Mon, Apr 3rd, 2023 12:00:00 am

Roger Farish of Highland Village, Texas. with one of the largemouth bass that he caught on March 7.

March 1

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Mar. 1 outing at one of northeastern Kansas' many community reservoirs. This one is 83 years old, and it is heavily fished and much abused.

Here is an edited version of his log.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning's low temperature was 32 degrees, and the afternoon's high temperature was 63 degrees. The wind angled out of the north, northwest, and northeast at 3 to 23 mph. The sky was fair. The barometric pressure was 29.64 at 12:52 a.m., 29.67 at 5:52 a.m., 29.89 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.84 at 2:52 p.m.

The water level looked to be a few inches above normal. The surface temperature ranged from 44 to 45 degrees. At the boat ramp, which is adjacent to the dam, the secchi stick measured more than six feet of visibility, but in the upper half of this reservoir's primary feeder-creek arm, the visibility diminished to about 15 inches and less.

During the past several years, this reservoir's managers have removed the magnificent patches of coontail that embellished many of its shallow-water shorelines and flats by stocking grass carp and applying many applications of aquatic herbicides. This has adversely affected the water clarity in the upper half of this reservoir and anglers' abilities to locate and catch significant numbers of largemouth bass during the cold-water months of the year. (In short, dirty, cold, and weedless water has always been anathema to Midwest finesse anglers and our power fishing colleagues.)

In-Fisherman's solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 5:51 a.m. to 7:51 a.m., 6:17 p.m. to 8:17 p.m., and 11:30 a.m. to 1:38 p.m.

I was afloat from 12:05 p.m. to 2:50 p.m. It was a disheartening two hours and 45 minutes. Thus, it is difficult to compose a log about what transpired.

I spent about 80 minutes half-heartedly fishing. The other 85 minutes were spent examining where some of the once bountiful patches of coontail flourished and untold numbers of largemouth bass were caught and immediately released throughout the calendar year.

It is always a difficult task to catch largemouth bass in northeastern Kansas' flatland reservoirs when the water is cold, stained, and devoid of coontail or curly-leaf pondweeds or Eurasian milfoil or sago pondweeds. Back in the so-called good old days of this reservoir before its patches of coontail were eradicated, we rarely caught a largemouth bass in the lower portion of this reservoir.

But because the water clarity was so unsightly in the upper half of this reservoir, I spent about one hour thoroughly dissecting the entire dam, which is 1,550 feet long with a height of 58 feet. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are littered with an occasional pile of brush. The dam possesses a 50- to 60-degree slope. The water's edge is lined with patches of winter-dead American water willows. More than six feet of water clarity graced the entire dam.

During winter's past, it has always been a chore to elicit a strike along this dam. But somehow, I elicited six strikes and caught five largemouth bass. Three were caught on a Z-Man's PB&J Micro TRD affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man's Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. One was caught on a Z-Man's Drew's craw TRD TicklerZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/32-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead. And another one was caught on a Z-Man's Drew's craw TRD TicklerZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead. They were caught while I was employing a drag-shake-and-minor-deadstick presentation in about six to eight feet of water.

I caught another largemouth bass next to a dock and along a main-lake shoreline that is adjacent to a main-lake point in the lower quarter of this reservoir. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. It has a 40-degree slope. The water exhibited about five feet of clarity. This largemouth bass was caught on the PB&J Micro TRD rig with a drag-and-subtle-shake presentation in about nine feet of water.

Inside a small feeder-creek arm in the lower quarter of this reservoir, I caught a largemouth bass along a short portion of a shoreline next to a secondary point. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. It has about a 35-degree slope. The water exhibited about 4 ½ feet of clarity. This largemouth bass was caught on the PB&J Micro TRD rig as I was strolling and using a drag-and-subtle-shake presentation in about eight feet of water.

In closing, this outing proved once again how important it is to have the managers of our reservoirs properly cultivate and maintain patches of submerged aquatic vegetation.

March 4

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his Mar. 4 outing at one of northeastern Kansas' many state reservoirs. This reservoir is 91 years old, and it is heavily fished -- especially on a relatively balmy Saturday in March.

Here is an edited version of his log.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning's low temperature was 38 degrees, and the afternoon's high temperature was 62 degrees. The wind was calm for several hours, and when it stirred, it angled out of the east, southeast, north, west, and northwest at 3 to 13 mph. The sky fluctuated from being fair to partly cloudy, mostly cloudy, overcast, and raining lightly. The barometric pressure was 29.64 at 12:52 a.m., 29.89 at 5:52 a.m., 30.01 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.00 at 4:52 p.m.

The water level looked to be a few inches below normal. The surface temperature ranged from 43 to 47 degrees. The water exhibited more than six feet of clarity. This reservoir is situated in one of Kansas' glaciated regions.

In-Fisherman's solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 8:01 a.m. to 10:01 a.m., 8:24 p.m. to 10:24 p.m., and 1:49 a.m. to 3:49 a.m.

I was afloat from 1:42 p.m. to 4:37 p.m.

Before I executed my first cast, I was hoping that one or more of this reservoir's massive shallow-water flats, which are quilted with wonderful patches of coontail and curly-leaf pondweeds and several manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees, would be entertaining a few wintertime clusters of largemouth bass.

To my delight, I caught a largemouth bass on my first cast. But as I made my last cast, my fish counter indicated that I had caught only 11 largemouth bass in 185 minutes or an average of three an hour.

In contrast, when we fished on Feb. 20, 21, and 28, significant numbers of the largemouth bass were in their traditional wintertime haunts, and we fished for a total of seven hours and caught 79 largemouth bass or an average of 11 an hour.

Therefore, I am guessing that the wintertime clusters of largemouth bass that inhabit the shallow-water flats and patches of submerged aquatic vegetation have made their normal March transition a little earlier than they normally do. During this transition, their whereabouts are difficult to determine. We suspect that they might be in a pelagic or wandering state.

Here is what transpired:

I caught four of the 11 largemouth bass around three different patches of coontail and curly-leaf pondweeds.

The first one was caught on a Z-Man's Drew's craw TRD TicklerZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/32-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead on a very large shallow-water flat in the back of a major feeder-creek arm. It was caught on the outside edge of a patch of coontail in about eight feet of water with a drag-shake-and-pause presentation.

The second was caught on the same shallow-water flat about 75 yards from the area the first one was caught. It was caught around a patch of curly-leaf pondweeds and a manmade pile of eastern cedar trees in about six feet of water with a Z-Man's PB&J Micro TRD affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man's Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig with a drag-shake-and-pause presentation.

