KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When Ned Kehde talks about Bass Fishing 101, he isn't referring to some introductory course in college.

He is defining his primary goal in life.

Each time he goes fishing in northeast Kansas, he strives to catch 101 bass.

"My approach to bass fishing is significantly different than that of tournament bass fishermen and serious recreational anglers," said Kehde, 68, who lives in Lawrence, Kan. "They are satisfied with getting only six or seven bites in an outing in hopes of catching five hefty-sized bass.

"I would be frustrated and unhappy with catching only six or seven bass. In fact, I am unhappy when I catch only 30. Even 50 bass an outing is considered lackluster in my eyes.

"When I go fishing, I want to get lots of bites. I want to catch lots of fish.

"I don't really care how big they are. I'm after the action."

Kehde often finds that action when he goes bass fishing in northeast Kansas. He spends most of the week fishing the obscure small lakes of the region that are loaded with bass but aren't widely known. His goal: nonstop action.

And he often finds what he is looking for.

"Northeast Kansas is a Nirvana for a bass fisherman, especially if you want to get a lot of bites," said Kehde, who releases all the bass he catches. "I limit myself to fishing within a 75-mile radius of Lawrence. But there are more than 47,000 acres of public water in that area.

"Last week, I fished five public lakes and I only burned 15 gallons of gas in my vehicle and outboard motor. I went out twice by myself and three times with a friend and ended up with 232 bass."

Kehde was looking for similar success when he headed out on a recent weekend.

He started at Perry Lake and caught five bass, several of them in the 15-inch range. But it wasn't until he moved to a small state fishing lake (which he preferred not to name for fear that it will get overrun with fishing pressure) that he found the type of rapid action he desires.

Tossing a Strike King finesse worm attached to a 1/16th-ounce mushroom jig head to the edge of the weeds, he felt a tap and quickly set the hook.

When he did, a 12-inch bass shot to the surface, made an acrobatic leap and landed with a loud belly flop.

"These smaller lakes are loaded with bass this size," Kehde said as he swung his catch into the boat. "But there are some bigger ones in here, too. I've caught bass up to 7 pounds, 3 ounces on these finesse baits. And we'll catch bass in the 5-pound range every year."

Kehde kept casting — and he kept catching fish. By the time he and a companion were done, they had caught 66 bass.