’s edge.

We fished about 200 yards of a secondary shoreline adjacent to this main-lake point. The slope of this shoreline varies from about 25 degrees to 40 degrees. The underwater terrain contains gravel, rocks, and boulders. The shoreline is enriched with many laydowns, overhanging trees, piles of tree limbs, and several patches of winter-dead American water willows. Our twilight finesse TRD rigs caught one trout and two largemouth bass at the same spot. These fish were caught in about six to seven feet of water and many feet from the water’s edge.

In conclusion, our hourly catch rate was pitiful: three largemouth bass per hour and 2.5 trout per hour. We crossed paths with a friend who was pursuing temperate bass, and although he had caught hundreds of them during the last week of February, he failed to locate and catch them today.

March 5

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his solo March 5 outing at a federal reservoir in north-central Texas.

After John Thomas of Denton and I labored to catch 10 largemouth bass and two spotted bass at a north-central Texas federal reservoir on Mar 3, I thought I would check on the status of the black-bass fishing at a different federal reservoir in north-central Texas.  

I fished inside two feeder-creek arms in this reservoir’s southwest tributary arm from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and the black-bass fishing was better than I expected.

About 90 percent of the sky was adorned with thick grey cumulus clouds on Mar. 5. The morning’s low temperature was 65 degrees, and the afternoon’s high climbed to 83 degrees. The wind was problematic, and quartered out of the south and southeast at 15 to 25 mph. The barometric pressure measured 29.94 at 11:00 a.m., and 29.83 at 4:00 p.m.

The water level was at its normal pool level. The water displayed about 18 inches of visibility. I was encouraged to discover that the water’s surface temperature ranged from 59 to 61 degrees.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar table indicated that fishing would be average on Mar. 5. It also noted that the most lucrative fishing periods would occur between 5:22 a.m. and 7:22 a.m., 11:11 a.m. and 1:11 p.m., and 11:32 p.m. to 1:32 a.m.     

These creek arms contain large marinas. I fished from their mouths to their upper ends. I focused on three clay-and-gravel flats, two small coves, five rocky shorelines, seven rock-and-boulder-laden secondary points, and the areas around three concrete boat ramps. I fished in water as shallow as three feet and as deep as 18 feet, and most of these locales were fruitless.

Inside the first feeder-creek arm, which is located on the south side of the tributary arm, I caught six largemouth bass and five spotted bass in the midsection of this creek arm. Eight of these 11 black bass were caught along a 50-yard section of a clay-and-gravel ledge on the east side of the creek arm, and the other three were caught from a 35-yard segment of a clay-and-gravel ledge on the west side of the creek arm. The ledges parallel two clay-and-gravel shorelines that possess 35- to 45-degree slopes. The tops of these ledges are covered with a couple of feet of water, and their sides drop off into water that ranges from 15 to 23 feet in depth. All of these 11 black bass were abiding in five to nine feet of water near the deep-water sides of the two ledges.

One of the 11 black bass was caught on a slow drag-shake-and-deadstick presentation with a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-orange TRD BugZ fastened on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. Two were enticed by a slow and steady swimming retrieve with a three-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ on a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. Three were induced by a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation with a chartreuse  1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig and a four-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ, which was trimmed down from its original 4.75-inch length. And five black bass were tempted by a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with a Z-Man’s pearl Finesse ShadZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

I also dissected several rocky secondary points and portions of two other lengthy and rocky shorelines, and the area around a concrete boat ramp, and I failed to generate any other strikes in this creek arm.

Inside the second feeder-creek arm, which is located about a mile east of the first one, I probed two concrete boat ramps, three steep and rocky shorelines, several rocky secondary points, and a portion of a long clay-and-gravel ledge near the mouth of the creek arm, and I caught seven largemouth bass and one spotted bass.

Three largemouth bass were caught in three to five feet of water next to one of the concrete boat ramps in the midsection of the creek arm. Two of the three were tempted by the four-inch green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig with a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve. The third largemouth bass engulfed the pearl Finesse ShadZ combo with a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve.

Two largemouth bass and one spotted bass were caught in three to six feet of water from the deep-water side of a clay-and-gravel ledge near the mouth of the creek arm. This ledge parallels a clay-and-gravel shoreline, which has about a 35-degree slope. One of the two largemouth bass was inveigled by a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with the pearl Finesse ShadZ combo.  The other largemouth bass and spotted bass preferred the four-inch green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ with a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve.

The last two largemouth bass were extracted from three to five feet of water from a minor secondary point in the upper end of the creek arm. This rock-laden point has about a 30-degree incline. One of the largemouth bass was abiding near the end of the point in three feet of water, and the second largemouth bass was associated with the deeper side of the point in five feet of water. They were coaxed into striking the four-inch green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig with a slow swim-and-constant-shake motif.  

In my eyes, this was a pretty decent late-winter outing at this federal reservoir. I fished for five hours, and I was surprised to catch 19 black bass. Thirteen were largemouth bass, and six were spotted bass.

I wielded several Midwest finesse offerings, and the two most effective lures by far were a Z-Man’s pearl Finesse ShadZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig, and a slightly shortened Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ matched with a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

As for presentations, I experimented with all six of the standard Midwest finesse retrieves with a few variations of those retrieves. The most productive retrieve was a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation.

March 10  

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted this log on the Finesse News Network about his March 10 afternoon outing at a community reservoir in north-central Texas.