The third largemouth bass was caught along a large patch of curly-leaf pondweeds that decorates a flat shoreline in the back of this major feeder-creek arm. It was caught on the PB&J Micro TRD rig with a drag-shake-and-pause presentation while I was strolling in about seven feet of water.

The fourth largemouth bass was caught in a patch of curly-leaf pondweeds on a shallow-water main-lake flat. It was caught on the initial drop of a Z-Man's Drew's craw TRD TicklerZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead in about six feet of water.

I probed about 2 1/2 acres of submerged vegetation to catch those four largemouth bass.

The other seven largemouth bass were caught around rock-and-boulder-laden terrains.

Two of the seven largemouth bass were caught around a secondary point adjacent to a shallow-water flat inside one of the large feeder-creek arms. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. A submerged creek channel courses nearby. The terrain has a 45-degree slope. The largemouth bass were caught on the Drew's craw TRD TicklerZ rig with the 1/16-ounce jig with drag-shake-and-pause presentation in six to seven feet of water and about 20 feet from the water's edge.

Three of the seven were caught along about a 125-yard stretch of a very steep or bluff-like main-lake shoreline. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and scores of humongous boulders. A few laydowns and manmade brush piles embellish the rocks and boulders. The terrain has a 75- to almost a 90-degree slope. The Drew's craw TRD TicklerZ with the 1/16-ounce jig inveigled these three largemouth bass with a drag-shake-and-pause presentation in seven to 10 feet of water about 15 feet from the water's edge.

One of the seven was caught around a main-lake point that is immediately adjacent to the patch of curly-leaf pondweeds on the main-lake flat that yielded a largemouth bass. This point's underwater terrain is dressed with gravel, rocks, boulders, and the residue of an ancient rock fence. It possesses a 45- to 55-degree slope. Before I caught this largemouth bass, I temporarily hooked two other fish. All three of these fish struck the Drew's craw TRD TicklerZ with the 1/16-ounce jig with a drag-shake-and-pause presentation in about eight feet of water.

Largemouth bass number 11 was caught around another main-lake point. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and the remnants of a barn's foundation. It has about a 55-degree slope. This largemouth bass was caught on the Drew's craw TRD TicklerZ as I was strolling and employing a drag-shake-and-pause presentation in about six to seven feet of water.

At the boat ramp. I briefly chatted with an ardent power angler who endured a worse outing than I did. He failed to catch a largemouth bass.

Some years the March transition in northeastern Kansas isn't an extremely trying ordeal for Midwest finesse anglers and our power-angling colleagues. But this one, which is occurring a tad earlier than normal, looks as if it might be more trying than it usually is.

Endnote:

To placate my piscatorial chagrins from my disappointing outings on Mar. 1 and 4, Patty Kehde suggested that we should spend about 90 minutes or so on Mar. 5 bass fishing for trout at one of northeastern Kansas' community reservoirs. And for about 80 minutes, we battled a pesky south and southeast wind with countless gusts of 28 to 31 mph. The wind forced us to stroll a lot. And we struggled mightily to catch and immediately release five rainbow trout and one largemouth bass. We caught them on a Z-Man's green-pumpkin Micro ZicklerZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man's Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig, a Z-Man's PB&J Micro TRD affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man's Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig, and a Z-Man's smelt Micro TRD affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man's Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. One was caught on the initial drop, and the others were caught as we worked with a drag-shake-and-deadstick presentation in five to seven feet of water. They were caught along two shorelines in the back half of a small feeder-creek arm.

According to the National Weather Service, Mother Nature's windy and rainy ways on Mar. 7, 8, 9, and 10. might provide me with a respite from dealing with the largemouth bass' March transition.

March 5

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his March 5 outing with Bill Kenney of Denton.

Here is an edited version of their log.

Bill Kenney and I took advantage of a warm winter's day and conducted a rare Sunday afternoon outing at a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' hill-land reservoir in north-central Texas. We opted to pursue white bass this time instead of the lethargic Florida-strain largemouth bass.

Our part of Texas has been enjoying a nice warming trend, and we are hopeful that the dregs of winter will soon be over. During this March 5 excursion, the sky was partly cloudy and sunny. The afternoon's high temperature peaked at 80 degrees. The morning's low temperature was 50 degrees. The barometric pressure measured 29.94 at 2:00 p.m., and it fell slightly to 29.89 by 6:00 p.m. A blustery wind blew incessantly out of the south at 15 to 25 mph.

According to In-Fisherman's solunar table, the most productive fishing periods would occur from 2:43 a.m. to 4:43 a.m., 8:54 a.m. to 10:54 a.m., and 9:16 p.m. to 11:16 p.m. It also noted that the fishing would be good.

We fished from 2:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.

We spent these four hours seeking shelter from the wind and the continuous ranks of white-capped waves inside a minor feeder-creek arm on the north end of the reservoir. Except for a short spell when we shared this creek arm with two other boat anglers and a couple of bank anglers, we had this creek arm to ourselves. And when we took a few moments to speak with these four anglers, the two boat anglers reported that they had caught two white bass, and the two bank anglers said they had caught eight white bass and one five-inch largemouth bass.

The submerged terrain inside this creek arm consists of clay and gravel. The creek's shorelines are steep and bluff-like in the upper reaches of the creek arm, and they become flatter in the middle and lower sections. Countless numbers of flooded bushes, submerged brush piles, partially-submerged laydowns, and submerged stumps adorn the shallows along the shorelines.

The water in the main-lake area outside of this creek arm was muddy with less than a foot of visibility. The surface temperature was surprisingly warm for this time of year and measured 58 degrees. The water level was 0.54 of a foot high.

Inside the lower end of this creek arm, the water clarity exhibited about 10 inches of visibility, and the surface temperature increased to 64 degrees. In the midsection of this creek arm, the water displayed 16 inches of visibility, and the water temperature was 65 degrees.

During the first hour of this outing, we plied the lower section of the creek arm. The white-bass bite was slow, and we struggled to catch two white bass.

In the midsection of the creek arm, the fishing was much better, and we were delighted to catch 38 white bass and one large black crappie in two hours.

We spent the last 60 minutes in the lower end of the creek arm slowly fishing our way back to the mouth of the creek arm, and we caught four more white bass.

All totaled, we caught 43 white bass and one black crappie in four hours. All of them were abiding in five to 14 feet of water near the deep-water ends of laydowns and the edges of the main creek channel that courses its way down the center of this feeder-creek arm.

