Midwest Finesse Fishing: July 2020

This July guide to Midwest finesse fishing contains 15 logs and 15,058 words that describe how, when, and where Midwest finesse anglers fished.

It features the piscatorial endeavors and insights of Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas; Talban Kantala of Carrollton, Texas; Bob Gum of Kansas City, Kansas; Ned Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas; Pat Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas; Dave Petro of Lecompton, Kansas; Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas; and Wesley Stark of Kansas City, Missouri. 

As always, we are thankful that Steve Reideler proofread all of the logs. He made them more readable and understandable.

July 2

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his outing on July 2.

Here is an edited version of his log.

Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas, and I fished at a state reservoir in the rural countryside of north-central Texas from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

It has been hot and humid. On July 1, The Weather Underground reported that it was 100 degrees with a heat index of 124 degrees in parts of north-central Texas, so I did not fish.

It was a tad cooler on July 2, but not by much. The high humidity levels still made it feel miserable outside. Local thermometers registered the morning low temperature at 80 degrees. The afternoon high temperature climbed to 99 degrees with a heat index of 116 degrees. The sun burned brightly in a partly-cloudy sky. The barometric pressure measured 29.87 at 7:00 a.m. and 29.90 at 11:00 a.m. There was a light breeze meandering out of the east, southeast, and south at less than 5 mph.

According to In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar, the fishing would most likely be poor. It also noted that the best fishing periods would occur from 2:27 a.m. to 4:27 a.m., 8:41 a.m. to 10:41 a.m., and 9:09 p.m. to 11:09 p.m.

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When I fished this reservoir on June 22 with John Thomas of Denton, the water was murky with a brown tint as a result of the muddy runoff from all the rain we had received during the month of June. It exhibited between 14 and 18 inches of visibility in the main-lake areas and about 10 to 12 inches inside its two primary feeder-creek arms.

The water in the main-lake areas had cleared up by July 2, and it exhibited its normal pea-green hue with about two to 2 1/2-feet of clarity. The surface temperature was 80 degrees. The water was still dirty with a brownish tint in the two primary feeder-creek arms in the upper end of the reservoir. There, the water exhibited about 12 to 14 inches of visibility. The surface temperature was 85 degrees. The water level was about a quarter of a foot above its normal pool level.

We fished from the lower end of the reservoir to its upper end.

In the lower end of the reservoir, we focused on the shoreline of an island. In the midsection of the impoundment, we investigated a flat rocky shoreline and an offshore hump. And in the northwest end of the impoundment, we probed portions of two large feeder-creek arms.

The shallow-water areas along the north and northeast side of the island yielded 14 largemouth bass and one spotted bass. The underwater terrain around this portion of the island consists of clay, pea gravel, submerged boulders, and flooded bushes. These 15 black bass were caught around the outside edges of the flooded bushes in three to five feet of water as they were chasing small threadfin shad on the surface. We did not locate any black bass inhabiting the flooded bushes or the flooded trees on the east, south, and west sides of the island.

Eleven of the 15 black bass were caught on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a Z-Man Fishing Products’ bubble-gut TRD TicklerZ fastened on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. The other four bass were enticed into striking a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig dressed with a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD HogZ. This rig was implemented with a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve.

In the middle section of the reservoir, we caught 10 largemouth bass, one spotted bass, and three white bass as they were chasing small threadfin shad on the surface of the water. They were caught in four to six feet of water along a rocky ledge that lies about 35 to 40 feet from the water’s edge. This ledge is cluttered with submerged rocks, boulders, and clusters of flooded terrestrial vegetation.

Seven of these 11 black bass were caught on the bubble gut TRD TicklerZ. Four black bass were caught on the green-pumpkin TRD HogZ. A swim-glide-and-shake retrieve was used with both of these rigs.

Inside the first feeder-creek arm, we targeted two secondary points and portions of two rocky shorelines. These areas have 35- to 40-degree slopes. They are adorned with many yards of flooded bushes, laydowns, overhanging trees, rocks, and boulders. One of the two shorelines is also enhanced with a short decorative rock wall, a 20-yard section of riprap, and about a half-dozen boat houses.

One point yielded two largemouth bass; the second point yielded one white bass. Both of the largemouth bass were caught along the outside edges of some flooded bushes in four to six feet of water. They engulfed the bubble- gut TRD TicklerZ rig as it was worked with a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve. The white bass was caught around some submerged boulders in about 10 feet of water. It was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a Z-Man’s black-blue TRD BugZ rigged on a blue 1/15-ounce Finesse ShroomZ jig.

The rocky shoreline adjacent to the second secondary point surrendered three largemouth bass and six white bass. Two of the largemouth bass and the white bass were mixed together while they were surface-foraging on small shad in 25 feet of water and about 25 yards away from the water’s edge. These two largemouth bass were caught on the bubble-gut TRD TicklerZ rig and a steady swimming retrieve. One largemouth bass was caught next to a corner of one of the nearby boat houses on the initial fall of a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s electric-chicken Slim SwimZ that was attached to a chartreuse 1/8-ounce Blakemore Road Runner underspin jig head. The six white bass were caught on the 2 1/2-inch electric-chicken Slim SwimZ underspin and a swimming retrieve, the bubble gut TRD TicklerZ rig and a steady swimming retrieve, and a shortened Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Hula StickZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Eagle Claw Laser Pro-V Finesse jig and a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve.

Inside the second feeder-creek arm, we dissected a 75-yard segment of a rock bluff on the east side of the creek arm and about a 100-yard section of another rock bluff on the west side.

We failed to garner any strikes along the east-side bluff.

We caught three spotted bass and four white bass from the west-side bluff. The three spotted bass were caught close to the face of the bluff and were suspended about five feet below the surface in 17 to 21 feet of water. Two were caught on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with the black-blue TRD BugZ. The other spotted bass was caught on a Z-Man’s coppertreuse Finesse TRD matched with a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Eagle Claw Pro-V Finesse jig.

The four white bass were caught in the open water about 30 yards out from the face of the bluff in 32 feet of water. They were briefly schooling on the surface and chasing small shad. They were caught on either the 2 1/2-inch electric-chicken Slim SwimZ underspin rig with a swimming retrieve or the coppertreuse Finesse TRD and a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve.

By this time, it was about 10:45 a.m., and it was becoming uncomfortably hot, so we decided to stop and fish at an offshore hump in the middle of the reservoir on our way back to the boat ramp.

This hump is covered with five to 12 feet of water and is surrounded by 21 or more feet of water. Its underwater terrain is composed of mostly red clay, pea gravel, and a patch of submerged boulders that are situated on its north end. We had observed this hump being pummeled by two other boats of anglers earlier in the morning, and at that time, we opted to pass it by until the other anglers had left. We dissected this hump for about 30 minutes, but we could muster only two largemouth bass from the north side of the hump. Both of these largemouth bass were caught from some submerged boulders on the top of the hump in six to eight feet of water. They were both caught on the coppertreuse Finesse TRD combo and a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve.

In conclusion, we caught a combination of 31 largemouth bass, five spotted bass, and 14 white bass. And though the In-Fisherman’s solunar table indicated poor fishing for July 2, catching 36 black bass and 14 white bass in four hours is considered a stellar outing in our region of Texas.

July 6

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his outing on July 6.

Here is an edited version of his log.

Talban Kantala of Carrollton, Texas, and I conducted a morning excursion at one of several U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ hill-land reservoirs in north-central Texas. Talban is a newcomer to Midwest finesse tactics. His first initiation to Midwest finesse tactics occurred on June 20 when he, Roger Farish of Highland Village, and I fished at another Corps’ reservoir in north-central Texas. During that four- hour excursion, we caught and released 70 fish, which consisted of 21 largemouth bass and 49 white bass.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar noted that the fishing would be excellent on July 6. The solunar calendar also indicated that the best fishing would occur from 6:05 a.m. to 8:05 a.m., 11:52 a.m. to 1:52 p.m., and 12:19 p.m. to 2:19 p.m.

This was Talban’s second Midwest finesse outing, and we enjoyed tangling with 17 largemouth bass, seven spotted bass, 88 white bass, and one freshwater drum. Most of the largemouth and spotted bass were small specimens, but we did catch some keeper-size ones, too. We estimated that the largest black bass weighed about 2 1/2 pounds, and it was a largemouth bass.

It rained off and on from 5:00 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. The sky was overcast for most of the morning, but it became mostly cloudy with brief spells of sunshine at 9:43 a.m.

According to The Weather Underground, the morning low temperature was 74 degrees and the afternoon high temperature was 87 degrees. The barometric pressure measured 29.86 at 7:00 a.m. and 29.88 at 11:00 a.m. The wind quartered out of the northeast, east and southeast at 5 to 12 mph.

The water level was 0.28 of a foot above normal. The water was murkier than usual and exhibited about 14 inches of visibility. The surface temperature was 87 degrees.