It was mostly cloudy to overcast, with rain showers popping up around the Denton area throughout the day. More severe thunderstorms with possible hail and 60- to 70-mph winds were forecasted for the evening hours and into March 11. The morning's low temperature was 68 degrees. The afternoon's high temperature reached 77 degrees. A peppy wind quartered out of the east, southeast, and south at 15 to 25 mph. The barometric pressure rose from 29.89 at noon to 29.93 at 4:00 p.m.

I fished from noon to 4:00 p.m.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar predicted poor fishing, and the most productive fishing periods would take place from 3:39 a.m. to 5:39 a.m., 9:51 a.m. to 11:51 a.m., and 4:04 p.m. to 6:04 p.m.

The water exhibited about two feet of clarity. The water’s surface temperature was 68 degrees. The water level appeared to be about a foot low.

This impoundment is surrounded by a variety of large silver maple, bald cypress, and weeping willow trees. The submerged terrain consists primarily of clay, bits of pea-size gravel, and a few scattered boulders the size of a coffee table. A few small areas are adorned with small patches of cypress tree knees. The submerged terrain is also matted with several large patches of submerged baby pondweeds and broken tree limbs.  

The upper end of this reservoir is shallow and flat. It is endowed with a small fishing pier and a large mat of baby pondweeds that covers most of this flat. The shorelines in the midsection of the reservoir possess several minor clay-and-gravel points, shallow ledges, and some medium-size mats of baby pondweeds. The lower end of the impoundment is also flat and shallow, with burgeoning mats of baby pondweeds spreading across this flat. 

The black-bass fishing was quite bountiful, and for the first time this year, I observed several bass hovering over spawning beds that were situated in two to three feet of water on several of the shallow ledges that parallel the shorelines. I didn’t disturb the bedding bass. Instead, I opted to focus on the pre-spawn bass that were inhabiting five to seven feet of water and 15 to 25 feet from the water’s edge.  

The thick patches of baby pondweeds in the upper end of the reservoir yielded seven largemouth bass that were abiding in three to five feet of water. Four of the seven were allured by a Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse ShadZ matched with a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. The other three bass were enticed by a slightly shortened four-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. These lures were employed with a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve.  

The green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig is at the top of this photograph. The green-pumpkin GrubZ rig is in the middle. The Junebug Finesse ShadZ rig is at the bottom. 

Around the deep-water sides of several of the clay-and-gravel ledges adorned with patches of baby pondweeds in the middle section of the impoundment, I caught 27 largemouth bass, two black crappie, and two large bluegill in five to seven feet of water. Ten of the 27 largemouth bass were caught on the four-inch green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig; eight were enticed by the Junebug Finesse ShadZ rig, five were fooled by a 3 1/2-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin GrubZ on a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig, and  four were tempted by a 3 1/2-inch Z-Man’s coppertreuse Trick ShotZ fastened to a 1/15-ounce chartreuse Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. The green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ, Junebug Finesse ShadZ, and coppertreuse Trick Shot rigs were utilized with a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve. The green-pumpkin GrubZ was implemented with a slow-paced swimming retrieve.  

In the lower end of the impoundment, I caught eight largemouth bass around patches of baby pondweeds in three to five feet of water. Seven were inveigled by a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with the Junebug Finesse ShadZ rig. One engulfed the green-pumpkin GrubZ rig as it was being slowly retrieved over the top of a small patch of baby pondweeds.    

In sum, I was delighted to tussle with a total of 42 Florida-strain largemouth bass, two black crappie, and two large bluegill in four hours. This calculates to 10 bass per hour, which is a difficult and lofty catch rate to achieve in north-central Texas. 

March 12

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his March 12 outing with Roger Farish of Highland Village, Texas, at two federal reservoirs in north-central Texas.

On March 11, a significant cold front passed through north-central Texas.  It caused daytime temperatures to drop from the middle 70s to the upper 50s, and the wind wailed at 25 to 37 mph.  The sun was bright on March 12, and the powder-blue sky was cloudless. Fortunately, the gusty winds on March 11 had waned, and a light breeze angled out of the east-by-southeast at 5 to 8 mph.  The morning’s low temperature on March 12 was 40 degrees, and the afternoon’s high struggled to reach 65 degrees. The barometric pressure measured 30.46 at 11:00 a.m., and 30.27 at 5:00 p.m.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar table forecasted poor fishing on Mar. 12. It also noted that the most productive fishing periods would occur between 6:11 a.m. and 8:11 a.m., 11:59 a.m. and 1:59 p.m., and 6:37 p.m. to 8:37 p.m.

This reservoir wasn’t our first choice. We first met at another north-central Texas federal reservoir at 11:00 a.m. The water at that reservoir was muddy (with six to eight inches of visibility) from the runoff of the severe thunderstorms that walloped north-central Texas during the evening hours of March 10 and morning hours of March 11. The water temperature ranged between 59 and 61 degrees. We fished inside two feeder-creek arms for about 90 uneventful minutes, then we trailered the boat and traveled 18 miles to another federal reservoir in north-central Texas.    

At the second reservoir, we were afloat from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The water level was about a foot high. The water exhibited about 18 inches of visibility. The water temperature ranged from 61 to 63 degrees.

We fished inside two feeder-creek arms in the lower section of the reservoir, and we caught 18 largemouth bass and two spotted bass.

Ten of these 20 black bass were allured by either a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve or a slow drag-shake-and-deadstick retrieve with a 3.25-inch  Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD FattyZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. Eight engulfed a Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse ShadZ fastened on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead as it was employed with a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation. Two were enticed by a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with a Z-Man’s pearl Finesse ShadZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

We fished from the entrances to the upper ends of both creek arms. We targeted clay-and-gravel flats, small coves, rocky shorelines, rock-and-boulder-laden secondary points, and the areas around several concrete boat ramps.

