Midwest Finesse Fishing: May 2023

May 2

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, and his cousin Rick Hebenstreit of Shawnee, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their outing, at an 81-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas on May 2.

Here is an edited version of their log.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 42 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 66 degrees. Since April 28, the wind has been howling relentlessly; its howling tamed down a tad on May 2 as it angled from the north and northwest at 6 to 26 mph. The sky was fair. The barometric pressure was 29.86 at 12:53 a.m., 29.94 at 5:53 a.m., 30.00 at 11:53 a.m., and 29.96 at 3:53 p.m.

The water level looked to be several inches above normal. The surface temperatures ranged from 60 to 61 degrees. The water exhibited six to nine feet of clarity.

From April 11 to May 2, northeastern Kansas has been waylaid by unseasonable spells of cool and windy weather. Consequently, the surface temperatures at our community and state reservoirs have regularly fluctuated from 58 to 62 degrees.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 8:32 a.m. to 10:32 a.m., 8:52 p.m. to 10.52 p.m., and 2:21 a.m. to 4:21 a.m.

We made our first casts at 10:50 a.m. Our last ones were made at 2:5o p.m. During this four-hour endeavor, the frequent gusts of wind, which ranged from 22 to 26 mph, confounded us numerous times, making it a chore for us to cast accurately and retrieve our rigs effectively. We spent this outing trying to hide from those wind gusts. Somehow, we caught 32 largemouth bass, and accidentally caught one rainbow trout and five crappie. That is a catch rate of eight largemouth bass per hour.

It is interesting to note that we fished six times during the last two weeks of April for a total of 16 hours and 25 minutes, and we caught 314 largemouth bass and eight smallmouth bass, which is a catch rate of 19.5 black bass per hour.

Thus, our hopes that our first outing of May would be as bountiful as our last outings in April were not fulfilled.

On our May 2 outing, we caught the 32 largemouth bass on four Midwest finesse rigs. Twenty of the 32 largemouth bass were caught on a 3 ½ inch Z-Man’s meat-dog Trick ShotZ affixed to either a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig or a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Six of the 32 were caught on a 2 1/4-inch Z-Man’s Drew’s craw TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Five of the 32 were caught on a Z-Man’s Canada-craw Finesse TRD affixed to a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. One was caught on a four-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Trick ShotZ affixed to a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig.

We caught the largemouth bass on a variety of presentations. Four were caught on the initial drop of our rigs. Some were caught as we were attempting to stroll with the wind and employ a drag-and-shake presentation or a drag-shake-and-pause presentation or a slow swim-and-shake presentation. Two were caught as we employed a straight swimming presentation. Others were caught with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation. On a high percentage of our retrieves, the gusts of wind made it a chore to execute an alluring retrieve. Because of the wind and the difficulty of eliciting strikes, we were frequently experimenting with different styles of retrieves. A few of the largemouth bass were caught as close as five feet from the water’s edge, and some were caught as far as 25 feet from the water’s edge. Others were caught from 10 to 15 feet from the water’s edge.

Essentially, we couldn’t establish a reliable presentation style or determine any bountiful locations.

Inside a small feeder-creek arm in the middle section of this reservoir, we fished along portions of two shorelines, which are cluttered with 14 large docks and two concrete boat ramps. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and a few boulders. 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, some meager piles of brush, and several patches of winter-dead American water willows. Patches of coontail grace portions of the underwater terrain. Massive and thick wads of filamentous algae carpet the sides of the docks, patches of winter-dead American water willows, laydowns, rocks, and all kinds of underwater objects. Our meat-dog Trick ShotZ rigs caught three of the six largemouth bass. The Drew’s craw TRD TicklerZ rig caught two of the largemouth bass. The green-pumpkin Trick ShotZ rig caught one largemouth bass.

In the middle section of this reservoir, we caught four largemouth bass along about a 300-yard stretch of a main-lake shoreline and around two of this shoreline’s main-lake points. The underwater terrain of this area consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders; a number of the boulders are gargantuan. This area possesses a 25- to 55-degree slope. The water’s edge is endowed with patches of winter-dead American water willows, which are covered with massive wads of filamentous algae, and similar wads coat many of the underwater objects. Two of the largemouth bass were caught on our meat-dog Trick ShotZ rigs, and the Drew’s craw TRD TicklerZ rig caught two largemouth bass.

Along about a 125-yard section of shoreline inside another small feeder-creek arm in the middle section of the reservoir, we caught three largemouth bass. The underwater terrain of this area consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. The shoreline possesses a 20- to 60-degree slope. The water’s edge is endowed with patches of winter-dead American water willows, several overhanging trees, many significant laydowns, and all of it is entwined by massive wads of filamentous algae. Our meat-dog Trick ShotZ inveigled these three largemouth bass.

Around two main-lake points and two main-lake shorelines in the lower section of this reservoir, we caught six largemouth bass. The underwater terrain of this area consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. The shoreline possesses a 25- to 70-degree slope. The water’s edge is endowed with patches of winter-dead American water willows, overhanging trees, overhanging bushes, laydowns, and continuous wads of filamentous algae. Our meat-dog Trick ShotZ rigs caught three of the largemouth bass. The Canada-craw Finesse TRD caught two largemouth bass. And the Drew’s craw TRD TicklerZ caught one largemouth bass.

We caught seven largemouth bass along the dam, which is about 2,500 feet long. 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 an array of underwater objects. The dam possesses about a 55-degree slope. Three of the largemouth bass were caught on the Canada-craw Finesse TRD rig. Four of the seven largemouth bass were caught on our meat-dog Trick ShotZ rigs.

Around one main-lake point and along about a 200-yard stretch of a shoreline in the upper half of this reservoir, we caught four largemouth bass. This point and shoreline possess a 35- to 75-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. The water’s edges are graced with scores of major laydowns, several overhanging trees, a few patches of winter-dead American water willows, and a tertiary point. Wads of filamentous algae clutter most of the underwater objects and patches of American water willows. One largemouth bass was caught on the Drew’s craw TRD TicklerZ rig, and three were caught on our meat-dog Trick ShotZ rigs.

Around one secondary point and about a 150-yard section of a shoreline inside a medium-size feeder-creek arm in the upper half of the reservoir, we caught two largemouth bass on our meat-dog Trick ShotZ rigs. This point and shoreline possess a 30- to 60-degree slope. The underwater terrains consist of gravel, rocks, and boulders. The water’s edges are adorned with many laydowns, a few patches of winter-dead American water willows, scores of overhanging trees, and untold numbers of wads of filamentous algae.

In closing, when we were young anglers back in the 1960s, we spent our days afloat on reservoirs in the northern Ozarks, where we relished fishing around wind-blown points and along wind-blown shorelines, where we caught largemouth bass, spotted bass, and temperate bass. Now, we are old codgers and spend our days afloat on the flatland reservoirs of northeastern Kansas, where the wind makes our pursuit of largemouth bass and smallmouth bass a difficult task, which it was on this May 2 endeavor.

May 2

Bob Gum of Kansas City, Kansas, filed a brief log on the Finesse News Network about his outing to one of northeastern Kansas’ federal reservoirs on May 2.

Here is an edited version of log.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 37 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 69 degrees. The wind angled from the west, north, and northwest at 6 to 28 mph. The sky was fair. The barometric pressure was 29.89 at 12:52 a.m., 29.97 at 5:52 a.m., 30.03 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.99 at 1:52 p.m.

The water level at this 53-year-old reservoir was three-quarters of a foot above normal. The surface temperature was 58 degrees. The water exhibited about one foot of visibility.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 8:32 a.m. to 10:32 a.m., 8:52 p.m. to 10.52 p.m., and 2:21 a.m. to 4:21 a.m.

I made my first cast around 6:00 a.m. and the last one around 2:00 p.m. And the wind made it a trying eight hours of fishing inside a major feeder-creek arm that is situated in the lower section of this flatland reservoir. I focused on points and shorelines that are graced with underwater terrains that consist of gravel, rocks, and boulders that were somewhat sheltered from the wind. And these were likely the most wind-sheltered areas on this reservoir.

It was a chore to catch 15 smallmouth bass and two largemouth bass, and accidentally catch four white bass, one saugeye, one bluegill, and one enormous buffalo. And I spent 30 minutes tangling with the buffalo, which I foul-hooked along the base of its dorsal fin.

Most of these fish were caught about halfway inside small feeder-creek arms or dry-branch arms.

I caught them on two Midwest finesse rigs: a 2 ½-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin ZinkerZ affixed to a black 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig and a Z-Man’s watermelon-red TRD BugZ affixed to a black 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig.

I employed a swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a lot of subtle shakes and twitches in two to six feet of water. But the wind confounded many of my retrieves and my ability to control the boat as I tried to methodically dissect the various rock-and-boulder-laden terrains inside this major feeder-creek arm.

May 3

Pat and Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their May 3 outing at a 91-year-old and heavily fished state reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

Here is an edited version of their log.

For four consecutive days, northeastern Kansas was badgered with brisk, pesky, and cold winds that angled out of the north and northwest. And for many of the first 123 days of 2023, Mother Nature’s windy ways have harassed us. To our delight, May 3 was a no-wind Wednesday. To celebrate it, we decided to go fishing after Patty finished her midday tennis drills.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 39 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 75 degrees. The wind was calm at times, and when it stirred, it was angled out of the northwest, southwest, west, south, and east at 3 to 8 mph. The sky fluctuated from being fair to being fair with haze. The barometric pressure was 29.99 at 12:52 a.m., 30.02 at 5:52 a.m., 30.04 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.92 at 4:52 p.m.

The water level looked to be about 12 inches above normal. The surface temperature was 66 degrees at 4:36 p.m. The water exhibited about 10 feet of visibility. This reservoir’s shallow-water flats and shorelines are endowed with uncountable patches of curly-leaf pondweeds. There are scores of manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees embellishing this reservoir’s underwater terrains, and many of the shallow-water piles are now coated with wads of filamentous algae and surrounded by patches of curly-leaf pondweeds. And all of the patches of winter-dead American water willows, shallow-water laydowns, and other shallow-water objects are also covered with filamentous algae.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 8:53 a.m. to 10:53 a.m., 9:17 p.m. to 11:17 p.m., and 2:41 a.m. to 4:41 a.m.

We made our first casts at 2:50 p.m., and our last ones were made when we caught largemouth bass number 40 at 4:36 p.m. Besides the 40 largemouth bass, we accidentally caught one green sunfish and four crappie.

We spent these 106 minutes fishing around three main-lake points, five secondary points, and a few tertiary points. We also fished along about 800 yards of shorelines.

The underwater terrains of these shorelines and points consist of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Some of these terrains are endowed with a dilapidated rock fence, a barn foundation, and a house foundation. About 80 percent of the water’s edges are adorned with significant patches of winter-dead American water willows, and some of these edges are enhanced with laydowns and overhanging trees. And at many of these terrains, there are wads of filamentous algae and patches of curly-leaf pondweeds.

As of May 3, the massive patches of curly-leaf pondweeds are about at the pinnacle of their growth, and during the next 50 days or so, they will disappear. And eventually, they will begin to burgeon again in late November and early December. When these patches are at their pinnacle and during their demise, we rarely fish over them. But until they begin to disintegrate in the days to come, we will fish the inside edges of some of them and the channels or gaps between the inside edges of the patches of curly-leaf pondweeds and the outside edges of the patches of the winter-dead American water willows, which we did on this outing. The patches of curly-leaf pondweeds are either completely covering or nearly covering the surface of the water along many of the shallow-water shorelines and across the shallow-water flats.

We worked with four Midwest finesse rigs. We caught 24 of the largemouth bass on a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-blue Finesse ShadZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Eleven of the 40 largemouth bass were caught on a 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s Twilight Trick ShotZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Four of the 40 largemouth bass were caught on a 2 1/4-inch Z-Man’s Drew’s craw TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. One of the 40 largemouth bass was caught on a 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s meat dog Trick ShotZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. It is important to note that the green-pumpkin-blue Finesse ShadZ rig is traditionally one of our most effective Midwest finesse rigs in northeastern Kansas in May.

Our green-pumpkin-blue Finesse ShadZ rig.

We employed these four rigs by experimenting with all six of the standard Midwest finesse retrieves and slight variations of those six retrieves (https://www.in-fisherman.com/editorial/six-midwest-finesse-retrieves/153946). The bulk of the 40 largemouth bass were caught on either a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation or a drag-shake-and-short-pause presentation. Four were caught on the initial drop of our rigs. Three were caught on a pure deadstick presentation. Three were caught on a quick-paced swimming presentation along the inside edge of a thick patch of curly-leaf pondweeds. When we hooked a fish that quickly liberated itself from our rig, we immediately allowed the rig to plummet to the bottom, where we deadsticked it, and this method inveigled two of the three largemouth bass that we caught on our deadstick presentation.

As we employed these retrieves, we caught the largemouth bass in water as shallow as two to three feet and as deep as about 10 feet. We caught the largemouth bass within a few feet of the water’s edge and as far as about 20 feet from the water’s edge.

Because the patches of curly-leaf pondweeds are so thick along the flatter and shallower shorelines and points, we spent most of the 106 minutes fishing along the steeper points and shorelines. But we somehow caught four largemouth bass around a relatively flat secondary point that is extremely cluttered with patches of curly-leaf pondweeds. Three of the four were caught on a very quick-paced swimming presentation with our Finesse ShadZ rig. The fourth one was caught on the initial drop of the Drew’s craw TRD TicklerZ rig. This point’s underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. The water’s edge is lined with thick patches of winter-dead American water willows, a few laydowns, several overhanging trees, and many wads of filamentous algae.