A 2 1/2-inch Z-Man's pearl Slim SwimZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man's Finesse ShroomZ jig beguiled 26 white bass and the one black crappie. Five white bass were caught on a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man's pearl Slim SwimZ fastened on a chartreuse 1/8-ounce finesse jig head. Four were allured by a 3 1/2-inch Z-Man's pearl GrubZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man's Finesse ShroomZ jig. Another four white bass were tempted by a Z-Man's The Deal Baby Goat affixed on a black 1/16-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead. And four were bewitched by a Z-Man's pearl Micro Finesse TRD TicklerZ matched with a 1/32-ounce chartreuse Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead.

The most effective presentation was a slow-and-steady swimming retrieve.

March 7

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his March 7 outing with John Thomas of Denton.

Here is an edited version of their log.

From 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., John and I returned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' hill-land reservoir that Bill Kenney of Denton and I visited on March 5.

This was John's first outing in 2023.

The sky conditions changed from partly cloudy to overcast. The barometric pressure fell from 30.00 at 11:00 a.m. to 29.91 at 6:00 p.m. The wind quartered out of the southeast at 10 to 15 mph. The morning's low temperature was 60 degrees. The afternoon's high temperature reached 74 degrees.

In-Fisherman's solunar table noted that the best fishing would occur from 4:06 a.m. to 6:06 a.m., 10:16 a.m. to 12:16 p.m., and 10:37 p.m. to 1:37 a.m. It also indicated that fishing would be excellent.

The water level was 0.53 of a foot above its normal pool. The water exhibited between 10 and 15 inches of visibility. The surface temperature ranged from 56 degrees in the main-lake basin to 66 degrees in the midsection of one of the three feeder-creek arms that we fished.

We spent these six hours inside three feeder-creek arms. One is located in the upper end of the reservoir, and the other two are situated in the reservoir's southwest tributary arm.

Our first stop was inside a minor feeder-creek arm in the northern section of the reservoir. The surface temperature inside the creek arm ranged from 60 degrees and 10 inches of visibility at the entrance of the creek arm to 66 degrees and 15 inches of clarity in the midsection of the creek arm. We targeted numerous laydowns, brush piles, submerged stumps that litter the shallow-water areas, and the edges of the main creek channel that courses through the middle of the creek arm.

This creek arm surrendered 43 white bass and one black crappie on March 5, but this time the white bass were much more lethargic and scattered, and it was a chore for us to catch 10 of them. They were all abiding along the edges of the creek channel in eight to 14 feet of water. The abundant brush piles, submerged stumps, and laydowns were fruitless. Our most effective combo was a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man's The Deal Slim SwimZ rigged on a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead. The most effective presentation was a slow-and-steady swimming retrieve.

After that dismal start, we decided to trailer the boat and move to the reservoir's southwest tributary arm. Here, we focused on black bass and concentrated our efforts inside two medium-sized feeder-creek arms. We fished from the mouths to the backends of both creek arms, and we primarily targeted clay-and-pea-gravel flats, steep and rocky shorelines, rock-and-boulder-laden secondary points, a boulder-laden main-lake point, and several coves and small pockets along their shorelines.

Inside the first feeder-creek arm, the water temperature was 58 degrees with 12 inches of visibility, and we failed to elicit a strike.

The second feeder-creek arm, which is situated on the north side of the tributary arm, yielded eight largemouth bass. The water temperature was 57 degrees at one of this creek arm's main-lake entry points, and 63 degrees at two clay-and-gravel flats in the upper end of the creek arm. The water displayed 15 inches of clarity.

We caught the first largemouth bass in 14 feet of water near the boulder-laden main-lake entry point. It was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a Z-Man's Junebug TRD TicklerZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead.

In the back of two minor coves that are situated in the upper end of the creek arm, we caught six largemouth bass. They were abiding in less than five feet of water and 40 to 50 feet from the water's edge across two clay-and-gravel flats. Both of these flats are adorned with partially flooded buck brush. We caught these largemouth bass by employing a steady swimming retrieve with a three-inch Z-Man's Space Guppy Slim SwimZ affixed on a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead.

The eighth largemouth bass was caught in eight feet of water from one side of a steep and rocky secondary point at the mouth of one of the coves where we caught the six largemouth bass. It was also caught on the three-inch Z-Man's Space Guppy Slim SwimZ rig and a steady swimming retrieve.

In the lower and midsection of this creek arm, we also fished around five secondary points and along four shorelines, which are embellished with chunk rocks mixed with boulders. These areas failed to yield a black bass.

In conclusion, we struggled to catch eight largemouth bass and 10 white bass in six hours. However, though this may seem like a paltry catch, these eight largemouth bass are the first ones we have caught in a federal or state reservoir in 2023. Thus, we are encouraged to see that the water temperatures are rising significantly, and consequently, it appears that the Florida-strain largemouth bass are beginning to stir from their winter hiatus.

March 10

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his March 10 outing with Roger Farish of Highland Village, Texas.

Here is an edited version of their log.

On March 8 and 9, north-central Texas was lambasted by a moderate cold front that was accompanied by a series of severe thunderstorms. And those thunderstorms dropped several inches of rain in the waterways of north-central Texas.

From 9:30 a.m. to noon on March 10, Roger and I took advantage of a gorgeous late-winter day that followed the cold front and rain. We thought we would flirt with disaster and fish at a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' hill-land reservoir that neither one of us have fished since November of 2022. Because the fishing for Florida-strain largemouth bass in this reservoir during the winter is so atrocious, we usually don't start fishing it until April.

About 40 percent of the sky was adorned with wispy clouds, and there was plenty of sunshine everywhere. The morning's low temperature was 41 degrees. The afternoon's high struggled to reach 64 degrees. The wind angled out of the north and northeast at 5 to 10 mph. The barometric pressure measured 30.00 at 9:00 a.m. and 29.91 at 4:00 p.m.

According to In-Fisherman's solunar table, the black-bass fishing was going to be poor. The most productive fishing periods would occur from 12:08 a.m. to 2:08 a.m., 6:19 a.m. to 8:19 a.m., and 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

We didn't think the recent thunderstorms had affected this Corps' reservoir too much. However, when we pulled up to the boat ramp in the west tributary arm, we were disheartened to see that the water was muddy with less than a foot of visibility. We decided to launch the boat anyway and see if we could find some better water conditions inside two feeder-creek arms.

The water level in this reservoir had risen a bit as a result of the rain storms; it was 1.51 feet above normal. The water clarity ranged from six to eight inches of visibility. The surface temperature was 53 degrees. (It should be noted that cold and muddy water makes fishing for Florida-strain largemouth bass extremely trying.)