Talban and I dissected two main-lake points, one main-lake flat, a 75-yard section of a main-lake shoreline, portions of three riprap-laden bridge embankments, and 32 concrete bridge support columns underneath two bridges. All of these spots are situated in the reservoir’s southwest tributary arm.

The main-lake shoreline and the two main-lake points are rock- and boulder-laden. They are relatively flat. Their underwater terrains consist of red clay, pea-gravel, rocks, and boulders. One of the main-lake points is endowed with an old and decrepit asphalt roadbed.

We began this outing fishing along the 75-yard section of the flat main-lake shoreline. During the first 10 minutes, we caught two spotted bass and one largemouth bass around some large submerged boulders in three to five feet of water. They were caught on a swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s electric-chicken Slim SwimZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. Talban experimented with a River2Sea size 90 Whopper Plopper, but he was unable to generate any strikes with it.

As we were working our way down this shoreline, we were interrupted by an intense thunderstorm that had erupted close to us, and we quickly dashed to a nearby marina where we found shelter under a covered boat dock. We had to wait 93 minutes for the thunderstorm to subside, so we passed the time inside the boat slip by vertically jigging a couple of our Midwest finesse baits around some unknown species of fish that were suspended three to five feet above the bottom in 15 feet of water. but we were unable to entice any of them to strike.

When the thunderstorm finally petered out, we returned to the main-lake shoreline where we had started earlier, and we caught two more spotted bass around some submerged boulders in four to six feet of water. They were caught on a swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s space-guppy Slim SwimZ fastened on a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. These were the first spotted bass that Talban had ever caught.

We then dissected the first main-lake point that lies on the west end of the shoreline that we were fishing, but we were unable to catch any spotted bass or largemouth bass there.

After that, we moved about 1 1/2 miles westward and probed the second main-lake point and its submerged roadbed and an adjacent main-lake flat.

The main-lake point surrendered one largemouth bass and two spotted bass. They were caught in three to five feet of water from one side of the roadbed. The two spotted bass were caught on a swimming retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch space-guppy Slim SwimZ rig. The largemouth bass was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a Z-Man’s hot-snakes TRD TicklerZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

While we were dissecting the roadbed point, several large schools of white bass suddenly appeared and began foraging on small half-inch threadfin shad on the surface of the water at an adjoining main-lake flat. For the next hour or so, we pursued them in water as shallow as three feet on top of the flat to water as deep as 41 feet near the main river channel that is situated many yards from the roadbed point where we were fishing. By the time this feeding spree ended, we had caught 87 white bass. They were all caught on a moderate-paced swimming retrieve with either the 2 1/2-inch space-guppy Slim SwimZ rig or the 2 1/2-inch electric-chicken Slim SwimZ rig.

Next, we meandered over to two adjacent bridges that cross the southwest tributary arm. One of them is a railroad-trestle bridge; the other is an interstate-highway bridge. We targeted 32 of the concrete support columns under these two bridges, and three of the four riprap embankments on both ends of the bridges.

The concrete support columns surrendered 13 largemouth bass, one spotted bass, and one white bass. The support columns that we probed are encircled by water as deep as 42 feet and as shallow as 12 feet. The railroad-trestle bridge columns are larger and were more productive than the smaller highway-bridge columns. Thirteen of the 14 black bass and the one white bass were caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a Z-Man’s The Deal Finesse ShadZ fastened on a black 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. One largemouth bass was caught on a swimming retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch electric-chicken Slim SwimZ rig. These bass were suspended five to eight feet below the surface in 12 to 42 feet of water, and they were associated with the exterior columns. We did not elicit any strikes from any of the interior ones.

We caught two largemouth bass from the riprap on the east side of the south bridge embankment in four to six feet of water. They were caught on The Deal Finesse ShadZ rig and a swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

We did not locate any largemouth or spotted bass around the other two bridge embankments.

We then returned to the main-lake point with the submerged roadbed. It yielded two spotted bass and one largemouth bass earlier in the morning, but it relinquished only one freshwater drum this time around.

In closing, the Z-Man’s The Deal Finesse ShadZ on a black 1/15-ounce Finesse ShroomZ jig that was employed with a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve was the most productive lure and presentation for black bass.

The concrete support columns underneath the railroad-trestle bridge was the most fruitful location.

July 6

Dave Petro of Lecompton, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his outing on July 6.

Here is an edited version of his log.

I made a solo trip to a northeastern Kansas’ U.S. Corps of Engineers’ reservoir.

Because of the flood woes in 2019 and the high-water issues this year, I had not seriously fished this impoundment for more than a year. However, the water level returned to normal during the latter part of June, and I was looking forward to plying some of the black-bass lairs that had produced some quality fish in previous years. Even though this reservoir is known for lackluster black-bass fishing, it has produced some good multi-species fishing and some lunker smallmouth bass in the past. It was the lunker smallmouth bass that were foremost in my mind as I launched the boat.

The weather was sultry and oppressive. After a morning low of 69 degrees, the mercury topped out at 92 degrees. The sky was mostly clear. The wind was light and angling from the east, southeast, and south. The barometric pressure was 30.02 and slowly falling while I was afloat.

After receiving from four to 7 3/4 inches of rain since June 27, the water level was two feet above normal. The water clarity varied from 2 ½ to five feet. The surface temperature was 84 degrees.

I made my first cast at 11:00 a.m. and fished until 3:00 p.m.

I dissected three main-lake points, three 100-yard sections of the main-lake shorelines adjacent to all three points, a break-water jetty at the mouth of a cove harboring a marina, and about 400 yards of the riprap shoreline along the dam.

I used four Midwest finesse rigs: a Z-Man’s molting-craw TRD CrawZ mounted on a red 1/16-ounce Jade’s Jig, a Z-Man’s sprayed-grass TRD TicklerZ mounted on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Jade’s Jig, a Z-Man’s Junebug TRD TicklerZ mounted on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Jade’s Jig, and a shortened Z-Man’s coppertreuse Hula StickZ on a chartreuse 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

At the first main-lake point, I could not elicit any strikes from black bass with the molting-craw TRD CrawZ rig. The point and adjacent shorelines were adorned with riprap, and the boat floated in 4.5 to eight feet of water. I did manage to hook and land one bluegill on the TRD CrawZ rig on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve and had a number of other strikes that I failed to hook. After about 10 minutes, I noticed that the TRD CrawZ had lost one of its claw appendages. A couple of casts later and the second appendage had disappeared as well. I replaced it with the sprayed-grass TRD TicklerZ rig and finished dissecting the riprap, but could not catch another fish.

Along the riprap of the dam, my fish catching woes were somewhat alleviated. After several casts with the sprayed-grass TRD TicklerZ rig, I managed to catch a smallmouth bass. This catch occurred after I had received many light nibbles and bites on the previous casts and failed to hook the fish. Eventually, I picked up the Junebug TRD TicklerZ rig and continued dissecting the dam’s riprap shoreline. During the next 2 1/2 hours, I plied about 400 yards of riprap along the middle portions of the dam, which included several repeat passes over fruitful areas. The boat floated in water as shallow as 2 1/2 feet and as deep as 10 feet. The heart of this section of the dam is where a submerged roadbed intersects the dam at right angles and provides a migration route for fish moving out of deeper water to the shoreline of the dam. This 100-yard section of the dam face can be counted on to be productive more often than any other section of the dam. At the end of the 2 ½ hours, I looked at my fish counter which revealed that I had managed to land 21 smallmouth bass and one largemouth. All but one of these fish were hooked on the Junebug TRD TicklerZ rig. It was an unusual experience in that I estimate that at least 95 percent of my retrieves elicited some kind of a bite or strike. Most of the time, this started in very shallow water within two feet of the water’s edge and on the initial drop. On most casts, after missing a hookset, I would use some combination of swim, glide, shake, deadstick, hop, jerk, and rip to entice the fish to come back. Sometimes it worked. There were times when I had a second or even multiple strikes on the same retrieve, and most of those strikes I failed to set the hook. But it worked often enough that I was able to finally catch 22 black bass. For this reason, I can’t detail which retrieve motifs were effective in catching these bass or which bass were caught on which retrieves. I could not tell on any given cast if the strikes I felt were from a single fish or multiple fish. On one cast, I was able to hook a decent sized bluegill. As I brought it up to the surface, I saw that there were at least three others with it. Based on this observation, I can well imagine that many of the multiple bites were elicited from more than one fish.

As I finished plying the dam’s riprap shoreline, I realized how oppressive the heat and humidity had become. I decided to take a boat ride and get a bottle of water to drink. So, with the breeze in my face and a water bottle in one hand, I journeyed several miles up the reservoir to the mouth of a small feeder-creek arm. Its two main-lake points are steep and adorned with gravel, rocks, and boulders. Once I was out of the shadow of the dam, I realized that the breeze had picked up enough to raise a moderate chop on the water. One of the points was fruitless. The other one yielded one bluegill and one freshwater drum.

