Midwest Finesse Fishing: September 2020

October 05, 2020
By Ned Kehde

This September information to Midwest finesse fishing comprises 21 logs and 20,544 phrases that describe how, when, and the place Midwest finesse anglers fished.

It options the outings and insights of Rick Allen of Dallas; Tom Bett of Oshkosh, Wisconsin; Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas; Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas; Pat Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas; Invoice Kenny of Corinth, Texas;  Randi Lee Myers of Paw Paw, West Virginia; Travis Myers of Paw Paw, West Virginia; Dave Petro of Lecompton, Kansas; Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas; and John Thomas of Denton, Texas.

As at all times, we’re grateful that Steve Reideler proofread all the logs. He made them extra readable and comprehensible.

Sept. 2

Dave Petro of Lecompton, Kansas, filed a log of the Finesse Information Community about his Sept. 2 outing.

Right here is an edited model of his log.

After a two-week hiatus from angling, I made a solo journey to a northeastern Kansas’ U.S. Corps of Engineers’ reservoir.

The climate was clear and considerably cooler than in had been in latest weeks. The low temperature was 66 levels and the excessive temperature was 88 levels. Whereas I used to be afloat, the wind blew from the south and southeast at 3-13 mph. For a lot of the time, it was brisk sufficient to lift a couple of whitecaps. The barometric strain was 29.90 and barely falling.

The water’s floor temperature was 84 levels. The water degree was about 15 inches above regular. The water exhibited one to 2 ft of visibility. The algae bloom that has plagued this reservoir for a lot of the summer season continues unabated, making a foaminess on the floor and floating chunks of algae.

I fished from 11:10 a.m. till 4:10 p.m.

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My focus was to find some new black-bass lairs fairly than plying well-known lairs.

On my final journey to this impoundment, I fished the primary lake-points on the entrance to a secondary feeder-creek arm and its shorelines, the place I caught a number of largemouth bass and smallmouth bass.

On Sept. 2, one in all my major targets one other secondary feeder-creek arm that’s adjoining to the one I plied on my earlier journey and the main-lake shorelines that separate these two feeder creeks.  I additionally dissected six main-lake factors, a number of shorelines inside two medium-sized secondary feeder-creek arms, one 150-yard stretch of a main-lake shoreline, and two 250-yard stretches of two main-lake shorelines.

I used six Midwest finesse rigs.  They had been a Z-Man Fishing Merchandise’ Junebug TRD TicklerZ mounted on a chartreuse 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig, a Z-Man’s coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ mounted on a purple 1/16-ounce Jade’s Jig, a three-inch Z-Man’s The Deal Slim SwimZ mounted on a custom-painted chartreuse 1/16-ounce TT Lures’ NedlockZ jig,  a Z-Man’s molting-craw TRD CrawZ mounted on a custom-painted blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig, a Z-Man’s molting-craw TRD HogZ mounted on a custom-painted blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig, and a Z-Man’s molting-craw TRD TicklerZ mounted on a custom-painted blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

I made the primary solid on a main-lake level. This level didn’t produce any strikes.

I proceeded to dissect this level’s adjoining shoreline, which leads in the direction of the secondary feeder-creek that was my foremost goal for the day. This 250-yard stretch of shoreline is rock-laden, and it’s endowed with a shelf of rubble that consists of rocks, boulders, gravel, and sand. Alongside this shelf, I caught one largemouth bass and one smallmouth bass on the Junebug TRD TicklerZ rig. One was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve, and the opposite one was caught on a deadstick presentation. They had been abiding in seven to 9 ft of water and several other yards from the water’s edge.

Alongside the remainder of this 250-yard part of shoreline, I caught two smallmouth bass on the molting-craw TRD CrawZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve. A 3rd strike did not hook the fish and the jig was returned to the boat sans the TRD CrawZ physique.

After re-dressing the jig with the molting-craw HogZ, I caught one largemouth bass and two smallmouth bass across the main-lake level on the entrance to the secondary feeder-creek arm. One of many smallmouth bass was abiding round a big boulder that sat in about 12 inches of water, and it was adjoining to a pointy drop off the place the water’s depth dropped rapidly from one foot to about seven ft. This fish hit the TRD HogZ rig on the preliminary drop. The opposite smallmouth bass seemed to be suspended in about 4 ft of water, and it was abiding subsequent to a vertical rock that rose about one foot above the floor of the water. It was caught on the TRD HogZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve. The largemouth bass was caught on the preliminary drop of the molting-craw TRD TicklerZ rig in 3 ½ ft of water on the tip of this main-lake level.

The shorelines inside this secondary feeder-creek arm didn’t produce any strikes, nor did the opposite main-lake level on the entrance of this feeder-creek arm.

Alongside one other 250-yard stretch of a main-lake shoreline, which is rock-laden, I caught one largemouth bass and two smallmouth bass on the coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ rig. Each of the smallmouth bass had been caught on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve. The largemouth bass was enticed into hanging after I popped the coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ rig free from an underwater rock obstruction.

This 250-yard part of a main-lake shoreline ended on the mouth of one other secondary feeder-creek arm. The primary main-lake level on the entrance to this arm and one of many shorelines inside this arm had been unproductive. Nonetheless, as I dissected these areas, I observed some floor exercise alongside the alternative shoreline and at the back of this arm. In that space, I rapidly caught two largemouth bass and one smallmouth bass in 2 ½ ft of water and some yards from the water’s edge. They had been caught on The Deal Slim SwimZ rig with a straight swimming retrieve. This rig additionally caught two freshwater drum and a sauger. All six fish had been caught in about 20 minutes. The floor exercise I noticed was brought on by small black bass foraging upon gizzard shad.

The opposite main-lake level on the entrance to the secondary feeder-creek arm was unproductive.

Nonetheless, alongside a 150-yard part of steep and rocky main-lake shoreline, I caught two largemouth bass on the Slim SwimZ rig.  One was caught on a straight swimming retrieve, and the opposite was caught on the preliminary drop.

Earlier, I observed slightly sample that form of intrigued me. It occurred 3 times after I popped a rig free after it had change into snagged on a submerged rock, and a largemouth bass and two freshwater drum engulfed the rig. I made a decision to attempt to emulate that presentation with out getting snagged. I examined this presentation on one other main-lake level on the entrance to a small feeder-creek arm. After casting to the shoreline, I swam and glided the molting-craw TRD TicklerZ rig into deeper water, after which I let it settle to the underside. After I let it lie on the underside for a couple of seconds, I popped the rod tip actual quick and straight up, then I shook the rig gently because the rig settled again to the underside. On my second strive, a fish engulfed the lure because it was settling again, and I landed a smallmouth bass. Recasting towards shoreline, I repeated the identical swim-and-glide retrieve into deeper water and allowed the rig to settle to the underside, and after I popped the rig up and shook it because it settled again to the underside, I used to be rewarded with one other strike and landed a largemouth bass this time. Across the level on the opposite aspect of the mouth of this small feeder-creek arm, I couldn’t get the pop-and-shake (for need of a greater technique to seek advice from it) method to work once more. However I did entice a smallmouth bass to engulf the rig on its preliminary drop.

In all, I caught 9 largemouth bass and 9 smallmouth bass in 5 hours. I additionally inadvertently caught three freshwater drum, one sauger, and one big bluegill. I actually was not sad with the outcomes, as a result of I’m certain that if I had spent extra time dissecting this reservoir’s well-known  black-bass lairs –rather than looking for new ones — that my catch would have been significantly better. However on this outing, I used to be delighted to discover a new space that harbors each largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, and I spent lots of my time totally dissecting this space to be taught its secrets and techniques.  Subsequent time, I feel that I can fish one of the best areas that I found on this outing — in addition to among the conventional black-bass areas — and catch extra fish.

Sept. 4

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a go surfing the Finesse Information Community about his outing on Sept. 4.

Right here is an edited model of his log.

On Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, one thing was drastically awry with our black-bass fishing in northeastern Kansas.  Pat Kehde and I struggled on Aug. 31 to catch 4 largemouth bass and 4 smallmouth bass in two hours of fishing at one in all northeastern Kansas’ group reservoirs. We struggled once more throughout one other two-hour outing on Sept. 2 to catch one smallmouth bass and 7 largemouth bass at one other group reservoir, which has been one in all our most fruitful reservoirs for the previous 5 years.  We had been so disheartened that we couldn’t muster the wherewithal to compose logs for the Finesse Information Community about these irritating endeavors.  On Sept. 4, Patty correctly elected to not be a part of me for a less-than-mediocre outing at one in all northeastern Kansas’ state reservoirs.

The Nationwide Climate Service reported on Sept 4 that it was 49 levels at 5:52 a.m. and 85 levels at 4:52 p.m.  The wind was calm at occasions, and when it stirred, it angled out of the northwest, southeast, and east at 3 to 9 mph. The sky was truthful. The barometric strain was 30.11 at 12:52 a.m., 30.15 at 5:52 a.m., 30.22 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.18 at 2:52 p.m.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar indicated that one of the best fishing would happen from 12:19 a.m. to 2:19 a.m., 12:40 p.m. to 2:40 p.m., and 6:29 a.m. to eight:29 a.m.

The floor temperature ranged from 80 to 81 levels. The water exhibited 5 to seven ft of secchi-stick visibility. The water degree appeared to be about 4 ft under its regular degree. Its shallow-water flats are embellished with patches of bushy pondweed and coontail. Its water’s edges had been lined with partially flooded terrestrial vegetation and some patches of partially flooded American water willows.

This outing was not as fruitless as those on Aug. 31 and Sept. 2, however it was removed from being a Midwest finesse bonanza. I fished from 10:55 a.m. to 1:55 p.m. and tangled with 33 largemouth bass and one black crappie.

 Throughout the years, I’ve been chastised as being a dink catcher. I relish catching scores of largemouth bass, and if I can catch 15 to 25 largemouth bass an hour, often one or two of them per hour shall be hefty specimens. However on this Sept. 4 outing, 30 of those 33 largemouth bass had been very dinky, and the opposite three weren’t very hefty. And catching simply an hourly common of 10 dinky largemouth bass didn’t erase the disheartening reminiscences of our Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 outings.

One of many 33 largemouth bass was caught on a Z-Man’s watermelon-red Child Goat affixed to a purple 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. 4 of the 33 had been caught on a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ affixed to a blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.  Eight had been caught on a Z-Man’s sprayed-grass TRD TicklerZ affixed to a blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.  Twenty had been caught on a Z-Man’s PB&J TRD HogZ affixed to a blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.

Two largemouth bass had been caught round a main-lake level. This level has a 40-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, boulders, and submerged foundations of a barn and farm home. One of many largemouth bass was caught on the preliminary drop of the TRD HogZ rig in about 4 ft of water. The TRD HogZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation caught the opposite largemouth bass in about seven ft of water as I used to be strolling.

I spent the remainder of the outing inside two feeder-creek arms, plying 4 shorelines, a number of secondary factors, a couple of tertiary factors, and an array of shallow-water flats adjoining to those shorelines and factors. The underwater terrains of those areas are endowed with gravel, rocks, and boulders. The slopes of those shorelines, factors, and flats ranged from 15- to 30-degrees. A number of of the flats are graced with submerged creek channels and  artifical brush piles and rock piles.

The areas that had been devoid of considerable patches of submerged bushy pondweed and coontail yielded 4 largemouth bass. They had been caught on the green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in 4 to eight ft of water.

The opposite 27 largemouth bass had been caught round patches of submerged vegetation in 4 to 10 ft of water. One of many 27 largemouth bass was caught on the Child Goat rig with a swimming presentation in about 5 ft of water. The sprayed-grass TRD TickerZ rig caught eight largemouth bass whereas I used to be strolling and using a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in 4 to 10 ft of water. The TRD HogZ rig caught 18 largemouth bass on both the preliminary drop or a swim-glide-and-subtle-shake presentation in 4 to about eight ft of water.

In closing, it’s fascinating to notice that there have been only a few anglers afloat on the three reservoirs that we fished this week. Actually, we had been the one boat afloat on Aug. 31. There have been 4 boats afloat on Sept. 2. And there have been three boats and one kayak on the water on Sept. 4. It’s fairly a distinction to the chaos that we endured in March, April, and Could. Maybe, the sorry black-bass fishing that’s at the moment plaguing our reservoirs in northeastern Kansas this summer season has provoked this decline.

Sept. 4

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted this log about his Sept. 4 outing on the Finesse Information Community.

Right here is an edited model of his log.

The start of September was moist because the remnants of hurricane Laura dumped 5 to seven inches of rain on the countryside of north-central Texas on September 1 and a pair of, however it additionally helped drop the daytime excessive temperatures from 106 levels on Aug. 31 to 83 levels on September 2.

On September 4, native thermometers recorded the morning low temperature at 71 levels and the afternoon excessive temperature reached 93 levels. The barometric strain measured 30.11 at midday and 30.07 at 3:00 p.m. The wind angled out of the southeast, east, and northeast at 5 to eight.

I assumed I’d sneak in a brief afternoon tour to one of many U.S. Military Corps of Engineers’ hill-land reservoirs in north-central Texas earlier than it grew to become too chaotic with Labor Day weekend revelers and boat site visitors.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar indicated that the fishing can be common. It additionally famous that one of the best fishing would happen between 12:26 a.m. and a pair of:26 a.m., 6:36 a.m. and eight:36 a.m., and 12:47 p.m. to 2:47 a.m. I fished from midday to three:00 p.m.

The numerous rainfall that fell earlier within the week didn’t seem to have affected the water circumstances at this reservoir. The water degree was solely 0.22 of a foot above regular. The water exhibited about two ft of visibility. The floor temperature ranged from 83 to 85 levels.

I spent these three hours concentrating on two deep-water lairs that had been enhanced with shade and important concentrations of threadfin shad. The primary locale was a collection of 5 floating tractor-tire reefs, and the second was comprised of two rows of twenty-two concrete bridge assist columns beneath two adjoining bridges. These two areas are located within the reservoir’s southwest tributary arm. The underwater terrain on this a part of the reservoir consists of purple clay, pea-gravel, rocks, and boulders.

The 5 tractor-tire reefs are located on the mouth of two massive marinas. They differ in dimension from about 25 to 75 yards in size. Whereas I used to be dissecting them, the boat floated in water as deep as 34 ft and as shallow as 17 ft. The water was clear sufficient for me to see quite a few colleges of threadfin shad meandering round and thru the openings of the tires, and infrequently a black bass would immediately seem and snatch one of many shad from the floor of the water close to one of many tires. These 5 reefs surrendered a complete of six largemouth bass and two noticed bass. They had been suspended about eight ft under the floor alongside the shady aspect of the reef. They had been allured by a Z-Man’s blue metal Finesse ShadZ rigged on a blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead that was employed with a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve.

From these tire reefs, I moved about 1 1/2 miles westward and concentrated my efforts across the sides of twenty-two concrete assist columns that had been shaded from the solar by the bridges. One of many bridges is a railroad-trestle bridge; the opposite one is an interstate-highway bridge. The depth of the water encircling these bridges is as shallow as 12 ft and as deep as 42 ft. These assist columns yielded 11 largemouth bass and one white bass. These fish had been suspended 5 to eight ft under the floor and had been near the edges of the columns. They had been caught on a sluggish swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with the Z-Man’s blue-steel Finesse ShadZ rig.

The columns that had been drenched with daylight had been fruitless.

In closing, I caught 17 largemouth bass, two noticed bass, and one white bass in three hours.

I employed 9 Midwest finesse choices, and the Z-Man’s blue-steel Finesse ShadZ matched with a blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead was the one efficient rig. The swim-glide-and-shake was the one efficient presentation.

Sept 4.

Travis and Randi Lee Myers of Paw Paw, West Virginia, filed a go surfing the Finesse Information Community about their Sept. 4 outing.

Right here is an edited model of their outing.

After returning residence from my each day work duties at roughly 4:45 p.m., I requested my spouse if she want to go lip a couple of fish. By the point I received out of my each day uniform and headed to the storage, my spouse had some rods within the UTV and was able to depart. I checked the jigs and tied new knots, and we had been able to go.

After a 25-minute UTV journey by the woods, we stepped into the water.

The air temperature was a refreshing 76 levels with zero humidity.

Due to some large all-day rains that included a hail storm, the water was increased than it had been in latest weeks. It was operating at 208 cubic ft per second. Although the readability was a bit stained, there was six ft of visibility at among the deeper locales.

The flat that we elected to fish is 100 yards lengthy and fifty yards throughout. On the weak aspect of the river, it’s a foot deep. Within the center, it’s two ft. On the robust aspect, it has a depth of roughly three ft, which doesn’t appear very deep, however the fringe of this robust aspect is shaded all day lengthy, and there are a collection of about 9 depressions alongside the underside which might be deep sufficient to consolidate some fish. These depressions are a few foot deeper than the encompassing water.

I let my spouse take the lead, letting her make the primary casts into possible holding spots as we fished the complete 100 yards. We stood in two ft of water and made casts that had been barely upstream of the depressions, which allowed the present to maneuver our choices into these possible holding spots.

The underside consists of pebbles and small rocks that we might simply really feel by our rod ideas ever so usually till throwing slack into our line to facilitate a no-feel presentation.

My spouse lipped 11 smallmouth bass and inadvertently inveigled 12 inexperienced sunfish, three bluegill and one largemouth. All of them had been caught on the preliminary drop of a Z-Man’s mudbug TRD Craw affixed to a purple 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.

I lipped 10 smallmouth bass and inadvertently caught 16 inexperienced sunfish, two rock bass and three fallfish. All of my fish had been caught on a three-week-old and well-worn Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD MinnowZ rigged on a purple 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead with an entire deadstick-and-slight-shake presentation.

We fished for one hour and 47 minutes.

Whereas unhooking our smallmouth bass, we noticed crayfish in 9 of their throats. Two others had what appeared to be two juvenile bluegill, and two smallmouth bass had shiners protruding from their throats. As anybody who has ever fished with me might attest, I take a look at such issues with each fish I lip. Sadly, I usually neglect to report these observations in my logs.

As at all times, our jigs’ barbs had been eliminated.  And each of us liberally utilized our personalized Professional-Remedy Tremendous Gel to our rigs after each fish that we unhooked.

Sept. 5

Travis Myers of Paw Paw, West Virginia, filed a go surfing the Finesse Information Community about his Sept. 5 outing.

Right here is an edited model of his outing.

I awoke sooner than I cared to on a vacation weekend. I ready a hearty breakfast and loaded my car with the naked requirements for a morning wade on one other physique of water that’s at least 4 zip-codes away.

My goal was to be on the water early to keep away from encountering anybody at an area boat ramp.

I noticed nobody throughout my two hours on the water and was residence earlier than what I’d guess was not something I cared to expertise.

I select this spot as a result of it’s what I name “a protracted summertime conveyor belt of meals.” It’s roughly 75 yards and 75 yards broad.

I stood in water that was lower than knee deep and made casts into three and 4 ft of water that had seen floor present, which was diverted right here and there by massive boulders that protrude above the water’s floor. The underside consists of those massive boulders and grapefruit-sized rock.

The setting for a river smallmouth-bass angler is pretty rudimentary. My casts had been made up and throughout the seen present, and I let my providing transfer out and in of present seams. At anywhere that I noticed bubbles on the floor shifting up river in opposition to the present, I’d let my providing deadstick longer than I in any other case did. I picked aside this stretch of river by making underhand pitches to inside inches of the water’s edge. I used to be standing greater than three-quarters of the best way throughout the river; subsequently, I used to be fishing 1 / 4 of it.

I had two rods rigged.

I lipped 11 smallmouth bass on a Z-Man’s mudbug TRD TubeZ with an inserted 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig, which has among the lead of the top eliminated. 

I lipped 18 smallmouth bass  and inadvertently caught three rock bass on a 2 ½-inch Z-Man’s grime ZinkerZ affixed to  a purple 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.

Sept. 6

Travis and Randi Lee Myers of Paw Paw, West Virginia, filed a go surfing the Finesse Information Community about their Sept. 6 outing.

Right here is an edited model of their outing.

If anybody has ever learn any of my studies previously when submitting them a number of occasions weekly, they are going to have learn of my mentioning “When you’re in it, you’re in it.”  Or in different phrases, one had higher have their geese in a row by having loads of water, hearth beginning provides within the fall, and a change of garments whereas floating. Right this moment was an ideal instance of simply what I referenced so fairly often.

The river’s movement had diminished tremendously from our Friday outing. It was operating at 130 cubic ft per second. And it was clearer. The water temperature was 71 levels.

There was not a cloud within the sky. The air temperature was 78 levels with no humidity.

It was at roughly 11:30 a.m. when my spouse requested me if I needed to go catch a couple of. I might see that she needed to fish greater than I did. However 39 minutes later, we had been getting into the river that we reside on.

In years previous, I referred to “The August gap.” For miles on all sides of it, it’s the deepest spot on the river. However it isn’t a wintering gap that fish consolidate within the cold-water months,  however it has sufficient depth to carry some fish that search shelter in August through the daytime, after which through the evening, they wander throughout the very prolonged two-foot-deep flat above it to feed.  Throughout the seven years since we had been transplanted right here from upstate New York, this spot accounted for some very wholesome smallmouth-bass specimens, measuring greater than 20 inches, and my largest was a 22 ¼-incher. This gap is the dimensions of a tennis courtroom. One aspect of it’s lined by shade all day. And there’s a massive gathering of downed red-oak timber, which had been deposited there through the yr of the historic floods of 2018.

From the place my spouse and I parked the UT, we waded into place as I let her make the primary casts into the August gap. The preliminary drop of her providing was intercepted by a wholesome smallmouth bass. On the following solid, she caught  a largemouth bass. After she unhooked the seventh fish, I requested if she minded if I casted. She agreed, however I let her have at it, and I sat on a big boulder and simply watched. After she loved 23 varied catches alongside this stretch, she yelled up “Trav able to go down ?” I used to be.

I caught as much as her as she was across the bend, working a collection of riffles, and unhooking a wholesome rock bass.

We fished this collection of shallow riffles from the weak aspect, casting into the center of a collection of riffles which might be 3 1/2 ft deep proper smack dab in the course of the river. We labored this trench by first strolling to the very finish of it and fishing our approach again up it for 100 yards. I fished behind my spouse as she was regularly unhooking fish. From what I might discern her fish had been intercepting her providing because it tumbled alongside on this trench. The underside substrate of this stretch will eat up a pack of jigs in as many casts if the drift isn’t correctly executed with the correct quantity of ElaZtech and lead. I noticed her get hung solely as soon as, and he or she adroitly executed the bow-and-arrow maneuver to get it free from the substrate. I lipped a couple of behind her, fishing the well-used water, however they weren’t as hefty as hers. Each three to 5 minutes, she would maintain one up or I’d hear “Trav good one.”

In mop up obligation I managed to catch 9 smallmouth bass, seven rock bass, and an enormous inexperienced sunfish. I threw a shortened Z-Man’s pumpkin Finesse WormZ with a personalized tail on a purple 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.

After I caught up with my spouse, I requested what the full injury was. She stated 33 smallmouth bass, about 14 inexperienced sunfish, one rock bass,  and one fallfish. I checked out her and stated “nicely accomplished.” All of her fish had been caught on a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ affixed to a purple 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.

We had roughly 30 yards to get across the bend to the August gap. The lip of its tail out is the place one higher know what they’re doing as there are miles to the closest takeout with steep cliffs on all sides that resembles a scene out of the film Deliverance.

On our first preliminary steps as we had been on our approach again to our UTV,  we heard very frantic yelling. Yelling by somebody that was in misery.

My spouse and I started operating up river. As we rounded the bend there have been a bunch of kayakers that had been yelling hysterically. It was obvious from a distance that one member of the social gathering was both lifeless or had suffered an enormous coronary heart assault. Sadly, in my day job I see each and or worse weekly. To make a protracted story quick, I checked for vitals, calmed the scene, and 35 minutes later the person was being boarded and medically evacuated by way of helicopter from behind our residence to a close-by hospital.

Fairly a day on the river.

We fished simply over 2 1/2 hours.

Sept. 8

Ned and Pat Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a go surfing the Finesse Information Community about their outing on Sept. 8.

Right here is an edited model of his log.

The Nationwide Climate Service reported that it was 66 levels at 12:53 a.m., 55 levels at 8:53 a.m., and 56 levels at 12:53 p.m. The sky fluctuated from being largely cloudy to overcast to drizzling to misting. The wind angled out of the north and northeast at 12 to 23 mph. The barometric strain was 29.82 at 12:53 a.m., 29.94 at 5:53 a.m., 30.02 at 11:53 a.m., and 30.02 at 12:53 p.m.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar indicated that one of the best fishing would happen from 3:21 a.m. to five:21 a.m., 3:44 p.m. to five:44 p.m., and 9:33 a.m. to 11:33 a.m.

Patty Kehde and I fished at one in all northeastern Kansas’ many group reservoirs from 10:09 a.m. till we received drizzled and blown off the water at 12:25 p.m.

The water degree appeared to be regular.  The water exhibited 4 to about eight ft of secchi-stick visibility. The floor temperature fluctuated from 78 to 79 levels.

Within the center parts of this reservoir, we fished alongside two quick segments of a shoreline and throughout elements of two shallow-water flats inside one small feeder-creek arm, the place we caught one smallmouth bass and three largemouth bass. The shoreline has a 25-degree slope. Its water edge is embellished with a couple of patches of American water willows, American pondweeds, a number of docks, a few laydowns, and two boat ramps. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and some boulders which might be sometimes clothed with patches of coontail. The smallmouth bass was caught on a concrete boat ramp in about seven ft of water on a Z-Man’s PB&J Finesse TRD affixed to a baby- or light-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead with a dragging presentation. One largemouth bass was hooked on a Z-Man’s PB&J TRD HogZ affixed to a baby- or light-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead on the preliminary drop in about 4 ft of water between the within fringe of a patch of coontail and the skin fringe of a patch of American water willows. One largemouth bass was caught on the preliminary drop of the PB&J Finesse TRD rig round a patch of coontail and a nook of a dock. One largemouth bass was caught on the PB&J Finesse TRD rig with a swim-and-glide presentation round patches of coontail in about 5 ft of water.

Round a main-lake level and alongside about three-quarters of a mile of a main-lake shoreline, we caught three smallmouth bass and 32 largemouth bass.

It was too windy, misty, and drizzly for us to maintain an correct account of how and the place we caught every of the largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. So, the next phrases are primarily based on our greatest recollections of what transpired.

The boat was tethered to a wind or drift inventory the complete time that we fished this space, which stretches from the center area of the reservoir nicely into its higher area. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and scores of boulders. The shoreline has a 25- to 80-degree slope. The water’s edge is endowed with occasional patches of American water willows and quite a few laydowns and overhanging timber. It’s graced with a number of tertiary factors, which yielded 4 of the 32 largemouth bass that we caught. Many of the flatter parts of the shoreline are bejeweled with important patches of coontail, and these flatter areas are as small as a tennis courtroom to as massive as a half of a soccer discipline. The flatter areas had been extra fruitful than the steeper areas.

Across the main-lake level, we caught two largemouth bass on the PB&J HogZ rig with a swim-and-glide presentation in about seven ft of water and subsequent to patches of coontail.

Alongside the shoreline, we caught 30 largemouth bass and three smallmouth bass.

One of many 30 largemouth bass was caught on a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ affixed to a baby- or light-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead on the preliminary drop in about 5 ft of water underneath an overhanging tree.

We caught three of the 30 largemouth bass on a barely shortened four-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ affixed to a baby- or light-blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Two had been caught on the preliminary drop adjoining to overhanging timber in about 4 ft of water. The opposite one was caught on a swim-and-glide presentation in about 5 ft of water.

One smallmouth bass and 4 largemouth bass had been caught on a Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse ShadZ affixed to a baby- or light-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead in 4 to 6 ft of water. Two of those six had been caught on the preliminary drop of this rig, and 4 had been caught on a swim-and-glide presentation. 4 had been caught round patches of coontail.

We caught two smallmouth bass and 22 largemouth bass on both the PB&J Finesse TRD rig or the PB&J TRD HogZ rig.  Most of them had been caught in three to 6 ft of water on both the preliminary drop of those rigs or on a swim-and-glide presentation. Just a few had been caught on a drag-and-slight-deadstick presentation in about 5 ft of water.

Throughout a coontail-adorned flat inside a medium-size feeder-creek arm within the higher half of the reservoir, we caught one smallmouth bass and 5 largemouth bass. One largemouth bass was caught on the preliminary drop of the PB&J Finesse TRD rig in about six ft of water round a patch of coontail. One smallmouth bass was caught of the Junebug Finesse ShadZ rig on a swim-and-glide presentation round a patch of coontail in about six ft of water. The Finesse ShadZ rig caught a largemouth bass on the preliminary drop in about six ft of water on prime of a patch of coontail. Three largemouth bass had been caught on the PB&J TRD HogZ with a swim-and-glide presentation in about six ft of water round patches of coontail.

In sum, we caught an hourly common of 18 black bass. Our simplest rigs had been the Z-Man’s PB&J TRD HogZ affixed to a baby- or light-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead and Z-Man’s PB&J Finesse TRD affixed to a baby- or light-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. We caught the 5 smallmouth bass and 40 largemouth bass on a wide range of shows.

Sept. 10

Tom Bett of Oshkosk, Wisconsin, filed a go surfing the Finesse Information Community about his Sept. 10 outing.

Right here is an edited model of his log.

Sept. 10 arrived in japanese Wisconsin with the identical climate circumstances that we’ve noticed for the previous two days: report low temperatures, precipitation, and chronic north and northeast winds. Due to these circumstances, I delayed my launch time by a number of hours. But, after I arrived on the touchdown simply earlier than 10:00 a.m., the air temperature had warmed to solely 48 levels, and the intermittent light-rain showers, which had been pushed by a north wind at 10 to fifteen mph, made it really feel a lot cooler. I stayed bundled up all day beneath full rain gear. Upon my return to the touchdown in the course of the afternoon, the air temperature had warmed to solely 58 levels.

The lake’s floor temperature had crashed from the mid-sixties every week in the past to 56 levels. Due to the heavy cloud cowl, I noticed no diurnal heating. The water readability has been bettering, because the blue-green algae blooms dissipate with the robust winds and cooler temperatures. The secchi disk exhibited 2.8 to three.7 ft of visibility. The submerged vegetation has not begun to dissipate but, and I estimated this yr’s crop is round 95-percent intact. The water degree was inside the management band for this date, and due to the latest precipitation, the river inflows had been rising to 4,000 cubic ft per second by Oshkosh.

My plans for the day was to evaluate the progress of the autumn transition, which happens throughout the Winnebago system every autumn. Because the size of daylight wanes and the temperatures cool, the submerged aquatic vegetation turns into senescent for the winter. That is analogous to the deciduous timber dropping their leaves every autumn. When this occurs in our waterways, it mandates main shifts within the places for the predators and their prey. I very a lot get pleasure from this time of the yr.

The primary a part of my script was to look at hard-cover lairs for agglomerations of largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. The system comprises a large number of artifical channels and harbors, and nearly all of them are protected by break partitions manufactured from riprap. The black bass usually don’t exhibit pelagic behaviors, and these riprap websites change into ambush factors for them because the forage fish lose their cowl within the submerged vegetation.

The second a part of my script was to ply a couple of first-rate backwater and marshy areas to find out if the shallow-water largemouth bass had been beginning to abide within the cuts and ditches.

The day performed out like the story of two cities. Laborious-cover areas had been productive, whereas my backwater bash was a complete bust. In all, I dealt with 27 smallmouth bass, six largemouth bass, three walleye, two white bass, and one freshwater drum throughout 4.1 hours of casting time. This finally offered a black-bass catch price of eight per hour, making it a contact above common for my degree of fishing on this method. I additionally spent one hour with out making a solid, and I spent this time doing a little sonar scanning to guage the forage fish density at some further places. My log indicated I fished at 18 completely different websites, with 12 producing no less than one fish and 6 offering me nothing.

On the hard-cover places, I fished the Z-Man’s The Deal TRD TicklerZ mounted on a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. I briefly examined a Z-Man’s black/blue TRD CrawZ rigged on a black 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig and a Z-Man’s yoga-pants Finesse TRD rigged on a black 1/10-ounce Z Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig, however I discovered these darkish hues didn’t excite the fish on today.

When within the backwaters and marsh cuts, I flipped a conditioned Z-Man green-pumpkin-goby ZinkerZ mounted on a green-pumpkin 1/16-ounce Berkley’s Fusion 19 weedless wacky jig.

My first cease of the day was at a submerged line of riprap, which is definitely a washed-out shoreline that’s now offset from the financial institution by about 20 yards. This construction sits on a sand flat close to the primary river channel, with water depths of three to 4 ½ ft on the skin and fewer than three ft and closely vegetated with pondweeds alongside the within edge. I began on the upwind finish and allowed the boat to float parallel to the riprap. On my second solid with the TRD TicklerZ rig, I caught a 17 ½-inch largemouth bass that raced up and grabbed the lure as I used to be about to elevate it from the water (generally it’s higher to be fortunate than good). Throughout the subsequent eight minutes, I extracted two smallmouth bass from open pockets within the pondweeds that had been situated on the within fringe of the riprap. One got here on a drag-and-pause retrieve within the small opening, and the opposite got here as I snapped the road to free the lure from a snag on a rock. I took this as a very good signal, pondering that it was an honest begin for the primary 10 minutes.

The second cease was on a break wall level that drops into about six ft of water. This web site has been improved by the proprietor inside the previous couple of years, and because it was rebuilt, not all the rocks had been relocated. I name it a thumb, and it protrudes perpendicular to the brand new axis of the purpose. It has a depth of about two ft. After I was utilizing a sluggish swim-and-glide retrieve on the fourth solid, my rig loaded up as I handed the tip of this thumb. The outcome was a thick 22-inch walleye. I proceeded across the level at a sluggish troll velocity, casting into the rocks, and pausing the retrieves because the rig cleared the shallow zone. Just one smallmouth bass was prepared to take the TRD TicklerZ rig throughout a two-second pause on the base of the rocks.

At this level within the morning and 20 minutes of fishing, I used to be glad the fish had been obtainable, however I used to be involved the fish density per web site was going to put on me down.

Website quantity three was a protracted rock level again in a bay and nicely off the river movement. In 10 minutes, I had just one extra smallmouth bass to point out for the hassle. This fish got here on the preliminary drop of the TRD TicklerZ in in all probability two ft of water or much less and close to the water’s edge.

My considerations about fish density stored constructing. And on the subsequent 4 places, I added solely three smallmouth bass and one other respectable walleye to the log sheet. All had been taken on the TRD TicklerZ rig utilizing drag-and-pause retrieves throughout the rocks in three to seven ft of water.

I made a decision to discover some backwater locales for largemouth bass. So, I ran a few mile into a big shallow and closely vegetated bay to discover some cuts and ditches. This proved to be my poorest resolution of the day. I consumed 1 1/2 hours of flipping a wacky-rigged ZinkerZ in delicious-looking pockets with out a chunk at 4 places inside about one-half mile of one another.

Satisfied the weed-oriented largemouth bass weren’t prepared for me but this autumn, I returned to my hard-cover sample decided to spend the remainder of my day trying to find a big pod of fish.

Issues didn’t begin any in another way for me at first. I fished a collection of 4 quick wing dams, garnering two zeroes and three smallmouth bass from the opposite two.

I assumed if I might discover the fish, the TRD TicklerZ rig I used to be utilizing would take them. So, I used to be dedicated to press on. This mandated a big run down the lake and into one other main tributary river.

My first cease within the different river was on the head of an island. This web site gives about the identical sort of habitat because the others possessed: a rock financial institution, a sand backside, and beds of pondweeds. With 10 minutes invested, just one extra smallmouth bass was added to the log sheet through the use of the TRD TicklerZ with a drag and pause retrieve.

The subsequent cease was a extra sizeable size of riprap with a deep channel swing flowing alongside it.  In about quarter-hour, I fished a few 150-yard part of it that was graced with deep water and present, which yielded a walleye and three smallmouth bass. My sonar display screen was constantly exhibiting a strong coloration from the highest to the underside of the water column, revealing that this location hosted a tremendously dense accumulation of bait fish. Though my catch price was not nice, I like seeing considerable forage, and I used to be decided to press on.

My second to final cease is one in all my seasonal favorites. It is a delicate line of riprap that touches the sting of the river channel. It’s embellished with rocks and a clam mattress in 4 to six ½ ft of water. It is also the final man-made enchancment within the decrease river. The financial institution downstream from this line of riprap is undeveloped and closely vegetated. My second solid was rewarded with a pleasant smallmouth bass as I popped the TRD TicklerZ rig off a rock and let it settle to the river mattress. I assumed right here we go once more, however was lifeless incorrect: the sought-after pod of largemouth bass and smallmouth bass was lurking right here. Inside 25 minutes, I boated seven smallmouth bass, six heavy largemouth bass, and shook off a couple of white bass. The massive fish had been very lazy and wouldn’t contact the lure if it was shifting. My solely recourse was to permit the lure to choose backside, drag it a foot, pause for no less than three seconds, after which repeat. All strikes weren’t felt. The road would merely tighten and transfer slowly in a non-current pushed course. Lastly, I had discovered some enjoyable, and I by no means took the boat off Spot Lock till I made a decision I had the spot worn out.

My final cease on today was one other quick wing dam that has a significant eddy and 10-foot-deep washout gap on its tip. Once more, the fish on this spot had been lazy, and they might not take the lure if it was off backside and shifting. In 20 minutes, the TRD TicklerZ rig caught 4 smallmouth bass and two 15- to 17-inch white bass. The chunk on this location was what I name paced, which signifies that fish had been routinely circulating by the eddy fairly than holding on any particular piece of canopy. Thus, my catch price was averaging about one fish each 4 minutes.

Because the clock hit the highest of the hour, I made a decision it had been a very good day — given the lower than stunning climate circumstances — and I put up the rod for the run residence.

In sum, the day confirmed me that the season has progressed into the autumn transition interval, however it isn’t but far alongside. The system seems to have considerable forage this yr. This excites me as a result of the sport fish transitioning from their upriver summer season habitats could usually maintain on prime foraging websites nicely into October, offering a seasonal bounty for anglers who’re prepared to search out methods to entertain overfed and really lazy predators. Even when the climate circumstances had been lower than ideally suited, my finesse strategies allowed me to get pleasure from a productive day on the lake. I do loads of cranking, jerking, and different energy techniques, however I’m completely offered on the virtues of the Midwest finesse strategies to generate each good high quality and excessive quantity of bites.

Sept. 11

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted this log about his Sept. 11 outing on the Finesse Information Community.

Right here is an edited model of his log.

Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas, and I fished from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at a difficult U.S. Military Corps of Engineers’ hill-land reservoir in north-central Texas.

In line with In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar, the fishing can be poor, and it was. It additionally famous that one of the best fishing would happen from 5:57 a.m. to 7:57 a.m., 11:44 a.m. to 1:44 p.m., and 6:24 p.m. to eight:24 p.m.

Space thermometers recorded the morning low temperature at 62 levels and the afternoon excessive temperature reached 79 levels. The sky was largely overcast with a couple of transient spells of sunshine. The barometric strain measured 30.15 at 11:00 a.m. and 30.03 at 4:00 p.m. The wind quartered out of the north-by-northwest at 5 to 10 mph.

The water’s floor temperature ranged from 79 to 81 levels. The water degree was 1.18 ft above regular. The water was stained greater than standard from latest rains and exhibited 12 inches of readability at finest.

The black bass chunk at this reservoir has been poor for months on finish, however we had been hoping that the latest drop within the water temperature, coupled with the shorter daytime, would provoke the black bass to group up and start their annual fall migration into the backs of the feeder-creeks arms.  Sadly, our hopes did not materialize. As an alternative, we failed miserably to find any massive aggregations of black bass, and our greatest efforts might muster solely 10 largemouth bass, 2 noticed bass, and one bluegill in 5 hours. It took us virtually an hour to elicit our first strike of the day.

To start out off, we searched for big concentrations of black bass and threadfin shad inside a big feeder-creek arm on the north finish of the reservoir. This creek arm has steep shorelines. Its underwater terrain consists of purple clay, pea-gravel, hand-size rocks, and an abundance of submerged boulders of all sizes and shapes. We discovered important concentrations of threadfin shad solely within the decrease finish and on the mouth of this creek arm, and there was just about no black bass to be discovered round these concentrations of shad. We dissected quite a lot of secondary factors, rocky shorelines, and a few rock-laden bluffs, however we caught just one noticed bass on this creek arm. It was caught within the decrease finish of the creek arm in eight ft of water alongside a steep and rocky shoreline. It was coaxed into hanging a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ matched with a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Eagle Claw Professional-V Finesse jig.

We additionally investigated one other massive feeder-creek arm on the south finish of the reservoir. It additionally entertained massive concentrations of threadfin shad however only a few black bass.  A small cove close to the mouth of this creek arm yielded one largemouth bass. It was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation with the green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ rig in 4 ft of water from a flat shoreline that consisted of purple clay, pea gravel, and partially flooded terrestrial vegetation lining its water’s edge. The rest of the creek arm was fruitless.

Because the afternoon unfolded, we found that our best places had been rock- and boulder-laden main-lake factors and a main-lake island. The primary-lake factors had been situated within the northern part of the reservoir. The island is located within the midsection of the impoundment.

We caught 4 largemouth bass from the island.  They had been caught in three to seven ft of water round submerged stumps and laydowns blended with pea-gravel and fist-size rocks. Three had been caught on a gradual do-nothing retrieve with a three-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Slim SwimZ rigged on a chartreuse 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. The opposite one was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce OG Mushroom Jighead.

In three to 10 ft of water alongside a collection of 12 steep and rocky main-lake factors, we struggled to catch 5 largemouth bass and one noticed bass. All of those bass had been scattered and plenty of yards aside from one another. They had been all caught on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with the green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ combos.

In brief, we found that the threadfin shad have begun migrating into the feeder-creek arms however not the black bass. Major-lake lairs had been extra productive than these within the feeder-creek arms.

Sept. 12

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted this log about his Sept. 12 outing on the Finesse Information Community.

Right here is an edited model of his log.

After a lackluster outing on Sept. 11 at a perplexing U.S. Corps of Engineers’ reservoir in north-central Texas, John Thomas of Denton and I fished from 7:41 a.m. to 11:41 a.m. at a state reservoir situated within the rural countryside of north-central Texas.

Once we arrived on the boat ramp car parking zone, we had been stunned to see that it was chock-full of tow automobiles and boat trailers. We additionally observed that the overflow car parking zone was crammed full as nicely, and automobiles with boat trailers had been relegated to parking alongside a grassy shoulder of a close-by gravel upkeep highway. We later discovered from a few anglers that there have been no bass tournaments in progress; it was simply weekend anglers getting out and about.

In line with In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar, the fishing would more than likely be poor once more prefer it was on Sept. 11, and one of the best fishing would happen from 12:37 a.m. to 2:37 a.m., 6:51 a.m. to eight:51 a.m., and seven:18 p.m. to 9:18 p.m.

It was sunny on Sept. 12. The morning low temperature was 61 levels. The afternoon excessive temperature was 87 levels. The barometric strain measured 29.99 at 7:00 a.m. and 29.98 at midday. The wind was largely mild and variable, and at occasions, it was calm.

Nearly all of this reservoir’s shorelines are rock- and boulder-laden. Among the shorelines are adorned with flooded buck brush, stickups, overhanging timber, and laydowns. Its underwater terrain consists of largely purple clay, gravel, rocks and boulders. There are some flourishing patches of hydrilla, American pondweed, and American water willows within the center part and south finish of the reservoir.

Relying on the place we had been fishing, the water exhibited between 1 1/2 to 2 ft of visibility. The floor temperature ranged from 78 to 81 levels. The water degree was 1.70 ft low.

We spent 4 hours on the east aspect of the reservoir plying the perimeter of a main-lake island, an offshore hump, 4 riprap-covered jetties, and one main-lake shoreline.

The island that we investigated is situated within the southeast finish of the reservoir. We shared it with two different anglers in a ship. Its shorelines are flat and considerably rocky and festooned with a steady wall of partially-flooded terrestrial vegetation. The east aspect of the island has some patches of American pondweed in 5 to eight ft of water, and there’s a small stand of flooded timber on its south finish.

This island yielded 4 largemouth bass and three noticed bass. These bass had been caught from the north finish of the island. They had been related to the skin edges of the flooded terrestrial vegetation that’s interlaced with some submerged boulders in three to 5 ft of water. Three had been enticed with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a Z-Man’s blue-steel Finesse ShadZ rigged on a blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Three extra had been induced into hanging a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ rigged on a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. One was tempted by a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a 3 1/2-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Trick ShotZ mounted on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.

From the island, we moved a few mile and half northward, the place we dissected a rocky main-lake shoreline. This shoreline is comparatively flat and adorned with massive submerged boulders and some partially-flooded bushes and stickups. There’s additionally a long-submerged ledge that parallels this shoreline about 20 to 30 yards out from the water’s edge. This ledge is roofed with about three ft of water and rapidly descends into 20-plus ft of water. We shared this spot with one other angler.

We targeting the deep-water aspect of the submerged ledge, and we caught six noticed bass and 4 largemouth bass that had been extracted from eight to 12 ft of water. 5 of those black bass had been caught on the two 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ rig with a gradual swimming retrieve. Three had been caught on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with the blue-steel Finesse ShadZ rig. Two had been caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a Z-Man’s PB&J Finesse TRD hooked up to a blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.

After that, we probed the riprap that covers two main-lake jetties about half of a mile north of the main-lake shoreline that we simply fished. The primary jetty relinquished 4 largemouth bass, two noticed bass, and one freshwater drum. The second jetty was fruitless.

4 of those black bass and the freshwater drum had been allured by the blue-steel Finesse ShadZ rig and a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve. The opposite two bass had been fooled by a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with the PB&J Finesse TRD combo. All of those fish had been abiding in eight to 17 ft of water and about 10 to fifteen ft from the water’s edge.

We then travelled a few mile westward and fished round a submerged main-lake hump. This hump is situated within the center part of the impoundment. It’s lined with three to 10 ft of water. It’s about 35 yards lengthy and is encircled with greater than 20 ft of water. There’s a massive patch of submerged boulders on its northern finish, and these boulders yielded 5 largemouth bass and two noticed bass. All of them had been caught on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with the blue-steel Finesse ShadZ rig.

We then meandered northward one other mile and a half, the place we fished alongside two extra riprap-covered jetties and a rocky main-lake level that’s located simply south of those two jetties, however we did not cross paths with any black bass at these two locales.

In conclusion, the fishing was significantly better than the In-Fisherman’s solunar desk had indicated. We relished tussling with 30 black bass, which consisted of 17 largemouth bass and 13 noticed bass. We additionally caught one freshwater drum by happenstance.

All the areas we fished had been entertaining good concentrations of small one- to two-inch threadfin shad.

We employed a complete of 9 Midwest finesse rigs, and 4 of them had been productive. The 2 simplest ones had been the two 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ and the Z-Man’s blue-steel Finesse ShadZ combos.

A gentle swimming retrieve was utilized with the two 1/2-inch Slim SwimZ rig, and a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve was the simplest presentation with the Finesse ShadZ combo.

Sept. 14

Dave Petro of Lecompton, Kansas, filed a log of the Finesse Information Community about his Sept. 14 outing.

Right here is an edited model of his log.

I returned to the identical U.S. Military Corps of Engineers’ reservoir in northeastern Kansas that I fished on Sept. 2.  On that journey, I caught solely 18 black bass in 5 hours of putting up with poor water circumstances, which had been induced by a big algae bloom and breezy climate circumstances.

On Sept. 14, I discovered every little thing to be vastly improved.

Throughout the week of Sept. 5-12, northeastern Kansas had a spell of cool and wet climate. Since then, our in a single day lows have been within the low 50s and each day highs have been within the 60s and low 70s.

On Sept. 14, after an in a single day low of fifty levels, the afternoon excessive was 81. Whereas I used to be afloat, the wind blew from the northeast, east, and southeast at 5 to 10 mph. The sky was clear and sunny. The barometric strain was 30.31 and slowly falling.

The water circumstances have improved considerably. The algae bloom that has plagued this impoundment for a lot of the summer season appears to be lastly waning. The foaminess on the water’s floor and the clumps of floating algae that I had famous on my earlier outing are gone. Whereas the water continues to be stained inexperienced, it seems to be a more healthy and extra clear inexperienced than it had been beforehand. The water readability various from 18 to 24 inches. The water degree was 1.37 ft above regular.

On this journey, I fished for five 1/2 hours, from 1:00 p.m. to six:30 p.m. My purpose was to go to a few of my best black-bass lairs and catch as many fish as I might.  I used 5 Midwest finesse rigs on this journey. They had been a Z-Man’s Junebug TRD TicklerZ mounted on a chartreuse 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse Shroom jig, a Z-Man’s PB&J TRD HogZ mounted on a hand-painted blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig, a shortened Z-Man’s coppertreuse  Hula StickZ on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Jade’s Jig, a Z-Man’s molting-craw Hula StickZ  on a 1/15-ounce hand-painted blue Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig, and a three-inch Z-Man’s The Deal Slim SwimZ on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce TT Lures’ Nedlock jig.

I dissected 4 main-lake factors, a 200-yard part of rocky main-lake shoreline, and the shorelines inside a medium-sized feeder-creek arm.

Round a rocky and steep main-lake level on the entrance to the feeder-creek arm, I caught two largemouth bass.  One was enticed to strike the Junebug TRD TicklerZ rig on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve. The second hit the PB&J TRD HogZ rig on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve.  These two fish had been referring to shoreline cowl whereas the boat floated in 10-12 ft of water.

Alongside a piece of a rocky shoreline halfway contained in the feeder-creek arm, I caught a largemouth bass on the coppertreuse Hula StickZ rig with a deadstick presentation in seven ft of water. This fish was about 5 yards away from the water’s edge. I continued to dissect that shoreline for one more 250 yards with out receiving any strikes.  Nonetheless, about three quarters of the best way into the feeder-creek arm, the rocks that adorned the shoreline gave technique to grime and clay, and this shoreline is steep. The place this transition occurred, I caught one other largemouth bass on a quick retrieve of the coppertreuse Hula StickZ as I used to be reeling it in on the finish of a retrieve. I observed that there was some intermittent floor exercise from gizzard shad on a close-by shallow-water flat, and there was a largemouth bass chasing them of the floor. I traded the Hula StickZ rig for The Deal Slim SwimZ rig and commenced casting throughout the shallow-water flat the place I used to be seeing the floor exercise. Throughout the subsequent 25 minutes, I caught 5 largemouth bass on the Slim SwimZ rig utilizing a straight swimming retrieve.