After launching the boat inside the first feeder-creek arm on the south side of the west tributary, we plied a couple of flat boulder-laden shorelines, two large clay-and-gravel points, and a steep rock-covered shoreline. We shared this creek arm with a kayak angler.

All of these locales are spread from the lower to upper ends of this creek arm. We located a few small schools of threadfin shad scattered here and there in this creek arm with our sonar devices, but we failed to locate any largemouth bass, spotted bass, or white bass, and we also failed to elicit a strike. We did take a minute to speak with the kayak angler, and he reported that he had not garnered any strikes either.

We then moved to the north side of the tributary arm and found one feeder-creek arm with slightly cleaner water. The surface temperature was 53 degrees. The water clarity measured 16 inches of visibility.

We used our sonar devices to search for black bass and shad throughout this creek arm, and though we found a few scattered schools of threadfin shad near the bottom of the main creek channel in 25 to 30 feet of water, we failed to find them in shallower water. We also failed to cross paths with any black bass and white bass in this creek arm, too.

After this frustrating and perplexing start, we decided to trailer the boat and fish at another Corps' reservoir that lies about 25 miles to the south of this one. It is the same impoundment that I fished with Bill Kenney of Denton on March 5, and John Thomas of Denton on March 7.

We launched the boat in the north end of the reservoir at about 1:30 p.m. and fished until 4:30 p.m.

Roger wanted to catch several white bass for the grill, and we ventured inside the same feeder-creek arm that yielded 43 white bass and one black crappie on March 5, and 10 white bass on March 7. Unfortunately, we discovered that the water was muddy from one end of the creek arm to the other, and the surface temperature had dropped from 63 degrees on March 7 to 59 degrees. We did, however, garner our first strike of the outing in the lower end of this creek arm on the initial drop with our first cast with a Z-Man's The Deal Baby Goat rigged on a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead, and it was a 7-foot Alligator gar. After a spirited tussle that lasted several minutes, we eventually got it to the side of the boat. We didn't have the means or the desire to hoist it into the boat, so we removed the Baby Goat from its toothy maw at the side of the boat, and watched it swim away.

We spent the next hour fishing for white bass. Our sonar devices revealed that they were scattered in five to 11 feet of water near the main creek channel, but we were unable to provoke any of them to strike.

We made our final effort inside another feeder-creek arm on the southwest end of the impoundment. It is the same creek arm where John Thomas and I caught eight largemouth bass on March 7.

Here, we were encouraged to see that the water exhibited about 15 inches of visibility. The surface temperature was 58 degrees. And we caught 12 largemouth bass and one freshwater drum.

All of these fish were abiding about 10 to 15 feet from the water's edge in five to eight feet of water near two steep and rocky secondary points in the backend of the creek arm.

Eleven of these largemouth bass and the freshwater drum were caught on a slow-swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man's pearl Slim SwimZ affixed on either a blue or chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead. The other largemouth bass was allured by a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a Z-Man's green-pumpkin Finesse ShadZ fastened on a red 1/16-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead.

March 15

Bob Gum of Kansas City, Kansas, filed a brief log on the Finesse News Network about his outing to one of northeastern Kansas's community reservoirs on March 15. This popular and heavily fished suburban reservoir is 81 years old, but he was the only angler afloat on March 15.

Mother Nature's bizarre and uncomfortable weather patterns have made it a chore for Midwest anglers to get afloat this March. And her windy ways played havoc with Bob Gum on this outing. What's more, when we have been able to get afloat, bountiful numbers of largemouth bass have been difficult to find and catch, and that phenomenon also plagued Bob on March 15.

Here is an edited version of his brief log.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning's low temperature was 36 degrees. The afternoon's high temperature was 64 degrees. The wind angled out of the south at 10 to 39 mph. The conditions of the sky fluctuated from being fair to cluttered with a few clouds to mostly cloudy. partly cloudy. The barometric pressure was 30.16 at 12:53 a.m., 30.10 at 5:53 a.m., 30.04 at 11:53 a.m., and 29.92 at 2:53 p.m.

In-Fisherman's solunar calendar indicated that the best fishing periods would occur between 5:32 a.m. and 7:32 a.m., 6:03 p.m. and 8:03 p.m., and 11:17 a.m. to 1:17 p.m.

The water level looked to be a touch above its normal level. The water exhibited about six feet of visibility. The surface temperature was 43 degrees.

I began fishing around 8:00 a.m., and the wind blew me off the water around 1:00 p.m. It was a chore to catch 12 largemouth bass, nine rainbow trout, one hybridized golden trout, and one freshwater drum.

The brisk wind allowed me to fish only one main-lake shoreline. Thus, the bulk of this outing was spent fishing and searching for patches of aquatic vegetation inside four feeder-creek arms that are situated in or near the middle section of this reservoir.

The most fruitful locale was inside a small feeder-creek arm in the middle section of this reservoir. It was sheltered from the brusque wind. This arm is endowed with several robust patches of coontail and more than a dozen docks, and the largemouth bass were associated with the patches of coontail in about six feet of water.

The trout were caught along gravel, rock, and boulder shorelines.

My most effective Midwest finesse rig was a 2 ½-inch Z-Man's coppertreuse ZinkerZ affixed to a black 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. About a half dozen of the 23 fish were caught on a Z-Man's The Deal TRD MinnowZ affixed to a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. I employed a slow swim-glide-and-occasional-twitch presentation with these rigs.

It is disconcerting to note that the National Weather Service is predicting that it will rain, sleet, and snow on March 16, and wind gusts might reach 40 mph. Area thermometers will eventually plummet to around 24 degrees. Then on March 17, the wind gusts will be as high as 35 mph, and the overnight low temperature will be around 19 degrees. The high temperature on March 18 will be around 33 degrees with wind gusts reaching 30 mph. The high temperature on March 19 will be around 43 degrees and the low temperature will be around 22 degrees. The normal high temperature for this time of the year is 58 degrees and the normal low temperature is 32 degrees.

March 22

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his March 22 outing at one of northeastern Kansas' many community reservoirs. This one is 83 years old.

Here is an edited version of his log.

I will be 83 years old in 36 days, and I have become a dyed-in-the-wool old codger who can no longer enjoy fishing when it is cold, damp, and windy. And many of this March's days have been cold, damp, rainy, occasionally snowy, and windy. Thus, I have not fished since March 5. And the last time that I fished this heavily fished and much-abused community reservoir was on March 1.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning's low temperature was 45 degrees on March 22, and its afternoon's high temperature was 67 degrees. The wind was variable at times, and at other times, it angled out of the southeast, east, and northeast at 5 to 9 mph. The conditions of the sky varied from being foggy and misty to overcast to partly cloudy to fair to cluttered with a few clouds. The barometric pressure was 29.88 at 12:53 a.m., 29.81 at 5:53 a.m., 29.85 at 11:53 a.m., and 29.79 at 3:53 p.m.