Inside the first feeder-creek arm, we caught 11 largemouth bass and two spotted bass. The second creek arm yielded seven largemouth bass. These fish were caught in water as shallow as five feet and as deep as 14 feet along the deep-water sides of several clay-and-gravel ledges located in the lower and middle sections of the creek arms. These ledges parallel shorelines with 35- to 45-degree slopes. The tops of these ledges are covered with a couple of feet of water, and their sides drop off into 15 to 23 feet of water.

In closing, the black-bass fishing at these two federal reservoirs was as different as night and day. The first impoundment we fished was a bust, but the second reservoir was pretty decent; it relinquished 18 largemouth bass and two spotted bass.  

March 19 

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, and Rick Hebenstreit of Shawnee, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their outing on March 19 at a 94-year-old state reservoir in northeastern Kansas.  

According to the National Weather Service, the morning’s low temperature was 39 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 82 degrees. The wind varied from calm and variable to angling from the south, southwest, west, northeast, and northwest at 3 to 9 mph. The sky was fair.  The barometric pressure was 29.97 at 12:52 a.m., 29.97 at 5:52 a.m., 30.03 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.01 at 1:52 p.m.

The largemouth bass fishing in northeastern Kansas has been depressingly and worrisomely horrible during the past 88 days of the winter of 2025-2026, and on the 89th day, which was March 19, it remained so.

What’s more, Mother Nature and Old Man Winter have collaborated to create some extremely erratic and windy weather this winter. For instance, it was 86 degrees on March 10. The wind howled at 53 mph at times on March 15. It also snowed on March 15, and area thermometers plummeted to 10 degrees on March 16 and 15 degrees on March 17. The wind often howls in March, but it seems to be windier than it used to be.

The water level looked to be about 1 ¾ feet below normal. The surface temperature was 49 to 51degrees. The water exhibited nine to 11 feet of clarity. Its shallow-water flats and many of its shallow-water shorelines are endowed with significant patches of curly-leaf pondweeds. Patches of winter-dead American water willows grace many of the shorelines.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing occurred from 10:51 a.m. to 12:51 p.m., 11:19 p.m. to 1:19 a.m., and 5:07 a.m. to 7:07 a.m.

We made our first casts at 10:06 a.m. and last casts at 1:55 p.m., when we caught largemouth bass number 20.

One of the 20 largemouth bass was caught on a slightly shortened 3.25-inch Z-Man’s Canada-craw TRD FattyZ rigged on a black 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jighead. A Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD HogZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig caught 19 largemouth bass.

This is our TRD HogZ rig.

Inside one of this reservoir’s two primary feeder-creek arms, we fished along two secondary shorelines, around four secondary points, and around three tertiary points. Each shoreline is more than 400 yards long. The underwater terrains of the shorelines and points consist of gravel, rocks, and boulders. These shorelines and points possess a 25- to 55-degree slope. Portions of the water’s edges are enhanced with winter-dead patches of American water willows, occasional piles of tree limbs, and some aged laydowns. The flatter areas are cluttered with burgeoning patches of curly-leaf pondweeds. Manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees grace some of the points and sections of the shorelines. A submerged rock-and-boulder fence amplifies a steep section of one of the shorelines. To our chagrin, we struggled to catch four largemouth bass inside this feeder-creek arm. They were caught in the back end of this feeder creek around and along about a 30-yard stretch of one of the secondary shorelines in about five to eight feet of water and about 15 to 20 feet from the water’s edge. One largemouth bass was caught on the TRD FattyZ rig with a slow dragging presentation. Three were caught on our TRD HogZ rigs while we were strolling with a slow dragging presentation.

We fished around a main-lake point at the mouth of this feeder-creek arm and along about 300 yards of the main-lake shoreline that stretches from the main-lake point to the dam’s spillway. The point has about a 50-degree slope. The shoreline has a 30- to 80-degree slope. Patches of winter-dead American water willows and a few laydowns and piles of tree limbs litter the water’s edges of the point and shorelines. The underwater terrains of this entire area consist of gravel, rocks, and boulders. A few of the boulders along the main-lake shoreline are humongous, which are about the size of a classic Volkswagen Beetle. The slope of the spillway has a 25-degree slope, which is enhanced with a ledge that plummets into 20 feet of water. Some of the flat and shallow-water sections are cluttered with patches of curly-leaf pondweeds. Our TRD HogZ rigs inveigled three largemouth bass in about 10 feet of water as we were strolling and using a dragging presentation. Along the shoreline and spillway, we caught 11 largemouth bass on our TRZ HogZ rigs. One largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop in about six feet of water, and 10 largemouth bass were caught as we were strolling with a dragging presentation in eight to 10 feet of water and 15 to 20 feet from the water’s edge.

We fished around the other main-lake point at the mouth of this feeder-creek arm and along about a 400-yard stretch of this point’s main-lake shoreline. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders; the flatter and shallower areas of this underwater terrain are endowed with some patches of curly-leaf pondweeds. The point has a 45-degree slope. The shoreline has a 35-to 45-degree slope. The water’s edge is lined with winter-dead patches of American water willows, laydowns, and piles of tree limbs. Our TRD HogZ rigs caught two largemouth bass along the flatter section of this shoreline as we were strolling with a dragging presentation in seven to 10 feet of water and many feet from the water’s edge.