Around one main-lake point and along two segments of its adjacent shorelines, we caught 11 largemouth bass. This shoreline has a 45- to 50-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are embellished with some wads of filamentous algae, a few meager patches of curly-leaf pondweeds, and several piles of brush. The water’s edges along about half of these shorelines are endowed with thick patches of winter-dead American water willows that are encased with wads of filamentous algae.

Around four secondary points and their adjacent shorelines, we caught 11 largemouth bass. These points and shorelines have a 35- to 45-degree slope. The underwater terrains consist of gravel, rocks, and boulders. The water’s edges are lined with thick patches of winter-dead American water willows, several laydowns, and wads of filamentous algae. Some areas contain patches of curly-leaf pondweeds.

A steep main-lake shoreline that is endowed with three tertiary points and one main-lake point yielded 10 largemouth bass. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, and many of the boulders are extremely large. The water’s edge is adorned with many thick patches of winter-dead American water willows, some overhanging trees, several laydowns, and wads of filamentous algae.

We caught four largemouth bass around another main-lake point and a short section of one of its adjacent shorelines. This area possesses a 35- to about a 40-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. The water’s edge is lined with patches of winter-dead American water willows, one laydown, and many wads of filamentous algae. Portions of this area are quilted with thick patches of curly-leaf pondweeds, which yielded three of the four largemouth bass.

No wind and 40 largemouth bass in 106 minutes made it a very pleasant affair.

May 5

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his May 5 outing with John Thomas of Denton, and his son Scott Thomas of Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Here is an edited version of his log.

On May 1, Todd Judy of Denton and I had a hankering to catch some smallmouth bass at a major U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ reservoir in north-central Texas. Todd has never caught a smallmouth bass, and we were hoping this venue would yield a significant number of them for him to enjoy. But much to our dismay, we fished it for a couple of hours without a strike. We did observe some smallmouth bass either slowly meandering across shallow-water areas or hovering in place just a few inches below the surface of the water, and our best efforts failed to get any of them to strike our Midwest finesse rigs. Once we determined that this was just an exercise in frustration, we trailered the boat and drove 45 minutes to a smaller state reservoir where we caught a mixed bag of 12 largemouth bass and spotted bass, four crappie, and two white bass. It was a disappointing smallmouth-bass endeavor, indeed.

On May 5, John Thomas of Denton, and his son Scott Thomas of Kalamazoo, Michigan, joined me for a six-hour excursion to our favorite smallmouth bass venue, which is located in south-central Oklahoma. The parking lot was empty when we arrived at the boat ramp at 8:40 a.m., but as the day progressed, the reservoir became busy with jet skiers, wake boarders, pleasure boaters, and some tournament anglers who appeared to be practicing for an upcoming tournament.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar indicated that the most lucrative fishing periods would occur from 1:44 a.m. to 3:44 a.m., 7:54 a.m. to 9:54 a.m., and 8:15 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. We fished from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

It was a gorgeous spring day. The sky was partly cloudy. The barometric pressure measured 29.78 at 9:00 a.m. and fell to 29.73 at 3:00 p.m. The wind quartered out of the south and southwest at 10 to 15 mph. The morning’s low temperature was 64 degrees. The afternoon’s high reached 96 degrees.

The water exhibited between five and seven feet of clarity. The water level appeared to be at its normal level. The surface temperature ranged from 65 to 68 degrees.

The black-bass fishing was outstanding, and we relished catching a total of 104 black bass. One hundred and one of them were smallmouth bass, two were largemouth bass, and one was a spotted bass. We also caught one green sunfish. None of these black bass were impressive, but they fought hard and their shenanigans were fun to watch in the clear water when we hooked them. (It should be noted that this reservoir is one of only two reservoirs in our neck of the woods that possesses a significant smallmouth bass population that makes it worth our time to specifically target them.)

The black-bass fishing was outstanding, and we relished catching a total of 104 black bass. One hundred and one of them were smallmouth bass, two were largemouth bass, and one was a spotted bass. We also caught one green sunfish. None of these black bass were impressive, but they fought hard and their shenanigans were fun to watch in the clear water when we hooked them. (It should be noted that this reservoir is one of only two reservoirs in our neck of the woods that possesses a significant smallmouth bass population that makes it worth our time to specifically target them. We fished the other one on May 1 without success.)

We employed four Midwest finesse rigs: a 2 3/4-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD TubeZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig, a 3 1/2-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Trick ShotZ matched with a Z-Man’s black 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig, a 3 1/2-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin GrubZ attached to a black 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig, and a three-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ matched with a black 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

The three-inch green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ rig, which was employed with a steady-swimming retrieve, was the most effective combo and allured 85 smallmouth bass, both largemouth bass, and one spotted bass. The 3 1/2-inch green-pumpkin Trick ShotZ, which was utilized with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation, enticed nine smallmouth bass. A swim-glide-and-shake presentation with the 2 3/4-inch green-pumpkin TRD TubeZ induced six smallmouth bass. And a steady-swimming retrieve with the green-pumpkin GrubZ rig tempted one smallmouth bass.

The black-bass bite was pretty vigorous during the first four hours of this outing; we caught 75 smallmouth bass, two largemouth bass, and one spotted bass during that time. But the bite slowed down a bit after that, and the last two hours yielded 26 smallmouth bass.

We caught 15 smallmouth bass and one largemouth bass from four rocky secondary points and one rock ledge inside two major bays located in the midsection of the reservoir’s west tributary arm.

The other 86 smallmouth bass, the second largemouth bass, and the spotted bass were caught in main-lake areas.

Thirty-four of these 86 smallmouth bass were caught from the perimeter of two offshore rock-and boulder-laden humps. Fifty-two smallmouth bass, one largemouth bass, and one spotted bass were caught around two rock ledges, six rocky main-lake shorelines, and five flat main-lake points. They were all abiding in three to eight feet of water and were relating to the sides of many of the larger boulders and clusters of basketball-size rocks that are situated on the top and sides of the five flat main-lake points, the two main-lake ledges, and six main-lake shorelines in the middle and lower sections of the west tributary arm.

Overall, the flat and rocky main-lake points were the most productive locales. These points are covered with one to eight feet of water, and the ends of them quickly descend into deep water.

We also observed a few smallmouth bass spawning in a shallow-water area of a rock-and-gravel main-lake shoreline, and these smallmouth bass are the first black bass that we have seen spawning this year.

May 5

Ned Kehde Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his May 5 outing with Pok-Chi Lau of Lawrence at a 53-year-old federal reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

Here is an edited version of their log.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 56 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 76 degrees. The wind angled out of the east, southeast, and south at 6 to 14 mph; there were some gusts that registered 23 mph. The sky fluctuated from being foggy and misty to overcast to partly cloudy to mostly cloudy. The barometric pressure was 29.89 at 12:52 a.m., 29.85 at 5:52 a.m., 29.86 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.81 at 3:52 p.m.

The water level was about three-quarters of a foot above normal. The surface temperature ranged from 59 to 61 degrees. The water exhibited about one foot of visibility.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 10:37 a.m. to 12:37 p.m., 4:25 a.m. to 6:25 a.m., and 4:50 p.m. to 6:50 p.m.

This was my first outing to one of our federal reservoirs in 2023.

Nowadays, my 83-year-old mind and body have become uncomfortable on our federal reservoirs. In my eyes, the hues of the water and the conditions of the riparian terrains of this reservoir are unattractive. And the great flood of 2019 made the riparian areas more unsightly than they have ever been during this flatland reservoir’s 53-year history. The perpetual problem with siltation and the onslaught of various pesticides has become a significant concern, too, and the lack of aquatic vegetation disturbs the quality and color of the water and the fish populations, which also adversely affects my disposition and my attempts to find some joy in fishing these waterways. Thus, it is always a sorry sight to witness the federal and state employees applying herbicides to portions of the riparian areas.

At times, it can be a chore to deal with the ranks of waves and white caps that often wallop this waterway. What’s more, the occasional arrays of jet skiers, water skiers, and recreational boaters create a multitude of unpleasurable antics for my eyes and ears to tolerate, and their wakes can be a chore to tolerate. And on this outing, however, the only woes that I witnessed were the lack of attractive riparian foliage, entire shorelines and shallow-water flats devoid of aquatic vegetation, and the milky-stained color of the water, which also bleached the color of some of the black bass and temperate bass that we were pursuing.

We made our first casts at 12:10 p.m., and when we made our last ones at 3:11 p.m., our fish counters revealed that we had caught 28 smallmouth bass, two largemouth bass, 16 white bass, 11 freshwater drum, one bluegill, and one 4 ½-foot longnose gar.

We caught these fish on five Midwest finesse rigs: a 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s twilight Trick ShotZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig, a Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse ShadZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig, a Z-Man’s Junebug TRD BugZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig, a Z-Man’s coppertreuse Finesse TRD affixed to a 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig, and a Z-Man’s twilight Finesse TRD affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. The twilight Trick ShotZ rig was the most effective rig, closely followed by the Junebug Finesse ShadZ rig and Junebug TRD BugZ rig.

The twilight Trick ShotZ, Junebug Finesse ShadZ, and Junebug TRD BugZ were our most effective rigs.

We spent the bulk of the 121 minutes fishing along about 2,000 feet of the riprap shoreline of the dam, which is where we caught 23 smallmouth bass, 14 white bass, 10 freshwater drum, one bluegill, and one gar. One was caught on a deadstick presentation in about three feet of water. Five of these fish were caught on the initial drop of our rigs in about one to two feet of water. The others were caught as we employed either a slow swim-and-shake or slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about two to five feet of water. These fish were caught about two feet from the water’s edge to about 25 feet from the water’s edge.

Inside a small feeder-creek arm, we fished portions of two shorelines and around one secondary point. At the mouth of this feeder creek, we fished around two main-lake points and along the main-lake shoreline that is immediately adjacent to each of the points. The underwater terrains of these areas consist of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Many of the boulders are remarkable. The slope of these shorelines and points ranges from 15 to about 30 degrees.

Along one of the shorelines inside this feeder-creek arm, we caught two smallmouth bass, two white bass, one freshwater drum, and one largemouth bass. One was caught on the coppertreuse Finesse TRD rig adjacent to a humongous boulder. The others were caught on the Junebug TRD BugZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about three feet of water.

Around one of the main-lake points and along its shoreline, we caught three smallmouth bass and one largemouth bass. One smallmouth bass was caught on the twilight Trick ShotZ rig. The largemouth bass and two smallmouth bass were caught on the Junebug Finesse ShadZ rig. Two of the four black bass were caught on the initial drop of the Finesse ShadZ rig in about two feet of water. The others were caught as we employed the swim-glide-and-shake presentation in two to four feet of water and from five to 12 feet from the water’s edge.

In total, we caught 58 fish in three hours and one minute, which is a catch rate of 19 fish per hour. And we elicited about 20 strikes that we failed to hook. Even though this reservoir is not a pleasant place for this old codger to fish, I was pleased with our catch and strike rate, and so was Pok-Chi.

It needs to be noted that Pok-Chi, who is only 73 years old, hasn’t become as uncomfortable as my old-codger perspectives have become when we fish our federal reservoirs.

May 10

Pat and Ned Kehde posted a log about their outing on May 10 at one of northeastern Kansas’ many community reservoirs.

Here is an edited version of their log.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 60 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 85 degrees. The wind was calm for three hours, and when it erupted, it angled mildly from the east and southeast at 5 to 13 mph. The sky was fair except for two afternoon hours. The barometric pressure was 29.98 at 12:53 a.m., 29.99 at 5:53 a.m., 30.01 at 11:53 a.m., and 29.94 at 3:53 p.m.

The water level at this 84-year-old flatland reservoir looked to be nearly normal. The surface temperature ranged from 71 to 73 degrees. The water in the vicinity of the dam exhibited slightly more than nine feet of visibility. Many of the shallow-water objects, such as laydowns, boulders, patches of American water willows, and docks, are quilted by wads of filamentous algae. This reservoir needs a variety of submerged aquatic vegetation, and to our delight, we saw several curly-leaf pondweeds and some segments of bushy pondweeds floating on the surface, and we are hoping this reservoir’s managers will refrain from killing these burgeoning patches of vegetation.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 3:20 a.m. to 5:20 a.m., 3:50 p.m. to 5:50 p.m., and 9:35 a.m. to 11:35 a.m.

This rather windless Wednesday provoked us to make one of our short or old-codger outings after Patty finished playing tennis at 1:00 p.m.

We made our first casts at 1:56 p.m. And by the time we executed our last casts at 2:46 p.m., our fish counters revealed that we had caught 13 smallmouth bass and 11 largemouth bass, and we inadvertently caught one bluegill, one channel catfish, and one green sunfish.

During this 100-minute outing, we spent 62 minutes dissecting portions of three dilapidated rock fences. They consist of rocks and boulders. They are submerged and covered with four to seven feet of water. Each one is about 75 yards long and six feet wide. They are surrounded by 10 to more than 25 feet of water. Many of its rocks and boulders are coated with significant wads of filamentous algae.