The water level looked to be a few inches above normal. The surface temperature ranged from 45 to 47 degrees. ( It is interesting to note that the surface temperature was 45 degrees on March 1; thus Mother Nature has allowed it to budge only a degree or two during the past 21 days.) At the boat ramp, which is adjacent to the dam, there were about five feet of visibility, and it diminished to about three feet of visibility in the upper half of the reservoir.

In-Fisherman's solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 11:18 a.m. to 1:18 a.m., 11:42 a.m. to 1:42 p.m., and 5:30 a.m. to 7:38 a.m.

I was afloat from 12:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.

I spent about 30 minutes of this outing chatting with and fishing behind my friend Aaron Suess, who resides around this reservoir. Aaron wielded an Alabama rig, which is also called an A-rig or umbrella rig, and while he fished, he employed his Garmin forward-facing sonar unit. He fished about four hours and tangled with 33 largemouth bass, including a lunker that weighed six pounds and five ounces. His sonar unit revealed that a significant number of largemouth bass followed his A-rig, and a good number of them made a pass at his rig without being hooked. The bulk of these largemouth bass were situated around schools of gizzard shad, which he pinpointed with his sonar.

In contrast, I struggled to catch 15 largemouth bass.

I spent about 30 minutes fishing around a main-lake point in the lower quarter of this reservoir. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Situated around this point, there are several substantial piles of rocks and boulders, as well as a significant ledge. Its shoreline is endowed with five docks. This area yielded four largemouth bass, which were caught on a Z-Man's Drew's craw TRD TicklerZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead with a drag-shake-and-slight-pause presentation in five to seven feet of water. One was caught with an inside-out presentation around a pile of enormous boulders; the other three were caught with an outside presentation.

I spent about 50 minutes fishing the dam, which is 1,550 feet long with a height of 58 feet. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are littered with an occasional pile of brush. It possesses a 50- to 60-degree slope. The water's edge is lined with patches of winter-dead American water willows. I caught four largemouth bass. Two were caught on the Drew's craw TRD TicklerZ rig with a drag-and-shake presentation in about seven feet of water. The other two were caught on a Z-Man's mood-ring TRD TicklerZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead; one was caught on the initial drop in five to six feet of water; the other one was caught on a drag-shake-and-slight-pause presentation in about seven feet of water.

In the upper half of the reservoir, I caught seven largemouth bass along about a 2,000-foot stretch of a main-lake shoreline. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. It possesses a 30- to 60-degree slope. The water's edge consists of one concrete retaining wall, three docks, one small rock bridge, a few laydowns, several piles of brush, some patches of winter-dead American water willows, and a few overhanging trees. All seven of the largemouth bass were caught on the Drew's craw TRD TicklerZ rig. One was caught on the initial drop in about five feet of water and about six feet from the water's edge. The others were caught on a drag-shake-and-slight-pause presentation in about seven to eight feet of water from 10 to 20 feet from the water's edge.

During the last 40 minutes of this outing, I failed to garner a strike.

March 23

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his March 23 outing.

Here is an edited version of his log.

The weather in north-central Texas has been in continuous flux during the past couple of weeks. Daytime temperatures have varied from 43 degrees with rain and blustery winds for three or four days followed by several days of moderate temperatures that ranged from the mid-70s to the low 80s.

March 23 was a warm spring day. It was 68 degrees at 6:00 a.m. and 83 degrees at 5:00 p.m. A robust wind blew continuously out of the south at 20 to 30 mph, and it caused havoc with my casts and retrieves. The sky conditions fluctuated from overcast to mostly cloudy to overcast again. The barometric pressure measured 29.90 at noon and 29.80 at 4:00 p.m.

I conducted a 3 1/2-hour bank-walking excursion at two community reservoirs that lie on the north side of the Dallas metropolitan area.

At the first community reservoir, I fished from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The water exhibited about 1 1/2 feet of clarity. The water temperature was warmer than I expected, measuring 66 degrees. The water level was normal.

In-Fisherman's solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 12:18 a.m. to 2:18 a.m., 12:42 p.m. to 2:42 p.m., and 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

I didn't fish the north end of the reservoir, which is comprised of a large and shallow mudflat. It is also a protected waterfowl nesting area, and I observed several pairs of Canadian geese and large swans nesting along the shoreline.

Along the west side of the impoundment, I slowly and meticulously dissected a 35-yard section of a steep sand-and-gravel shoreline in the vicinity of a fishing pier. This area is located in the midsection of this shoreline. I caught three largemouth bass in four to six feet of water and 10 to 15 feet from the water's edge. Two were caught on a Z-Man's coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/32-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead and a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve. The other one was caught on a Z-Man's Canada-craw HogZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/32-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead and a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

I failed to locate any largemouth bass around the north and south portions of this shoreline.

Around the concrete-slab dam, which forms the southern perimeter of the reservoir, I caught one largemouth bass. It was caught in five feet of water from the west end of the dam and about 15 feet from the water's edge on a slow swim-and-pause presentation with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man's green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ affixed on a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead.

The remainder of the dam was fruitless.

Along the lower end of the reservoir's east shoreline, I dissected the south side of a long clay and gravel flat and an adjacent shallow-water ditch, and I caught four largemouth bass. They were extracted from five to seven feet of water and 20 to 25 feet from the water's edge from one side of the ditch on a slow swim-and-pause presentation with the 2 1/2-inch green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ rig.

I failed to garner any strikes along the midsection and upper end of this shoreline.

After I finished fishing this reservoir, I decided to fish at another community reservoir, which is located about 13 miles northwest of this one.

I fished at the second impoundment from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. And to my chagrin, the fishing was wretched, and I eked out only three largemouth bass.

The water in this reservoir displayed about 10 inches of visibility. Typically, it exhibits about 1 1/2 feet of clarity. The aquatic vegetation that was growing around this impoundment's shorelines has been sprayed with herbicide, and the huge patches of dead vegetation exhibited an ugly black hue. In a couple of areas where there wasn't any aquatic vegetation, filamentous algae covered everything. The water temperature was 68 degrees. The water level was slightly high.

I dissected a steep clay-and-gravel shoreline on the east side of the impoundment without a strike. Portions of the two creek channels that course along the north and south sides of an island were also fruitless. I also failed to generate any strikes from a flat clay-and-gravel shoreline with several minor points along the northern portion of the reservoir. And a small cove on the west end of the impoundment was also devoid of largemouth bass.