After I left this flat, I started to dissect this feeder-creek arm’s different shoreline. This shoreline is endowed with two small coves and 4 secondary factors. This shoreline’s terrain consists of grime, clay, and small rocks, and different parts are utterly lined with rocks. I didn’t obtain any strikes alongside this shoreline till I reached a secondary level on the mouth of one of many small coves. I caught one largemouth on the purpose with the Slim SwimZ rig with a straight swimming retrieve in 2 ½ ft of water. On the shallow flat behind this cove, I caught three largemouth bass on the Slim SwimZ rig in three ft of water. These fish had been caught by casting in the direction of the again of the flat the place there have been a couple of lifeless stalks of terrestrial crops protruding of the water. All three of those largemouth bass appeared to be referring to these sticks. The alternative shoreline and level main out of this small cove had been unproductive, as was a brief part of the feeder-creek arm’s shoreline.

Upon reaching the second cove, I dissected the secondary level at its entrance and each shorelines inside this cove. I didn’t obtain any strikes in these areas. Nonetheless, across the different secondary level and its adjoining shorelines, I caught 4 largemouth bass on the Slim SwimZ rig with a straight swimming retrieve in two to 6 ft of water.

The shoreline of the feeder-creek arm adjoining to the secondary level turns into adorned with rocks and boulders of all sizes. It additionally has a concrete boat ramp, which consists of a dock and quick sections of riprap. As a result of the underwater terrain was changing into steeper, deeper, and rockier, I made a decision that my outcomes can be higher by fishing slower and deeper, so I picked up the coppertreuse Hula StickZ rig and commenced to dissect the riprap and boat ramp. On one of many concrete parts of the ramp, I caught the primary smallmouth bass of the day on the Hula StickZ rig on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve in about 4 ft of water. A solid alongside the aspect of the dock produced a largemouth bass with a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve parallel to the aspect of the dock. On the riprap subsequent to the boat ramp, a largemouth was enticed into hanging the Hula StickZ rig on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve in seven ft of water.

After leaving the world of the boat ramp, I started plying a protracted part of a steep and really rocky shoreline that technically is a part of the feeder-creek arm, however may be construed as a main-lake shoreline. It’s adorned with rocks and small to massive boulders. A submerged creek channel swings in subsequent to the shoreline so the water turns into very deep near the water’s edge. Alongside this part, the boat floated in 9 to twenty ft of water, and I caught three smallmouth bass on the coppertreuse Hula StickZ rig. One hit on the preliminary drop, and the opposite two hit on a swim glide and shake retrieve.

On the main-lake level on the finish of this lengthy shoreline, I caught one largemouth on the coppertreuse Hula StickZ rig with a swim glide and shake retrieve in 14 ft of water.  I additionally caught two largemouth bass and one smallmouth bass on this level with the molting-craw Hula StickZ rig. Considered one of these largemouth bass was caught on the preliminary drop of the rig in 5 ft of water. The opposite largemouth and the smallmouth had been caught on a deadstick presentation as I used to be strolling alongside the shoreline instantly adjoining to the purpose in about seven ft of water and 5 to seven yards from the shoreline. I additionally hooked a really hefty smallmouth bass on a deadstick presentation on the tip of the purpose. Sadly, I didn’t land this fish as a result of it managed to dislodge the hook when it acrobatically cleared the water for the sixth time through the fierce donnybrook.

Alongside a 200-yard lengthy part of rocky main-lake shoreline, I used to be capable of entice strikes from two largemouth bass and one smallmouth. All three fish had been referring to shoreline cowl whereas the boat floated in seven to 10 ft of water. The smallmouth bass and one largemouth bass hit the molting-craw Hula StickZ rig on the preliminary drop. The opposite largemouth bass hit the Hula StickZ rig on a brief swim-glide-and-shake retrieve.

On a flat rocky main-lake level on the finish of this main-lake shoreline, I caught 5 largemouth bass and 5 smallmouth bass on the molting-craw Hula StickZ rig.  A few these fish struck on the preliminary drop of the rig. Others had been caught whereas I used to be strolling and deadsticking the rig. However most had been caught as I used to be casting and executing the swim-glide-and-shake retrieve. One solid produced an enormous strike on the preliminary drop. What adopted was an intense championship prizefight that lasted the higher a part of 10 minutes. For a very good a part of that point, I might solely watch because the fish pulled many yards of line off of my reel in opposition to the drag. I lastly gained the higher hand, regained the road, and eventually received the fish into my touchdown web. It was a brute of a largemouth bass that measured 22 inches and weighed six kilos on my digital scale. I really feel very lucky to have landed it with my six-pound-test line.

On the finish of the outing, my counter confirmed that I had caught a complete of 41 black bass: 30 largemouth bass and 11 smallmouth bass.  I additionally caught 4 inexperienced sunfish, one freshwater drum, and one channel catfish. This tremendously improved outcome I take as a sign that the summer season doldrums are actually a factor of the previous, and I can look ahead to having fun with productive fall fishing within the coming weeks.

Sept. 15

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a go surfing the Finesse Information Community about his outing on Sept. 15.

Right here is an edited model of his log.

The Nationwide Climate Service reported that it was 52 levels at 6:52 a.m. and 82 levels at 3:52 p.m. The sky fluctuated from being foggy, misty, and truthful. The wind fluctuated from being calm to angling out of the south and southeast at 3 to 7 mph. The barometric strain was 30.26 at 12:52 a.m., 30.23 at 5:52 a.m., 30.23 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.14 at 2:52 p.m.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar indicated that one of the best fishing would happen from 9:13 a.m. to 11:13 a.m., 9:41 p.m. to 11:41 p.m., and a pair of:59 a.m. to 4:59 a.m.

Patty Kehde has been my solely fishing companion since March and the start of the COVID-19 lockdown. However she severely reduce her left hand final week and shall be unable to fish for every week or two.

Due to this fact, I fished with out her at one in all northeastern Kansas’ many state reservoirs from 11:51 a.m. till 2:21 p.m.

The water degree appeared to be about 4 ft under its regular degree. The water exhibited 5 to about seven ft of secchi-stick visibility. The floor temperature fluctuated from 73 to 75 levels.

The black bass fishing on the group, state, and federal reservoirs in northeastern Kansas hasn’t been as fruitful through the previous three years because it was from 2009 by 2017. And that fruitlessness occurred once more of Sept 15. Upon arriving on the boat ramp, I crossed paths with a veteran Midwest finesse angler who reported that he had fished from 7:00 a.m. to about 11:15 a.m., and he struggled to catch eight largemouth bass. One other finesse angler complained that the largemouth bass fishing was dreadful. Two energy anglers echoed the moans and groans of the 2 finesse anglers.

I started my outing by plying a main-lake level and quick parts of its adjoining shorelines. And I did not elicit a strike.

I spent the following two hours and quarter-hour making an attempt to totally dissect an assortment of coontail patches that embellish the large shallow-water flats within the backends of two of the reservoir’s major feeder-creek arms. I tangled with 29 largemouth bass and elicited 5 strikes that I did not hook.

The majority of those largemouth bass had been caught in seven to 10 ft of water round patches of coontail. The patches in 4 to 5 ft of water yielded six of the 29 largemouth bass. Three adjoining patches that lie alongside the skin fringe of one in all these large flats yielded 17 of the 29 largemouth bass, and these patches are not often fished by different anglers.

Ten of the 29 largemouth bass had been caught on a Z-Man’s PB&J TRD HogZ affixed to a baby- or light-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. They had been caught on both the preliminary drop of the rig or a sluggish swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

Seven had been caught on a Z-Man’s sprayed-grass TRD TicklerZ affixed to a baby- or light-blue 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse Shroom Jig on both the preliminary drop or a sluggish swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

5 had been caught on a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse ShadZ affixed to a baby- or light-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead on both the preliminary drop or a swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

4 had been caught on a Z-Man’s PB&J Hula StickZ affixed to a baby- or light-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

Three had been caught on a Z-Man’s The Deal Child Goat affixed to a baby- or light-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead on a sluggish and straight swimming presentation.

I did not elicit a strike on a barely shortened four-inch Z-Man’s PB&J Finesse WormZ affixed to a baby- or light-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.

I not often work with six Midwest finesse rigs throughout a 2 ½-hour outing. However all through this outing, I used to be repeatedly dissecting a number of of those patches of coontail, and I assumed it was a technique to create a contact of versatility to my shows to the largemouth bass that had been abiding round these patches. My hourly catch price was a tad greater than 11 largemouth bass per hour.

Sept. 16

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a go surfing the Finesse Information Community about his outing on Sept. 16.

Right here is an edited model of his log.

The Nationwide Climate Service reported that it was 56 levels at 6:52 a.m. and 83 levels at 1:52 p.m. The sky fluctuated from being foggy, misty, truthful, suffering from a couple of clouds, and partly cloudy. The wind fluctuated from being calm to angling out of the southwest, southeast, north, and northwest at 3 to five mph. The barometric strain was 30.08 at 12:52 a.m., 30.06 at 5:52 a.m., 30.10 at 11:52 a.m., and 30.05 at 3:52 p.m.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar indicated that one of the best fishing would happen from 10:03 a.m. to 12:03 p.m., 10:31 p.m. to 12:31 a.m., and three:50 a.m. to five:50 a.m.

I used to be afloat at one in all northeastern Kansas’ group reservoirs from 1:00 p.m. to three:29 p.m.

The water degree at this reservoir was regular.  The floor temperature ranged from 75 to 77 levels. The secchi-stick measured one to 3 ft of visibility. The water was by a big algae bloom, which created a brownish-green ring across the total hull of the boat, and this ring was tough to take away.

Lately, this reservoir’s managers utilized a heavy utility of aquatic herbicide to kill patches of Eurasian milfoil. Some biologists have found throughout the years that important algal blooms are sometimes a byproduct of the killing of aquatic vegetation with herbicides. What’s extra, these herbicides at occasions have been discovered to adversely have an effect on the fish populations in a reservoir. It is usually fascinating to notice that 21 mature timber had been by accident killed alongside one in all this reservoir’s shorelines by an utility of a floor sterilizer, which is a herbicide, and it’s thought that a few of that poison seeped into the reservoir.

It is usually sorry to notice that since this most up-to-date utility of aquatic herbicide, a number of patches of American water willows alongside one shoreline have been almost destroyed.

After the reservoir’s managers started making use of aquatic herbicides through the previous decade, Midwest finesse anglers’ catch charges at this reservoir have decreased measurably. Some anglers concern that the bottom sterilizer and different terrestrial herbicides that the managers have used alongside the shorelines and the dam may also have affected the fish inhabitants.

Within the eyes of a number of Midwest finesse anglers, this reservoir has change into a sorry-looking web site.

It has been a long-standing custom for us to fish this reservoir on Sept. 16. However due to all of its woes, this outing was lower than a half-hearted one for me. I assumed that it could be unlikely that I might catch 20 largemouth bass. Due to this fact, I made a decision to both fish for two ½ hours or till I hooked 20 of them. To my shock. I caught 20 largemouth bass in two hours and 29 minutes. And I additionally caught one black crappie, one channel catfish, and one redear sunfish.

As a result of all the offshore patches of submerged aquatic vegetation have been eradicated, I spent the complete 149 minutes fishing alongside parts of six shorelines inside three main feeder-creek arms.

The six shorelines that I fished are located from midway to 80 p.c of the best way contained in the three feeder-creek arms.

They possess a 25- to 50-degree slope. The underwater terrains encompass gravel, rocks, boulders, and silt. Parts of the water’s edges of those shorelines are lined with patches of American water willows, a couple of stumps, some laydowns, some docks, and several other overhanging timber. There have been quite a few colleges of gizzard shad meandering throughout shallow-water flats and alongside the shorelines contained in the feeder-creek arms.

One largemouth bass was caught round a stump. 5 had been caught round laydowns. One largemouth was caught round a shallow pile of rocks and boulders. And 13 had been caught across the exterior edges of the patches of American water willows.

One largemouth bass was caught on a Z-Man’s Junebug TRD TicklerZ affixed to a baby- or light-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation round a stump in about 5 ft of water.

Three largemouth bass had been caught on a Z-Man’s coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ affixed to a baby- or light-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead on the preliminary drop adjoining to the skin edges of patches of American water willows in about 4 ft of water.

Sixteen of the largemouth bass had been caught on a Z-Man’s pearl TRD TicklerZ affixed to a baby- or light-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead on both the preliminary drop or a swim-glide-and-shake presentation. One was caught on a pile of rocks and boulders in about three ft of water. 5 had been caught round laydowns in three to 6 ft of water. And 10 had been caught alongside the skin edges of patches of American water willows in about 4 ft of water.

Sept. 16

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted this log about his Sept. 16 outing on the Finesse Information Community.

Right here is an edited model of his log.