 These submerged fences yielded seven smallmouth bass and eight largemouth bass. Seven of these 15 black bass were caught on a 2 1/4-inch Z-Man’s Drew’s craw TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig, and the other eight were caught on a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-blue Finesse ShadZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Three of the 15 were caught on the initial drop of our rigs. Three were caught on a deadstick presentation. The others were caught on either a swim-glide-and-shake presentation or a slow dragging-and-short-pause presentation. They were caught in five to seven feet of water.

We spent the final 38 minutes quickly fishing around an offshore hump, around two main-lake points and very short segments of these points’ shorelines, and along about a 50-yard section of the dam’s riprap shoreline.

We failed to elicit a strike at one of the main-lake points.

We caught one largemouth bass around the other main-lake point. This point possesses a 50- to 60-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. The water’s edge is lined with several laydowns and patches of American water willows, which are exhibiting scores of green stems and leaves. Wads of filamentous algae are coating many of the rocks and boulders and stems of the American water willows. Our Finesse ShadZ rig caught the largemouth bass on the initial drop in about five feet of water.

Around the offshore hump, we caught one largemouth bass and five smallmouth bass. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are enhanced with a few stems of curly-leaf pondweeds and many wads of filamentous algae. Three of these black bass were caught on our Finesse ShadZ rig; one was caught on the initial drop, and two were caught on a slow swim-glide-shake presentation. The Drew’s craw TRD TicklerZ rig caught the other three black bass with a slow dragging presentation. We caught them in four to five feet of water.

Along the riprap shoreline of the dam, we caught one largemouth bass and the smallest smallmouth bass that we have ever caught. The water’s edge is adorned with some patches of greening American water willows, which are coated with wads of filamentous algae. Both fish were caught on the initial drop of our Finesse ShadZ rig in about four to five feet of water near the outside edge of the wads of filamentous algae.

May 11

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his May 11 outing with Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas.

Here is an edited version of his log.

The black-bass fishing in north-central Texas was slow this past April, and so far, May has been ho-hum at best.

So on May 11, Norman and I thought we would try to break this awful trend of mediocre black-bass fishing by fishing at one of several popular Corps’ reservoirs in north-central Texas.

It has been raining off and on for the past few days, and more rain is in the offing for the evening hours of May 12. The runoff from these rain storms are raising the water levels in most of the waterways across north-central Texas.

On May 11, local thermometers reported that it was 63 degrees at 5:00 a.m. and 87 degrees at 5:00 p.m. The sky conditions fluctuated from being overcast with scattered rain showers to mostly cloudy to partly cloudy. The barometric pressure was 29.83 at 8:00 a.m. and 29.75 at 2:00 p.m. The wind angled out of the south and southeast at 10 to 20 mph.

According to In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar, the fishing would be poor with the best opportunities occurring from 4:31 a.m. to 6:31 a.m., 10:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., and 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

We fished from around 8:00 a.m. to around 2:00 p.m., and the black bass fishing was as humdrum at this Corps’ reservoir as it was at the other Corps’ reservoirs that we have fished during the past several weeks.

The water level has been slightly low for the past few weeks, but it has now returned to its normal pool. The surface temperature ranged from 68 to 74 degrees. The water exhibited between 18 to 24 inches of visibility.

We spent six hours covering about seven miles of the reservoir’s lower end for largemouth and spotted bass. We focused on the east and center sections of a long riprap-laden dam, two main-lake rocky shorelines, five prominent main-lake points, and an island, five coves, three rocky shorelines, and five rocky secondary points inside two major feeder creeks and one minor feeder creek. All of these locales are situated in the lower and middle sections of the east tributary arm.

We failed miserably to locate any large concentrations of black bass. And much to our consternation, it became a difficult task for us to eke out eight largemouth bass and six spotted bass. Besides the 14 black bass, we also caught four crappie, one freshwater drum, and one white bass.

Here is how our outing unfolded:

Around the center section of the riprap-laden dam and a large water-outlet tower located a few yards from the center section of the dam, we caught five largemouth bass and four crappie. One largemouth bass was caught near the riprap on the dam. It was abiding in four feet of water and within five feet of the water’s edge.

The walls of the water-outlet tower surrendered four largemouth bass and four black crappie. They were suspended about five to eight feet below the surface in 53 feet of water.

A 25-yard section of riprap on the east end of the dam relinquished one spotted bass. It was caught in four feet of water next to a laydown and within five feet of the water’s edge.

One of the five main-lake points that we probed yielded one spotted bass and one white bass that were inhabiting a section of riprap in five feet of water. We failed to elicit any strikes around the other four main-lake points.

One spotted bass was caught in five feet of water from the side of a rocky secondary point that is situated in the lower end of the first major feeder-creek arm. This creek arm is situated in the midsection of the east tributary arm. The secondary point in this creek arm is relatively flat and is adorned with chunk rocks and a few submerged boulders.

Inside the second major feeder-creek arm, we caught three spotted bass and two largemouth bass. Two of the spotted bass and one of the largemouth bass were caught in less than five feet of water around the perimeter of an island that is situated near the mouth of the feeder-creek arm. The submerged terrain around this island consists of red clay, gravel, chunk rock, and patches of Eurasian milfoil.

Two flat and rocky secondary points at the mouth of the creek arm yielded one largemouth bass and one spotted bass. They were caught around patches of large boulders in four to seven feet of water and 15 to 20 feet from the water’s edge. Two rocky shorelines and portions of three coves located in the back end of the creek arm failed to yield a largemouth or spotted bass.

The third creek arm, which is a minor one, relinquished one freshwater drum. It was caught in five feet of water from a flat and rocky secondary point in the midsection of the creek arm.

We had to employed an array of Z-Man’s Midwest finesse offerings rigged on different sizes and colors of Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jigs in order to catch these 14 black bass, and six of them were effective.

We caught five of them on a Z-Man’s Hot Snakes Baby Goat rigged on a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig and a steady-swimming retrieve. Four were caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation with an unaltered 4.75-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ threaded on a chartreuse 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. Two were enticed by a steady-swimming retrieve with a three-inch Z-Man’s Bad Shad Slim SwimZ rigged on a black 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Another two were induced into striking a Z-Man’s coppertreuse Trick ShotZ fastened on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig and a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation. And one was allured by a swim-and-pause retrieve with a three-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

And as we were preparing to leave, Norman spoke briefly with another boat angler. The boat angler reported that he had a tough day on the water; he caught only one fish, and it was a large catfish that he caught by accident.

May 12

Ned Kehde and Pok-Chi Lau of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their May 12 outing at one of northeastern Kansas’ many community reservoirs.

Here is an edited version of their log.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 66 degrees, and its afternoon’s high temperature was 83 degrees. The wind angled out of the southeast and south at 6 to 13 mph; at 10:53 a.m., there was a gust of wind that reached 21 mph. The sky was fair. The barometric pressure was 29.83 at 12:53 a.m., 29.84 at 5:53 a.m., 29.89 at 11:53 a.m., and 29.90 at 3:53 p.m.

At this 83-year-old reservoir, the water level looked to be a few inches above normal. The surface temperature ranged from 71 to 74 degrees. According to our nine-foot dipstick, which we call a secchi stick, the water exhibited about nine feet of visibility at several locations. For several years, the managers of this reservoir have worked diligently to eradicate all of the submerged aquatic vegetation, as well as the wads of duckweed that often cluttered the surface. To our surprise and delight, we crossed paths with a significant number of patches of coontail, patches of bushy pondweeds, and some wads of duckweed. The patches of American water willows that grace segments of some shorelines are no longer in their winter-dead phase; instead, they are adorned with scores of green sprouts. Wads of filamentous algae are widespread, which can be difficult to fish around, but we have found that we can inveigle significant numbers of largemouth bass with four Midwest finesse tactics from these wads.

Around noon, we crossed paths with Luke Kowalewski and Zach Ramsay, who are fisheries biologists with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. They had just finished their spring electrofishing survey of this reservoir. They reported that their catch rate was a tad disappointing, but to our joy, Luke reported that they had crossed paths with some curly-lead pondweeds, which can provide excellent habitats for largemouth bass and other fish.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 5:21 a.m. to 7:21 a.m., 5:48 p.m. to 7:48 p.m., and 11:10 a.m. to 1:10 p.m.

We made our first casts at 11:10 a.m. and our last ones at 3:11 p.m. During this four-hour-and-0ne-minute outing, we caught 46 largemouth bass, six bluegills, 15 warmouth, nine green sunfish, two crappie, and one bluegill. We also elicited a multitude of strikes that we failed to hook; we suspect that some of those strikes were provoked by bluegill, green sunfish, and warmouth.

We assumed that the electroshocking might have adversely affected our abilities to elicit strikes at several locales that we thoroughly dissected and failed to engender a strike.

Four of the 46 largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s Drew’s craw TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Six largemouth bass were caught on a 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s twilight Trick ShotZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig.

Fifteen of the 46 largemouth bass were caught on a well-used and slightly shortened Z-Man’s Junebug TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. Twenty of the 46 largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse ShadZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig.

We caught these fish on a variety of presentations. Some were caught on the initial drop of our rigs. A few were caught as we employed a deadstick presentation. The others were caught as we employed a straight-swimming presentation or a swim-glide-and-shake presentation or a drag-and-shake presentation. Throughout this outing, it was essential to experiment with a variety of presentations and the speeds of our presentations. A faster retrieve is nearly always necessary around the wads of filamentous algae.

Some of the 46 largemouth bass were caught within about two to four feet of the water’s edge. Others were caught from about six feet to about 25 feet from the water’s edge.

Some of our angling colleagues call this reservoir “Kansas’ Lake of the Docks.” Back in the 1950s and 1960s, I began my angling life by fishing at “Missouri’s Lake of the Docks.” But fishing around docks has never brought me a lot of joy. Therefore, I rarely spend a lot of time dissecting them. Yet on this outing, we half-heartedly dissected 105 docks, and several of them were quite fruitful.

Along the dam, we caught four largemouth bass. The dam is 1,550 feet long with a height of 58 feet. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are adorned with a few burgeoning patches of coontail, bushy pondweeds, and some wads of filamentous algae. It possesses a 50- to 60-degree slope. The water’s edge is graced with a concrete water-outlet tower and a few patches of American water willows. Our Finesse ShadZ rig caught two largemouth bass, and our Trick ShotZ rig caught two largemouth bass.

From the dam, we fished along a massive stretch of a main-lake shoreline, and we estimated that we fished about a mile of this shoreline, which is situated in the lower and middle portions of this reservoir. It has a 20- to 45-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are embellished with some sprouting patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds, as well as innumerable wads of filamentous algae. This underwater terrain is cluttered with occasional manmade piles of brush and PVC-pipe fish habitats. The water’s edge is littered with scores of docks, and we fished around 59 of them. The water’s edge is also embellished with many rock retaining walls and concrete retaining walls. Along the water’s edge, there are a few overhanging trees, overhanging terrestrial vegetation, and patches of American water willows. This shoreline yielded 20 largemouth bass. Our Trick ShotZ rig caught three of them. The Drew’s craw TRD TicklerZ rig caught four of them. Our Finesse ShadZ rig caught six of the 20 largemouth bass, and the Junebug TRD TicklerZ rig caught seven of them.

Around two main-lake points and their adjacent shorelines, we caught seven largemouth bass. This area is situated in the middle portion of the reservoir. This section is about 150 yards long and possesses a 35- to 40-degree slope. Its water’s edge is endowed with several patches of American water willows, some overhanging trees, and 13 docks. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are graced with expanding patches of coontail. The Trick ShotZ rig caught one largemouth bass, and the Finesse ShadZ rig caught six.

We caught seven largemouth bass along about a 500-yard stretch of a shoreline that is situated in the upper half of the reservoir. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and some silt. Parts of this terrain are quilted with patches of coontail, minor patches of floating duckweed, a few patches of bushy pondweeds, and many wads of filamentous algae. It possesses a 25- to 60-degree slope. The water’s edge consists of several concrete retaining walls, 12 docks, one small rock bridge, a few laydowns, several piles of brush, some patches of American water willows, and a few overhanging trees. One largemouth bass was caught on the Drew’s craw TRD TicklerZ rig. Two were caught on the Finesse ShadZ rig. Four were caught on the Junebug TRD TicklerZ rig.

Eight largemouth bass were caught along about a 350-yard section of another shoreline in the upper half of the reservoir. This area possesses a 25- to 70-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. The shoreline is cluttered with 21 docks, some concrete retaining walls, a few rock retaining walls, a number of overhanging trees, one massive laydown, a few piles of brush, and an occasional patch of American water willows. Patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds are gracing portions of the underwater terrain between the scores of docks. Four of the eight largemouth bass were caught on the Junebug TRD TicklerZ rig, and another four were caught on our Finesse ShadZ rig.

Upon arriving home, I received a brief note from Paul Finn of Olathe, Kansas.

He wrote that he fished the same community reservoir on May 11 that Pok-Chi and I fished on May 12.

Here is a slightly edited version of his report:

I took a friend fishing last evening. We fished from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and caught around 30 largemouth bass. I was the guide and fished about 90 minutes of this 150-minute outing. I was giving instructions on how to fish with Midwest finesse rigs along a massive shoreline and its docks in the middle section of the reservoir. Our most effective rigs were a Z-Man’s California-craw TRD BugZ on a 1/16-ounce jig and a Z-Man’s Junebug TRD TicklerZ with a 1/16-ounce jig. Most of the largemouth bass were caught on the initial fall or drop of our rigs. She is just learning to fish and wants to fish ladies’ tournaments. We had lots of fun, and she now loves to finesse fish.

May 12

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his May 12 outing with Bill Kenny of Denton.

Here is an edited version of his log.

On May 5, John Thomas of Denton, and his son Scott Thomas of Kalamazoo, Michigan, joined me for a six-hour excursion to our favorite smallmouth bass venue, which is located in south-central Oklahoma. The fishing was outstanding, and we caught 101 smallmouth bass, two largemouth bass, and one spotted bass.

On May 12, Bill Kenney of Denton and I returned to Oklahoma and fished at the same Civilian Conservation Corps’ reservoir that John Thomas, Scott Thomas, and I fished on May 5. We set a lofty goal of catching a minimum of 100 smallmouth bass during this six-hour endeavor.

The sky was overcast on May 12. The morning’s low temperature was 69 degrees. The afternoon’s high reached 93 degrees. The barometric pressure was 29.86 at 8:00 a.m. and dropped slightly to 29.84 at 2:00 p.m. The wind blew continuously out of the southeast at 15 to 20 mph.

According to In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar, the most productive fishing periods would occur from 4:33 a.m. to 6:33 a.m., 10:46 a.m. to 12:46 p.m., and 11:12 p.m. to 1:12 a.m. We fished from about 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The water exhibited seven feet of clarity. The water level was at its normal pool. The surface temperature ranged from 72 to 74 degrees.

The fishing was almost as stellar as it was on May 5. Although we failed to reach our goal of catching 100 smallmouth bass, we still savored catching 89 smallmouth bass and two largemouth bass. We also crossed paths with one white bass and one green sunfish.

Because of the peppy southeasterly winds, we targeted wind-blown black-bass haunts in the reservoir’s west tributary arm. Ninety-five percent of our efforts were concentrated at nine main-lake shorelines and their adjoining rocky main-lake points, two offshore rock piles, and portions of the perimeter of a main-lake island. The other five-percent of our time was spent at a couple of secondary points inside a major feeder-creek arm.

Of the 91 black bass that we caught, 86 of them were caught at wind-blown main-lake locations. Five were caught from the two secondary points inside the major feeder-creek arm.

We caught smallmouth bass everywhere we fished, and the most bountiful locations by far were flat main-lake shorelines that possess shallow rock ledges cluttered with chunky rocks mixed with larger boulders.

Our two most effective lures and presentation were either a 2 1/2- or three-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ rigged on either a black 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig or a black 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead that were employed with a steady-swimming retrieve. These two combos allured 67 smallmouth bass and one largemouth bass. A Z-Man’s coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead and utilized with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation enticed 18 smallmouth bass and one largemouth bass. A slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Trick ShotZ matched with a black 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig enticed four smallmouth bass.

May 15

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his May 15 outing with Bear Brundrett of Valley View, Texas.

Here is an edited version of his log.

From 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Bear and I fished at a state reservoir that is located in the rural countryside of north-central Texas. And during the past several years, this particular reservoir has become one of our most bountiful waterways.

According to In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar, the fishing would be poor with the best fishing occurring from 1:43 a.m. to 3:43 a.m., 7:54 a.m. to 9:54 a.m., and 8:17 p.m. to 10:17 p.m.

The morning’s low temperature was 64 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was a humid 81 degrees. It was sunny, and the sky was partly cloudy. The barometric pressure decreased from 30.14 at 8:00 a.m. to 30.11 at 1:00 p.m. And from 8:00 a.m. to 11:18 a.m., the wind was calm. After 11:18 a.m., there was just a hint of a breeze out of the northwest at less than 5 mph.

We concentrated our efforts on three main-lake islands, the shoreline of a main-lake bluff, four riprap jetties, and two prominent main-lake points.

The bulk of this reservoir’s shorelines are littered with rocks and boulders. And the entire underwater terrain is composed of mostly red clay, gravel, rocks, and boulders. Some of the shorelines are adorned with flooded buck brush, stickups, overhanging trees, and some laydowns. There used to be flourishing patches of hydrilla and American pondweeds in the lower end of this reservoir, but they vanished a couple of years ago, and we don’t have a clue as to what caused their demise.

For most of this outing, the water was calm and smooth as glass, and we find calm water to be detrimental to our black-bass fishing endeavors. The water exhibited about two feet of visibility. The surface temperature ranged from 70 to 74 degrees. The water level was 8.49 feet below its normal pool level.

One of the three islands that we fished is located in the southeast end of the reservoir. Its shoreline is flat and laden with rocks and boulders, and with the low water level, many of the rocks and boulders are now on dry land. This island is usually one of our most productive spots in this reservoir, but on this outing, it yielded one largemouth bass and two white bass. These three fish were caught in less than five feet of water and within 10 to 15 feet of the water’s edge with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SlimZ rigged on a blue 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig and a moderate-paced swimming retrieve.

The second island is situated in the midsection of the reservoir. Its shoreline has a 25- to 30-degree slope and is blanketed with large rocks and boulders. We found a few small aggregations of threadfin shad dwelling around a patch of boulders on the north end of the island, and this area yielded one largemouth bass and three white bass. These fish were abiding in four to six feet of water. The largemouth bass and two of the three white bass were attracted to a steady-swimming presentation with a Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat matched with a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. One white bass was caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a Z-Man’s Hot Snakes TRD TicklerZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

The third island is situated in the northwest section of the reservoir. Its shoreline is mostly flat and rocky. There were a few small aggregations of threadfin shad dwelling around several large boulders scattered along the south side of the island in three to six feet of water. These boulders yielded one largemouth bass and one spotted bass. These two bass were abiding in three to five feet of water and were attracted to a swimming presentation with the Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat rig.

Two of the four riprap jetties, which are situated at the midsection of the reservoir’s east shoreline, yielded one spotted bass and 30. And then it transitioned to being partly cloudy. It never rained.

While I was afloat, the sky was hazy initially. And then it transitioned to being partly cloudy. It never rained.

white bass. These fish were caught in three to six feet of water and within 10 to 15 feet of the water’s edge. The spotted bass was caught on a steady-swimming retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ rig; the white bass were caught on a swimming presentation with our 2 1/2-inch Slim SwimZ and the pearl Baby Goat rigs.

We also investigated the other two riprap jetties. They are located on the north end of the east shoreline. We did not locate any significant concentrations of threadfin shad around either of these two jetties, so we did not spend any time fishing them.

The two rocky main-lake points, which are located a short distance from the first set of riprap jetties that we fished, yielded two spotted bass, one smallmouth bass, and 67 white bass. These fish were relating to large clusters of submerged rocks and boulders in four to six feet of water. The two spotted bass and the smallmouth bass were allured by a swim-glide-and-shake presentation with the Hot Snakes TRD TicklerZ. The 67 white bass were enticed by the pearl Baby Goat and 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ combos and a steady-swimming retrieve.

The shoreline along the main-lake bluff is situated in the upper end of the reservoir. It is about 100 yards long and is embellished with countless numbers of rocks the size of a basketball and boulders the size of a coffee table. It also has 60- to 80-degree inclines. This bluff relinquished six largemouth bass, two spotted bass, one white bass, and a large freshwater drum. They were abiding amongst the large rocks and boulders that clutter the base of the bluff in four to nine feet of water. Six of these eight black bass were beguiled by the Hot Snakes TRD TicklerZ rig that was employed with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation. The other two black bass, the white bass, and the large freshwater drum were coaxed into striking the Baby Goat rig as it was retrieved around and over the rocks and boulders with a swimming retrieve.

All totaled, we caught 119 fish in 5 1/2 hours.

To our dismay, the black-bass fishing was more sluggish than we expected. We have become accustomed to catching 30-plus black bass at nearly every outing at this impoundment, thus, it was a big disappointment to catch only 15 black bass this time around. In comparison, the white bass fishing was stellar; we caught 103 of them. We also encountered one hefty freshwater drum.

May 16

Pat and Ned Kehde posted a log about their outing on May 16 at one of northeastern Kansas’ many state reservoirs.

Here is an edited version of their log.

The National Weather Service reported that the temperatures throughout the day were well below normal. The morning’s low temperature was 58 degrees, and it was 61 degrees at 1:52 p.m. The wind angled mildly from the north, northwest, and northeast at 5 to 10 mph. The sky fluctuated from being foggy and misty to raining lightly to being overcast with haze. The barometric pressure was 30.13 at 12:52 a.m., 30.07 at 5:52 a.m., 30.07 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.04 at 1:52 p.m.

The water level at this 63-year-old flatland reservoir looked to be a few inches above normal. The surface temperature ranged from 70 to 72 degrees. Our dipstick indicated that the water in the vicinity of the dam exhibited more than six feet of visibility.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 8:42 a.m. to 10:42 a.m., 8:47 p.m. to 10:47 p.m., and 2:13 a.m. to 4:13 a.m.

We made our first casts at 11:15 a.m. and our last ones at 1:17 p.m. Our fish counters indicated that we had caught 34 largemouth bass, 12 green sunfish, and one channel catfish.

We spent about 70 minutes fishing along the entire riprap shoreline of the dam. It possesses about a 50- to 60-degree slope. In addition to the riprap terrain, there are several piles of brush, three patches of American water willows, and a few patches of submerged bushy pondweeds. Wads of filamentous algae adhere to a few of the boulders and other underwater objects.

Many yards of this shoreline were fruitless. Ultimately, we caught 12 largemouth bass.

One was caught on a slightly shortened four-inch Z-Man’s purple-haze Finesse WormZ affixed to a baby-blue or robin’s-egg-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig with a drag-and-shake presentation in about seven feet of water.

One largemouth bass was caught on a Z-Man’s meat-dog Finesse ShadZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig with a deadstick presentation in about five feet of water.

Two largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-blue Finesse ShadZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig with a drag-and-shake presentation in about five to eight feet of water.

The others were caught on a Z-Man’s Junebug TRD TicklerZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. One was caught on a deadstick presentation in about five feet of water. Two were caught on the initial drop in about five feet of water. Five were caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in four to eight feet of water.

These 12 largemouth bass were caught as close as four feet to as far as about 18 to 20 feet from the water’s edge of the dam.

At the spillway, we caught one largemouth bass on the green-pumpkin-blue Finesse ShadZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation around patches of bushy pondweeds and between several small manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. It was caught in five to six feet of water and about 15 feet from the water’s edge.

Around two main-lake points at the mouth of a tiny feeder-creek arm and along two shorelines inside this feeder-creek arm, we caught nine largemouth bass.

One of the points is a riprap jetty. It yielded three of the nine largemouth bass. It has a 25- to 35-degree slope. Portions of the underwater terrain of rocks and boulders of this jetty are embellished with some wads of filamentous algae and manmade piles of brush. Patches of bushy pondweeds and coontail also adorn much of this terrain. The water’s edge is graced with several patches of American water willows.

The Junebug TRD TicklerZ rig caught these three largemouth bass. One was caught on the initial drop in about three feet of water around a boulder and a small wad of filamentous algae. A swim-glide-and-shake presentation caught one largemouth bass around several boulders in about five feet of water. The third largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop near the outside edge of a patch of American water willows in about three feet of water.

We caught three largemouth bass around the other main-lake point. It possesses about a 20-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, which are embellished with patches of bushy pondweeds and coontail. The water’s edge is graced with a thick patch of American water willows. Small wads of filamentous algae are sprinkled around this point.

One of the three largemouth bass was caught on the Junebug TRD TicklerZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation near the outside edge of the patch of American water willows and around some bushy pondweeds in about four feet of water. The second largemouth bass was caught on a deadstick presentation of the meat-dog Finesse ShadZ rig in about four feet of water near the outside edge of the American water willows. The third largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the green-pumpkin-blue Finesse ShadZ rig in about 2 ½ feet of water near a wad of filamentous algae and the outside edge of the patch of American water willows.

Along a short segment of one of the shorelines inside this tiny feeder-creek, we caught one largemouth bass. This shoreline has a 20- to 25-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, which are quilted with patches of bushy pondweeds and coontail, which are occasionally combined with some meager wads of filamentous algae. The largemouth bass was caught on a swimming presentation of the green-pumpkin-blue Finesse ShadZ rig around patches of bushy pondweeds and coontail in about three feet of water.

Along a short segment of another shoreline inside this feeder-creek arm, we caught two largemouth bass. This shoreline has a 40-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, which are entwined with coontail, bushy pondweeds, a few stumps, piles of brush, and wads of filamentous algae. The water’s edge is lined with several overhanging trees, some laydowns, and patches of American water willows.

One of the largemouth bass was caught on a deadstick presentation with the meat-dog Finesse ShadZ rig in about five feet of water.

The second largemouth bass was caught on the green-pumpkin-blue Finesse ShadZ rig, but it required three strikes to catch this largemouth bass. The first strike occurred on the initial drop in about three feet of water. After failing to hook that strike, the rig was allowed to plummet slowly toward the bottom, which generated another strike. And that strike was another failure. Then the rig was allowed to fall to the bottom and deadsticked for a few seconds, which generated the third strike and a hooked largemouth bass.

Along about a 100-yard stretch of a flat main-lake shoreline, we caught 13 largemouth bass. This shoreline has a 20- to 25-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, which are often coated with patches of bushy pondweeds, patches of coontail, and burgeoning patches of American pondweeds. It is also cluttered with a few manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. Portions of the water’s edge are lined with patches of American water willows. Six of these 13 largemouth bass were caught on the meat-dog Finesse ShadZ rig, and seven were caught on the green-pumpkin-blue Finesse ShadZ rig. Five were caught on the initial drop of these rigs around the bushy pondweeds. The others were caught as we employed a slow swim-and-shake presentation around and over the patches of bushy pondweeds, coontail, and American pondweeds.

May 17
Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, and Rick Hebenstreit of Shawnee, Kansas, posted a log about their outing at an 81-year-old community reservoir in northeastern Kansas on May 17.

Here is an edited version of his log.

Our wind-blown days, which have plagued anglers galore in northeastern Kanas in March, April, and May, seem to be coming to an end.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 57 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 80 degrees. The wind fluctuated from being calm to variable to angling out of the west and southwest at 3 to 7 mph. The conditions of the sky oscillated from being cluttered with a few clouds to fair to partly cloudy to mostly cloudy. The barometric pressure was 29.95 at 12:53 a.m., 29.95 at 5:53 a.m., 29.96 at 11:53 a.m., and 29.91at 2:53 p.m.

The water level looked to be a few inches above normal. The surface temperature was 73 degrees. According to our dipstick and other measuring tools, the water exhibited more than 10 feet of clarity.

A few years ago, many of the shallow-water flats and shorelines of this reservoir were embellished with a vast number of wonderful patches of coontail and several glorious patches of American lotus. But the managers of this reservoir have unwisely killed all of the American lotus and many acres of coontail. What’s more, a significant number of patches of American water willows that used to adorn the water’s edges of several points and shorelines have disappeared, and we suspect that these patches of American water willows have been accidentally killed by some of the herbicides that the reservoir’s managers have employed around some of the terrestrial landscapes and the shallow-water shorelines. Wads of filamentous algae are clinging to all kinds of underwater objects, such as laydowns, docks, American water willows, piles of brush, and many of the very shallow-water patches of coontail. We noticed several outcroppings of curly-leaf pondweeds on a few shallow-water flats, and many stems of bushy pondweeds and coontail were floating on the surface, but we didn’t find any patches of bushy pondweeds quilting the underwater terrains that we dissected.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 9:04 a.m. to 11:04 a.m., 9:27 p.m. to 11:27 p.m., and 2:52 a.m. to 4:52 a.m.

We made our first casts at 10:42 a.m. And when we executed our last retrieves at 2:45 p.m. our fish counter indicated that we had caught 36 largemouth bass and eight smallmouth bass, and we accidentally caught 11 green sunfish and one freshwater drum.

A Z-Man’s The Deal TRD TicklerZ affixed to a blue 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig caught one largemouth mouth bass. A slightly shortened Z-Man’s Junebug TRD TicklerZ affixed to a baby-blue or robin’s-egg-blue 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead caught one largemouth bass. A Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-goby Finesse TRD affixed to a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig caught four smallmouth bass and four largemouth bass. A Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig caught one smallmouth bass and 11 largemouth bass. A Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-blue Finesse ShadZ affixed to a baby-blue or robin’s-egg-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig caught two smallmouth bass and 19 largemouth bass.

We caught the 44 largemouth bass on a variety of presentations, various depths, and an assortment of locations. Eight were caught on the initial drops of our rigs. Some were caught as we employed a swimming presentation around and across the shallow-water patches of coontail and wads of filamentous algae. Some were caught as we strolled and employed either a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation or a drag-and-shake presentation. Several were caught on a drag-and-pause presentation, and a few were caught on a drag-and-deadstick presentation. Two largemouth bass were caught on a missed-strike presentation, and when that occurs, we allow the rig to plummet to the bottom, and we deadstick and then shake it. One largemouth bass was caught on the second strike, and another one was caught on the third strike.

Inside a small feeder-creek arm, we caught a dozen largemouth bass. This feeder creek is located in the middle section of the reservoir. 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 patches of coontail and many wads of filamentous algae. These largemouth bass were caught on the green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ rig, Junebug TRD TicklerZ rig, and green-pumpkin-blue Finesse ShadZ. Three were caught on the initial drop of our rigs. The others were caught as we employed a slow swim-and-shake presentation around the patches of coontail. One was caught along the water’s edges in about five feet of water, and the others were caught many yards from the water’s edge in six to eight feet of water.

Around a main-lake point at the mouth of this small feeder-creek point, we caught one largemouth bass on the initial drop of the green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ rig. This point possesses a 45-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rock, and boulders, which are quilted with patches of coontail and wads of filamentous algae. The water’s edge is lined with American water willows and wads of filamentous algae. The largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ rig between the outside edge of the American water willows and inside edge of a patch of coontail and wad of filamentous algae.

Around another main-lake point and a long stretch of this point’s main-lake shoreline in the middle section of the reservoir, we failed to elicit a strike.

As we worked our way along this main-lake shoreline, we began to elicit strikes and catch fish as the shoreline merged into the upper half of the reservoir. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rock, and boulders. Some of the boulders are gargantuan. It possesses a 25- to 65-degree slope. The water’s edge is lined with scores of overhanging trees, oodles of laydowns, and occasional patches of American water willows. Some of its shallow-water flats and shorelines are endowed with curly-leaf pondweeds, patches of coontail, and wads of filamentous algae.

We fished around four points and along two portions of this shoreline in the upper half of this reservoir. And we estimated that each segment was 200 yards long. One of the points and its adjacent shorelines yielded 13 largemouth bass and four smallmouth bass. Another point and a long stretch of shoreline yielded two smallmouth bass and four largemouth bass.

Some of the largemouth bass were caught in about three feet of water that was shaded by the overhanging trees. Two largemouth bass were caught with a swimming presentation around patches of coontail and wads of filamentous algae. Several largemouth bass and two smallmouth bass were caught on the initial drop of our rigs. Others were caught as we were employing a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation or a drag-shake-and-pause presentation. Some were caught in two to three feet of water near the water’s edge, and some were caught as far as 20 feet from the water’s edge in 10 to 12 feet of water.

One of the 17 largemouth bass was caught on The Deal TRD TicklerZ rig. The green-pumpkin-goby Finesse TRD rig caught two smallmouth bass. The green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ rig caught one smallmouth bass and four largemouth bass. The green-pumpkin-blue Finesse ShadZ rig caught one smallmouth bass and 14 largemouth bass.

Around another main-lake point and about a 400-yard stretch of a main-lake shoreline in the upper half of the reservoir, we caught one smallmouth bass and four largemouth bass. This point and shoreline possess a 25- to 75-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Some of the shallow-water areas are adorned with some meager patches of coontail. The water’s edge is bejeweled with many overhanging trees, a few patches of American water willows, an array of laydowns, and several tertiary points. The green-pumpkin-goby Finesse TRD rig caught one smallmouth bass and two largemouth bass. The green-pumpkin-blue Finesse ShadZ rig caught two largemouth bass.

Around another main-lake point and its adjacent shoreline in the upper half of the reservoir, we caught one smallmouth bass and two largemouth bass. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rock, and boulders, and some of it is enhanced with patches of coontail and wads of filamentous algae. The water’s edge is furbished with some laydowns, patches of American water willows, wads of filamentous algae, several metal pipes and poles, and a few overhanging trees. We saw 13 unoccupied spawning beds in about eight feet of water. The smallmouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the green-pumpkin-goby Finesse TRD rig in about five feet of water, and it also caught a largemouth bass with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation around some patches of coontail and wads of filamentous algae in five to six feet of water. The green-pumpkin-blue ShadZ rig caught one largemouth bass by strolling and employing a drag-and-shake presentation in about seven feet of water.

To conclude this log, it is important to note this observation: As more and more of our community reservoirs are plagued by managers who are dedicated to eradicating patches of bushy pondweeds, brittle naiad, coontail, curly-leaf pondweeds, duckweeds, Eurasian milfoil, and other kinds of aquatic vegetation, these waterways have become hotbeds for creating massive wads of filamentous algae. We used to disdain filamentous algae, but since the fall of 2022, Rick and I have discovered that these massive wads of filamentous algae can provide us with bountiful catches of largemouth bass when we employ any of our standard Midwest finesse rigs that are affixed to a lightweight mushroom-style jig with a small hook. We prefer a number four hook.

May 18

Bob Gum of Kansas City, Kansas, filed a brief log on the Finesse News Network about his outing at one of northeastern Kansas’ power-plant reservoirs on May 18.

Here is an edited version of his log.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 59 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 82 degrees. The wind was calm for seven hours; it was variable at times, and at other times, it angled from the southwest, northwest, and south at 3 to 10 mph. The conditions of the sky fluctuated from raining lightly to fair to partly cloudy to mostly cloudy. The barometric pressure was 29.94 at 12:53 a.m., 29.94 at 5:53 a.m., 29.98 at 11:53 a.m., and 29.96 at 1:53 p.m.

While I was afloat, the sky was hazy initially. And then it transitioned to being partly cloudy. It never rained.

The water level at this 45-year-old reservoir looked to be normal. The surface temperature ranged from 78 to 81 degrees. The water exhibited about two feet of visibility at some locales; an algal bloom was discoloring the water, and when the wind wasn’t blowing, some floating scum also discolored the water.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 9:50 a.m. to 11:50 a.m., 10:15 p.m. to 1:15 a.m., and 3:38 a.m. to 5:38 a.m.

I began fishing around 6:00 a.m. and stopped at 1:30 p.m.

My first casts were made with a walking topwater lure along about a 150-yard riprap shoreline on the east side of this reservoir, where I elicited one strike.

I also failed to catch a fish around a main-lake point on the east side of the reservoir and at the submerged roadbed on the west side of the reservoir.

After that trying beginning, I spent the rest of the outing dissecting the riprap shorelines next to the power plant, along the dam, and adjacent to a road.

Ultimately, I caught 12 largemouth bass, seven freshwater drum, seven channel catfish, four green sunfish, and three crappie.

My most effective Midwest finesse rigs were a four-inch Z-Man’s coppertreuse Finesse WormZ affixed to a red 1/20-ounce mushroom-style jig and a 2 ½-inch Z-Man’s watermelon-red ZinkerZ affixed to a red 1/32-ounce mushroom-style jig.

The fish were caught in two to six feet of water as I was employing a slow swim-glide-and-subtle-shake presentation.

May 18

Ned Kehde and Pok-Chi Lau of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their May 18 outing at one of northeastern Kansas’ many community reservoirs.

Here is an edited version of their log.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 54 degrees, and its afternoon’s high temperature was 83 degrees. The wind was calm for eight hours, and when it stirred it angled out of the east, north, southwest, and west at 3 to 12 mph. The sky fluctuated from being foggy and misty to fair to cluttered with a few clouds to partly cloudy to mostly cloudy. The barometric pressure was 29.96 at 12:52 a.m., 29.94 at 5:52 a.m., 29.97 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.92 at 3:52 p.m.

At this 83-year-old reservoir, the surface temperature ranged from 75 to 77 degrees, and this reservoir’s swimming beach was entertaining about two dozen swimmers; they were the first swimmers that we have seen in 2023. The watershed of this reservoir was walloped with a significant volume of rain on May 15, and the water level looked to be several inches above normal. The rain also affected the water clarity. According to our dipstick, the water exhibited about five feet of visibility at the dam, but the clarity diminished to about 10 inches in the back of one of its primary feeder-creek arms and the back of one of its small feeder-creek arms.

For more than a decade, the managers of this reservoir have worked assiduously to eradicate all of the patches of Eurasian milfoil that elegantly carpeted many of the shallow-water flats and shorelines with herbicides. The spraying of the milfoil also eradicated all of the patches of bushy pondweeds, coontail, and curly-leaf pondweeds. And the demise of the submerged vegetation adversely affected the water quality and clarity. It also hindered the abilities of many talented Midwest finesse anglers to find and catch significant numbers of largemouth bass. And for a few years, a significant number of the largemouth bass that we caught were unhealthy looking, which we attributed to all of the herbicides that were sprayed into the water and the lack of aquatic vegetation.

But on our May 18 outing, we were thrilled to discover that the submerged vegetation has begun a renaissance, and we fished around and across many patches of bushy pondweeds, several outcroppings of curly-leaf pondweeds, and a few patches of Eurasian milfoil. What’s more, we caught scores of fish.

It is interesting to note that many of our community and state reservoirs in northeastern Kansas are rank with massive wads of filamentous algae, but those wads are not prevalent at this community reservoir.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 9:50 a.m. to 11:50 a.m., 10:15 p.m. to 12:15 a.m., and 3:38 a.m. to 5:38 a.m.

We made our first casts at 12:46 p.m. and our last ones at 3:48 p.m. During this three-hour-and-two-minute outing, we caught 52 largemouth bass and one smallmouth bass, and we unintentionally caught 91 green sunfish, one bluegill, one channel catfish, and one crappie. We also elicited a multitude of strikes that we failed to hook. On numerous retrieves, we elicited three strikes, and we suspect that some of those strikes were provoked by green sunfish,

We caught 141 of these 147 fish on a Z-Man’s bama bug TRD BugZ, which was affixed to either a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig or an unpainted 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. One of the largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-blue Finesse ShadZ affixed to a baby-blue or robin’s-egg-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. One of the largemouth bass and three of the green sunfish were caught on a Z-Man’s Junebug TRD TicklerZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. One of the largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s JunebugFinesse ShadZ affixed to a baby-blue or robin’s-egg-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig.

The Z-Man’s bama bug TRD BugZ, which was affixed to either a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig.

We caught these fish by employing a variety of presentations. A significant number were caught on the initial drop of our rigs. We also caught them when we employed a swim-glide-and-shake presentation, a drag-and-shake presentation, a drag-shake-and pause presentation, a drag-and-deadstick presentation, a pure deadstick presentation, and a swimming presentation. We caught them as shallow as two feet of water and about two to three feet from the water’s edge to as deep as about eight to nine feet and as far as 20 feet from the water’s edge.

We quickly fished along portions of two shorelines inside a small feeder-creek arm and along portions of two shorelines inside a primary feeder-creek arm. The water clarity was quite dingy at both locales. We struggle to catch five largemouth bass along the two shorelines inside the primary feeder-creek arm; one of the five was caught on the Junebug Finesse ShadZ rig, and the other four were caught on our TRD BugZ rigs. We eked out four largemouth bass along the two shorelines inside the small feeder-creek arm, and they were caught on our TRD BugZ rigs. Three of the nine largemouth bass were caught on a drag-and-shake-and-pause presentation, and one of the pauses was a short deadstick presentation. One of the nine was caught on the initial drop of the Finesse ShadZ rig. The others were caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

We spent the bulk of the 182 minutes dissecting the shoreline of the dam, the two shorelines adjacent to the dam, four main-lake points, two long main-lake shorelines adjacent to those four main-lake points, and two portions of two shorelines immediately inside a medium-sized feeder creek in the vicinity of the dam.

Along the dam and its spillway, we caught 15 largemouth bass. The underwater terrain of the dam consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Most of the dam possesses a 50- to 55-degree slope. It looks to be about 2,000 feet long. The water’s edge is graced with patches of American water willows, one patch of cattails, a few piles of brush, and a concrete water outlet tower that is surrounded by riprap. Our TRD BugZ caught 13 of the 15 largemouth bass, and the Junebug TRD TicklerZ rig caught one, and the green-pumpkin-blue Finesse ShadZ caught one. Some of the largemouth bass were caught on the initial drop of our rigs near the outside edges of the patches of American water willows in about three feet of water. The others were caught while we were employing a drag-and-shake presentation or a swim-glide-shake presentation or a drag-and-deadstick presentation in about four to about eight feet of water. Two were caught while we were strolling.

We failed to catch a largemouth bass along one of the shorelines adjacent to the dam. The other shoreline, which is about 150 feet long, yielded two largemouth bass. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are beginning to be adorned with patches of bushy pondweeds. It has about a 40- to 45-degree slope. The water’s edge is adorned with a large and healthy patch of American water willows and one massive overhanging tree. One largemouth bass was caught under the overhanging tree, and it engulfed the TRD BugZ on the initial drop in about three feet of water. The other largemouth bass was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation near the outside edges of the American water willows in about three to four feet of water.

Along one of the shorelines immediately inside a medium-sized feeder creek in the vicinity of the dam, we caught seven largemouth bass on our TRD BugZ rig. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders; scores of these boulders are enormous, and there are also several mammoth submerged stumps. Portions of this underwater terrain are beginning to be quilted with submerged aquatic vegetation. The water’s edge is lined with thick patches of American water willow and a few laydowns. Three of the largemouth bass were caught around the boulders with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in five to about six feet of water. One was caught on a pure deadstick presentation in about five feet of water between the outside edge of a patch of American water willows and a pile of boulders and a burgeoning patch of submerged aquatic vegetation. One was caught on the initial drop in front of a patch of American willows in about three feet of water. The other two were caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in five to seven feet of water.

The other shoreline inside this medium-sized feeder-creek failed to yield a largemouth bass.

Along the two long main-lake shorelines adjacent to those four main-lake points, we caught 20 largemouth bass and one smallmouth bass.

The underwater terrains of these four points consist of gravel, rocks, and boulders. Three of them are adorned with a few mega boulders. One point is endowed with a concrete boat ramp, and this point’s water’s edge is also graced with some meager patches of American water willows. They possess a 30- to 40-degree slope.

One main-lake point was fruitless.

The TRD BugZ rig caught one largemouth bass around one of the points as we were strolling and employing a drag-and-shake presentation with about six to seven feet of water.

The boat-ramp point yielded two largemouth bass as the TRD BugZ rig was retrieved with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation around and over a series of boulders in about six feet of water.

Around the third point, we were strolling and dragging the TRD BugZ rig, and it caught a largemouth bass in about six to seven feet of water.

One of the main-lake shorelines is about 250 yards long, and it yielded one smallmouth bass and eight largemouth bass. It possesses a 30- to 55-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, and some of it is becoming enhanced with patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. This shoreline is endowed with a tertiary point and a shallow-water flat. This flat is about the size of two tennis courts, and it is littered with some humongous boulders. The water’s edge of this shoreline is blessed with patches of American water willows, several overhanging trees, a few laydowns, and some piles of brush. We caught these black bass along about a 40-yard stretch of this shoreline, and the bulk of them were caught around the tertiary point and the boulders that decorate the shallow-water flat. One was caught on the initial drop by an overhanging tree and a patch of American water willows in about three feet of water. The others were caught on either a drag-and-shake presentation or a drag-and-short-deadstick presentation in four to six feet of water.

The second main-lake shoreline is about 200 yards long. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. The water’s edge is embellished with a few minor patches of American water willows; across many decades and every time that we fish this shoreline, we wish that the reservoir managers would cultivate significant patches of American water willows along this entire shoreline. Our TRD BugZ rigs inveigled eight largemouth bass along two short segments of this shoreline. Two were caught near the outside edges of one of the patches of American water willows with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about four to five feet of water. The others were caught as we employed either a drag-and-shake presentation or a drag-and-shake-and-short-deadstick presentation in about five to six feet of water.

In conclusion, we caught an average of 49 fish an hour.

May 19

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his May 19 outing with Todd Judy of Denton.

Here is an edited version of his log.

On May 1, Todd Judy and I conducted a smallmouth bass outing at a major U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ reservoir in north-central Texas so Todd could catch his first smallmouth bass. We were hoping this reservoir would yield a goodly number of them, but our plan backfired, and we failed to garner a single strike.

We decided to try again on May 19, but this time, we journeyed to a bountiful Civilian Conservation Corps’ reservoir in southern Oklahoma that relinquished 101 smallmouth bass, two largemouth bass, and one spotted bass on May 5, and 89 smallmouth bass and two largemouth bass on May 12.

The weather was unstable on May 19. The morning’s low temperature was 67 degrees. The afternoon’s high reached 83 degrees. The sky conditions alternated from being overcast with light rain to mostly cloudy to partly cloudy with sunshine. The barometric pressure measured 29.94 at 8:00 a.m. and 29.92 at 3:00 p.m. The wind varied from being calm for long spells to quartering out of the south at less than 5 mph to angling out of the northwest at 5 to 10 mph. We could see a couple of rain showers erupting a few miles north of the reservoir, but they moved off to the east without affecting us.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar indicated that fishing would be excellent, with the most productive periods occurring from 4:22 a.m. to 6:22 a.m., 10:35 a.m. to 12:35 p.m., and 11:01 p.m. to 1:01 a.m.

We fished from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The water exhibited seven feet of clarity. The water level was at its normal pool. The surface temperature ranged from 75 to 77 degrees.

The smallmouth bass fishing was a tad slower than it has been during the past couple of weeks. But Todd was able to catch his first smallmouth bass, and we savored catching 78 smallmouth bass, three largemouth bass, two huge bluegill, and a dinky green sunfish. This was also the most fish Todd has ever caught in an outing.

We employed five Midwest finesse rigs: a 2 3/4-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD TubeZ rigged on a black 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig, a 3 1/2-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Trick ShotZ matched with a Z-Man’s black 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig, a Z-Man’s coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ attached to a chartreuse 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig, a shortened four-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead, and a three-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ fastened to a black 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.

We noticed a couple of the smallmouth bass that we caught with crawfish antennae and claws protruding from their gullets.

A swim-glide-and-shake presentation with the 2 3/4-inch green-pumpkin TRD TubeZ allured 58 smallmouth bass and two largemouth bass. The three-inch green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ rig was employed with a steady-swimming retrieve, and it induced 15 smallmouth bass. The 3 1/2-inch green-pumpkin Trick ShotZ, which was utilized with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation, enticed three smallmouth bass. And a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with the four-inch green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ rig enticed two smallmouth bass and one largemouth bass.

We caught three smallmouth bass from two rocky secondary points and one shallow rock ledge inside a major bay located in the southwest portion of the reservoir.

Nineteen smallmouth bass and three largemouth bass were caught from the perimeter of two offshore rock- and boulder-laden humps. Fifty-three smallmouth bass were caught around shallow rock ledges that parallel portions of three long and rocky main-lake shorelines and five flat and rocky main-lake points. And three smallmouth bass were caught around patches of large boulders on the south end of a main-lake island.

All of these fish were abiding in three to 10 feet of water in the middle and lower sections of the reservoir. Flat and boulder-laden main-lake shorelines adorned with shallow rock ledges were the most productive locales.

May 22

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, and Rick Heberstreit of Shawnee, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their May 22 outing at one of northeastern Kansas’ many community reservoirs.

Here is an edited version of their log.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 52 degrees, and its afternoon’s high temperature was 77 degrees. The wind was calm for eight hours, and when it erupted, it angled out of the southeast and south at 3 to 10 mph at 10:53 a.m. The conditions of the sky fluctuated from being fair to partly cloudy to mostly cloudy. The barometric pressure was 30.09 at 12:53 a.m., 30.07 at 5:53 a.m., 30.09 at 11:53 a.m., and 30.04 at 2:53 p.m.

The water level at this 83-year-old reservoir looked to be normal. The surface temperature ranged from 73 to 75 degrees. According to our nine-foot dipstick, which we call a secchi stick, the water exhibited about six feet of visibility in the vicinity of the dam and about 3 ½ to four feet of visibility along a shoreline in the upper half of the reservoir.

This reservoir’s patches of coontail and duckweeds were virtually annihilated in 2022. But they are currently experiencing a resurrection, and there are also many burgeoning patches of bushy pondweeds and occasional patches of curly-leaf pondweeds. What’s more, the massive wads of filamentous algae that have quilted many of the shallow-water flats and shorelines are disappearing and are being replaced by the growing numbers of patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 12:58 a.m. to 2:58 a.m., 1:25 p.m. to 3:25 p.m., and 7:11 a.m. to 9:11 a.m.

We made our first casts at 10:25 a.m. a.m. and our last ones at 2:23 p.m. During this three-hour-and-58-minute outing, we caught 72 largemouth bass, 14 green sunfish, seven warmouth, two bluegill, two channel catfish, and one flathead catfish.

Two of the 72 largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-goby Finesse TRD affixed to a chartreuse 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. Eight largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-blue Finesse ShadZ affixed to a blue 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. Twenty-seven largemouth bass were caught on a four-inch Z-Man’s PB&J Finesse WormZ rigged to a red 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. Thirty-five largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s bama-craw TRD BugZ affixed to either a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig or a red 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.

We caught these 98 fish on a variety of presentations. A significant number were caught on the initial drop of our rigs. A few were caught as we employed a deadstick presentation. The others were caught as we employed a straight-swimming presentation or a swim-glide-and-shake presentation or a drag-and-shake presentation. A few were caught as we were strolling. At times, it seemed as if these fish caught us rather than the other way around. Throughout this outing, we incessantly experimented with all of the standard Midwest finesse presentations and several modifications of those retrieves. We also experiment with different speeds with our presentations. Around and over many of the bushy pondweeds and coontail patches, we had to employ a straight-swimming presentation at a rather quick pace.

Some of the 72 largemouth bass were caught within about two to four feet of the water’s edge. Others were caught from about six feet to about 20 feet from the water’s edge. We also fished around 66 docks, and 14 of those docks yielded a largemouth bass.

Along the dam, we caught 13 largemouth bass. The dam is 1,550 feet long with a height of 58 feet. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are adorned with patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds. It possesses a 50- to 60-degree slope. The water’s edge is graced with a concrete water-outlet tower, patches of terrestrial grasses, and patches of American water willows. The Finesse ShadZ rig caught six largemouth bass, and the TRD BugZ rig caught seven largemouth bass.

After we thoroughly dissected the dam, we fished around two main-lake points and along a 600-yard stretch of a shoreline that is situated in the middle portion of the reservoir. This area possesses a 35- to 45-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are embellished with some patches of bushy pondweeds, coontail, and curly-leaf pondweeds. The water’s edge is girdled by many concrete and stone retaining walls, a few overhanging trees, some patches of American water willows, and 20 docks. One point yielded a largemouth bass, and the second yielded three largemouth bass. Sixteen were caught along the shoreline. The PB&J Finesse WormZ rig caught 10 largemouth bass, and another 10 were caught on the bama-crawTRD BugZ rig.