I caught three largemouth bass in three to five feet of water and five to 10 feet from the water's edge near the side of a minor point on the east end of the south shoreline. They were caught on the Z-Man's Canada-craw TRD HogZ rig that was employed with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

By the time this outing came to an end, I had caught a combined total of 10 largemouth bass in 3 1/2 hours.

Seven largemouth bass were caught from the first community reservoir, and three largemouth bass were caught at the second one.

None of the largemouth bass were large ones, and none of them were dinks. The smallest one weighed one pound and 10 ounces. The largest one weighed two pounds and nine ounces.

I employed a variety of Midwest finesse rigs, and three of them were effective. The Z-Man's Canada-craw TRD HogZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/32-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead and utilized with a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve tempted four largemouth bass. A slow swim-and-pause presentation with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man's green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ affixed on a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead allured four largemouth bass. And a swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a Z-Man's coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/32-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead attracted two largemouth bass.

Overall, this was a disappointing spring outing. Though the water temperatures were 66 and 68 degrees, the fishing was trying. I also didn't see any signs of largemouth bass spawning activity in these two impoundments.

March 25

Pat and Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their bass-fishing-for-trout outing at an 81-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas on March 25.

Here is an edited version of their log.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning's low temperature was 37 degrees, and its afternoon's high temperature was 61 degrees. The wind was variable at times, and at other times, it angled out of the north, northwest, and southwest at 3 to 12 mph. The conditions of the sky varied from raining lightly to being foggy and misty to overcast to partly cloudy to fair to cluttered with a few clouds. The barometric pressure was 29.65 at 12:53 a.m., 29.68 at 5:53 a.m., 29.78 at 11:53 a.m., and 29.78 at 2:53 p.m.

The water level looked to be a few inches above normal. The surface temperature was 45 degrees. According to our secchi stick, the water exhibited six to seven feet of clarity.

In-Fisherman's solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 1:59 a.m. to 3:59 a.m., 2:24 p.m. to 4:29 p.m., and 8:12 a.m. to 10:12 a.m.

We made our first casts at 1:00 p.m. and our last ones at 3:00 p.m.

We started our outboard motor twice. Once to get it off the trailer, and once to get it on the trailer. We spent the entire two hours inside a small feeder-creek arm in the middle portion of this reservoir, and we caught four largemouth bass, one hybrid-golden trout, and 23 rainbow trout.

We caught these fish on a Z-Man's coppertreuse Finesse TRD affixed to a baby-blue 1/32-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead. One was caught on the initial drop. The others were caught on three different retrieves: a drag-shake-and-short-deadstick presentation, a drag-and-shake presentation, and a slow swim-glide-and-subtle-shake presentation.

Four rainbow trout were caught in about six feet of water around a boat ramp and a short section of its adjacent shoreline. They were caught from 15 to 20 feet from the water's edge. The shoreline possesses about a 30-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, which are usually embellished with patches of coontail, but we failed to find any coontail. This area is situated about 90 percent of the way inside this feeder-creek arm.

Three largemouth bass and 14 rainbow trout were caught along about a 120-foot section of a shoreline between two docks. They were caught from about seven feet to 20 feet from the water's edge. This area is situated about 75 percent of the way inside this feeder-creek arm. It has about a 30- to 35-degree slope. Besides the two docks, this shoreline's water's edge is graced with winter-dead patches of American water willows. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and a few boulders, which were partially covered with filamentous algae. We did not find any patches of coontail.

One largemouth bass, the hybrid-golden trout, and three rainbow trout were caught along a flat and shallow-water shoreline that is adjacent to the mouth of this feeder-creek arm. They were caught from about 25 to 75 feet from the water's edge. This area is about the size of a baseball field's infield. It is situated between two mammoth docks. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are adorned with a few winter-wilted patches of coontail and occasional gobs of wads of filamentous algae. The water's edge is embroidered with some laydowns and patches of winter-dead American water willows.

Two rainbow trout were caught along about a 15-foot stretch of a shoreline that lies about 50 percent of the way inside this feeder-creek arm. This spot is immediately adjacent to the inside corner of a dock. They were caught about 15 feet from the water's edge and five to 10 feet from the corner of the dock. This shoreline has about a 35-degree slope. The water's edge is endowed with a patch of winter-dead American water willows. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and a few boulders, which are laced with a few fragments of filamentous algae.

In conclusion, we caught a rainbow trout on our first cast and a largemouth bass on our last cast. We elicited 13 strikes that we failed to hook, which is not an unusual phenomenon when we are bass fishing for trout. In fact, several of the trout that we caught pecked at our Finesse TRD rigs three times before we eventually hooked them.

So far, it was our most bountiful two hours in 2023. And several of the rainbow trout were hefty and feisty specimens, which were a joy to tangle with on Z-Man's Drew's Ultimate Ned Rig Rods. These are the most delightful multispecies rods that we have ever had in our hands. Soon scores of Midwest finesse anglers will be forever thankful for Drew Reese's and Z-Man's wonderful creation.

March 27

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his bass-fishing-for-trout outing with Bob Gum of Kansas City, Kansas, and Rick Hebenstreit of Shawnee, Kansas, at an 81-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas on March 27

Here is an edited version of his log.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning's low temperature was 27 degrees, and shallow-water puddles and the water in roadside ditches were covered with thin layers of ice. The afternoon's high temperature was 51 degrees. The wind was variable at times, and at other times, it angled out of the north, northwest, northeast, and east at 5 to 8 mph; for about an hour, it was calm. The conditions of the sky varied from being fair to overcast to partly cloudy to cluttered with a few clouds. The barometric pressure was 30.12 at 12:53 a.m., 30.16 at 5:53 a.m., 30.25 at 11:53 a.m., and 30.22 at 2:53 p.m.

The water level looked to be a few inches above normal. The surface temperatures ranged from 44 to 47 degrees. According to our secchi stick, the water exhibited six to seven feet of clarity.

In-Fisherman's solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 3:51 a.m. to 5:51 a.m., 4:17 p.m. to 6:17 p.m., and 10:04 a.m. to 12:04 p.m.

As we made our first casts at 10:02 a.m., we had hopes of catching more largemouth bass and rainbow trout than Patty Kehde and I caught at this reservoir on March 25. Patty and I caught four largemouth bass, one hybrid-golden trout, and 23 rainbow trout in two hours. But Bob, Rick, and I struggled, and by the time we made our last casts at 2:35 p.m., our fish counters indicated that we had caught one smallmouth bass, nine largemouth bass, and nine rainbow trout in four hours and 32 minutes.