We fished around one tertiary point and two secondary points and along about 200 yards of a secondary shoreline inside this reservoir’s other primary feeder-creek arm. This shoreline has a 30-to 40-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, which are graced with patches of curly-leaf pondweeds. And we failed to elicit a strike.

We failed to garner a strike along the riprap shoreline of the dam, around its concrete water outlet tower, around a riprap jetty, and along its adjacent shoreline.

In conclusion, we caught an average of five largemouth bass an hour. Several of these largemouth bass were quite lethargic, and it felt as if we were reeling in a tree branch or a wad of aquatic vegetation rather than a largemouth bass.

A dozen years ago, we had two power-plant reservoirs, three state reservoirs, and four community reservoirs where we could periodically catch 101 black bass in four hours during the winter. But nowadays, it is a hellish task to catch 25 largemouth bass in four hours. Consequently, we old codgers don’t fish as much as we used to fish during the winters of our younger days.

March 19

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his March 19 outing with John Thomas of Denton, Texas, at two federal reservoirs in north-central Texas.

On March 15, another powerful cold front passed through north-central Texas, causing daytime temperatures to drop from the mid-70s to the mid-40s, and the wind wailed up to 40 mph, with one wind gust reaching 54 mph at 1:53 p.m.  The aftereffects of this cold front, such as much cooler air temperatures and blustery winds, were felt over the next few days. As a result of the cooler temperatures and colder winds, the water temperatures in the waterways of north-central Texas dropped from the lower 60s into the mid to upper 50s, which seems to have had a negative effect on the Florida-strain largemouth bass populations in north-central Texas.

On March 18, it was sunny and still quite windy, but the air temperatures had climbed back into the mid-60s. I decided to conduct a solo four-hour excursion to three fruitful community reservoirs just east of Denton, and the fishing was horrid. I fished for four hours, and it was a chore to catch six largemouth bass.

On March 19, John Thomas of Denton joined me for an outing at two challenging but popular federal reservoirs in north-central Texas. This was our first outing at one of these two reservoirs in 2026, and it was a huge disappointment. The water was muddy with about 10 inches of visibility, and the surface temperature was 56 degrees. For about 45 minutes, we fished a portion of one feeder-creek arm and checked the water conditions inside another smaller creek arm in the lower end of the reservoir. The water conditions were just as bad in the second creek arm, so we decided to trailer the boat and seek better water conditions at another north-central Texas federal reservoir about 30 miles away.  

We found the water conditions a bit more to our liking at the second reservoir, and we fished from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

March 19 was a bright and sunny day. There wasn’t a cloud in sight for miles. The morning’s low temperature was 48 degrees, and the afternoon’s high reached 87 degrees. The barometric pressure measured 30.10 at 1:00 p.m., and 29.98 at 5:00 p.m. The wind angled out of the south-by-southwest at 15 to 20 mph.  

According to In-Fisherman’s Solunar table, the most lucrative fishing periods would occur from 5:03 a.m. to 7:03 a.m., 10:48 a.m. to 12:48 p.m., and 11:15 p.m. to 1:15 a.m.

The water at the second federal reservoir was stained with about 18 inches of clarity. The surface temperature ranged between 59 and 60 degrees. The water level was at full capacity.

We fished inside two feeder-creek arms in the lower section of the reservoir, and it was a tedious grind to eke out eight largemouth bass.

The fishing was so awful that we wielded a total of 13 Midwest finesse combos, and only two of them were productive. Five of these eight largemouth bass were enticed by either a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve or a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a Z-Man’s pearl Finesse ShadZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. The other three bass were teased into striking a four-inch Z-Man’s black-neon Finesse WormZ affixed on a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig that was utilized with a slow swim-and-pause presentation.    

We fished from the mouths to the back ends of both creek arms. We primarily focused our attention on two small coves, five clay-and-gravel flats, four rocky shorelines, two prominent rock-and-boulder-laden secondary points, and the areas around three concrete boat ramps.

Inside the first feeder-creek arm, we had to work hard to catch three largemouth bass. The second creek arm was a tad more productive, and it yielded five largemouth bass. Seven of these eight bass were extracted from four to nine feet of water along the deep-water sides of three clay-and-gravel ledges located in the midsections of the two creek arms. These three ledges parallel shorelines with 35- to 45-degree slopes. One largemouth bass was caught in five feet of water from a 50-yard stretch of a riprap-laden shoreline inside a small cove in the upper end of the first creek arm. This shoreline has a gradient of about 25 degrees.

The other 12 locales were fruitless.

Overall, it was a fitting end to our miserable wintertime black-bass fishing, especially on the last day of winter. As we see it, the black-bass fishing in north-central Texas is in a wretched state. The first impoundment we fished was unproductive, and the second reservoir relinquished only eight largemouth bass.

March 21

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted this log on the Finesse News Network about his March 21 outing with Roger Farish of Highland Village, Texas, at a state reservoir in north-central Texas.

This reservoir is the same impoundment that Bear Brundrett of Valley View, Texas, and I fished on Mar. 2, when we caught 34 largemouth bass and one spotted bass during a five-hour excursion. This was Roger’s first outing at this reservoir.  

March 21 was a strikingly bright and cloudless day. The wind angled out of the south at 10 to 15 mph. The morning’s low temperature was 58 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature warmed to 93 degrees. The barometric pressure measured 29.91 at 10:00 a.m. and 29.84 at 4:00 p.m.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that fishing would be poor. The most productive fishing periods would occur between 12:37 a.m. and 2:37 a.m., 6:50 a.m. and 8:50 a.m., and 1:03 p.m. to 3:03 p.m.

When we arrived at the boat ramp around 10:00 a.m., the parking lot was full of tow vehicles and trailers. There was also a waiting line to launch, which is the first time I have ever seen this phenomenon at this reservoir. And while we were waiting to launch our boat, we spoke with another bass angler who was trailering his boat to leave. He reported he caught three to four black bass at first light; then, the bite ceased as soon as the wind picked up.  

We were afloat from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The black-bass bite was decent during the morning hours, then it slowed down in the afternoon.

We targeted gravel flats, rocky secondary points, channel-swing shorelines, and boat docks. We fished around several small coves inside one major feeder-creek arm and inside three minor feeder-creek arms. These creek arms are situated on the north end of the reservoir.

The water exhibited about three feet of visibility. The surface temperature ranged from 62 to 64 degrees. The water level appeared to be four feet low.

We caught 22 largemouth bass and two crappie in three to nine feet of water across two medium-size clay-and-gravel flats in the midsection of the first minor feeder-creek arm. The underwater terrains of this feeder-creek arm and the other three creek arms consist of clay, small gravel, chunky rocks, some boulders, submerged stumps, some flooded timber, and laydowns.

One of these 22 largemouth bass was caught on a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with a four-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rigged on a black 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Another one was caught on a slow swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Baby Goat rigged on a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Four were enticed by a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with a 3.25-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD FattyZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Four more were induced by a Z-Man’s watermelon-red-flake Finesse ShadZ threaded on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead and a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve. And 12 largemouth bass and two crappie were allured by a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with a shortened 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s hot-snakes TRD TicklerZ matched with either a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead or a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. 

After that, we moved about a quarter of a mile eastward to another minor feeder-creek arm. We fished from the mouth of this creek arm to its back end, and we caught two largemouth bass. These two largemouth bass were caught in six to eight feet of water next to a large dock that is surrounded by large patches of submerged hydrilla in the lower end of the creek arm. One of the largemouth bass was a large specimen that weighed five-pounds and 13-ounces, which was enticed by a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with one of our 2 1/2-inch hot-snakes TRD TicklerZ rigs.  The other largemouth bass was smaller and weighed two-pounds and one-ounce; it was allured by a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with the Z-Man’s watermelon-red-flake Finesse ShadZ combo. We failed to elicit any strikes along a 75-yard stretch of a rocky channel-swing shoreline on the east side of the creek arm, and around shallow patches of hydrilla on three large clay-and-gravel flats that are in the midsection and back end of the creek arm.

 The third minor feeder-creek arm is the smallest of the four creek arms that we fished. It features several boat houses, a couple of large laydowns, a 30-yard ditch along the east shoreline, large mud flats next to the east, north, and west shorelines, and many patches of submerged hydrilla on those three flats. For the first time this spring, we observed several small pods of bluegill loitering around some of the shallower patches of hydrilla.  This creek arm relinquished five largemouth bass. Two were abiding in three to five feet of water near a couple of patches of hydrilla on the west flat near the mouth of this creek arm. They were tempted by the shortened 2 1/2-inch hot-snakes TRD TicklerZ rig. Three largemouth bass were caught in the midsection of the creek arm. They were caught in five feet of water from the center of the east ditch on the 3.25-inch green-pumpkin TRD FattyZ combo. Both rigs were employed with a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation. We failed to catch any bass in the upper end of the creek arm.    

Inside the major feeder-creek arm, we caught four largemouth bass. This creek arm is situated about a mile east of the third creek arm.  We focused on a small cove with decorative concrete and large brick retaining walls on the west side of the creek arm and two stump-laden coves on the east side of the creek arm.   All four of these largemouth bass were caught inside the small cove on the west side of the creek arm. They were caught from the shady sides of two small boat houses that float in four to seven feet of water.  One was caught on the 2 1/2-inch hot-snakes TRD TicklerZ rig, and the other three bass engulfed the 3.25-inch green-pumpkin TRD FattyZ rig. These lures were employed with a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve.    

In conclusion, we were disheartened a bit to see this reservoir bustling with so many people, pleasure boaters, jet skiers, wake boarders, and boat anglers. It looked more like Memorial Day weekend than mid-March.

We utilized nine Midwest finesse rigs, and five of them were productive. We caught a total of 33 largemouth bass and two black crappie.  

As we were driving home, Roger and I both agreed that we will start avoiding weekend fishing trips now that so many people, pleasure boaters, skiers, wake boarders, and boat anglers are coming out in droves to enjoy the pleasant spring weather.

March 25

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his March 25 outing at a federal reservoir in north-central Texas.

It was a sunny, partly cloudy, and breezy day. The morning’s low temperature was 66 degrees, and the afternoon’s high reached 87 degrees. The wind angled out of the south-by-southeast at 15 to 20 mph.  The barometric pressure measured 30.02 at noon and 29.91 at 4:00 p.m.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar table’s fishing forecast indicated great fishing. It also noted that the most productive fishing periods would occur from 5:05 a.m. to 7:05 a.m., 5:36 p.m. to 7:36 p.m., and 11:21 p.m. to 1:21 a.m.

The water was murky with about 18 inches of clarity. The water temperature ranged from 64 to 66 degrees, but I didn’t see any bluegill or largemouth bass spawning activity in the shallow water areas. The water level was at full pool.

I found some refuge from the incessant wind inside two feeder-creek arms in the lower section of the reservoir, and it was a trying task to inveigle seven largemouth bass and three spotted bass during this four-hour endeavor. I also encountered one white bass.

I fished from the lower to the upper ends of both creek arms. Their underwear terrains consist of silt, clay, gravel, chunky rocks, and boulders. Portions of the shallow-water areas are cluttered with partially flooded buck brush, stickups, and a few laydowns. The shorelines possess 25- to 30-degree inclines.

Inside the first feeder-creek arm, I caught five largemouth bass and one spotted bass. Four of these six black bass were extracted from four to seven feet of water along the deep-water sides of two clay-and-gravel ledges in the midsection of this creek arm. The other two were caught in less than five feet of water near a stretch of submerged riprap that covers a 50-yard section of a shoreline in the upper end of the creek arm. Four of them were caught on a Z-Man's pearl Finesse ShadZ rigged on a 1/16-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead, and two were allured by a Z-Man's California-craw TRD HogZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce OG Mushroom Jighead. These lures were implemented with a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve.

The second feeder-creek arm is located about a mile east of the first one. This creek arm yielded three largemouth bass and one spotted bass.

One largemouth bass and one spotted bass were caught in four and six feet of water from a 15-yard stretch of a clay-and-gravel shoreline on the west side of the creek arm. Two largemouth bass were caught in five and seven feet of water along a channel-swing shoreline on the east side of the creek arm. All four of these black bass were allured by a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with the California-craw TRD HogZ rig.  

I failed to elicit any strikes from five clay-and-gravel flats, two concrete boat ramps, and six other secondary shorelines.

I employed a total of seven Midwest finesse combos, and two of them were effective. Six of these ten black bass were induced by a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with a Z-Man’s California-craw TRD HogZ matched with a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. The other four black bass were enticed by a Z-Man’s pearl Finesse ShadZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. These lures were implemented with a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve.

The one white bass was caught in the first feeder-creek arm. It was abiding in 21 feet of water and many yards offshore. It was caught while I was slowly strolling a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ affixed to a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead behind the boat along the bottom and through a large school of fish that I had detected on my 2D sonar on the bottom of a creek channel.

March 25

Bob Gum of Kansas City, Kansas, posted a brief log on the Finesse News Network about his outing on March 25 at one of the power-plant reservoirs in northeastern Kansas.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 48 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 86 degrees. The wind angled out of the south and southwest at 7 to 22 mph; there were some gusts that reached 32 mph. The sky was fair. The barometric pressure was 30.00 at 12:52 a.m., 29.98 at 5:52 a.m., 29.92 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.85 at 1:52 p.m.

I made my first cast at 7:30 a.m. and quit around 1:00 p.m. 

Water clarity was about two feet along the shoreline of the dam. The surface temperature was 57 degrees at a riprap shoreline along the east side of the reservoir and 60 degrees along the dam’s shoreline. The water level looked to be 2 ½ feet below normal.  The power plant was generating some electricity. 

I fished exclusively along riprap shorelines throughout this outing.

I began this outing by dissecting about a quarter-mile stretch of the riprap along the east shoreline immediately north of the power plant. The second area I fished was the shoreline that surrounds the power-plant. The third place was the riprap shoreline that borders the access road to the power plant. I finished this 5 ½-hour outing along the riprap shoreline of the dam.

The bite overall was sparse, especially first thing in the morning.

My most effective Midwest finesse rigs were a 2 ½-inch Z-Man’s purple-haze ZinkerZ on a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig and a Z-Man’s hot-snakes TRD TicklerZ on a black 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig.  I retrieved these rigs with a slow swim-glide-and-subtle-shake presentation.

 I caught 27 fish, consisting of one common carp, one channel catfish, six freshwater drum, and 19 largemouth bass. 

By the way, I ran into a fisherman by the dam’s spillway who recognized me and mentioned he caught a nine-pound largemouth bass here a week ago on a Z-Man’s hot-snakes ZinkerZ rig. 

March 25

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his outing on March 25 at a 64-year-old state reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

According to the National Weather Service, the morning’s low temperature was 46 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 91 degrees. This was the third day this March that area thermometers climbed into the 90s. The wind angled from the east, southeast, south, and southwest at 3 to 21 mph; there were many gusts of wind that reached 30 mph. The sky was fair.  The barometric pressure was 30.02 at 12:52 a.m., 29.97 at 5:52 a.m., 28.92 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.97 at 3:52 p.m

The water level looked to be about normal. The surface temperature was 54 to 56 degrees. The water exhibited three to five feet of clarity.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted that the best fishing occurred from 4:25 a.m. to 6:25 p.m., 5:22 p.m. to 7:22 p.m., and 11:07 p.m. to 1:07 a.m.

This is a heavily fished flatland reservoir, and as I was launching my boat, I talked with several anglers who had finished their outing and reported that the fishing was awful.

I made my first cast at 1:34 p.m. and the last one at 4:00 p.m.

I had planned for this to be what I call a short geriatric outing, spending about 90 minutes thoroughly dissecting the entire shoreline of the dam with hopes of tangling with 20 largemouth bass.

When I arrived at the dam, the south wind began to howl, executing gusts between 23 and 30 mph, and the shoreline was pummeled with white-capping waves. I made my first cast with a Z-Man’s coppertreuse Fuzzy TRD affixed to and on the initial drop of this rig into about five feet of water, I caught a largemouth bass that looked and felt as if it weighed 3 ½ to four pounds.

The dam is 2,280 feet long and 58 feet high with a 35- to 60-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of riprap, which has become gravel, rocks, and boulders; some portions of it are occasionally enhanced with various kinds of submerged aquatic vegetation. The vegetation was quite sparse during this outing. There are three tiny patches of winter-dead American water willows gracing the water’s edge of the dam.

After catching the largemouth bass on the initial drop of my first cast, I failed to elicit another strike as I battled the wind and waves along the entire dam. I periodically wielded the Fuzzy TRD rig, a Z-Man’s pearl TRD MinnowZ 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, and a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD HogZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig.

Instead of going home after I dissected the entire shoreline of the dam, I decided to fish some locales that were somewhat sheltered from the 30-mph gusts of wind, which is a problematic endeavor to achieve on this flatland reservoir.

I failed to garner a strike around a flat main-lake point and along portions of two flat shorelines inside a small feeder-creek arm.  The underwater terrains of the point and shorelines consist of gravel, rocks, and silt, which are decorated with scores of offshore piles of eastern red cedar trees and some patches of coontail and other kinds of submerged aquatic vegetation. The water’s edge possesses a few laydowns and some winter-dead American water willows. I used the same Midwest finesse rigs as I used on the dam.

I quickly fished along about a 300-yard stretch of a shoreline in the back of one of this reservoir’s primary feeder-creek arms. This shoreline has a 25- to 60-degree slope. A submerged creek channel parallels sections of this shoreline. The underwater terrain consists of clay, gravel, rocks, and silt, which are occasionally coated with manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees, patches of coontail, and other varieties of submerged aquatic vegetation. The water’s edge is lined with laydowns, some patches of winter-dead American water willows, and many piles of branches and tree limbs. It has two tertiary points. Along a flat section of this shoreline and around some patches of coontail, I elicited a strike with the pearl TRD MinnowZ rig and hooked a fish that immediately swam into a pile of submerged eastern red cedar trees, and I failed to coax that fish out of that pile. That was the only strike that I elicited along this shoreline.

I spent a few fruitless minutes fishing a small segment of an offshore flat in the back of this primary feeder-creek arm.

I spent the final hour of this outing fishing inside a tiny feeder-creek arm, which used to be a small farm pond, and along portions of a 350-yard stretch of a shoreline inside this reservoir’s other primary feeder creek arm.

The shorelines inside the tiny feeder-creek arm have a 20- to 45-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of clay, silt, gravel, and rocks, which is endowed with some meager patches of coontail. Portions of the underwater terrain are enhanced with the remnants of the pond’s dam. The water’s edges are littered with many tree limbs, four laydowns, and some patches of winter-dead American water willows. Along the outside edge of a patch of winter-dead American water willows, I caught one largemouth bass on the TRD HogZ rig with a slow swim-and-pause presentation in about four feet of water. On the next cast, I garnered a strike and hooked a fish that entangled my line among a pile of eastern red cedar trees, and I failed to extract that fish from the pile of cedar trees and lost the TRD HogZ rig. During the next 15 minutes, I caught four largemouth bass on a Z-Man’s Canada-craw TRD HogZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. They were caught in four to six feet of water. One was caught on an accidental deadstick presentation. The other three were caught on the slow swim-and-pause retrieve.

The coppertreuse Fuzzy TRD rig is at the top of this photograph. The Canada-craw TRD HogZ rig is at the bottom.

Along portions of the 350-yard shoreline, I caught six largemouth bass on the Canada-craw TRD HogZ rig.  This shoreline has a 25- to 30-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and silt, which is occasionally decorated with patches of coontail.  Its water’s edge is endowed with one dock, seven riprap jetties, several winter-dead patches of American water willows, a few piles of tree limbs, and a submerged creek channel courses near a portion of it. One largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the TRD HogZ rig along one of the inside corners of the dock in about six feet of water. One was caught around a patch of coontail in four to five feet of water as I used a slow swim-and-pause presentation. The other four were caught as I was strolling with the wind and using a drag-and-short pause presentation around the tips of the riprap jetties in five to seven feet of water.

In short, it was a struggle to catch an average of 4.8 largemouth bass per hour.

March has been a trying time for me to be a largemouth bass angler at the community and state reservoirs in northeastern Kansas. What’s more, Mother Nature’s radical temperature changes from 11 to 94 degrees have made it the ugliest spring for daffodils, tulips, forsythias, redbud trees, hellebores, dogwood trees, and other blossoming plants that I have witnessed in my lifetime, which spans back to the 1940s.

March 27  

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted this log on the Finesse News Network about his March 27 outing at two community reservoirs in north-central Texas.

It was overcast and windy, and for a brief time, it misted. The morning's low temperature was 63 degrees. The high temperature reached 70 degrees at 11:53 a.m., then a cold front passed through, dropping the air temperatures to 62 degrees at 4:00 p.m. A robust wind accompanied the cold front and blew continuously out of the north-by-northeast at 22 to 35 mph. The barometric pressure rose from 30.11 at 10:00 a.m. to 30.27 at 3:00 p.m.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar predicted poor fishing, and the optimum fishing periods would take place from 5:36 a.m. to 7:36 a.m., 11:24 a.m. to 1:24 p.m., and 6:02 p.m. to 8:02 p.m.

I didn’t feel like fighting the wind and waves at any of the federal or state reservoirs in north-central Texas, so I fished at two community reservoirs in the Denton area.

I fished at the first reservoir from 10:00 a.m. to noon.  