Around three main-lake points and along about a 350-yard stretch of three shorelines in the upper half of the reservoir, we caught 18 largemouth bass. The underwater terrains consist of gravel, rocks, and boulders, which are adorned with patches of bushy pondweeds and coontail. These areas possess a 25- to 60-degree slope. The water’s edge consists of several concrete retaining walls, 17 docks, one small rock bridge, a few laydowns, several piles of brush, some patches of American water willows, several overhanging trees, and many flotillas of duckweeds that are intertwined with wads of filamentous algae. Nine largemouth bass were caught on the PB&J Finesse WormZ rig, and nine were caught on the bama-craw TRD BugZ rig.

Seven largemouth bass were caught along about a 200-yard section of another shoreline in the upper half of the reservoir. This area possesses a 25- to 70-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. The shoreline is cluttered with 11 docks, some concrete retaining walls, a few rock retaining walls, some overhanging trees, one massive laydown, a few piles of brush, an occasional patch of American water willows, and floating patches of duckweeds that are enmeshed with wads of filamentous algae. Patches of coontail and bushy pondweeds are gracing portions of the underwater terrain between the docks. Four of the seven largemouth bass were caught on the PB&J Finesse WormZ and another three were caught on the bama-craw TRD BugZ rig.

Twelve largemouth bass were caught along about a 750-yard stretch of a main-lake shoreline that is situated in part of the lower section and all of the middle section of the reservoir. It possesses a 20-degree to about a 45-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rock, and boulders, and a growing percentage of this terrain is becoming embellished with patches of bushy pondweeds and coontail. And there are several offshore humps that are cluttered with many humongous boulders, but these humps were fruitless. Its water’s edge is endowed with one significant patch of overhanging terrestrial vegetation, several overhanging trees, some rock retaining walls, some concrete retaining walls, and 18 docks. Two of the 12 largemouth bass were caught on the green-pumpkin-goby Finesse TRD rig. Four were caught with the green-pumpkin-blue Finesse ShadZ rig. Six were caught on the bama-bug TRD BugZ rig.

We estimated that his flathead catfish weighed around 15 pounds. It looks smaller in this photograph than it did in real life. It took us more than five minutes to get it into the boat.It was caught on the Z-Man’s bama-craw TRD BugZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig

May 23

Pat and Ned Kehde posted a log to the Finesse News Network about their outing on May 23 at one of northeastern Kansas’ many state reservoirs.

Here is an edited version of their log.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 50 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 83 degrees. The wind was calm for six hours, and when it began to blow, it angled from the northwest, east, southeast, and east at 3 to 13 mph; there was a 20-mph gust around 3:52 a.m. The sky fluctuated from being foggy and misty to fair to cluttered with a few clouds to mostly cloudy. The barometric pressure was 30.04 at 12:52 a.m., 30.05 at 5:52 a.m., 30.07 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.02 at 3:52 p.m.

The water level at this 63-year-old flatland reservoir looked to be nearly normal. The surface temperature was 74 degrees. We failed to measure the clarity, but we guessed that the water exhibited from three to four feet of visibility. Most of the shallow-water flats and shorelines are endowed with vast and thick patches of bushy pondweeds and coontail. Much of the water’s edges are girdled with patches of American pondweeds and American water willows.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 1:58 a.m. to 3:58 a.m., 2:24 p.m. to 4:24 p.m., and 8:11 a.m. to 10:11 a.m.

This was one of our regular geriatric affairs, which means it was a short and leisurely one rather than an intense and long-winded one.

We made our first casts at 12:05 p.m. and our last ones at 2:10 p.m. Upon finishing our last retrieves, our fish counters indicated that we had caught 28 largemouth bass, three crappie, two bluegill, two green sunfish, and one channel catfish.

We caught one of the 28 largemouth bass on a 3 ½-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin GrubZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. We caught two largemouth bass on a Z-Man’s California-craw Finesse TRD affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. The other 25 largemouth bass were caught on a slightly shortened four-inch Z-Man’s PB&J Finesse WormZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig or baby-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.

Most of our casts and retrieves were executed around the countless patches of American pondweeds, bushy pondweeds, and coontail along shorelines. And it was a chore to keep our Midwest finesse rigs from becoming entangled with this vegetation. In retrospect, we should have replaced our 1/15-ounce and 1/16-ounce jigheads with 1/32-ounce jigheads shortly after our first casts and retrieves, but we were fishing too nonchalantly to take the time to change the jigheads.

We caught five of the 28 largemouth bass along about a 60-yard stretch of the riprap shoreline of the dam. Much of the dam is devoid of the grandiose patches of aquatic vegetation. Thus, our 1/15-ounce and 1/16-ounce rigs were rarely entangled with any kind of aquatic vegetation. Therefore, we strolled and employed a drag-and-shake presentation to catch three of the five largemouth bass, and the other two were caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

Elsewhere around this reservoir, ten of the 28 largemouth bass were caught on the initial drop of our rigs. Four were caught while we were strolling and employing a swimming presentation around the aquatic vegetation. One was caught as we employed a deadstick presentation in about eight feet of water along the outside edge of a patch of coontail and bushy pondweed. The others were caught as we employed a swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

Three largemouth bass were caught as we quickly explored a very small segment of a massive shallow-water flat in the back of a large feeder-creek arm. This flat is laden with oodles of manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees and endless patches of submerged aquatic vegetation.

Sixteen largemouth bass were caught along about a 300-yard stretch of one of the shorelines inside this large feeder-creek arm. This shoreline possesses a 20- to 45-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, which are quilted with bushy pondweeds, American pondweeds, American water willows, coontail, and occasional piles of eastern red cedar trees. Most of these 16 largemouth bass were caught in the vicinity of the outside edges of the patches of aquatic vegetation.

Along about a 75-yard stretch of a flat main-lake shoreline, we caught three largemouth bass. This shoreline has a 20- to 25-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks, which are coated with patches of bushy pondweeds, patches of coontail, and patches of American pondweeds. It is also cluttered with a few manmade piles of eastern red cedar trees. Portions of the water’s edge are lined with patches of American water willows. These three largemouth bass were caught either along the inside or outside edges of the patches of bushy pondweeds.

Inside a small feeder-creek arm, we caught one largemouth bass. It was caught on a deadstick presentation around a secondary point in about eight feet of water and at the outside edge of a patch of coontail and bushy pondweed.

In years past, significant numbers of this reservoir’s largemouth bass began in late May and early June to inhabit this reservoir’s many acres of shallow-water flats that are bestowed with immense patches of submerged aquatic vegetation. Then for months on end, we have been able to catch scores and scores of largemouth bass around and over the patches of submerged vegetation by employing either a straight-swimming presentation or a swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a variety of Midwest finesse rigs that are affixed to 1/32-ounce jigheads. As our May 23 outing came to an end, we concluded that the yearly late-spring migration to the shallow-water flats has commenced, and we wished that we would have spent the bulk of the two hours and five minutes dissecting several of this reservoir’s shallow-water flats.

May 25

Ned Kehde and Pok-Chi Lau of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about their May 25 outing at one of northeastern Kansas’ five federal reservoirs.

Here is an edited version of their log.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 56 degrees, and the afternoon’s high temperature was 87 degrees. The wind was calm for five hours, and when it stirred it angled out of the east, northwest, and southeast at 3 to 15 mph. There were some wind gusts of 22 to 24 mph between 1:52 p.m. to 3:52 p.m. The sky fluctuated from being foggy and misty to fair to cluttered with a few clouds to partly cloudy to mostly cloudy. The barometric pressure was 30.07 at 12:52 a.m., 30.07 at 5:52 a.m., 30.09 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.04 at 3:52 p.m.

At this 48-year-old reservoir, the surface temperature ranged from 73 to 75 degrees. The water level was 1.61 feet above normal. The water exhibited three to six feet of visibility, which is quite unusual.

Even though this reservoir is 9.3 miles from our front door, I rarely fish it, and the older I get the less I want to fish it.

In my eyes, one of this reservoir’s woes stems from the fact that it is not an attractive environment. Its second woe pivots around too much boat traffic and too many boat wakes. A third woe is that the wind and waves are frequently burdensome. Its fourth woe is that it is devoid of any submerged and emergent aquatic vegetation. Another woe revolves around the fact that it is a difficult venue for catching largemouth bass and smallmouth bass.

Pok-Chi is 10 years younger than I am, which gives him a tad more wherewithal to tolerate the many disadvantages that this reservoir possesses. What’s more, he is an ardent and talented temperate bass angler, and this federal reservoir has a lot better temperate bass fishing than the community and state reservoirs that I prefer to fish.

To Pok-Chi's chagrin, however, we failed to cross paths with a temperate bass on this May 25 outing. But besides his devotion to temperate bass, he is also an ardent and talented multispecies angler, and this outing was a fairly fruitful multispecies endeavor. We caught 13 smallmouth bass, 11 largemouth bass, 11 freshwater drum, four walleye, three channel catfish, one crappie, and one green sunfish with our Midwest finesse tactics.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 3:48 a.m. to 5:48 a.m., 4:11 p.m. to 6:11 p.m., and 9:59 a.m. to 11:59 a.m.

We made our first casts around a main-lake point in the lower portion of the reservoir at 11:29 a.m. And we failed to elicit a strike.

From 11:45 a.m. to 12:25 p.m., we fished around a main-lake point in the lower third section of this reservoir. And it yielded 10 smallmouth bass, two freshwater drum, two walleye, and one channel catfish. This area has a 30-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, and this terrain is also endowed with a submerged roadbed and some flooded timber and stumps. We caught these fish on two Midwest finesse rigs: a shortened Z-Man’s Junebug TRD TicklerZ affixed to a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig and a Z-Man’s Drew’s craw Finesse TRD affixed to a baby-blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig. Three fish were caught on the initial drop of our rigs in about four feet of water. The others were caught as we were polishing the rocks and boulders with our rigs as we employed a swimming-and-short-pause presentation in four to about seven or eight feet of water.

Along about a 250-yard stretch and another 50-yard stretch of a main-lake shoreline in the lower third section of this reservoir, we caught one freshwater drum and one walleye. This area has a 25- to 65-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders. This area is endowed with some flooded timber and stumps and some piles of humongous boulders. The freshwater drum was caught as we were polishing the rocks with the Junebug TRD TicklerZ rig in about six feet of water. The walleye was caught on the initial drop of the Drew’s craw Finesse TRD rig in about four feet of water.

Around four points and three shorelines of three riprap jetties, we caught eight largemouth bass, four freshwater drum, and one crappie. The underwater terrains of these points and shorelines consist of gravel and rocks. The slope of these jetties ranges from 35 to 40 degrees. The smallmouth bass was caught on the Junebug TRD TicklerZ and chartreuse jig with a deadstick presentation in about three feet of water. The crappie was caught on a shortened Z-Man’s Junebug TRD TicklerZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead with a polishing-the-rocks presentation in about three feet of water, and one of the largemouth bass was caught on this rig and polishing-the-rocks retrieve in about three feet of water. Three of the eight largemouth bass were caught on the Junebug TRD TicklerZ and chartreuse jig with a slow swimming presentation that was polishing the rocks in three to four feet of water. Four of the eight largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s bama-craw TRD BugZ affixed to a red 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Micro Finesse ShroomZ jig with a polishing-the-rocks presentation in two to four feet of water. Three of the four drum were caught on the Junebug TRD TicklerZ and chartreuse jig with a slow swimming presentation in three to four feet of water. One of the four freshwater drum was caught on the initial drop of the TRD BugZ rig in about three feet of water.

We fished about one mile of the riprap shoreline of the dam, and we caught four freshwater drum, two smallmouth bass, two channel catfish, and one walleye. The dam has about a 35-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. The walleye was caught on a slightly shortened four-inch Z-Man’s PB&J Finesse WormZ affixed to a baby-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead with a polishing-the-rocks presentation in about six feet of water. One of the smallmouth bass was caught on the Junebug TRD TicklerZ and chartreuse jig with a slow swimming presentation that was polishing the rocks in about five feet of water. The second smallmouth bass was caught on the PB&J Finesse WormZ with a swimming presentation near the boat in about six feet of water. One channel catfish was caught on the Junebug TRD TicklerZ and chartreuse jig with a slow swimming presentation in about five feet of water. The second channel catfish was caught on the TRD BugZ rig in about four feet of water with a slow swimming presentation. The TRD BugZ caught two of the four freshwater drum; one was caught on the initial drop in about two feet of water, and the other one was caught on a slow swimming presentation in three to four feet of water. The other two freshwater drum were caught on the Junebug TRD TicklerZ and chartreuse jig with a slow swimming presentation in about three to five feet of water.

Along a shoreline inside a small feeder-creek arm, we caught one green sunfish and three largemouth bass. The green sunfish was caught along a riprap jetty on the initial drop of the TRD BugZ rig in one foot of water. The three largemouth bass were caught along about a 60-yard stretch of a shoreline that possesses a 30 to 60-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of clay, gravel, rocks, and a few boulders. The water’s edge is adorned with several laydowns and three tertiary points. One of the largemouth bass was caught on the Junebug TRD TicklerZ and chartreuse jig with a slow swimming presentation in three feet of water. Two of the largemouth bass were caught on the TRD BugZ rig; one was caught with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about four feet of water adjacent to a laydown; the second one was caught along a steep section of the shoreline between two laydowns on a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about four feet of water.

We failed to elicit a strike around a secondary point and along its adjacent shoreline. This area was being walloped by the waves generated by the periodic gusts of 22- to 24-mph winds and the wakes of scores of boats. This spot epitomized why this reservoir isn’t a delightful place for an old codger like me, and we fittingly made our last casts at this spot at 3:05 p.m.

May 25

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his May 19 outing with Roger Farish of Highland Village, Texas.

Here is an edited version of his log.

Roger and I fished at one of several U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ hill-land reservoirs in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metropolitan area.

The last time I fished at this reservoir was on April 29, when Bill Kenney of Denton and I plied this reservoir from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It was windy that day, and it relegated us to fishing inside four feeder-creek arms. The fishing was average, and we caught 10 largemouth bass and seven spotted bass.

It was mostly overcast on May 25, with a couple of brief spells of sunshine. The morning’s low temperature was 65 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature warmed to 86 degrees. The barometric pressure measured 30.08 at 7:00 a.m. and 29.98 at 2:00 p.m. The wind was mild-mannered and meandered out of the east and southeast at 5 to 10 mph.

The water level was at its normal level. The water clarity ranged from 14 to 18 inches. The surface temperature varied from 75 to 77 degrees.

In-Fisherman’s solunar table noted that the fishing would be poor, and the most productive fishing would occur from 3:54 a.m. to 5:54 a.m., 10:06 a.m. to 12:06 p.m., and 4:33 p.m. to 6:33 p.m.

We fished from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

We concentrated our efforts at 27 spots in the lower end of the reservoir, and we were delighted to discover that the black-bass fishing at this reservoir had improved by leaps and bounds; we caught 35 spotted bass and 15 largemouth bass. We also crossed paths with two channel catfish, one white bass, and one large bluegill.

These 50 black bass were relating to flat rock- and boulder-laden main-lake points and their adjoining rocky main-lake shorelines that are situated at or near the mouths of four major and two minor feeder-creek arms. These areas are also adorned with several shallow rock ledges, stickups, large laydowns, and three concrete culverts.

We also dissected rocky secondary points, clay-and gravel flats, and the areas around three concrete boat ramps inside the six feeder-creek arms, and these locales were devoid of largemouth and spotted bass.

We employed a total of nine Midwest finesse combos, and we caught fish on three of them. We caught 27 black bass on a Z-Man’s pearl Baby Goat rigged on either a blue or chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig and a steady-swimming retrieve. Eighteen were allured by a swim-and-pause retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ affixed to either a blue or chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. And five were coaxed into striking a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pumpkin-chartreuse ZinkerZ matched with a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

In conclusion, it has been several years since we have caught 50 black bass at this Corps’ reservoir. And during this outing, it appeared that the largemouth and spotted bass had migrated out of the feeder-creek arms where they spawned, and they are now taking up residence in their typical summertime main-lake haunts.

May 26

Bob Gum of Kansas City, Kansas, filed a brief log on the Finesse News Network about his outing on May 26 with David Harrison, Sam Keely, and Braden Stubenrauch at one of northeastern Kansas’ power-plant reservoirs. Sam and Braden are schoolmates in Olathe, Kansas. David resides in Lawrence, Kansas.

Here is an edited version of Gum’s log.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 59 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 80 degrees. The sky was fair. The wind angled from the east and southeast at 5 to 9 mph; some wind gusts that ranged from 16 to 20 mph from 11:53 a.m. to 4:53 p.m. The barometric pressure was 30.14 at 12:53 a.m., 30:18 at 5:53 a.m., 30.22 at 11:53 a.m., and 30.20 at 1:53 p.m.

The water level at this 45-year-old reservoir looked to be normal. The surface temperature was 81 degrees. The water exhibited about 2 ½ feet of visibility.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 4:35 a.m. to 6:35 a.m., 4:57 p.m. to 6:57 p.m., and 10:46 a.m. to 12:46 p.m.

My primary focus of this outing was to show Sam and Braden how I use Midwest finesse tactics to catch post-spawn largemouth bass at this reservoir, which is where they are scheduled to compete in a high-school bass tournament on June 6.

I launched my boat before David, Sam, and Braden arrived. And from about 5:59 a.m. to 6:09 a.m. I fished along a stretch of the riprap shoreline around the power plant, where I caught one largemouth bass.

David, Sam, and Keely arrived around 6:10 a.m.

After David launched his boat, he fished with Braden from about 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. And Sam fished with me until 10:30 a.m. Then from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Braden fished with me, and Sam fished with David.

I was very impressed with these young anglers’ abilities to make accurate casts and the ways that they exhibit an array of other piscatorial skills.

We spent the entire outing in the lower section of the reservoir. And we thoroughly dissected a main-lake point, the riprap shoreline along the dam, the riprap shoreline along a roadway, and the riprap shoreline around the power plant.

Along the riprap shoreline of the dam, we had to employ a drift sock to tame the effects of the east wind.

During these six hours, we caught 17 largemouth bass, 15 channel catfish, three crappie, two white bass, and one freshwater drum.

Our most effective Midwest finesse rigs were a four-inch PB&J soft-plastic worm affixed to a red 1/20-ounce mushroom-style jig and a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s copperteuse ZinkerZ affixed to a brown 1/8-ounce mushroom-style jig. We employed a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation with these rigs and caught the largemouth bass in two to six feet of water.

After 1:30 p.m., David, Sam, and Braden fished together. And I went home.

May 30

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his May 30 outing with Bill Kenney of Denton.

Here is an edited version of his log.

Bill and I traveled to western Kentucky to fish Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley for eight days. During this May 30 outing, we opted to fish the upper end of Kentucky Lake, and we covered about six miles of it between 7:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Since Bill and I are only visiting these two reservoirs for a few days, we decided to reveal the names and locations that we fished so other Midwest finesse anglers who visit these reservoirs may learn from our failures as well as our successes, and hopefully find success themselves.

Bill has never fished Kentucky Lake or Lake Barkley.

During my teenage years in the mid- to late 1970s, I often visited my grandparents who resided near Moor’s Resort and Marina on the west side of Kentucky Lake. My trips back then focused on swimming, fishing for white bass and bluegill with my grandfather, and learning how to water ski. But after my grandparents passed away in the early 1980s, I didn’t return to Kentucky Lake. Thus, this is my first trip to Kentucky Lake in 43 years. And looking back, I realized that I have never fished Lake Barkley either.

The National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 64 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 94 degrees. The sky was overcast during most of the early morning hours until 9:41 a.m., then the clouds moved off to the east and the sky became clear. There was no wind to speak of all day. The barometric pressure was 29.98 at 7:00 a.m. and 29:91 at 2:00 p.m.

The water level looked to be normal. The surface temperature ranged from 75 degrees at Kentucky Dam Marina where we launched the boat to 79 degrees at the canal that connects Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. The water exhibited about 2 ½ feet of visibility on the east side of the reservoir to four feet of visibility on the west side.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 12:39 a.m. to 2:39 a.m., 6:49 a.m. to 8:49 a.m., and 7:10 p.m. to 9:10 p.m.

Our primary mission of this outing was to become familiar with the reservoir again, and then attempt to catch a few black bass.

We launched the boat at about 7:15 a.m. at the Kentucky Dam Marina on the northwest end of the reservoir. We moved to the entrance of the marina, where we were dissected two riprap-laden jetties. The black-bass bite was slow, and we eked out two smallmouth bass, two largemouth bass, and one freshwater drum that were dwelling in five to nine feet of water and 15 to 25 feet from the water’s edge. The two smallmouth bass were caught on a swimming retrieve with a Z-Man’s Canada-craw Baby Goat rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce underspin finesse jig. The two largemouth bass were allured by a swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a Z-Man’s Bama Bug TRD BugZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

Inside a small cove on the northwest end of the marina, we caught one largemouth bass from two feet of water from a pocket on the deep-water side of a 50-yard stretch of American water willows that adorns the south shoreline. It was caught on the initial fall of a 2 3/4-inch Z-Man’s The Deal TRD TubeZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

We then fished along a clay-and-gravel main-lake point and two secondary points and a couple of small pockets adjacent to those points near the entrance of a large bay situated just south of the marina, and another gravel-and-clay main-lake point and shoreline just north of the marina without a strike.

Along the first 200-yards on the west end of the riprap-covered dam, we caught one largemouth bass and one freshwater drum in five to eight feet of water and 15 to 20 feet from the water’s edge. Both of these fish were allured by an unaltered 4.75-inch Z-Man’s watermelon Finesse WormZ attached to a chartreuse 1/30-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig and a slow swim-glide and-shake retrieve. Other boat anglers were occupying the other sections of the dam, so we left.

We then meandered to the east side of the reservoir, where we concentrated on a series of gravel-and-boulder laden main-lake points and one offshore ledge. These spots are spread out from just south of the Light House Marina to the canal connecting Kentucky and Barkley reservoirs.

The main-lake points relinquished eight more smallmouth bass, one largemouth bass, three freshwater drum, two channel catfish, and one large redear sunfish. All of these fish were extracted from water as deep as 13 feet and as shallow as three feet. They were associated with patches of large boulders.

The offshore ledge is covered with 12 feet of water and descends into 23 feet of water. A 20-yard section of it yielded four more largemouth bass that were caught in 15 to 17 feet of water along the downward slope of the ledge.

All but one of the black bass that we caught from these main-lake points and the offshore ledge were enticed into striking a Z-Man’s molting-craw TRD HogZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig that was employed with either a slow hop-and-bounce retrieve or a slow drag-and-pause presentation. The pause portion of this presentation lasted about three seconds. One largemouth bass was caught on a slow hop-and-bounce retrieve with a 2 3/4-inch Z-Man’s The Deal TRD TubeZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

After we finished fishing these main-lake points and the offshore ledge, we spent the rest of our time scouting the main-lake points, main-lake shorelines, and a couple of offshore ledges on the west side of the reservoir, but we didn’t fish them at this time.

In total, we caught 10 smallmouth bass, nine largemouth bass, three freshwater drum, two channel catfish, and one large redear sunfish. And in our eyes, we consider this a pretty successful outing at a reservoir that I have not fished in 43 years, and Bill has never fished.

May 31

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his May 31 outing with Bill Kenney of Denton.

Here is an edited version of his log.

Bill and I fished at Kentucky Lake from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

During our May 30 outing, we opted to fish the lower end of Kentucky Lake, and we covered about six miles of it between 7:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. We primarily focused on two riprap jetties, a portion of the dam, a couple of gravel secondary points and flats inside a major feeder-creek arm, a small cove inside the same creek arm, and several flat main-lake points, which are adorned with gravel, boulders and chunk rocks, and we caught 10 smallmouth bass and nine largemouth bass. All of these locations are located between the dam on the north end of the reservoir and a canal that connects Kentucky Lake and Barkley Lake on the northeastern end of the reservoir.

On May 31, the National Weather Service reported that the morning’s low temperature was 64 degrees. The afternoon’s high temperature was 91 degrees. The sky was partly cloudy. The wind quartered out of the south-by-southwest at 5 to 10 mph. The barometric pressure was 29.90 at 7:00 a.m. and 29:88 at 2:00 p.m.

The water level looked to be about a foot low. The surface temperature ranged from 75 to 79 degrees. The water exhibited about four feet of visibility.

During this May 31 outing, we launched the boat at Nickell Branch boat ramp on the Barkley Lake side of the canal. As we travelled through the canal toward Kentucky Lake, we were surprised to see 13 other boats of anglers fishing inside the canal.

We decided to stop and fish a 75-yard section of a riprap shoreline on the north side of the canal. We caught three smallmouth bass, and they were caught many yards apart from each other. They were caught in three to six feet of water and five to 15 feet from the water’s edge on a steady-swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ rigged on a black 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

After we finished fishing inside the canal, we meandered into Kentucky Lake and fished southward along the east shoreline from the canal to Bear Creek, which is several miles south of the canal. We concentrated our efforts on a series of main-lake bluffs and bluff points instead of targeting the flat main-lake points as we did on May 30.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar noted that the fishing would be poor on May 31, however, the best fishing would take place from 1:16 a.m. to 3:16 a.m., 7:27 a.m. to 9:27 a.m., and 7:49 p.m. to 9:49 p.m.

The main-lake bluffs and bluff points are adorned with scores of large boulders and patches of chunk rocks, and they yielded 18 smallmouth bass, four largemouth bass, and a six-pound, three-ounce channel catfish. These 23 fish were extracted from water as shallow as three feet and as deep as 19 feet, and all of them were caught around large boulders.

One of the 18 smallmouth bass that we caught from these main-lake bluffs and bluff points was caught on a Z-Man’s Hot Craw TRD BugZ rigged on a blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. This smallmouth engulfed this rig at boat side as I was reeling it in for another cast. One largemouth bass and one smallmouth bass were tempted by the 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ combo; one was caught on a steady-swimming retrieve and the other one engulfed the rig on the initial fall. Two smallmouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s PB&J TRD HogZ fastened on a black 1/8-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse Football head as it was being dragged across the bottom. The other 14 smallmouth bass and three largemouth bass were allured by a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig sporting a Z-Man’s Molting Craw TRD HogZ that was employed with either a slow hop-and-bounce retrieve, a slow drag-and-pause presentation, or a 10- to 15-second deadstick presentation.

In a nutshell, it was a good outing for us. We caught 21 smallmouth bass, four largemouth bass, and one channel catfish. Our next two excursions will be spent exploring Barkley Lake, which neither of us have fished before.