In conclusion, I was amazed at the number of fish that were abiding in the shallow water along the dam’s riprap shoreline. Most of the smallmouth bass that I caught were dinks, measuring six inches or less. However, that bodes well for the future of the smallmouth-bass fishing in this reservoir. Virtually all of the strikes were light nibbles or pecks, and the fact that I was able to hook any of them seemed to be a matter of luck that they were able to engulf the lure in a manner that allowed the hook point to penetrate. Even the one lunker smallmouth bass that I caught came on a light strike. It was at the end of a retrieve where the lure was harassed all the way back to deeper water. There was a final peck on the line and I was able to set the hook and land a smallmouth bass that measured 18 1/2 inches and weighed approximately 3.75 pounds. Along with the 22 black bass, I also caught two green sunfish, two freshwater drum, and six bluegill.

As I drove home, with the air conditioner on full blast, I reflected on the fact that the smallmouth-bass fishing at this reservoir seems to be recovering from the doldrums that it has been in recent years. But I vowed not to return until more pleasant weather conditions arrived.

July 7

Ned and Pat Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a report on the Finesse News Network about their outing on July 7.

Here is an edited version of their report.

Several of the 478 members of the Finesse News Network have been wondering why we have failed to post any logs since June 22. The answer is that Pat Kehde and I have become members of the Geriatric Fishing Network, and our GFN outings are not worthy of being posted on the FNN.

But we can report that during the past 14 days that Patty and I have barely managed to fish four times, and we did not possess the wherewithal to endure the midday heat and sun for more than two hours per each outing. What’s more, during those eight hours, it was a struggle for us to catch 48 largemouth bass.

On July 7, we were hoping that our 79- and 80-year-old bodies, minds, and souls would have the capabilities to fish for at least three hours. But we failed again. So, here is our first Geriatric Fishing Network log.

The National Weather Service reported that it was 70 degrees at 4:52 a.m. and 93 degrees at 1:52 p.m. The conditions of the sky varied from being misty and foggy to being fair to being cluttered with a few clouds. The wind was calm for hours on end, but when it did stir, it angled from a variety of directions at 3 to 5 mph. The barometric pressure was 30.00 at 12:52 a.m., 30.00 at 5:52 a.m., 30.01 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.97 at 1:52 p.m.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 12:43 a.m. to 2:43 a.m., 1:09 p.m. to 3:09 p.m., and 6:56 a.m. to 8:56 a.m.

We fished at one of northeastern Kansas’ many community reservoirs from 11:00 a.m. to 12:42 p.m.

The water level was normal. The surface temperature ranged from 89 to 90 degrees. The water exhibited from 18 inches to almost 36 inches of visibility. At the end of the outing, the hull of our boat was encircled with a two- to three-inch-wide ribbon of brownish-green algae.

In the 102 minutes that we were afloat, we tangled with 18 largemouth bass, one crappie, and one green sunfish.

We caught three largemouth bass on our first three casts. And during the first 14 minutes, we caught a total of six largemouth bass, which were caught around a main-lake point. The underwater terrain of this point consists of gravel, rocks, and a few boulders. It possesses a 45- to 50-degree slope. One of the six largemouth bass was caught on a Z-Man’s Junebug TRD BugZ affixed to a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. The other five were caught on a Z-Man’s Junebug TRD TicklerZ affixed to a blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Two of the largemouth bass were caught on the initial drop of the TRD TicklerZ rig. The other four were caught on a drag-and-shake presentation in five to 10 feet of water.

We caught one largemouth bass on an offshore hump. The underwater terrain of this hump consists of gravel, rocks, and some humongous boulders. There is a deep-water edge that plummets into 25 feet of water. This largemouth bass was caught on the TRD TicklerZ rig with a drag-and-shake presentation in about seven feet of water.

Along the dam, we caught eight largemouth bass. The dam has a 45- to 50-degree slope, and it consists of gravel, rock, and boulders. Its water’s edge is adorned with occasional patches of American water willows. One of the largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of a Z-Man’s PB&J TRD MinnowZ affixed to a 1/16-ounce blue Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead in about four feet of water. Three of the eight were caught on the TRD BugZ rig with a drag-and-shake presentation in five to eight feet of water. Four of the eight were caught on the TRD TicklerZ rig. Two of them were caught on the initial drop in three to four feet of water, and one was caught on a deadstick presentation in about five feet of water, and one was caught on a drag-and-shake presentation in five to six feet of water. Two of the eight largemouth bass were caught in the vicinity of the outside edges of the American water willows.

On a massive offshore hump inside a major feeder-creek arm, we caught one largemouth bass. The underwater terrain of this hump consists of gravel, rocks, a number of gigantic boulders, and several large stumps. It has a deep-water edge that quickly drops into 20 feet of water. This largemouth bass was caught on the TRD MinnowZ rig with a drag-and-shake presentation around several boulders in about six feet of water.

Along about a 35-yard stretch of a main-lake shoreline, we caught one largemouth bass. This shoreline possesses a 50- to 60-degree slope. Its water’s edge is adorned with significant patches of American water willows. This largemouth bass was caught on the TRD MinnowZ rig as it was being strolled with a drag-and-subtle-shake presentation in about eight feet of water.

As we ended this short affair, we made a few casts around the point where we began the outing, and the initial drop of the TRD TicklerZ rig caught largemouth bass number 18 in about six feet of water.

We failed to garner a strike around one main-lake point and across one large main-lake hump.

In conclusion, please forgive us for being such namby-pamby anglers. Here is hoping our Geriatric Fishing Network will be a short-lived ordeal.

July 9

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his outing on July 9.

Here is an edited version of his log.

At 7:15 a.m., the sky was mostly cloudy when Norman Brown of Lewisville and I launched the boat at one of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ reservoir in north-central Texas. It became partly cloudy by 9:30 a.m. The morning low temperature was 78 degrees, and the afternoon high temperature was 96 degrees with a heat index of 104 degrees. A 10- to 15-mph wind blew out of the south and southeast. The barometric pressure measured 29.82 at 7:00 a.m., and 29.84 at noon.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar indicated that the black-bass fishing would be average, and the best fishing opportunities would occur from 1:47 a.m. to 3:47 a.m., 7:59 a.m. to 9:59 a.m., and 2:11 p.m. to 4:11 p.m. Norman and I fished from 7:30 a.m. to noon, and the fishing was trying.

The water level was 2.66 feet high. The water clarity varied from 12 inches in the northwest section of the reservoir to two feet at the dam. The surface temperature ranged from 85 to 88 degrees.

In the south end of the impoundment, we targeted a main-lake island and a submerged hump.

On the east side of the reservoir, we probed about two-thirds of the dam, which is covered with riprap, and its adjacent concrete water-outlet tower.

In the reservoir’s northern region, we concentrated on four rocky main-lake points, a 300-yard section of a main-lake shoreline, and a 50-yard section of another main-lake shoreline.

To start, we travelled to the south end of the reservoir and dissected the shoreline of a main-lake island. The shallow-water areas around this island are littered with flooded trees, bushes, stumps, and some laydowns. Its underwater terrain consists of pea-gravel and red clay. There was also an abundance of small threadfin shad, ranging in size from a quarter to a half of an inch, inhabiting the shallow-water areas around this island.

The black-bass bite started off quickly, and we caught four largemouth bass and one spotted bass with our first 10 casts along the north end of the island. Then, the bite slowed to a tedious crawl for the remainder of the morning. The east side of the island yielded one largemouth bass and one white bass; the south end was fruitless; and the west side relinquished one white bass. These fish were scattered around the flooded trees and bushes in three to five feet of water. Three largemouth bass and one spotted bass were caught on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Eagle Claw Pro-V Finesse Jig that was sporting a slightly shortened Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Hula StickZ. Two largemouth bass and two white bass were caught on a swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

From the island, we moved eastward to the dam. The dam forms the eastern boundary of this impoundment and has a north-to-south orientation. A large concrete water-outlet tower is situated near the north end of the dam, and it is surrounded by water as deep as 37 feet and as shallow as 12 feet. There were large schools of small threadfin shad all along the riprap of the dam. We caught only one largemouth bass, and it was extracted from 10 feet of water and about 25 feet from the water’s edge. It was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Eagle Claw Pro-V Finesse Jig that was dressed with a Z-Man’s coppertreuse Finesse TRD.

One of the concrete walls of the water-outlet tower relinquished two largemouth bass that were suspended about five feet below the surface in 27 feet of water. One was caught on the coppertreuse Finesse TRD rig and a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve. The other largemouth bass was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a Z-Man’s bubble-gut TRD TicklerZ that was matched to a Z-Man’s 1/15-ounce chartreuse Finesse ShroomZ jig. Both of these largemouth bass were caught near large pods of shad and about 10 to 15 feet from the wall of the tower.

From the dam, we moved to the north end of the reservoir where we concentrated on four main-lake points, a 50-yard portion of a main-lake shoreline, and a 300-yard section of main-lake shoreline. We observed significant aggregations of threadfin shad at all six of these locales.

We were surprised that we were unable to elicit any strikes from the four main-lake points and the 50-yard stretch of main-lake shoreline.

We did manage to catch seven largemouth bass from a 300-yard section of a main-lake shoreline. This shoreline is fairly steep with 30- to 40-degree slopes. Its underwater terrain is made up of red clay, pea-gravel, and various shapes and sizes of rocks and boulders. There are also a few thin patches of flooded stickups along its water’s edge.

These seven largemouth bass were associated with the large submerged boulders in three to five feet of water. Three of them were caught on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with the green-pumpkin Hula StickZ. Two were enticed by a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with the bubble-gut TRD TicklerZ. One engulfed a shortened four-inch Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse WormZ that was fastened on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig as it was utilized with a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve. And one was caught on a deadstick presentation with the green-pumpkin Hula StickZ rig.

After that, we moved back to the south side of the reservoir where we dissected the top and sides of a submerged hump without success.

We finished the outing at the island where we started this outing. This time, we could garner only one subtle strike from around the flooded terrestrial vegetation near the water’s edge, and we failed to hook that fish. We decided to move out to deeper water, and we slowly strolled the green-pumpkin Hula StickZ and bubble-gut TRD TicklerZ rigs along the top of a red-clay-and-gravel ledge that lies in 20 feet of water. We observed on our sonar devices some schools of shad and other unknown species of fish that were inhabiting several spots along this ledge, but we were unable to get them to bite.

Overall, it was a frustrating and tedious morning of fishing. We fished for 4 1/2 hours and we could barely eke out 14 largemouth bass, one spotted bass, and two white bass. We were baffled by the fact that we found good concentrations of threadfin shad at all the spots that we fished, which is a key element to success in the Corps’ reservoirs in north-central Texas. But for some reason or reasons unknown to us, the black bass seemed to be in some kind of a funk, and it became a difficult task for us to locate and catch them.

July 10

Dave Petro of Lecompton, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his outing on July 10.

Here is an edited version of his log.

I returned for solo outing to the U.S. Corps of Engineers’ reservoir in northeastern Kansas that I fished on June 23.

I fished from 11:40 a.m. to 3:40 p.m.

The weather was warm and sunny. The low temperature was 65 degrees. The high temperature was 90 degrees. The wind angled from the east, southeast, and south at 7 to 9 mph. The barometric pressure was 30.06 and slowly falling while I was afloat. The sky was partly cloudy in the morning, and it became completely clear as the afternoon wore on.

The water level was about one foot above normal. The Corps of Engineers reported that the surface temperature was 79 degrees. The water clarity varied from 18 inches to four feet, and it was stained green by a waning algae bloom.

During my last several outings at this reservoir and another nearby Corp’s impoundment, I have noted that the white bass, which abide in abundance in both reservoirs, have been conspicuous by their absence. On this outing, my goal was to ply some black bass lairs that are usually shared by white bass and I had hopes of catching both species.

I dissected about 100 yards of the inside portions of a riprap breakwater jetty that surrounds a marina and about 400 yards of the outside wall of this jetty. I also fished one half of the riprap shoreline of the dam, 250 yards of a rocky main-lake shoreline, 150 yards of another rocky main-lake shoreline, 100 yards of another rocky main-lake shoreline, and three main-lake points.

Along the breakwater jetty, the boat floated in water from eight to 24 feet deep. Along the dam, it floated in 2 ½ to nine feet of water, and along the main-lake shorelines and points, it floated in 1 1/2 to 12 feet of water.

I used a Z-Man’s Junebug TRD TicklerZ mounted on either a chartreuse 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig or a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Jade’s Jig and a Z-Man’s yoga-pants TRD HogZ mounted on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Jade’s Jig.

I started fishing at the tip of the riprap jetty at the entrance to the marina and slowly worked my way along the inside section of the jetty. During the first 20 minutes, I caught four largemouth bass and one smallmouth bass on the TRD TicklerZ rig. One largemouth was caught on the initial drop, two were caught on a deadstick presentation in the middle of a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve, and one was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve. Because of the boat traffic in this area, I positioned the boat close to the riprap and made casts and retrieves that were somewhat parallel to the riprap shoreline.

Along the outside edges of this jetty, I caught seven largemouth bass and one smallmouth bass on the TRD TicklerZ rig. Along this jetty, there is an inside or concave corner and two outside or convex corners. The two outside corners are separated by about 50 yards of a straight riprap shoreline, and this was the most productive area along the riprap. Two of these black bass were caught on the initial drop, and three were caught on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve. Along the other 300 yards of this jetty, I caught three largemouth bass on the TRD TicklerZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation, and they were widely scattered.

Many yards of the dam’s riprap shoreline were unproductive. I could not elicit strikes from any black bass. Furthermore, I observed many large and small schools of two-inch-long gizzard shad. This was the first time in 2020 that I have seen shad on the surface. Much to my disappointment, I did not see any signs of predation occurring from either black or white bass on these schools of shad. Along the final 100 yards of the dam’s shoreline, I caught four smallmouth bass and one largemouth bass. Because the water was more stained than elsewhere on the dam, I elected to use the yoga-pants TRD HogZ rig. One of the four smallmouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the TRD HogZ rig. The other three and the largemouth bass were beguiled by a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve.

The three main-lake shorelines and two of the main-lake points proved to be fruitless.

However, around the third main-lake point, I caught four smallmouth bass on the TRD HogZ rig. This point and its adjacent shoreline are adorned with rocks and boulders, and they are also graced with several shelves or ledges that plummet into deeper water. Two of the smallmouth bass were caught on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve, and the other two inhaled the rig as I moved it off of a deadstick presentation.

In all, I caught 12 largemouth bass and 10 smallmouth bass. The TRD TicklerZ rig caught 11 largemouth bass and two smallmouth bass. The TRD HogZ rig caught one largemouth bass and eight smallmouth bass. I also caught one crappie, one bluegill, six freshwater drum, and seven green sunfish. It is getting to be difficult to catch significant numbers of black bass, and I am disappointed by the continuing absence of the white bass.

July 13

Ned and Pat Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a report on the Finesse News Network about their outing on July 13.

Here is an edited version of their report.

The National Weather Service reported that it was 67 degrees at 6:53 a.m. and 87 degrees at 2:53 p.m. The wind was calm for two hours, and when it blew, it angled out of the east, south, and southeast at 3 to 22 mph. The sky was fair. The barometric pressure was 29.96 at 12:53 a.m., 29.94 at 5:53 a.m., 29.96 at 11:53 a.m., and 29.92 at 2:53 p.m.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would take place from 5:28 a.m. to 7:28 a.m., 5:48 p.m. to 7:48 p.m., and 11:18 a.m. to 1:18 p.m.

Pat Kehde and I are old codgers, and one of the ways that we are dealing with the limitations that have been created by the COVID-19 pandemic is to fish our community, state, and federal reservoirs in northeastern Kansas for just a few hours, and when these waterways are not crowded. On our July 7 report, we noted that are now members of the Geriatric Fishing Network rather than the Finesse News Network. And this is another GFN report.

We fished from 9:53 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. at a community reservoir.

The water level looked to be normal. The surface temperature was 84 degrees. The water exhibited 2 ½ to three feet of secchi-stick visibility.

Patty highlight these 150 minutes by catching a largemouth bass on the first cast and catching one onthe last cast. In between those two casts, we caught 24 largemouth bass, which is a catch rate of 10.4 largemouth bass per hour.

Two of the 26 largemouth bass were caught on a 2 ½-inch Z-Man’s coppertreuse ZinkerZ affixed to a blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. A Z-Man’s Junebug TRD TicklerZ affixed to a blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead caught two largemouth bass.

We caught four largemouth bass along the dam. It has a 50- to 55-degrees slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, and parts of its shallow-water areas are clothed with patches of coontail. The water’s edge is endowed with patches of American water willows. Two of the largemouth bass were caught on the Finesse WormZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in four to six feet of water. Two were caught on the ZinkerZ rig, and one was caught on the initial drop in about four feet of water, and the other one was caught on a drag-and-shake-presentation in about seven feet of water.

Along an offshore ledge and a series of rocky humps in the lower half of this reservoir, we caught two largemouth bass on the Finesse WormZ rig in about five feet of water with a drag-and-shake presentation.

Around two main-lake points and along portions of their adjacent shorelines in the upper half of this reservoir, we caught 11 largemouth bass. These points and shorelines have a 30- to 40-degree slope. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, and some of the underwater terrain is graced with patches of coontail, and other areas are barren of submerged aquatic vegetation. The shoreline is endowed with patches of American water willows, a few overhanging trees, and six docks.

Two of the 11 largemouth bass were caught on the TRD TicklerZ rig. One of these TRD TicklerZ catches occurred around the outside edge of a patch of coontail with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in four to five feet of water, and the second one was caught with a drag-and-shake presentation across some piles of rocks and boulders in about seven feet of water.

Nine of the 11 largemouth bass were caught on the Finesse WormZ rig. One of those nine were caught around one of the outside corners of one of the docks in about six feet of water with a swim-glide-shake presentation. Two of the 11 largemouth bass were caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation around the outside edges of the patches of coontail. Six largemouth bass were caught around the piles of rocks and boulders with either a drag-and-shake presentation or a drag-and-slight-deadstick presentation in seven to eight feet of water.

Along about a 200-yard stretch of a main-lake shoreline and one main-lake point, we caught nine largemouth bass. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and a few boulders. This area possesses a 25- to 60-degree slope. Most of its flat and shallow-water areas are graced with patches of coontail. Some of its water’s edges are bordered with concrete retaining walls, and other sections are lined with a few laydowns, some patches of American water willows, several overhanging trees, three docks, and a small bridge.

All of these nine largemouth bass were caught on the Finesse WormZ rig. Around the patches of coontail, they were caught in three to five feet of water on with the initial drop or a swim-glide-and-shake presentation. One was caught on the initial drop along the outside edge of a patch of American water willows in about three feet of water. One was caught near a concrete retaining wall on the initial drop in about three feet of water.

In sum, this is the finesse-worm time in this part of the world, and it has been that way for as long as us old codgers can remember. What’s more, a Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ has been the standard-bearer at this community reservoir and several other nearby community and state reservoirs since 2009 and 2010.

July 18

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his outing on July 18.

Here is an edited version of his log.

From 7:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., Norman Brown of Lewisville and I fished at a state reservoir that is located in the rural countryside of north-central Texas.

When we arrived at the boat ramp parking lot, we were surprised to see that it was chock-full of tow vehicles and boat trailers. We also noticed that the overflow parking lot was crammed full as well, and vehicles with boat trailers were relegated to parking along a grassy shoulder of a nearby gravel maintenance road. (We have not seen boat-ramp parking lots this packed since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March.) We later learned from a couple of tournament anglers that a bass tournament was in progress, and one of those two anglers thought that two bass tournaments were under way simultaneously. This was the first tournament activity we have seen this year.

According to In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar, the fishing would most likely be good, and the best fishing would occur from 2:48 a.m. to 4:58 a.m., 9:11 a.m. to 11:11 a.m., and 9:39 p.m. to 11:39 p.m.

The morning low temperature was 74 degrees, and the afternoon high temperature was 94 degrees. There was not a cloud in sight for miles. The barometric pressure increased from 29.88 at 7:00 a.m. to 29.98 at noon. The wind quartered out of the south-by-southeast at 10 to 15 mph.

Besides the tournament anglers, this reservoir was teeming with pleasure boats, jet skiers, and anglers of all kinds. Several of our most productive areas were occupied by tournament anglers, and we had to fish a few less-desirable spots to get away from the crowds.

We concentrated our efforts on two main-lake islands, four rocky main-lake shorelines, three riprap jetties, an offshore hump, a main-lake point, and a portion of that main-lake point’s adjoining shoreline at the mouth of a small bay.

There are some flourishing patches of hydrilla, American pondweed, and American water willows in the middle section and south end of the reservoir, but the bulk of this reservoir’s shorelines are rock- and boulder-laden. Its underwater terrain is composed of mostly red clay, gravel, rocks and boulders. Some of the shorelines are adorned with flooded buck brush, stickups, overhanging trees, and some laydowns.

Depending on where we were fishing, the water exhibited between 1 1/2 to two feet of visibility. The surface temperature ranged from 84 to 87 degrees. The water level was 0.11 of a foot above its normal pool level.

One of the islands that we investigated is located in the southeast end of the reservoir. We shared it with two tournament anglers. Its shorelines are flat and somewhat rocky. The east side of the island had a few large pods of small threadfin shad meandering around some patches of American pondweed in five to eight feet of water. It is usually one of our most productive spots, but it was unproductive this time.

The other island is situated in the middle section of the reservoir. Its shoreline has about a 25- to 30-degree incline. There were significant aggregations of threadfin shad dwelling around the shallow-water areas of the island. This island yielded three largemouth bass and one freshwater drum. These fish were associated with some patches of American pondweed that were interlaced with some submerged boulders in three to five feet of water. They were enticed with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a Z-Man’s The Deal Finesse ShadZ rigged on a black 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. The freshwater drum was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a shortened Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Hula StickZ attached to a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Eagle Claw Laser Pro-V Finesse jig.

We shared the three riprap jetties with three other boats of anglers. Two of the riprap jetties are located on the northeast end of the impoundment. We did not locate any significant concentrations of threadfin shad around either of these two jetties, so we did not waste any time fishing them.

The third riprap jetty is positioned on the east side of the reservoir. We located several schools of threadfin shad along one side of the jetty, but we failed to elicit any strikes there.

We also failed to cross paths with any black bass at a rocky main-lake point and a 50-yard section of an adjacent rocky shoreline at the mouth of a small bay that is situated in the southeast end of the impoundment.

The four main-lake shorelines were the most productive locales. The first one is located on the east side of the reservoir. The second, third, and fourth shorelines are situated on the northwest end of the reservoir. All of them were inhabited with goodly numbers of small threadfin shad.

The first main-lake shoreline is flat, and it yielded two largemouth bass and one spotted bass. It is also adorned with a decorative stone wall and a couple of covered boat houses that are positioned in 12 to 17 feet of water. One largemouth bass and one spotted bass were caught from the shoreline near some submerged boulders in less than four feet of water. One largemouth bass was caught from a shaded area underneath one of the two boat houses. It was suspended about five feet below the surface in 17 feet of water. One of the three was caught on the initial drop of the 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ rig. The other two were caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation with a Z-Man’s bubble-gut TRD TicklerZ matched with a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

The second main-lake shoreline yielded three largemouth bass and three spotted bass. This shoreline has a 40- to 45-degree gradient. These bass were abiding in three to five feet of water near patches of submerged boulders. Three were caught on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a Z-Man’s coppertreuse Finesse TRD that was rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Eagle Claw Pro-V Finesse jig. The other three were caught on a steady swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ that was fastened on a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

The third main-lake shoreline is located a short distance from the second one. Its shoreline is identical to the second one. It surrendered one largemouth bass that was caught next to a large submerged boulder in three feet of water. It was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation with The Deal Finesse ShadZ rig.

The fourth shoreline, which appears to be similar to the second and third ones, was fruitless.

The main-lake hump surrendered two largemouth bass. This hump is located in the middle section of the impoundment. It is covered with four to 12 feet of water. There is a patch of submerged boulders on its north end. Both of these largemouth bass were caught from the top of the hump, near the submerged boulders, in five to eight feet of water. Both of them were caught on a steady swimming retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ rig.

Overall, the fishing was not as good as the In-Fisherman’s solunar table had indicated. We had a difficult time locating and catching 11 largemouth bass, four spotted bass, and one freshwater drum in five hours.

Some of the areas we fished were entertaining good concentrations of small one-inch threadfin shad, but that did not seem to help the black bass bite like it usually does.

We employed eight Midwest finesse rigs. Four were productive. Our two most effective ones were the 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ and the Z-Man’s The Deal Finesse ShadZ combos.

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

July 19

Bob Gum of Kansas City, Kansas, filed a brief on the Finesse News Network about his July 19 outing.

Here is an edited version of his brief.

The National Weather Service reported that it was 78 degrees at 6:52 a.m. and 90 degrees at 2:52 p.m. The conditions of the sky fluctuated from being fair to being mostly cloudy to being overcast to being littered with a few clouds. The wind angled out of the south, southwest, northwest, west, east, and southeast at 3 to 10 mph. The barometric pressure was 29.91 at 12:52 a.m., 29.95 at 5:52 a.m., 29.98 at 11:52 a.m., and 29.99 at 2:52 p.m.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar indicated that the best fishing would occur from 9:52 a.m. to 11:52 a.m., 10:21 p.m. to 12:21 a.m., and 3:38 a.m. to 5:38 a.m.

Wesley Stark of Kansas City, Missouri, and I fished from 7:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at one of northeastern Kansas’ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ reservoirs.

The water level was a few inches above normal. The surface temperature was 85 degrees. The water exhibited about three feet of visibility.

Our most fruitful locations were riprap shorelines in the lower section of this reservoir.

By the time we made our last casts and retrieves, our fish counter revealed that we had caught 92 fishing. Ten of them were freshwater drum, four were green sunfish, and three were crappie. The other 75 were black bass, and we think that about 50 of them were largemouth bass and 25 were smallmouth bass.

I caught a largemouth bass on my first cast. By 9:00 a.m., we had caught more than 50 fish. Then our catch rate slowed down considerably.

Early on, Wesley outfished me from the back end of the boat by a four-to-one ratio by using a Z-Man’s coppertruse Hula StickZ on a black 1/16-ounce Eagle Claw Fishing Tackle’s Trokar Tungsten Pro-V Finesse Jig.