We caught one largemouth bass and four rainbow trout along the dam. Its underwater terrain consists of boulders, gravel, and rocks, which are decorated with several manmade piles of brush. Wads of filamentous algae coat the brush piles and some of the boulders. We hoped that there were some winter-wilted patches of coontail covering a small portion of the underwater terrain, but we failed to locate them. The dam possesses about a 50-degree slope. The largemouth bass was caught on a Z-Man's Canada craw Finesse TRD affixed to a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in six to seven feet of water and about 12 feet from the water's edge. One rainbow trout was caught on the Canada craw Finesse TRD rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about eight feet of water and about 15 feet from the water's edge. Three rainbow trout were caught on a 2 ½-inch Z-Man's Drew's craw ZinkerZ affixed to a blue 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig with a swim-glide-and-subtle-twitch presentation in five to eight feet of water and about 10 to 15 feet from the water's edge.

Along a steep shoreline immediately adjacent to the dam, we caught one smallmouth bass and one rainbow trout. This shoreline has a 65- to 85-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. The water's edge is embellished with patches of winter-dead American water willows and an array of laydowns. The trout was caught on the Drew's craw ZinkerZ rig while strolling nearly parallel to the shoreline with a very slow swim-glide-and-slight-twitch presentation in 12 to 15 feet of water and 15 feet from the water's edge. The smallmouth bass was caught on a Z-Man's coppertreuse Finesse TRD affixed to a baby-blue 1/32-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead on a slow drag-and-shake presentation immediately after the initial drop in about 10 feet of water.

Around a main-lake point and its two adjacent shorelines near the dam, we caught one largemouth bass. This area has a 45- to 60-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which used to be endowed with patches of coontail. There are a few manmade piles of brush situated along one of the shorelines. The water's edge is adorned with patches of winter-dead American water willows and laydowns. The largemouth bass was caught in eight to 10 feet of water along a ledge at the corner of the point. It was caught on the coppertruese Finesse TRD rig with a drag-and-shake presentation. We failed to garner a strike along this point's two adjacent shorelines.

In the lower portion of the reservoir, we failed to elicit a strike as we fished around a main-lake point and across a small segment of a shallow-water flat.

In the middle section of this reservoir, we also failed to catch a fish or elicit a strike along a 300-yard stretch of a main-lake shoreline and around two of this shoreline's main-lake points.

Inside a small feeder-creek arm, we caught four rainbow trout and six largemouth bass. The shorelines inside this feeder-creek are cluttered with 14 large docks and two concrete boat ramps. The underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, and some of this terrain is quilted with winter-wilted patches of coontail. A short section of shoreline possesses about a 70-degree slope; elsewhere the slope ranges from 25 degrees to about 40 degrees. Besides the docks, the shorelines are endowed with a few laydowns and several minor patches of winter-dead American water willows. One of the largemouth bass was caught on a Z-Man's molting craw TRG HogZ affixed to a black 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig with a very slow swim-glide-and-quiver presentation around a dock in about 14 feet of water. Another largemouth bass was caught next to a dock in about six feet of water on the coppertruese Finesse TRD rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation. Along the steep shoreline and near a minor laydown, the coppertruese Finesse TRD and a drag-and-shake presentation in about 10 feet of water and 12 feet from the water's edge caught a largemouth bass. The coppertruese Finesse TRD rig and a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation caught three largemouth bass around patches of coontail in about six feet of water and many yards from the water's edge. Two rainbow trout were caught around one of the concrete boat ramps on the Canada craw Finesse TRD rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about seven feet of water. The Drew's craw ZinkerZ rig with a slow swim-glide-and-slight-quiver presentation caught a rainbow trout in about seven feet of water around a winter-wilted patch of coontail. The fourth rainbow trout was caught on the initial drop of the coppertreuse Finesse TRD rig around the inside corner of one of the docks in about six feet of water.

Along a short segment of a shoreline in the upper half of this reservoir, the ninth largemouth bass was caught at 2:29 p.m. This shoreline possesses a 50- to 75-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. The water's edge is graced with scores of major laydowns, several overhanging trees, a few patches of winter-dead American water willows, and a tertiary point. This largemouth bass was caught on the molting craw TRG HogZ rig and a deadstick presentation in about eight feet of water in the vicinity of an overhanging tree.

In conclusion, this was a very disappointing outing. Until two years ago, this reservoir used to be endowed with magnificent patches of coontail and other kinds of submerged aquatic vegetation. But 90 percent of those patches have disappeared, and even its vast patches of American lotus are disappearing, too. This demise adversely affects the largemouth bass fishing. Once again, we need to encourage the managers of our community and state reservoirs to cultivate and properly maintain various kinds of aquatic vegetation.

March 29

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his outing with his cousin Rick Hebenstreit of Shawnee, Kansas, on March 29 at a 91-year-old state reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

Here is an edited version of their log.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning's low temperature was 26 degrees, and it was 57 degrees at 1:52 p.m. The wind was calm at times, and when it stirred, it was variable or angled out of the east, southeast, and northeast at 3 to 8 mph. The sky fluctuated from being fair to foggy and misty to fair with a haze. The barometric pressure was 30.27 at 12:52 a.m., 30.23 at 5:52 a.m., 30.22 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.17 at 1:52 p.m.

The water level looked to be a few inches above normal. The surface temperature was 48 degrees. The water exhibited more than eight feet of clarity. And its shallow-water flats and shorelines are endowed with uncountable numbers of patches of curly-leaf pondweeds, which are interlaced with some patches of coontail.

In-Fisherman's solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 5:40 a.m. to 7:40 a.m., 6:05 p.m. to 8:05 p.m., and 11:27 a.m. to 1:27 p.m.

We made our first casts at 10:08 a.m., and Rick caught a largemouth bass on his first two casts. We made our last casts at 1:10 p.m., and our fish counter indicated that we had caught 38 largemouth bass. We must confess that none of these largemouth bass would impress a lunker hunter or a tournament angler or a producer of a fishing show on television.

We spent the first half of this outing dissecting a massive shallow-water flat in the back of a large feeder-creek arm. The area looks to be about the size of four football fields. We focused on an area about the size of two football fields. Much of the underwater terrain is quilted with patches of coontail and burgeoning patches of curly-leaf pondweeds, and these patches of submerged aquatic vegetation are littered with many manmade piles of submerged eastern red cedar trees.

