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Fishing Stories from Ned Kehde |
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Submitted by Ned Kehde - July 16, 2000 Some folks assumed that it was a byproduct of all the climatic changes that revolve around La Nina and the advent of global warming. Then others pooh-poohed all the global-warming theories, saying the winds are typical meteorological phenomenon that periodically come and eventually go. But in the midst of all this bantering and postulating, not even the most veteran angler hereabouts could recall ever having to endure such an incessant spell of harsh winds. Northeastern Kansas bass fishermen are accustomed to battling winds of 12 to 15 mph. But for several months it blew so much, regularly exceeding 20 mph, that even some of the most stalwart anglers were kept at bay on some days. And those who were bold enough to battle its gusts found the fishing trying. The rivers and streams that feed some of the big reservoirs were the only spots that anglers could find a bit of shelter, and even there the wind was a nuisance. Then around the solstice a lot of rain fell, which muddy the streams and fouled the fishing for the bass anglers in those wind-sheltered waters. But upon the arrival of summer, bass anglers can tolerate the wind a lot more than they can withstand its abuses when the water is still cool and the fish reject lures that aren't slowly and methodically worked through a lair. Anglers say it is nearly impossible to work a lure slowly and methodically in a howling wind. By late June, a lot of largemouth bass roam the mud flats and long points, feeding hastily on gizzard shad in three to 12 feet of water. When they aren't roaming, they often gather around piles of brush on the flats. There is another contingent of bass that forage along vast expanses of riprap, dining on crayfish and shad. At both of these spots, anglers can employ a crankbait and work it at a rather quick pace. In addition, the majority of anglers who probe these lairs with a crankbait find the fishing to be the most fruitful when the wind blows. Theory has it that the wind and the waves -- especially along the riprap -- cause the bass' prey to lose their equilibrium, and when such prey as gizzard shad or crayfish are in an unbalanced state, they are easier for the bass to devour. Also, the wind retards the sunlight's penetration into the water, which helps anglers. There are occasions in midsummer when the largemouth bass feed with great rapaciousness, chasing shad across the lake's surface and making quite a show of their gluttony. Anglers often call this display a "feeding frenzy. " Such frenzies happened a lot at Hillsdale Lake when it was in its prime in the 1990s. Then anglers caught scores of big largemouths at the vast mud flat called Hilldsale Point and on the mud flat at the north entrance of Wade Branch. At Hillsdale, the favorite method entailed wielding a heavy bait-casting outfit and a shad-colored Bagley DB-3 crankbait. And anglers always found the fishing most fruitful when these areas were buffeted by a south wind. At lakes such as Lone Star and Shawnee, anglers have found that cranking a Norman's Middle N or Berkley's Frenzy Medium Diver on mud flats laced with brush piles entices bass aplenty. What's more, as the smallmouth bass fishing has matured at Coffey County, Milford and Melvern lakes, a few anglers have begun reeling or cranking small lures on wind-blown shorelines. To allure the smallmouth, these anglers use spinning outfits and eight-pound Trilene XL line, which sport such small lures as a Worden Rooster Tail, or a 1/16-ounce jighead with a four-inch black Berkley Power Worm, or an 1/8-ounce jighead with a three-inch Power Grub. And even when the wind blew as hard as it has blown this year, these diminutive lures caught scads of smallmouths and some dandy largemouths to boot. |
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