The water exhibited about 24 inches of clarity. The water’s surface temperature was 70 degrees. The water level appeared to be about two feet low.

This impoundment is encircled by a variety of bald cypress, silver maple, and weeping willow trees. The submerged terrain consists of clay, small bits of gravel, and a few scattered boulders the size of a coffee table. A few small shallow-water areas are adorned with patches of cypress tree knees. The submerged terrain is also matted with large patches of submerged baby pondweeds that are now growing thicker and spreading out in the shallow-water areas. 

The upper end of this reservoir is shallow and flat. It is endowed with a small fishing pier and large mats of baby pondweeds. The shorelines in the midsection of the reservoir possess several minor clay-and-gravel points, shallow ledges, and some large mats of baby pondweeds. The lower end of the impoundment is also flat and shallow like its upper end, and  patches of baby pondweeds have now spread to this area.

The shallow patches of baby pondweeds in the upper end of the reservoir yielded three largemouth bass. They were abiding in three to five feet of water. Two of the three largemouth bass were caught on a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation. The third one was allured by a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation with a Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse ShadZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.

Around the deep-water sides of several clay-and-gravel ledges adorned with several large patches of baby pondweeds in the middle section of the impoundment, I caught nine largemouth bass in four to seven feet of water. Five were enticed by a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation with the 2 1/2-inch pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ rig, and the other four were induced into striking a Z-Man’s Hot Craw Baby Goat matched with a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead that was employed with a slow swimming retrieve.  

I failed to elicit any strikes in the lower end of this impoundment. And as I was making my last casts at this impoundment, it began to mist, so I took a lunch break while I waited for the mist to stop.

I fished at the second community reservoir from 1:00 p.m. until 3:30 p.m.

The water level appeared to be a couple of feet low. The water temperature was 69 degrees. The water displayed a brownish tint with about 12 inches of visibility.

This reservoir is crescent-shaped. Portions of the shorelines are adorned with knees of bald cypress trees, two prominent points, and a small cove. Several shallow clay-and-gravel ledges are about three to five feet from the water’s edge. The ledges are covered with 12 to 18 inches of water and drop off into three to five feet of water. The bottom terrain consists of clay, gravel, rocks, matted layers of dead leaves, and broken branches.

This reservoir yielded eight largemouth bass. All of them were caught in five to seven feet of water near the deep-water sides of two long clay-and-gravel ledges in the lower and middle sections of the impoundment. Four of the eight were caught on the 2 1/2-inch pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ rig, which was utilized with a slow swim-and-constant-shake presentation. The other two were allured by a slow swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s Space Guppy Slim SwimZ fastened on a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.

I failed to elicit any strikes around the two prominent points, around several tertiary points at the upper end of the impoundment, and inside the small cove at the lower end of the reservoir.

In summary, I caught a total of 20 largemouth bass. I also caught three bluegill, two green sunfish, and one black crappie in 4 1/2 hours. Twelve largemouth bass were caught from the first impoundment, and eight largemouth bass were caught from the second impoundment.

Two of the 20 largemouth bass were caught with a slow swimming retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s Space Guppy Slim SwimZ on a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Three were tempted with a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with the Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse ShadZ on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Four were caught on the Z-Man’s Hot Craw Baby Goat on a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead with a slow swimming retrieve. And 11 were allured by either a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve or a slow swim-and-constant-shake retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.

March 28

Bob Gum of Kansas City, Kansas, posted a brief log on the Finesse News Network about his outing on March 28 with Syed Khalid of Overland Park, Kansas, and Khalid Amin of Minneapolis, Minnesota, at one of the federal reservoirs in northeastern Kansas.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 19 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 62 degrees. The wind was calm for five early morning hours, and then it angled out of the northwest, west, southeast, and south at speeds ranging from 3 to 17 mph; there were times when the gusts of wind blew at speeds of 21 to 26 mph. The conditions of the sky varied from being fair to mostly cloudy to overcast.  The barometric pressure was 30.68 at 12:52 a.m., 30.63 at 5:52 a.m., 30.05 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.46 at 1:52 p.m.

In-Fisherman’s Solunar calendar noted the optimum fishing periods would take place from 7:38 a.m. to 9:38 a.m., 8:04 p.m. to 10:04 p.m., and 1:25 a.m. to 3:25 a.m.

The water clarity was about a foot. The surface temperature ranged from 51 to 53 degrees. The water level was 1.2 feet above normal.

I made my first cast around 7:30 as I fished along about 200 yards of a main-lake shoreline on the north side of this reservoir, and I caught three white bass, one freshwater drum, and one smallmouth bass.

Then, I picked up Syed and Khalid, and we fished along about 150 yards of the riprap shoreline of the dam and a quarter mile of the north main-lake shoreline. Eventually, the wind and waves made fishing along the north shoreline unmanageable. Therefore, we spent the rest of this outing seeking refuge from the wind inside the small feeder-creek arm that contains this reservoir’s marina.

When we made our final casts at 1:00 p.m., our fish counter indicated that we struggled to catch six smallmouth bass, five white bass, five crappie, four wipers, four freshwater drum, and two pint-sized largemouth bass.

The most effective Midwest finesse rig was a Z-Man’s hot-snakes TRD TicklerZ affixed to a black 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig, utilizing a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve. The smallmouth bass were caught along the north main-lake shoreline in two to four feet of water. The white bass were also caught in two to four feet of water, but the wipers were caught in slightly deeper water. The crappie were caught inside the feeder-creek arm, and a few of them were suspended.