I caught most of my fish on either a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse ShadZ affixed to a red 1/16-ounce Jade’s Jig or a Z-Man’s PB&J Hula StickZ affixed to a red 1/16-ounce Jade’s Jig.

We caught most of our fish in two to eight feet of water by employing a swim-slide-and-shake presentation.

July 21

Steve Reideler of Denton, Texas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his outing on July 21.

Here is an edited version of his log.

From 7:00 a.m. to noon, Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas, and I conducted a morning excursion at one of several U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ hill-land reservoirs in north-central Texas.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar indicated that the fishing would be average. The solunar calendar also noted that the most productive fishing periods would occur from 5:38 a.m. to 7:38 a.m., 11:24 a.m. to 1:24 p.m., and 11:52 p.m. to 1:52 a.m.

It was mostly cloudy throughout the morning with a few brief spells of sunshine. According to The Weather Underground, the morning low temperature was 75 degrees and the afternoon high temperature was 92 degrees with a heat index of 101 degrees. The barometric pressure measured 29.94 at 7:00 a.m. and 29.94 at noon. The wind quartered out of the southeast at 8 to 12 mph.

The water level was 0.26 of a foot above normal. The water exhibited about 18 inches of visibility. The surface temperature ranged from 86 to 88 degrees.

Norman and I concentrated our efforts in the midsection of the southwest tributary arm and the middle portion of the east tributary arm.

In the southwest tributary arm, we caught a mixed bag of 15 largemouth bass and spotted bass, and one white bass.

Four spotted bass were caught along a main-lake shoreline and around its adjoining main-lake point. Its underwater terrain consists of red clay, pea-gravel, rocks, and a few patches of boulders. It is also adorned with a couple of large laydowns. Two of the spotted bass were caught around the submerged boulders on the main-lake shoreline in less than five feet of water on a swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ affixed on a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. The other two were caught in less than five feet of water from the end of the main-lake point on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a shortened Z-Man’s coppertreuse Hula StickZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Eagle Claw Finesse Pro-V jig.

Four largemouth bass and one spotted bass were caught from another main-lake point and an adjacent pocket or cut on the west side of the point. The point is endowed with a delapidated asphalt roadbed. The small cut next to the point possesses a patch of flooded stickups in six feet of water. This patch of stickups is about the size of a 21-foot bass boat.

Three of the four largemouth bass and one spotted bass were caught on top of the roadbed in four to six feet of water. The three largemouth bass were caught on a swimming retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ rig. The spotted bass was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a shortened Z-Man’s coppertreuse Hula StickZ rig.

The patch of flooded stickups in the small cut next to the point yielded one largemouth bass. It was caught from an opening in the middle of the stickups in six feet of water on a swimming retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ rig. We hooked and lost another small spotted bass near the water’s edge on the coppertreuse Hula StickZ rig and a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve.

We caught two largemouth bass and one spotted bass from a series of 11 concrete support pilings underneath a railroad trestle bridge. These three black bass were suspended about five to eight feet below the water’s surface in 13 to 37 feet of water and close to the sides of the concrete support columns. The first one was caught on a Z-Man’s The Deal Finesse ShadZ affixed on a black 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. The second one was caught on the coppertreuse Hula StickZ rig. The third one was caught on a Z-Man’s pearl TRD TicklerZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig. All three of these rigs were manipulated with a slow swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

In four to six feet of water next to four riprap-laden bridge embankments we caught two largemouth bass, one spotted bass, and one white bass. One of the largemouth bass, the spotted bass, and the white bass were caught on the 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ with a steady swimming retrieve. The second largemouth bass was caught on the coppertreuse Hula StickZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve.

The east tributary arm was not as productive as the southwest tributary arm, and we had to cover a lot of water in order to catch three largemouth bass, one spotted bass, and one white bass.

In four feet of water along a 100-yard stretch of a main-lake shoreline, we caught one largemouth bass. This shoreline is flat. Its submerged terrain is comprised of red clay, pea-gravel, rocks, and numerous large boulders. This largemouth bass was associated with one of the larger boulders and was induced into striking a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a 3 1/2-inch Z-Man’s coppertreuse Trick ShotZ fastened on a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

Underneath a massive toll bridge, we caught one largemouth bass and one spotted bass that were relating to two large and square-shaped concrete support columns. These two columns are situated about 25 yards from the water’s edge and are encircled by 17 feet of water. The spotted bass was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a chartreuse1/16-ounce Eagle Claw Finesse Pro-V jig that was sporting a Z-Man’s mudbug Hula StickZ. The largemouth bass was enticed by a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with the 3 1/2-inch coppertreuse Trick ShotZ rig. Both of these black bass were suspended about eight to 10 feet below the surface of the water and within a foot of the concrete columns.

We caught the last largemouth bass in three feet of water from the side of a riprap-covered main-lake point. It was caught on a swim-glide-and-shake presentation with the 3 1/2-inch coppertreuse Trick ShotZ rig.

We dissected another rocky main-lake shoreline that was infested with large aggregations of threadfin shad, but it yielded only one white bass that engulfed the 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ as we were swimming it around, underneath, and through the schools of threadfin shad in 13 feet of water.

In conclusion, we caught a total of 19 largemouth bass and spotted bass. We also inadvertently caught two white bass. Most of them were smaller specimens, but there were several keeper-sized ones mixed in with the smaller ones.

The shortened Z-Man’s coppertreuse Hula StickZ rig that was employed with a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve and the 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ rig that was employed with a swimming retrieve were the two most productive lures and presentations.

July 22

Dave Petro of Lecompton, Kansas, posted a log on the Finesse News Network about his July 22 outing to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ reservoir in northeastern Kansas.

Here is an edited version of his log.

The low temperature was 67 degrees, and the high temperature was 90 degrees. The wind was often calm, and when it stirred, it angled from north, northeast, and east at no more than 6 mph. The barometric pressure was 30.03 and slowly falling while I was afloat.

The lake level was two feet above normal and slowly rising throughout the afternoon. The surface temperature was 84 degrees. The water exhibited 12 to 24 inches of visibility. There were rafts of algae particles and a foamy residue floating on the water’s surface in many places.

I fished from 10:30 a.m. to 4:50 p.m.

I fished around seven main-lake points and their adjacent shorelines, along two bridge abutments, around three support columns under a bridge, along a 350-yard section of rocky main-lake shoreline, and along a 200-yard section of another rocky main-lake shoreline.

I caught a total of 63 fish, which yielded a catch rate of 10 fish per hour.

I used five Midwest Finesse rigs: a Z-Man’s California-craw TRD CrawZ mounted on a red 1/16-ounce Jade’s Jig, a Z-Man’s Junebug TRD TicklerZ mounted on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Jade’s Jig, a Z-Man’s Coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ mounted on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Jade’s Jig, a slightly shortened four-inch Z-Man’s Coppertreuse Finesse WormZ mounted on a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Jade’s Jig, and a slightly shortened four-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ mounted on a chartreuse 1/20-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

What I found to be unusual about fishing on this trip was the amount of small fish activity in every location. The casts that did not have some kind of strike during the retrieve were the exception. On virtually every cast in some locations, small fish were striking the lure, picking it up, carrying it for yards, and harassing it all the way back to the boat. While a lot of this activity was generated by very small black bass, the green sunfish in some locations and bluegill in other locations were responsible for most of it. It is hard to believe how many of these little fish were abiding along the rocky shorelines. Because of the attention they were giving my lures, it was hard to maintain a coherent retrieve style. Therefore, I really can’t relate what retrieves were effective. From the initial drop and all the way to the boat, each retrieve seemed to produce multiple strikes. Setting the hook and landing one of these dinks was also the exception rather than the rule. Most of the time, when I attempted to set the hook, I would feel good weight from the fish, and then it would let go of the lure. When that happened, I let it settle back to the bottom, and then I would hop, shake, and swim it in an attempt to bring the fish back. This worked much of the time, but it mostly resulted in the same failure to hook the fish.

The first area that I fished was the 350-yard section of a very rocky main-lake shoreline that is adorned with several cuts and tertiary points. Along this shoreline, the boat floated in four to 14 feet of water. Using the TRD CrawZ rig, I allured two largemouth bass and one smallmouth bass. As I neared the end of this shoreline, I caught one largemouth bass on the Junebug TRD TicklerZ rig. These four fish were caught on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve after small green sunfish had harassed the lure into deeper water several yards away from the water’s edge. This was to become the standard for the day.

Under a bridge, I caught one smallmouth bass on the Junebug TRD TicklerZ rig from the riprap shoreline of the bridge abutment. Two largemouth bass were caught on the coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ rig in the vicinity of two of the bridge’s concrete support columns. One of these two largemouth bass struck on a swim-glide-and-shake retrieve. The second was a 3 ½-pound specimen, and it was caught on a vertical hop-and-shake presentation next to another pillar, which is situated in 24 feet of water.

Around two steep and rocky main-lake points at the mouth of a small feeder-creek arm, I caught one largemouth bass on the coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ rig at one of the points and a smallmouth bass on the coppertreuse Finesse WormZ rig at the second point. The rocky shorelines inside the feeder creek did not produce any strikes.

At this point in time, I had been fishing for nearly three hours and had caught a paltry total of nine black bass. After puzzling for a bit about where all of the black bass might be, I decided to head down the lake to the main-lake point at the mouth of one of the reservoir’s major feeder-creek arms.

Along this rocky and flat point and short sections of its adjacent shoreline, I caught five smallmouth bass and one largemouth bass. All of these fish were caught on the Junebug Finesse WormZ rig. I also had to contend with a huge concentration of palm-sized bluegill, which disrupted my black-bass fishing endeavors. The black bass were caught on retrieves in the midst of continuous lure harassment by the bluegills and very small bass. In fact, I suspect that the larger bass might have been attracted by the commotion that the smaller fish were creating around the Finesse WormZ rig.

When I became tired of the small fish activity, I moved down the shoreline about a quarter of a mile. I fished around another main-lake point, along a 200-yard section of a main-lake shoreline, and around two main-lake points at the mouth of a small feeder-creek arm. The water along these points and shorelines was four to 12 feet deep, and the underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. A submerged creek channel swings in close to a portion of the main-lake shoreline. The whole area is adorned with rocks and small to large boulders.

At the first point, I caught four smallmouth bass, including a 3 ½-pound brute, and one largemouth, which were caught on the Junebug Finesse WormZ rig. I also found that the harassment from small fish was even worse than it was at the previous spot. So, again, it is hard to describe the retrieve motif because it was constantly disrupted by the small fish striking and harassing the lure during the retrieve.

Along the section of the main-lake shoreline, I caught two smallmouth bass on the Junebug Finesse WormZ rig.

I caught a two-pound smallmouth bass on the Junebug Finesse WormZ around one of the points at the mouth of the feeder creek.

Around the other main-lake point at the mouth of the small feeder-creek arm, I caught one largemouth bass and four smallmouth bass on the Junebug Finesse WormZ rig. The largemouth bass weighted 3 ½ pounds, and one of the smallmouth bass weighed about 3 ¼ pounds. And as I released the largemouth bass, I realized that this main-lake point was blocking any of the breeze that was blowing. What’s more, I was sweating profusely and on the verge of being overheated. In short, I was done for the day.

In all, I caught nine largemouth bass and 19 smallmouth bass. I inadvertently caught one channel catfish, two freshwater drum, nine green sunfish, and 23 bluegills. There was so much activity from green perch in some locations and bluegill in others, I have no doubt that if I had been able to hook even 10 percent of the strikes, I would have caught literally hundreds of fish during this outing. It is always a memorable day to inadvertently catch more non-targeted species than of my primary target of black bass. The Junebug Finesse WormZ rig was easily the most productive lure for this outing. Even though most of the fish, including the black bass, were very small, the handful of hefty ones made the day even better. Two of the largemouth bass were 3 ½-pounders. Two of the smallmouth bass weighed from 3 ¼ to 3 ½ pounds. One smallmouth bass weight two pounds, and one largemouth bass weighed two pounds. Moreover, the channel catfish looked to be a four-pounder, and one of the freshwater drum weighed about 2 ½ pounds. That is a lot of big fish to catch in northeastern Kansas in the middle of the day in the middle of July.

July 23

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

Here is an edited version of his log.

Norman Brown of Lewisville, Texas, and I fished from 7:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. at a problematic U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ hill-land reservoir in north-central Texas. This reservoir was one of our most bountiful venues in 2016 and 2017, but since mid-November of 2017, its productivity has waned substantially.

According to In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar, the fishing would be poor. But it also noted that the best opportunities would occur from 1:24 a.m. to 3:24 a.m., 7:38 a.m. to 9:38 a.m., and 1:51 a.m. to 3:51 a.m.

Area thermometers recorded the morning low temperature at 78 degrees, and the afternoon high temperature reached 98 degrees. The sunlit sky was highlighted with a few clouds. The barometric pressure measured 29.97 at 7:00 a.m. and 29.99 at noon. The wind quartered out of the southeast at 5 to 10 mph.

The water’s surface temperature was 87 degrees. The water level was a few inches above normal. The water exhibited between 1 1/2 to two feet of visibility.

The black bass bite at this reservoir was poor, and it was the toughest fishing we have experienced anywhere this summer. And during this tormenting four-hour-and-45-minute endeavor, our best efforts could muster only 11 largemouth bass.

When the black bass fishing is this poor this time of year, it is a difficult task for me to write a useful log about it. But what I can mention is that our two most fruitful locations were rock- and boulder-laden main-lake points and two islands. The main-lake points, and one of the two islands, are located in the northern section of the reservoir. The other island is situated in the impoundment’s southern region.

We caught four largemouth bass from the two islands. These four largemouth bass were caught in three to seven feet of water around submerged boulders mixed with fist-size rocks on a swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s pearl Slim SwimZ rigged on a chartreuse 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

In 10 to 15 feet of water along a series of 11 steep and rocky main-lake points, we struggled to catch six largemouth bass. Five were caught on a 2 3/4-inch Drew’s craw TRD TubeZ affixed to either a chartreuse 1/15-ounce Finesse ShroomZ jig or a chartreuse 1/16-ounce Eagle Claw Pro-V Finesse jig. These two rigs were employed with a slow drag-and-deadstick presentation, which is not typically a very productive presentation for us this time of year. The other largemouth was caught on a swimming retrieve with the 2 1/2-inch pearl Slim SwimZ rig.

We caught one largemouth bass along the dam on the east side of the reservoir. It was suspended about five feet below the surface in 31 feet of water next to a large concrete water-outlet tower. It was caught on a slow swim-glide-and-shake retrieve with a Z-Man’s The Deal TRD TicklerZ affixed to a black 1/15-ounce Finesse ShroomZ jig. The remainder of the riprap-covered dam was fruitless.

As we were loading the boat on the trailer, we spoke with a kayak angler who was also preparing to leave. He reported that he had two strikes all morning. One was a spotted bass that he landed, and the other strike was from an unknown species of fish that broke his line before he could see it.

And as I was driving home, I spoke with Rick Allen of Dallas by phone. Since mid-March, he and his wife, Linda, have been spending their time during this COVID-19 pandemic in the south-Texas’ Hill Country fishing the Guadeloupe River. He reported that the black bass fishing there has been horrible for the past several weeks too, and he caught only two largemouth bass during his morning outing on July 23.

July 25

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

Here is an edited version of his log.

The black bass fishing in north-central Texas was pretty decent in June, but July has been a different story as the black bass fishing has become ho-hum at best.

For example, on July 23, Norman Brown of Lewisville and I fished at one of several U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ reservoirs in north-central Texas, and it was a dull and laborious task for us to locate and catch 11 largemouth bass in four hours and 45 minutes.

So on July 25, Talban Kantala of Carrollton, Texas, and I thought we would try to break this awful trend of mediocre black bass fishing by fishing at another popular Corps’ reservoir in north-central Texas.

The Weather Underground reported that it was 78 degrees at 6:00 a.m. and 90 degrees at 6:00 p.m. The sky conditions fluctuated from being partly cloudy to mostly cloudy to overcast. The barometric pressure was 29.96 at 7:00 a.m. and 29.96 at noon. The wind angled out of the east-by-southeast at 10 to 15 mph.

According to In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar, the best fishing would occur from 3:21 a.m. to 5:21 a.m., 9:33 a.m. to 11:33 a.m., and 3:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.

Talban and I fished from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and the black bass fishing was as humdrum as it was at the other Corps’ reservoirs that we have fished during the past several weeks.

The water level was a few inches below its normal pool. The surface temperature ranged from 85 to 87 degrees. The water exhibited 27 inches of visibility.

The highlight of the day was the white bass fishing. We crossed paths with a huge school of them as we were slowly motoring out of the marina where we launched the boat. They seemed to be just about everywhere on a massive main-lake flat as they were aggressively chasing one-inch threadfin shad on the surface of the water. We took advantage of this opportunity and caught 49 of them in about an hour. They were caught in water as shallow as four feet and as deep as 12 feet on a moderately-paced swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s bad-shad Slim SwimZ that was fastened on a black 1/10-ounce Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jig.

After the white bass feeding frenzy came to an end, we spent the next four hours covering about five miles of the reservoir’s lower end for largemouth bass and spotted bass. We focused on the riprap-laden dam, six main-lake flats, and five prominent main-lake points.

We failed miserably to locate any large concentrations of black bass. But much to our consternation, we could barely eke out 10 largemouth bass, five spotted bass, and three freshwater drum. In fact, these 15 black bass were scattered so far apart that we would catch only one or two of them every now and then.

Our most fruitful locations were wind-blown red-clay-and-gravel main-lake flats that were graced with patches of flooded stickups in three to five feet of water. At these flats, we caught 10 of the 15 black bass that were relating to the outside edges of the patches of flooded stickups in three to five feet of water.

One of the five main-lake points that we probed yielded one largemouth bass and one spotted bass that were abiding around some flooded buck brush in three to five feet of water. At the other four points, we failed to catch either a largemouth or spotted bass.

The riprap on the dam wasn’t very productive either. It yielded one largemouth bass that was caught about 25 feet away from the riprap in six feet of water.

Two largemouth bass were caught around a large concrete water-outlet tower that is positioned near the center of the dam. They were suspended about five to eight feet below the surface in water as deep as 76 feet and as shallow as 37 feet.

In closing, we employed an array of Z-Man’s Midwest finesse offerings rigged on different sizes and colors of Z-Man’s Finesse ShroomZ jigs. The most productive presentation and lure, by far, was a swimming retrieve with a 2 1/2-inch Z-Man’s bad-shad Slim SwimZ that was matched with a black 1/10-ounce Finesse ShroomZ jig.

July 28

Ned and Pat Kehde of Lawrence, Kansas, posted a report on the Finesse News Network about their outing on July 28.

Here is an edited version of their report.

The National Weather Service reported that it was 72 degrees at 5:53 a.m. and 81 degrees at 12:53 p.m. The wind angled out of the northeast, east, and southeast at 3 to 16 mph. The conditions of the sky varied from being fair to being littered with a few clouds to being overcast to being mostly cloudy. The barometric pressure was 30.03 at 12:53 a.m., 30.02 at 5:53 a.m., 30.03 at 11:53 a.m., and 30.02 at 12:53 p.m.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar noted that the best fishing would occur from 5:47 a.m. to 7:47 a.m., 6:13 p.m. to 8:13 p.m., and 11:34 a.m. to 1:34 p.m.

Pat Kehde and I were afloat from 9:45 a.m. to 12 15 p.m., at one northeastern Kansas’ many community reservoirs. And we spent many of those minutes breaking in an outboard motor.

We have not seriously fished since July 13, which is when our 25-year-old Honda began to exhibit some mechanical woes that we could not fix, and all the mechanics within 150 miles from Lawrence, Kansas, were booked to the brim for many weeks and even months on end. Therefore, we gave up our frugal ways and elected to purchase a new one. That ordeal took 10 days, and we still have some break-in time to endure.

The surface temperature at this reservoir was 85 degrees. An algae bloom was occurring, and the water exhibited from two to three feet of secchi-stick visibility. The water level was normal. There was a bountiful crop of duckweed cluttering portions of this reservoir’s shorelines, and many of its shallow-water flats have become clothed with substantial patches of coontail.

We failed to elicit a strike along the dam, which has a 45- to 50-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. The water’s edge is lined with patches of American water willows, duckweed, and filamentous algae.

In the lower portions of this reservoir, we caught two largemouth bass along a main-lake flat and a ledge that drops quickly from four feet of water to 12 feet of water. The flat is adorned with patches of coontail, and both of the largemouth bass were caught along the outside edge of one of the patches of coontail on a Z-Man’s coppertreuse TRD TicklerZ affixed to a blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about four feet of water.

In the middle portions of this reservoir, we simultaneously caught two largemouth bass from a significant patch of coontail on a shallow-water flat. They were caught on the initial drop of our TRD TicklerZ rigs in about four feet of water.

Along a 20-yard sector of a main-lake shoreline in the middle portion of the reservoir, we caught two largemouth bass. This shoreline is immediately adjacent to a main-lake point and an offshore hump. A submerged creek channel lies nearby. The underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. The water’s edge is adorned with patches of American water willows, duckweeds, and three docks. Some patches of coontail grace some of the shallow-water environs. One largemouth bass was caught on a deadstick presentation of the TRD TicklerZ rig in about nine feet of water. The other largemouth bass was caught on a slightly shortened four-inch Z-Man’s Junebug Finesse WormZ affixed to a blue 3/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead with a drag-and-shake presentation in about seven feet of water.

Across a massive main-lake flat in the upper half of this reservoir, we caught a dozen largemouth bass. This flat is embellished with untold numbers of patches of coontail. Some of the coontail patches that reached the surface were enhanced with gobs of duckweed. One of the largemouth bass was caught on the Junebug Finesse WormZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about five feet of water. Two largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin-baby-blue Baby Goat affixed on a blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in four to six feet of water. The other nine were caught on the TRD TicklerZ rig on either a swim-glide-and-shake presentation or a deadstick presentation in four to six feet of water.

In total, we caught 18 largemouth bass is less than two hours of fishing.

July 31

The National Weather Service reported that it was 69 degrees at 7:53 a.m. and 78 degrees 2:53 p.m. The wind angled out of the north at 8 to 13 mph. The conditions of the sky varied from being mostly cloudy to being overcast; it rained during much of July 30 and until the early morning hours of July 31. (We received 4 ¼ inches in our garden’s rain gauge. The Kansas River at Lawrence, Kansas, is flowing at 30,300 cubic feet per second, and its long-term-median flow is 3,870 cubic feet per second. Strange Creek at Tonganoxie, Kansas, is flowing at 2,910 cubic feet per second, and its long-term-median flow is 17 cubic feet per second.) The barometric pressure was 29.91 at 12:53 a.m., 29.93 at 5:53 a.m., 29.99 at 11:53 a.m., and 29.98 at 2:53 p.m.

In-Fisherman’s solunar calendar indicated that the best fishing would occur from 8:16 a.m. to 10:16 a.m., 8:44 p.m. to 10:44 p.m. and 2:01 a.m. to 4:01 a.m.

I fished at one of northeastern Kansas’ many community reservoirs from 11:30 a.m. to 2:01 p.m.

Because of all of the rain that Mother Nature pummeled upon us, I was surprised to see that water exhibited about 6 ½ feet of secchi-stick clarity. The water level looked to be about six inches above its normal level. The surface temperature was 82 degrees.

I caught 40 largemouth bass, which was a catch rate of 16 largemouth bass an hour.

Here is how the two hours and 31 minutes unfolded.

In the middle portions of this reservoir, I caught 17 largemouth bass across massive a shallow-water flat that is embellished with five significant patches of coontail. The underwater terrain of this main-lake flat consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. The patches of coontail are situated in five to nine feet of water. Two of the 17 largemouth bass were caught on the initial drop of a Z-Man’s The Deal Baby Goat affixed to a light-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead. Three of the 17 were caught on a slightly shortened Z-Man’s purple-haze Finesse WormZ affixed to a light-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation. Six of the 17 were caught of a Z-Man’s PB&J Rain MinnowZ affixed to a to a light-blue 1/32-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead, and they were caught on either the initial drop or a swim-glide-and-shake presentation. Another six were caught on a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse ShadZ affixed to a light-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead, and they were caught on either the initial drop or a swim-glide-and-shake presentation.

I failed to garner a strike around patches of coontail along a main-lake shoreline and along about a 120-foot portion of the dam.

Around one main-lake point in the lower portions of the reservoir, I caught one largemouth bass. This point has 35- to 45-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, and this terrain is clothed with a few patches of coontail. The water’s edge is adorned with patches of American water willows and a few patches of American pondweed. The largemouth bass was caught on the PB&J Rain MinnowZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about five feet of water.

Along a main-lake shoreline in the lower portions of the reservoir, I caught two largemouth bass. This shoreline has a 75- to 80-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders. The water’s edge is adorned with a few patches of American water willows, a few patches of American pondweed, a few laydowns, and several overhanging trees. One largemouth bass was caught around a laydown in about six feet of water on the PB&J Rain MinnowZ rig with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation. The second largemouth bass was caught on the initial drop of the PB&J Rain MinnowZ rig in about seven feet of water.

Around a main-lake point in the lower portions of the reservoir, I caught five largemouth bass. This point has 25- to 35-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, and it is embellished with six significant patches of coontail. Four of the five largemouth bass were caught on the Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse ShadZ rig on either the initial drop or a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in five to seven feet of water. The fifth largemouth bass was caught on the purple-haze Finesse WormZ with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in about five feet of water.

I caught 15 largemouth bass around a main-lake point in the middle portions of this reservoir. This point has a 35- to 55-degree slope. Its underwater terrain consists of gravel, rocks, and boulders, and it is embellished with patches of coontail. The water’s edge is graced with patches of American water willows and several laydowns. Two of the largemouth bass were caught on a Z-Man’s green-pumpkin TRD TicklerZ affixed to a light-blue 1/16-ounce Z-Man’s OG Mushroom Jighead with a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in five to eight feet of water. The Z-Man’s green-pumpkin Finesse ShadZ rig caught 13 largemouth bass on either the initial drop or a swim-glide-and-shake presentation in five to about 11 feet of water.