From 12:07 p.m. to 4:13 p.m., Norman Brown of Lewisville and I performed a day jaunt at one in all a number of U.S. Military Corps of Engineers’ hill-land reservoirs in north-central Texas.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar indicated that one of the best fishing would happen between 3:37 a.m. and 5:57 a.m., 10:10 a.m. and 1:10 p.m., and 10:38 p.m. to 1:38 a.m.

In line with The Climate Underground, the morning low temperature was 70 levels and the afternoon excessive temperature was 88 levels. The excessive humidity was terrible, and it made the air really feel heavy. The barometric strain measured 30.01 at midday and 29.93 at 4:00 p.m. A gentle-mannered wind quartered out of the north and northwest at 5 to eight mph.

The water degree was about half of a foot above regular. The water exhibited about two ft of visibility. The floor temperature ranged from 85 to 87 levels.

Norman and I spent about 3 1/2 hours within the shade probing a complete of 57 concrete bridge assist columns beneath 4 massive bridges. The opposite 45 minutes was used to make a fast seek for threadfin shad and black bass inside two feeder-creek arms and alongside parts of two floating tractor-tire reefs on the mouth of a marina.

Three of the bridges are situated within the reservoir’s southwest tributary arm and the fourth one is located within the northwest finish of the impoundment.

This reservoir’s underwater terrain consists of purple clay, pea-gravel, rocks, and boulders. There is no such thing as a aquatic vegetation on this impoundment.

We caught 18 largemouth bass and one noticed bass across the 57 bridge assist columns. Among the columns are surrounded by 12 to 24 ft of water. The others are encircled with 32 to 41 ft of water. Most of them had attracted good numbers of threadfin shad.

These 19 black bass had been suspended about 5 to eight ft under the floor of the water and had been in shut proximity to the edges of the columns. The corners of the square- and rectangular-shaped columns had been rather more productive than spherical ones.

Fifteen largemouth bass had been caught on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a Z-Man’s blue-steel Finesse ShadZ rigged on a blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Three largemouth bass had been caught on a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s blue-steel Slim SwimZ affixed on an unpainted generic 3/32-ounce ball-head finesse jig and a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve. The one noticed bass was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ rigged on  a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Eagle Claw Professional-V Finesse jig.

The 2 floating tractor-tire reefs on the mouth of a big marina weren’t as fruitful as they had been on Sept. 4, after they yielded six largemouth bass and two noticed bass. This time, they relinquished three largemouth bass. These two reefs float in 19 to 37 ft of water. These three largemouth bass had been suspended about 5 ft under the floor and had been about 5 to 10 ft away from the tires. Two largemouth bass had been caught on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with the blue-steel Slim SwimZ rig. One largemouth bass was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a Z-Man’s The Deal TRD TicklerZ hooked up to a black 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.

In closing, we caught 21 largemouth bass and one noticed bass throughout this four-hour and 13- minute endeavor, which we think about an above-average outing for this reservoir. We additionally caught two white bass and one channel catfish by chance.

We didn’t find any important concentrations of threadfin shad and black bass within the two feeder-creek arms.  All of those fish had been caught from main-lake lairs.

Sept. 17

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a go surfing the Finesse Information Community about his outing on Sept. 17.

Right here is an edited model of his log.

The Nationwide Climate Service reported that it was 60 levels at 6:53 a.m. and 73 levels at 1:53 p.m. The sky was truthful. The wind angled out of the north and northeast at 7 to 12 mph. The barometric strain was 30.12 at 12:53 a.m., 30.13 at 5:53 a.m., 30.19 at 11:53 a.m., and 30.16 at 2:53 p.m.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar indicated that one of the best fishing would happen from 11.22 a.m. to 1:22 p.m., 11:48 p.m. to 1:48 a.m., and 5:35 a.m. to 7:53 a.m.

I fished at one in all northeastern Kansas’ group reservoirs from 11:49 a.m. to 2:01 p.m.

The water degree at this reservoir was regular. The floor temperature ranged from 73 to 74 levels. The secchi-stick measured about 1 1/2 to barely greater than three ft of visibility, and one of the best visibility was within the neighborhood of the dam.  Vital patches of coontail cowl the underwater terrains throughout a few of this reservoir’s shallow-water flats and alongside the shallow-water areas adjoining to a few of its shorelines.

These days, as I’ve change into an 80-year-old angler and a member of the Geriatric Fishing Community, I’ve established a reasonably common behavior of fishing for not more than 2 ½ hours. And at reservoirs just like the one which I fished throughout this outing, which could be a very tough venue, I often fish till I catch 20 largemouth bass, and if I’m fortunate, I can accomplish that activity in lower than 2 ½ hours.

Throughout this outing, I caught 20 largemouth bass in two hours and 12 minutes.

Right here is how these 132 minutes unfolded.

I spent about 5 minutes on the cellphone conversing with my spouse.

I additionally spent a while speaking with Luke Kowalewski, who’s the Kansas Division of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism’s fisheries biologist that manages this reservoir. He and a colleague had been making ready to conduct an electro-shocking survey on this reservoir. Throughout our dialog, he startled me by revealing that 54 p.c of the group, federal, and state reservoirs that KDWPT examined have been with the largemouth bass virus, and we fish at a big variety of these reservoirs.

Throughout the 122 minutes, after I was fishing fairly than listening and speaking, I caught one largemouth bass on a Z-Man’s Junebug TRD TicklerZ affixed to a baby- or light-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. I caught 4 largemouth bass on a barely shortened four-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ affixed to a baby- or light-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Six largemouth bass had been caught on a Z-Man’s pearl TRD TicklerZ affixed to a baby- or light-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. A Z-Man’s PB&J TRD HogZ affixed to a baby- or light-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead caught 9 largemouth bass.

Within the higher half of the reservoir, I caught two largemouth bass alongside a really quick stretch of a main-lake shoreline that’s adjoining to a main-lake level. This shoreline has a few 35-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and a few important boulders, and there are patches of coontail overlaying a few of that terrain. The water’s edge is lined with American water willows and two docks. These largemouth bass had been caught on the pearl TRD TicklerZ rig with a drag-and-shake presentation in six to seven ft of water.

I did not garner a strike whereas I fished throughout a big and shallow-water flat within the higher half of this reservoir. This flat is adorned with untold numbers of coontail patches and an array of duckweed that covers the floor.

Round a main-lake level within the higher half of the reservoir, I did not elicit a strike.

Alongside a few 200-yard stretch of a shoreline within the higher half of this reservoir, which I shared with two different anglers, I caught seven largemouth bass. This shoreline has a 25- to 50-degree slope. The water’s edge is lined with some patches of American water willows, three docks, two concrete retaining partitions, a couple of overhanging timber, and a few laydowns. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, and there are patches of coontail overlaying the shallow-water parts of a few of this terrain.

5 largemouth bass had been caught alongside one of many steeper parts of this shoreline.  They had been caught in about seven ft of water and about seven ft from the water’s edge. A patch of American water willows that’s intertwined with some coontail graces the water’s edge. One largemouth bass was caught on the Junebug TRD TicklerZ rig with a drag-and-shake presentation. 4 largemouth bass had been caught on the pearl TRD TicklerZ rig with a drag-and-shake retrieve.

Two of the seven largemouth bass had been caught alongside the skin edges of the patches of coontail in about 4 ft of water, they usually had been caught on the preliminary drop of the Finesse WormZ rig. One was about 15 ft from the water’s edge, and the second one was about 25 ft from the water’s edge.

Within the decrease half of the reservoir, one largemouth bass was caught on an offshore pile of boulders and rocks.  It was caught on the Finesse WormZ rig in about 4 ft of water as I used to be strolling and using a drag-and-shake presentation.

Alongside an offshore ledge within the decrease half of the reservoir, I caught one largemouth bass. This ledge’s underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, and segments of it are adorned with some skimpy patches of coontail. Among the boulders are humongous. This largemouth bass was caught on the Finesse WormZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation round a patch of coontail in about 5 ft of water.

I caught 9 largemouth bass alongside the dam. It has a 50- to 70-degree slope.  Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders.  The water’s edge is embellished with American water willows and several other sorts of emergent vegetation. There are additionally some scattered patches of coontail gracing the skin edges of among the patches of American water willows. These 9 largemouth bass had been caught on the TRD HogZ rig. Two had been caught on the preliminary drop of the rig in about 5 ft of water. The others had been caught on a really sluggish swim-and-glide presentation in 5 to seven ft of water.

Sept. 18

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted this log about his Sept. 18 outing on the Finesse Information Community.

Right here is an edited model of his log.

Rick Allen of Dallas and I fished from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at a state reservoir situated in an ex-urban space of north-central Texas. It’s the identical state reservoir that John Thomas of Denton and I fished on Sept. 12, once we caught a complete of 30 largemouth and noticed bass throughout that four-hour tour.

The morning low temperature was 70 levels on Sept. 18. The afternoon excessive was 86 levels. The barometric strain measured 30.10 at 8:00 a.m. and 30.12 at midday. The wind quartered out of the northeast at 5 to 10 mph till 10:43 a.m., then it was calm. It was sunny, however the sky was hazy with a slight smoky-grey tint. Rick and I speculated that the haze may need been the results of smoke that was blown down from the large California forest fires by the higher atmospheric jet stream, however we couldn’t affirm our suspicions.

In line with In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar, one of the best fishing would happen from 5:47 a.m. to 7:47 a.m., 11:34 a.m. to 1:34 p.m., and midday to 2:00 p.m. It additionally indicated that the fishing can be common.

As I famous in my Sept. 12 log, this impoundment’s submerged terrain consists of largely purple clay, gravel, rocks and boulders. Moreover the gravel, rocks and boulders, the overwhelming majority of its shorelines are graced with laydowns, stickups, flooded buck brush, and overhanging timber. There are some massive patches of hydrilla, American pondweed, and American water willows within the midsection and decrease finish of the reservoir.

The water readability various from 2 1/2 to 3 ft of visibility. The water’s floor temperature ranged from 79 to 80 levels. The water degree was 1.39 ft under regular.

We targeted our attentions on the perimeter of a main-lake island, an offshore hump, a rocky main-lake ledge, and two steep and rocky shorelines inside two main feeder-creek arms.

We started the outing at an island that’s located within the southeast finish of the reservoir. Its shoreline is comparatively flat and considerably rocky. Its shallow-water areas are cluttered with submerged boulders and rocks, partially-flooded terrestrial vegetation, patches of American pondweed, and a small stand of flooded timber on its south finish.

This island relinquished a mixture of 21 largemouth bass and noticed bass. Most of those bass had been caught from the north and east aspect of the island. A lot of them had been related to the skin edges of the flooded terrestrial vegetation that’s interlaced with some submerged boulders in three to 5 ft of water. Just a few of them had been referring to the skin edges of the patches of American pondweed in 5 to eight ft of water.

Fourteen of them had been caught on a gradual swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ matched with a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. 5 had been drawn to a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a Z-Man’s blue-steel Finesse ShadZ that was hooked up to a blue 1/16-ounce OG Mushroom Jighead. One was caught on a Z-Man’s The Deal TRD TicklerZ rigged on a black 1/16-ounce OG Mushroom Jighead and a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve. One was caught on a sluggish drag-shake-and-pause presentation with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s white-lightning ZinkerZ that was nostril hooked on a 3/16-ounce drop-shot rig, and it was the one bass the drop-shot rig would produce throughout this outing.

A couple of mile and half north of the island, we probed a submerged main-lake ledge. This ledge is comparatively flat and is adorned with massive boulders, a couple of partially-flooded bushes, and a few stickups. This ledge is about 50-yards lengthy, and it’s located about 20 to 30 yards from the water’s edge. This ledge is roofed with about three ft of water, and it rapidly plunges into 20 and extra ft of water.

The deep-water aspect of this ledge yielded a blended bag of 5 largemouth bass, three noticed bass, and two hybrid noticed bass that had been abiding in six to 17 ft of water. Seven of those 10 black bass had been caught on the two 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ rig and a gradual swimming retrieve. Three had been caught on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with the blue-steel Finesse ShadZ rig. Two of the largemouth bass had been caught concurrently as they had been chasing small threadfin shad alongside the floor of the water in 17 ft of water.

A couple of mile west of the submerged main-lake ledge is a main-lake hump. This hump is situated within the midsection of the impoundment. It’s about 35 yards lengthy and is encircled with 20-plus ft of water. It’s lined with three to 10 ft of water. There’s a massive cluster of submerged boulders that lies on the north finish of the hump. This hump yielded 5 largemouth bass and two noticed bass on Sept. 12, however it surrendered just one massive bluegill this time. It was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with the blue-steel Finesse ShadZ rig.

We then looked for threadfin shad and black bass round two riprap-laden jetties on the northeast finish of the reservoir. Once we did not find any shad or black bass there, we left with out making a single solid.

We completed this outing inside two main feeder-creeks on the northwest finish of the reservoir.

Contained in the mouth of the primary creek arm, we dissected a few 100-yard stretch of a rocky shoreline. This shoreline has a 45- to 50-degree incline. Its water’s edge is adorned with quite a few massive rocks and boulders. This shoreline yielded a mix of 10 largemouth bass and noticed bass, and a big bluegill. They had been caught in three to eight ft of water and had been referring to the deep-water sides of the bigger submerged boulders. Six black bass had been caught on a 2 1/4-inch tail part of a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-orange FattyZ that was rigged on a blue Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Three had been caught on a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s watermelon ZinkerZ that was mounted on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. One was caught on a 1/16-ounce chartreuse Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead dressed with a Z-Man’s coppertreuse Finesse TRD.  These three combos had been employed with a sluggish swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

Simply contained in the mouth of the second feeder-creek arm, we plied a 50-yard stretch of a steep and rocky shoreline. In our eyes, this shoreline seemed to be similar to the shoreline we fished within the first creek arm. This shoreline was additionally pretty productive. It relinquished a mix of seven largemouth and noticed bass that had been related to the deep-water sides of a number of massive submerged boulders in 5 to eight ft of water. 4 of them engulfed a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s California-craw ZinkerZ that was rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Three had been tempted by the two 1/2-inch watermelon ZinkerZ rig. Each of those rigs had been utilized with a sluggish swim-glide-and-shake retrieve.

All advised, we relished catching and releasing a blended bag of 48 largemouth bass, noticed bass, and hybrid noticed bass in 4 1/2 hours. We additionally caught two massive bluegills whereas we had been looking for black bass.

We employed a complete of 9 Midwest finesse rigs, and all of them had been productive. The best ones had been the two 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ, the Z-Man’s blue-steel Finesse ShadZ, and the two 1/4-inch tail part of a green-pumpkin-orange FattyZ.

The two 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ rig was employed with a regular swimming retrieve. The blue-steel Finesse ShadZ and the two 1/4-inch FattyZ rigs had been used with a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve.

Sept. 19

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted this log about his Sept. 18 outing on the Finesse Information Community.

Right here is an edited model of his log.

Invoice Kenny of Corinth, Texas, joined me for a morning outing at a perplexing U.S. Military Corps of Engineers’ hill-land reservoir in north-central Texas. Invoice is an elementary college instructor and doesn’t get many alternatives to fish. He lately grew to become inquisitive about Midwest finesse techniques, and this was Invoice’s first Midwest finesse endeavor.

I’ve not fished at this reservoir since Aug. 4, when Rick Allen of Dallas and I struggled to catch eight largemouth bass in three hours. And when Invoice and I arrived on the boat ramp on Sept. 19, we had been stunned to see that the boat-ramp car parking zone was virtually stuffed to the brim with tow automobiles and boat trailers. (I had hoped that with the opening of looking season in north-central Texas on Sept. 1, many of those anglers can be within the surrounding countryside looking mourning doves within the corn fields and pastures lined with sunflowers as a substitute of fishing at this common reservoir. I used to be tremendously mistaken.)

Space thermometers reported that it was 65 levels at 6:00 a.m. and 83 levels at 5:00 p.m. The circumstances of the sky fluctuated from being overcast to clear. Once we launched the boat at 7:00 a.m., an irksome wind was blowing out of the southeast at 15 to twenty mph. Once we trailered the boat at 11:45 a.m., the wind had calmed down considerably and was angling out of the east at 5 mph. The barometric strain was 30.14 at 7:00 a.m. and 30.17 at 11:00 a.m.

The very best fishing, in line with In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar, would happen between 12:28 a.m. to 2:28 a.m., 6:41 a.m. to eight:41 a.m., and 12:54 p.m. to 2:54 p.m. It additionally indicated that the fishing would more than likely be common. To our delight, the fishing was above common.

Invoice and I fished from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The water degree was a couple of inches above regular.  The floor temperature was 80 levels. The water exhibited about two ft of visibility.

To start out, we had been pressured to hunt safety from the wind and white-capped waves, so we instantly moved inside a close-by feeder-creek arm on the south finish of the west tributary arm. So did fairly a couple of different anglers, and we had been relegated to fishing behind a number of of them.

Despite the extraordinary angler strain and boat site visitors inside this creek arm, we managed to catch six largemouth bass and two noticed bass. We caught 4 of the largemouth bass and the 2 noticed bass in two to 3 ft of water on prime of a protracted and curvy clay and pea-gravel ledge on the east aspect of the creek arm. We shared this ledge with eight different anglers. This ledge is roofed with three to 5 ft of water, and it rapidly drops off into 17 to 24 ft of water. It’s lined with chunk rock, massive boulders, a number of patches of American pondweed, some patches of flooded stickups, and a few massive tractor tires that had damaged free from a close-by floating tractor-tire reef and washed ashore. These black bass had been scattered right here and there, they usually had been caught on a gradual swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ that was affixed on a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.

Whereas we had been fishing behind one other 5 anglers, Invoice caught one largemouth bass in 5 ft of water from the aspect of an outdated red-clay and gravel stock-pond dam. This dam is situated on the south finish of the creek arm. He caught it on a gradual swimming retrieve with the two 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ rig. I wielded a Z-Man’s blue-steel Finesse ShadZ rigged on a blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. I manipulated it with a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve, however I used to be unable to generate any strikes with it across the stock-pond dam.

We determined to maneuver to the northwest finish of the creek arm to get away from the opposite anglers. We dissected a small floating tractor-tire reef that floats in 20 ft of water, a 20-yard section of a steep and rocky shoreline adjoining to the tractor-tire reef, a big concrete boat ramp with thick patches of American pondweed bordering all sides of the ramp, a number of concrete assist pillars beneath two massive concrete piers, and about 40 yards of a clay and pea-gravel shoreline, however we didn’t find any largemouth or noticed bass at these spots.

We caught one largemouth bass from a small 10-yard stretch of a riprap-covered shoreline that’s adjoining to the big concrete piers. It was abiding close to the riprap in three ft of water and engulfed a Z-Man’s pearl TRD TicklerZ that was matched with a blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. This rig was applied with a sluggish swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

From that feeder-creek arm, we determined to maneuver throughout to the north aspect of the tributary arm to a big main-lake level and its adjoining main-lake flat. This level and flat are lined with thinning patches of flooded stickups. Their underwater terrains encompass largely purple clay and pea-gravel. There are some burgeoning patches of hydrilla overlaying a big portion of the shallow-water areas on the east finish of the flat, and the remnants of a number of concrete constructing foundations that lie on the west finish of the flat.

The purpose was taking the brunt of the wind and waves, which hindered our casts and retrieves, and we didn’t elicit any strikes there.

We then fished throughout the adjoining main-lake flat because the wind propelled our boat, and we caught one largemouth bass in 5 ft of water. This bass was related to the skin edge of a big patch of hydrilla, and it was caught on a swimming retrieve with the two 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ. We didn’t cross paths with another bass on this flat.

After that, we moved inside a minor feeder-creek arm that’s situated on the west finish of the main-lake flat that we simply fished. It offered us, and 7 different anglers, some shelter from the wind and waves.

This feeder-creek arm is adorned with thick stands of flooded timber, a couple of patches of American pondweed, some clusters of flooded stickups, and a few massive laydowns. Its submerged terrain is comparatively flat and composed of purple clay, pea-gravel, stumps, chunk rock, and some boulders. We fished behind a number of of the opposite anglers, however we might muster solely two freshwater drum from a flat gravel shoreline on the northwest finish of the creek arm. Each of them had been caught in lower than 10 ft of water on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with the blue-steel Finesse ShadZ rig.

From that creek arm, we traveled about two miles to the west the place we spent the final hour of this outing plying a small red-clay-and-pea-gravel flat simply inside the doorway of one other minor feeder-creek arm. We shared this creek arm with 5 different anglers.

This flat is about 50 yards lengthy and is roofed with two to eight ft of water. The shallow-water areas close to the water’s edge are suffering from chunk rock and some submerged boulders. This flat was our most fruitful spot of the morning, and we had been relieved that we didn’t must share this portion of the creek arm with the opposite anglers. This small flat yielded 17 largemouth bass and one noticed bass. They had been caught in lower than 5 ft of water across the submerged chunk rock on the two 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ rig and a swimming retrieve. We tried a few different Midwest finesse rigs as nicely, however we had been unable to elicit any strikes with them.

In conclusion, the wind and tough water decided the place we fished for a lot of the morning. We fished for 4 hours, and most of that point was spent fishing inside three feeder-creek arms that offered respectable shelter from the wind. And by the point this foray got here to an finish, our counter had tallied 24 largemouth bass, three noticed bass, and two freshwater drum.

We caught 26 of those 27 black bass on a gradual swimming retrieve with the two 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ rig. One was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation with the pearl TRD TicklerZ combo.

It was a splendid begin for Invoice and his Midwest finesse endeavors.

Sept. 20

Brandon Marlow of LaFollette, Tennessee, filed a go surfing the Finesse Information Community about his Sept. 20 outing.

Right here is an edited model of his log.

Jason Marlow and I fished in a feeder-creek arm of a highland reservoir in japanese Tennessee from 3:05 p.m. to six:30 p.m.

The air temperature once we arrived on the reservoir was 71 levels. It was a bluebird sky. The wind was out of the south at 5 to 10 mph. The lake degree was 5.19 ft under its full pool. There was seven to 10 ft of visibility. The floor temperature was 80 levels.

The In-Fisherman solunar calendar stated one of the best occasions to fish had been between 1:15 a.m. to three:15 a.m.  and 1:43 p.m. to three:43 p.m.

In our three-hour and 25-minute journey, we managed to catch 11 smallmouth bass, seven largemouth bass and one bluegill.

To maintain from having to battle the barrage of pontoon and wake boats which have stored us off the water for the previous couple of months, we stayed inside the confines of the cove the place we launched the boat.

This cove provided a wide range of cowl from laydowns to floating docks. It’s adorned with a few secondary factors, which is the place we began.

We caught three smallmouth bass on the steeper aspect of the primary level we fished. Two had been caught on a Z-Man’s PB&J Hula StickZ reduce all the way down to roughly three inches lengthy, and it was affixed to a green-pumpkin 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. The third one was caught on the Z-Man’s watermelon-red Child Goat affixed to a green-pumpkin 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. All three had been caught with a deadstick presentation in 10 to fifteen ft of water on what seemed to be a boulder or massive rock pile.

We continued alongside the shoreline in the direction of the mouth of this cove, fishing the laydowns and floating docks and catching eight smallmouth bass and 5 largemouth bass. Across the seven docks that we fished alongside this stretch, 5 of them produced a largemouth bass. The shoreline is lined with riprap, and the largemouth bass had been sitting in lower than 5 ft of water on the shaded aspect of the walkways resulting in the docks. 4 had been caught on the Child Goat rig, and one was caught on a Z-Man’s hot-snakes Finesse TRD affixed to a purple 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig.  Seven of the smallmouth bass had been caught round laydowns in 10 ft of water on a Z-Man’s PB&J Finesse TRD affixed to a green-pumpkin 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig. One smallmouth bass was caught on the Child Goat rig with a vertical presentation with assistance from Garmin’s Panoptix LiveScope.

Our two largest fish, which had been largemouth bass, and the bluegill had been caught across the mouth of the cove, the place the boat site visitors had created mud strains. They had been caught in eight ft of water on a Z-Man’s The Deal Child Goat affixed to a green-pumpkin 1/16-ounce mushroom-style jig by bumping the underside with a sluggish and regular retrieve.

Sept. 23

Ned and Patty Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a go surfing the Finesse Information Community about their outing on Sept. 23.

Right here is an edited model of their log.

The Nationwide Climate Service reported that it was 61 levels at 12:53 a.m. and 76 levels at 1:53 p.m. The sky fluctuated from being partly cloudy to overcast to largely cloudy. The wind angled out of the south and southeast at 3 to eight mph. The barometric strain was 30.07 at 12:53 a.m., 30.06 at 5:53 a.m., 30.07 at 11:53 a.m., and 30.02 at 2:53 p.m.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar indicated that one of the best fishing would happen from 4:21 a.m. to six:21 a.m., 4:50 p.m. to six:50 p.m., and 10:36 a.m. to 12:36 p.m.

Patty and I fished at one in all northeastern Kansas’ group reservoirs from 11:36 a.m. to 1:36 p.m.

The water degree at this reservoir was regular. The floor temperature was 72 levels.  We spent the complete two hours within the higher half of the reservoir, the place the secchi-stick measured 2 ½ to 4 ft of visibility. Vital patches of coontail cowl the underwater terrains throughout a few of this reservoir’s shallow-water flats and alongside the shallow-water areas adjoining to a few of its shorelines, and a few of these patches of coontail had been our most fruitful lairs.

Alongside a few 250-yard stretch of a main-lake shoreline, we caught two smallmouth bass and 14 largemouth bass. This shoreline has a 20- to 50-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders.

Parts of its water’s edge are adorned with lily pads, patches of American water willows, laydowns, and overhanging timber. The 2 smallmouth bass had been caught on the preliminary drop of a Z-Man’s mudbug Finesse TRD affixed to a light-blue or baby-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead in about 4 ft of water across the exterior edges of meager patches of coontail and American water willows. Three of the largemouth bass had been caught round laydowns on our mudbug Finesse TRD rigs with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about 4 ft of water. One largemouth bass was caught on the mudbug Finesse TRD rig round a patch of coontail and an overhanging tree in about 4 ft of water with a swimming presentation. Ten of the largemouth bass had been caught round patches of coontail in 4 to 5 of water on our mudbug Finesse TRD rigs on both the preliminary drop or a swim-and-shake presentation.

We did not elicit a strike alongside a shoreline and throughout an enormous shallow-water flat at the back of a medium-size feeder-creek arm.

We caught one largemouth bass round a main-lake level.  Its water’s edge is graced with patches of American water willows and laydowns. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, that are sometimes clothed with patches of coontail. The largemouth bass was caught on the mudbug Finesse TRD rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation round a patch of coontail in about six ft of water.

Round a tertiary level alongside a main-lake shoreline, we caught one largemouth bass on the mudbug Finesse TRD rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about six ft of water close to the skin fringe of a patch of American water willows. The underwater terrain of this level consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, that are embellished with a couple of meager patches of coontail.  It has a 45-degree slope.

Round a flat main-lake level and alongside one in all its adjoining shorelines, we caught two largemouth bass. This level and shoreline have a 15- to 20-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and silt, and plenty of yards of this terrain is endowed with patches of coontail. The water’s edge is adorned with patches of American water willows, and there’s a quick section that possesses an overhanging tree and a few minor laydowns. One of many largemouth bass was caught on the preliminary drop of the mudbug Finesse TRD rig underneath an overhanging tree in about three ft of water. The opposite largemouth bass was caught alongside the skin fringe of a patch of American water willows on the preliminary drop of the mudbug Finesse TRD rig in about two ft of water.

We ended the outing by plying a number of massive patches of coontail and several other patches of American water willows and American pondweeds that embellish a main-lake shoreline and level. The shoreline and level have a 25-degree slope. Their underwater terrains encompass gravel and rocks, and they’re sometimes endowed with a boulder. We caught eight largemouth bass throughout and across the patches of coontail on both the preliminary drop or a swim-glide-and-shake presentation of our mudbug Finesse TRD rigs in water as shallow as three ft and as deep as eight ft. We caught one largemouth bass on the preliminary drop of the mudbug Finesse TRD rig alongside the skin fringe of a patch of American water willows in about 2 ½ ft of water.

In complete, we caught 27 largemouth bass and two smallmouth bass. A catch price of 14 ½ black bass an hour isn’t a stellar Midwest finesse outing. However we’re within the midst of a dreadful spell of black bass fishing in northeastern Kansas that commenced in 2018, and anytime that we will catch 14 ½ black bass an hour these days, we describe it as a surprisingly fruitful endeavor. And all 29 of them had been caught on our mudbug Finesse TRD rigs.

What’s extra, it was considerably extra fruitful than my outing to a U.S. Military Corps of Engineers’ reservoir in northeastern Kansas on Sept. 22, which was so disappointing that I elected to not spend time composing a log about it.  However in brief, I fished that reservoir for two ½ hours and struggled mightily to catch two largemouth bass and 9 tiny smallmouth bass. The spotlight of that outing revolved round tangling with 11 hefty and spunky freshwater drum.  One other spotlight was that each one however two of these fish had been caught on the mudbug Finesse TRD rig. I had by no means used that hue earlier than. However throughout a phone dialog with Clyde Holscher of Topeka, Kansas, on the morning of Sept. 22, he alerted me to the effectiveness of the mudbug hue, and he was on the mark.

Sept. 24

Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a go surfing the Finesse Information Community about his outing on Sept. 24.

Right here is an edited model of his log.

The Nationwide Climate Service reported that it was 54 levels at 6:53 a.m. and 80 levels at 2:53 p.m. The sky was truthful. The wind angled out of the south and southwest at 3 to 22 mph. The barometric strain was 29.77 at 12:53 a.m., 29.94 at 5:53 a.m., 29.95 at 11:53 a.m., and 29.89 at 2:53 p.m.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar indicated that one of the best fishing would happen from 5:20 a.m. to 7:20 a.m., 5:48 p.m. to 7:48 p.m., and 11:10 a.m. to 1:10 p.m.

I fished at one in all northeastern Kansas’ group reservoirs from 12:16 p.m. to three:16 p.m.

The water degree at this reservoir was regular.  The floor temperature ranged from 71 to 73 levels. The secchi-stick measured about 1 1/2 to barely greater than three ft of visibility, and one of the best visibility was within the neighborhood of the dam. Vital patches of coontail cowl the underwater terrains throughout a few of this reservoir’s shallow-water flats and alongside the shallow-water areas adjoining to a few of its shorelines.

The black-bass fishing on the group, state, and federal reservoirs in northeastern Kansas is changing into as making an attempt because the black-bass fishing that Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, and his colleagues have endured for years on finish. This sorry state of affairs in northeastern Kansas started in 2018.

Earlier than this demise commenced, we loved a goodly variety of fruitful outings at this group reservoir. As an illustration,) Glenn Younger, who’s the nationwide gross sales supervisor for Z-Man Fishing Merchandise and I caught 101 largemouth bass at this reservoir on Could 25, 2011, whereas we contended with a twister warning and an enormous thunderstorm.  And through the first 17 years of this century, there have been scores of outings after I and a Midwest finesse colleague tangled with 46 to 76 largemouth bass in 4 hours.

This reservoir was referred to as a lunker haven. Again within the Eighties and Nineties, a couple of space anglers grew to become bucket-biologists, they usually transplanted a big variety of lunker-sized largemouth bass from Hillsdale Lake, Kansas, and La Cygne Lake, Kansas, into this group reservoir.

However these days, it’s a whale of a battle to catch 10 largemouth bass an hour at this reservoir, and because the introduction of the largemouth bass virus in 2010, the lunker-size largemouth bass aren’t as plentiful as they was.

My Sept. 24 outing displays how tough the largemouth bass fishing has change into at this reservoir. I caught 18 largemouth bass in three hours. 5 of them had been minor lunkers, which implies they weren’t the proverbial five-pounders; they appeared as in the event that they weighed from 3 ½ to 4 kilos. After all, I’m a numbers hunter, not a lunker hunter, and I’d have a lot most popular catching 101 one- to 1 1/2-pound largemouth bass rather than these 5 minor lunkers.

Right here is how this three-hour outing unfolded.

Throughout the first 38 minutes, I caught 10 largemouth bass. I mistakenly thought that I used to be on a roll to catch no less than 30 largemouth bass in two hours, however through the subsequent two hours and 22 minutes, I caught 9 largemouth bass.

I caught 17 of them on a Z-Man’s mudbug Finesse TRD affixed to a baby- or light-blue Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. (In yesterday’s log, I mistakenly labeled the Z-Man’s mudbug Finesse TRD as a Z-Man’s muddog Finesse TRD.) One largemouth bass was caught on a Z-Man’s pearl TRD TicklerZ affixed to a baby- or light-blue Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead.

Eleven of the largemouth bass had been caught alongside the dam on the Finesse TRD rig. It has a 50- to 70-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders.  The water’s edge is embellished with American water willows and several other sorts of emergent vegetation. There are additionally some scattered patches of coontail gracing the skin edges of among the patches of American water willows. 4 largemouth bass had been caught on the preliminary drop of the rig in about 5 ft of water. The others had been caught on a sluggish swim-glide-and-subtle-shake presentation in six to seven ft of water. They had been about 5 to eight ft from the water’s edge.

Alongside a few 200-yard stretch of a shoreline within the higher half of this reservoir, I caught one largemouth bass This shoreline has a 25- to 50-degree slope. The water’s edge is lined with some patches of American water willows, three docks, two concrete retaining partitions, a couple of overhanging timber, and a few laydowns. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. There are patches of coontail overlaying the shallow-water parts of a few of this terrain, and a few patches of coontail are additionally intertwined with among the exterior edges of the patches of American water willows alongside the steeper sections. Blankets of duckweed cowl among the patches of coontail.  The largemouth bass was caught on the preliminary drop of the TRD TicklerZ rig adjoining to a patch of American water willows and a patch of coontail in about six ft of water.

Alongside a few 50-yard stretch of one other shoreline within the higher half of this reservoir, I caught 4 largemouth bass. This shoreline has a few 25-degree slope.  Its underwater terrain consists of gravel and rocks. A lot of this terrain is embellished with patches of coontail.  Seven docks litter this shoreline. These largemouth bass had been caught on the Finesse TRD rig in about six to seven ft of water close to the skin edges of the coontail patches and about 25 ft from the water’s edge. Three of them had been caught on a drag-and-shake presentation, and the 4 one was caught on a deadstick presentation.

One largemouth bass was caught alongside a 100-yard stretch of a shoreline within the center parts of this reservoir. The shoreline has a 45-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, that are embellished with occasional patches of coontail. The water’s edge is endowed with a couple of patches of American water willows and 10 docks. This largemouth bass was caught on the Finesse TRD rig with a drag-and-shake presentation in 9 ft of water and about 20 ft from the water’s edge.

Alongside an offshore ledge within the decrease half of the reservoir, I caught one largemouth bass. This ledge’s underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, and segments of it are adorned with some skimpy patches of coontail. Among the boulders are humongous. This largemouth bass was caught on the Finesse TRD rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation round a patch of coontail in about 5 ft of water.

Sept. 30

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted this log about his Sept. 30 outing on the Finesse Information Community.

Right here is an edited model of his log.

From 11:30 a.m. to three:30 p.m., John Thomas of Denton and I performed a day tour at a preferred however difficult U.S. Military Corps of Engineers’ hill-land reservoir in north-central Texas.

This reservoir has been fairly stingy surrendering its largemouth bass and noticed bass in 2020. The final time this reservoir surrendered 30 or extra black bass in an outing was on Oct. 22, 2019, when John Thomas and I caught a mix of 33 largemouth and noticed bass in 5 hours.

Sept. 30 was a heat and sunny fall day. Space thermometers reported that it was 52 levels at 6:00 a.m. and 93 levels at 5:00 p.m. There was not a cloud in sight. The wind was largely delicate mannered and quartered out of the south and southeast at 5 to 10 mph. The barometric strain measured 30.04 at 11:00 a.m. and 29.97 at 3:00 p.m.

In line with In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar, essentially the most profitable fishing durations would happen from 3:51 a.m. to five:51 a.m., 10:01 a.m. to 12:01 p.m., and 10:22 p.m. to 12:22 a.m. It additionally indicated that the fishing would more than likely be common. To our shock, the fishing was stellar by north-central Texas’ requirements.

The water degree was a couple of inches under regular.  The floor temperature was 75 levels. The water exhibited about two ft of visibility.

Now that fall has arrived and the water temperature has dropped into the mid-70s, we opted to pay attention our efforts looking for important colleges of threadfin shad, largemouth bass, and noticed bass inside two feeder-creek arms and two massive bays which might be situated within the decrease and center sections of this reservoir. We didn’t catch 33 black bass as we did on Oct. 22, 2019, however we did catch 32 black bass, which consisted of 29 largemouth bass and three noticed bass. We additionally caught one white bass and one freshwater drum.

Thirty-one of those 32 black bass had been caught offshore in three to seven ft of water alongside the sides of shallow-water flats the place they rapidly drop into 10 or extra ft of water. One largemouth was caught in eight ft of water subsequent to a clay-and-gravel wall of a stock-tank dam that has a 60-degree gradient.

The stock-tank dam wall is situated on the mouth of one of many two feeder-creeks.  The flats are located within the center and higher sections of the 2 bays and feeder-creek arms.

The flats are lined with three to seven ft of water. Their submerged terrains had been related and encompass purple clay, pea-gravel, and flat rocks which might be related in dimension to a dinner plate. They had been additionally adorned with patches of flooded stickups, American pondweed, and hydrilla. We discovered massive concentrations of threadfin shad meandering round and throughout these flats. We additionally found a couple of small pods of shad close to the stock-tank-dam wall.

We caught 30 of those 32 black bass on a gradual swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ affixed to a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. One largemouth was caught on a gradual swimming retrieve with a three-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ rigged on a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. And one largemouth was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a Z-Man’s white-lightning Finesse TRD rigged on a blue 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

Moreover the sides of the shallow-water flats, we additionally dissected a few main-lake factors on the entrance to those bays and creek arms, and 13 rocky secondary factors and tertiary factors within the again or higher areas of those bays and creek arms. We discovered some small aggregations of threadfin shad round among the secondary factors, however we didn’t cross paths with any black bass round these shad or factors.