This flat yielded 18 largemouth bass. One largemouth bass was caught on a Z-Man's Canada craw TRD HogZ affixed to a red 1/16-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about eight feet of water. Two largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man's green-pumpkin TRD HogZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in six to seven feet of water. Five largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man's Drew's craw TRD TicklerZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation; one was caught in about five feet of water, and four were caught in about eight feet of water. Ten largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man's green-pumpkin-goby Finesse TRD affixed to a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in six to eight feet of water.

We spent the rest of this outing plying a shoreline, a massive shallow-water flat, and a small shallow-water flat inside another large feeder-creek arm.

The massive shallow-water flat yielded eight largemouth bass in water as shallow as five feet and as deep as eight feet. Four of the largemouth bass were caught on the green-pumpkin-goby Finesse TRD rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation. The other four were caught on the Drew's craw TRD TicklerZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

We caught three largemouth bass on the small shallow-water flat. It is embellished with patches of coontail and curly-leaf pondweeds. One largemouth bass was caught on the green-pumpkin-goby Finesse TRD rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about five feet of water. Two largemouth bass were caught on the Drew's craw TRD TicklerZ rig in five to six feet of water; one was caught on the initial drop of the rig; the second one was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

We fished along about a 400-yard stretch of the shoreline and caught nine largemouth bass. This shoreline possesses a 30- to 50-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are occasionally enhanced with patches of coontail and curly-leaf pondweeds. The water's edge is lined with many patches of winter-dead American water willows and a few laydowns. These largemouth bass were caught on the Drew's craw TRD TicklerZ rig while strolling and employing a drag-and-shake presentation in five to eight feet of water. Five of the nine largemouth bass were caught in the vicinity of some of the patches of coontail and curly-leaf pondweeds.

The wind is predicted to gust up to 40 mph on March 30 and 50 mph on March 31. Thus, this outing was our last one of the month.

March 31

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his March 31 outing.

Here is an edited version of his log.

The weather in north-central Texas has been either wet and/or windy for most of March. The nighttime lows have been in the low 40s and upper 30s, and the daytime highs are beginning to stabilize in the upper 70s and lower 80s. The wind had been our biggest headache, and it has continuously disrupted our normal fishing routines this month.

What's more, the black-bass fishing in this part of Texas hasn't been too stellar either. For example, on March 25 Rick Allen of Dallas and I ventured to our favorite state reservoir in north-central Texas. It was the first time either of us have fished this impoundment in 2023, and it was a huge disappointment. Upon our arrival, we discovered that the water was muddy with less than a foot of visibility, the water level was 8 1/2 feet low, and the water temperature was 54 degrees. These water conditions don't bode well for anglers pursuing Florida-strain largemouth bass in north-central Texas. We fished for four hours, and it was a tedious grind for us to catch two largemouth bass and one spotted bass.

On March 31, I thought I would try to redeem myself after my miserable outing on Mar. 25. It was too windy to go out in the boat, so I opted to conduct a solo bank-walking outing at one of several community reservoirs in north-central Texas. I was afoot from 9:40 a.m. to 12:10 p.m.

March 31 was warm. The morning low temperature was 69 degrees and the afternoon high reached 84 degrees. The sky conditions varied from overcast to mostly cloudy to partly cloudy to sunny. A robust wind blew out of the south-by-southwest at 17 to 35 mph. The barometric pressure fluctuated from 29.78 at 9:00 a.m. to 29.80 at noon.

According to In-Fisherman's solunar calendar, the optimum fishing periods would take place from 1:09 a.m. to 3:09 a.m., 7:21 a.m. to 9:21 a.m., and 7:44 p.m. to 9:44 p.m. It also noted that the fishing would be poor.

I was surprised to find that the water was murkier than usual with eight to 10 inches of visibility. The water temperature was 57 degrees. The water level was a tad high, and a small trickle of water was flowing over the top of the concrete spillway that is located on the south end of this impoundment.

I started fishing around the rock dam and concrete spillway on the south end of the reservoir. The bottom terrain along the base of the dam is covered with softball-size rocks, some clay, and some small gravel. I slowly dissected this area with several of Z-Man's Midwest finesse offerings, but I failed to garner any strikes.

Next, I fished my way northward along the east shoreline, and it relinquished nine largemouth bass. This shoreline has a 15- to 25-degree slope. It is endowed with two primary points, three tertiary points, and a shallow gravel-and-clay ledge. These nine largemouth bass were caught in four to six feet of water and about 15 to 20 feet away from the deep-water side of the ledge. Five of them were caught with a slow drag-shake-and-deadstick retrieve with a shortened four-inch Z-Man's Junebug Finesse WormZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/32-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead. Three were caught on a slow swim-and-pause presentation with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man's green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ matched with a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead. And the ninth largemouth bass was inveigled by a Z-Man's Bama Bug TRD BugZ fastened to a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead. This combo was also employed with a slow drag-shake-and-deadstick presentation. The deadstick portion of the retrieve varied from three to five seconds.

I failed to elicit any strikes across a shallow mud flat that occupies most of the northern shoreline.

In a small pool situated in the lower end of a small feeder creek that enters the northwest corner of this reservoir, I caught two largemouth bass in three feet of water. Both of them were caught on the four-inch Junebug Finesse WormZ rig and a slow drag-shake-and-deadstick presentation.

After that, I fished my way southward along the west shoreline and I caught six more largemouth bass and one large bluegill. This shoreline features three medium-sized patches of green water lilies that were sprouting new stems and pads, a shallow clay-and-gravel ledge that is 30 yards long, two primary points, and three tertiary points. All six of these largemouth bass and the large bluegill were abiding in three to five feet of water next to the deep-water side of the shallow gravel-and-clay ledge. Two of the largemouth bass were beguiled by the four-inch Junebug Finesse WormZ; one engulfed the worm on the initial fall, and the other one was enticed by a slow drag-shake-and-deadstick retrieve. The other four largemouth bass were coaxed into striking the Bama Bug TRD BugZ rig that was implemented with a slow drag-shake-and-deadstick presentation parallel to the ledge.

In a nutshell, I caught 17 largemouth bass and one large bluegill in 150 minutes. Nine largemouth bass and the large bluegill were allured by the shortened four-inch Z-Man's Junebug Finesse WormZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/32-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead as it was employed with a slow drag-shake-and deadstick presentation. Five largemouth bass engulfed the Z-Man's Bama-Bug TRD BugZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead. This rig was also used with a slow drag-shake-and-deadstick retrieve. Three largemouth bass were caught on a slow swim-and-pause presentation with the chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man's OG Mushroom Jighead adorned with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man's green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ.