Ed Franko

Took a group od writers out last evening for a fishing trip. They had zero experience however was able to catch them pretty good. The fish are eager to bite a shaker head or a drop shot once you find them on your electronics. Once you do you can catch them and once you catch a few then most of the time the school will fire up and then it is on. the water temp is in the 80s the lake is clearing up the lake level is 659.2 They are generating water just about daily and the fishing is good. Rude people warning........ this year has been the worst for rude thoughtless people.. It is not uncommon to have a boat of any size buzz you when the whole lake is empty.. I have had fisherman pull in front of me and start fishing... There is a person that lives down the lake from me in another cove come and make surf waves behind my dock for endless hours. He had a bass boat on his life too.Oh well I don't own the lake but dang I hate to pay for the repairs on my dock. I guess you just can't fix stupid. End of Rant can I get a amen.

Kicking bass the past few days... Catching lots of keepers and a few nice kickers in the mix. Water temp is in the low 80s... The have slowed the water discharge ... The lake is clearing up DANG IT.. The fish are relating to points and are very eager to bit a jig crankbait or just about anything you get down there .. Fish the area with your electronics befor you fish them with a lure.

Nice fish guys .... Had a great day on the lake today.. We caught a bunch of keepers on a crankbait and then switched to a shaker head after the bite slowed a bit. our best five would of gone around 22 pounds. The lake is stable and the water is stained . The fish are hanging around main lake points and eager to bite.. I understand they are going to slow the water flow up quite a bit. No current no fish it seems .

A great day on the water today... I heard a news flash..... I understand they are about to stop running water from Truman into Lake Ozarks and Lake Ozarks is going to shut down their flood gates. Thats a bummer in my book a really sad day indeed. We caught fish on main lake points and some secondary points. Water is stained real stained..mid 70s and the fish are biting,,

Went out at 12:30 this afternoon for a few hours.. For the time of day I feel we had a decent da. We had a good five keepers and a big crappie and a walleye. we caught lots of dinks also... The fish were eating a crankbait on main lake points and seemed to me to be pretty aggressive for mid day. Beautiful Lake of the Ozarks is a wonderful fishery and I am so glad the lake is muddy. Thunderstorm now wanted to go back out but home is where the heart is, Big Ed

It has been real good this is a outstanding cove. I fish it when I am by myself but when I have clients I only fish it sometimes at the end of a day. I have a few pet fish that I can usually get to pull somebodys string you know... Lake ozark fishing is Good...... How good you ask.... Well you need a Chatterbait a Zara Spook , Red Crankbait or crankbait of choice and of course a bunch of shaker heads attached to some Zoom finesse worms and bingo you are off to the races. Once you cut through the muddy water and figure out it is the best thing since slice bread be prepared to catch bass.. Big ones little ones white ones black ones spotted ones you just never know.. It is really like fishing when I was a kid yes they had fishing back then. The lake is normal pool the lake is muddy to real stained and the water temp is in the low 70s. They are running water like crazy and I understand it is going to be like that for some time. Truman lake is way high and they are lowering it thur Lake of the Ozarks. Good time for sure to be had here now except for the holiday weekends... Then you have to fish at first light until probably 9:30. Pleasure boaters have a right to use the lake I just wish they wouldn't... Good luck to all of you be safe out there... I propose to ban all boats on Lake of the Ozark that does not have a butt seat and a trolling motor. Can I Get a AMEN

Biting like CRAZY all sizes all kinds. I have had a mixed bag week I have caught Largemouth, Kentucky's, Whites, Walleye, Big Flatheads,Blue Cats, and Crappie All on A Square bill crankbait . Good time for sure..... Come on down to the lake and lets go fishing.

Fell off the charts for a while been fishing everyday and when I get in I have been painting lures and not posting.. The fishing here at he lake is really good I mean really good. You can catch them on crankbaits until the cows come home. The fish are shallow because of the muddy water an eager to eat.. I The water temp is in the low 70s and the lake has about a foot of visibility. Time to get out and go fishing ...... See you more on this later .

Water Color Stained Water Temp 59 to 62 The lake has dropped from 660 to 657 in the past couple of days after the monsoon., The water color on my end is good to great with some areas 4 to 6 feet of visibility. To a brother and sister out today and they really had a good day. Rookie fisherman but willing to listen and learn. the first place we stopped at they caught about a dozen bass got broke off by a couple of good ones and lost others at the boat. They caught fish on a wacky worm and a topwater bait.. Good time for all. The fish were relating to the winter pool banks and previous spawning spots and pretty protective of they old homes. Got a new storm coming tomorrow no telling what that will do......

Fishing report For April 28, 2017 Water color CLEAR Water Temp is in the low to mid 60s The lake is on the rise The dam is running like crazy The fish have really been biting for the past few weeks. The past week I have been Turkey Hunting (Turkeys are winning) and fishing every minute I can.. I am sorry I have not been posting but I have really been busy.. Now is a great time to come and fish Beautiful Lake of the Ozarks you will catch them . The fish can be caught on topwaters, jigs, Spinnerbaits and about anything else you want to try... Good time for sure...

It is a darn shame I said a darn shame.....I don't blame you for fishing it I probably would if I could.. However it just needs to be held earlier in the year. Relocation of the bigger bass has to have a effect on the fishery. But really what can we do I will have to say I spent several hours at Point Randall and all of the fish that were brought in were released alive and swam away to be caught agaIn. The staff at Point Randall were on it for sure.

I don't think the raising of the water will affect the spawn. I think the BBB in general will hurt the spawn much more than that. No one knows the impact of the spawn by transporting of spawning fish to another area. Will those fish spawn? Who knows I guess time will tell.. I think this is poor timing of this event and it should not be allowed to take place. Enough said about that one ED tell them how you really feel... Fishing report Water temp is in the low to mid 60s the lake in my area is clear and the fish are biting. The lake is in the 65.6 and they have been running the dam everyday just about. They are running water because they are running water from Truman.The lake should pick up some color because of that and hopefully the spinnerbait might become a player again. The wacky worm will get you plenty of action.Fun fishing but not the pattern for the big Molly Hogs.. you can catch a limit but it will not have the toads needed to win.. Just this past weekend it took 25lbs to win again.. Good fishing for sure... Best of luck to you BBB I hope you nail them but please take care of your fish. See you tomorrow.....

Wow I have been busy...I have fished my rear off and had just moderate success.. I know they have been knocking them dead on tournaments but it is not coming so easy for the everyday fisherman...Things are about to change as the fish are starting to move up and the water temp is also.. It is just about time for the love connection to start. I have not seen any fish on beds or for that matter any beds to speak of... We caught fish tonight on a Zara Spook and a spinnerbait.. We found the fish shallow and chasing shad around a little.. You have to have wind and you have to have shad. Water temp 57 to 62 water is clear The lake is still low and they are running water for the next couple of days.

Tough day on the lake today... With the weather I just knew that it was going to be great...WRONG !!! We had weather in the area the skies was dark. Everything was perfect I thought that the stars were in line.. I knew a little wind would of made the it picture perfect. I ran to the back of a cove across the lake and when I got there I could see fish chasing shad and shad flipping the surface everywhere. I caught a real nice white bass right off the bat and proved what I thought was going on.. I fished a spinnerbait around and not a hit. I tried to not mess with the whites and concentrate on the Bass.That was my mistake!!!! Leaving the little area that I just knew a monster was hanging out with no success. I had a fish broke in front of me.. I threw a jerk bait and had a little tap. Four pounder to the boat. i then left the area to pick up my fishing partner and went to another area. I caught a 3 pounder right off the bat. AND THEN THE RAIN CAME. Normally t have great luck in the rain but not today....We caught several dinks on everything but a spinnerbait and that had been our go to bait the rest of the day. Water temp was mid 50s lake is still clear running a little water lake is rising slightly

Water temp 55 lake is clear 656.2 and low generation.. the lake is slightly on the rise. air temp was 70s and we had showers sun and wind Another good night however not as good as it has been.. The wind just did not work for us tonight.. We did catch several bass the biggest was a 5.90 that ate a crankbait. In fact all of our better fish came off of a one of a kind crankbait. We caught several on a spinnerbait and I lost a real good one when it sloshed on the surface. They didn't want a jig again tonight.. Thunderstorms but no lighting so far.. Dang I might have to fish again tomorrow.

Another great evening of fishing last night. We caught the fish on the same pattern as the night before .However we did not catch as quality as fish. We did have a limit that would of gone 14 or so. We caught all of our fish on a Crankbait until we got to the backs and then switched to a spinnerbait. Tried to pitch a jig on some brush and docks and they did not want the jig last night. Caught at least 30 bass with several nice no measure keepers and several that might had made it. Water temp was 53 to 55 and the water is clear. The lake seemed to be rising slightly but is still close to 654. it was in the upper 60s and real cloudy

I live at about the 3.5 and spend most of my time fishing from the Dam to the Gravios.

Air temp ; mid 50s windy misty rain and real cloudy. Lake steady in the 654 range.. The water is clear for LOZ and in the low to mid 50s Good evening on the lake today.. I really did not think that the bite would be worth anything however I was wrong way wrong. Went out this evening and fished some wind driven banks. We caught fish on a Spinnerbaits,Crankbaits and a Jig. The fish seemed to be way more aggressive than they had been and really let you know when they bit. We caught fish on secondary points and in the backs of the coves. I though the weekend pressure would of really shut them down but found out that was far from the truth. Some amazing stringers came in this past weekend proving that Lake of the Ozarks is a great fishery. Our best five this evening would of been 18 plus. Not bad for a 3.5 hour fishing trip.

HELLO EVERYONE Looks Like I have been gone for a few days and this place is hopping. Well any info you can get is good..Define good Ed !Good is it might give you a idea of what to do and what to expect... Bad is it sometimes get you so confused that you will spend countless $ buying all of the hot stuff .Bad is running all over the lake trying to find that magic bunch of fish.Finding out sometimes it is right under your nose. .However don't believe everything you read unless it is from me...JUST KIDDING we all know fisherman never lie.. I know several of the guys that are on BB website and they are great fisherman as well as fellow guides. BB does do a wonderful job promoting the lake and helping with tournaments. He supports the fisherman way more than you will ever know. I advertise with him at a cost of well over a thousand dollars a year. Do I enjoy spending that money WELL... Not wanting to get anyones undies in a knot.... Please enough of the BB discussion on this thread. Truefully I use this site for three reasons... 1) To promote Beautiful Lake of the Ozarks and it amazing fishing. 2) Promote my guide business... Big Ed's Guide Service biged'sguideservice. 3) Use it for a personal fishing journal. I use two other sites for the same reason and have for several years. OPPS BETTER MAKE IT FOUR and the list could go on and on 4) To meet other people that love to fish and give me another point of view..Friends are always welcome.. So with all of this being said ... Lets go fishing boys...

Fished this morning for a couple of hours . Fished the backs of a couple of windy coves and had two keepers in pretty short order. Nothing special but keepers . The start of a good day.I think. Had jobs to do and then came home thinking of a nap then some lunch and back out for a evening fish. NOPE NEVER HAPPENED Lots of bass boats on the lake today getting ready for upcoming tournaments I guess.. I can here them now "man I am really on fish" come tournament day they must of moved. i have watched this one guy come flying in the cove like a wild man. He will cast about a half dozen times then off..He then will show up again make another half dozen cast and the take off again. I guess it is a timing thing or something.... I want to tell him save yourself some gas fish the area a little harder then go somewhere else. The water temp was 48 to 50 this morning I am sure that it has jumped up a little now. The water is clear and the lake is 654 something. Best bite I think is a crankbait followed by a spinnerbait.It really depends where you are fishing.. I like the fist size rocks or pea gravel myself. With a side order of flipping shad...

Anytime you have a weather change it will affect the fisherman more than the fish. i really think the fishing pressure is hurting the fishing more than anything. The days are gone of having a hidden brushpile, a secret drop or ridge. Just keep your confidence and things will work out. Now that i have given you all of the excuses Rain really never bothers me in fact spring rains are my favorite.. Not Downpours Not Lighting a gentle rain is as good as gold to the fish not the fisherman...Add a little wind and the bite is on. I don't think the temp drop is going to affect the bite that much.. Wear the blades off your favorite spinnerbait or knock all the paint off your favorite crankbait.. But what ever you do just keep confidence in what you are doing.... Lighting is dangerous and in my book kills the fishing....Be careful and take cover. I have a open slip at my house pull in . I have found that if it is really raining I always take cover if lighting is present . I have never had anyone get upset if you pull in a open slip. Just don't get out and walk around on their dock. I leave as soon as it stops raining anyway they won't come out while it is raining anyway. Now to answer the question will thew weather affect the fishing this weekend..... I really don't think so.... I think the fishing will hurt it worse.

A little thunder in the area and not real motivated today . So I think i will wait until a little later to wet a line... Last night found some mid to upper 50 degree water with a little wind and bang the fish were there also. Caught a handful of keepers and several shorts in about 30minutes. The keepers were good solid keepers with the biggest one going about three. Left that area went to what I just knew was going to hold a Molly Hog but I was wrong.. Fished several other areas and blanked them we fished another pocket cove with the right wind and lit them up.pretty good. We would of probably had a fifteen pound bag but we could nit ever get a big one.. Looks like it is clearing up so off I go Last night info Water color wind blown stained 3ft vis. water temp :mid to upper 50s sunny wind from the south west about 5 and it was spotty Caught fish on a crankbait and a spinnerbait. Good Fishing to all of you!!!

Fished this evening Sunday the 19th. the water tem in the backs of some coves was in the mid 50s. We fished a wind blown cove not far from the house and the fish were eager to bite.. We caught at least two dozen bass and we had several keepers.. We did not have any Molly hogs but we were saving them for tomorrow.. If the weather holds you should be able to catch some real toads this week. The lure of choice was a Crankbait and you had to have wind with a little brush. Good fishing to all Going to put the smack down them tomorrow....

Good Job !!! I fished up in the Glaze with a couple guys from Kansas and we really did not have a good day... It was like take a ticket to fish a spot then somebody would cut in front of you.. I had thought about running to my area down by the dam but I was afraid of the rough boat ride coming back. My back is still a little tender.

Saturday I fished in the Glazes arm of the lake with some gentleman from Kansas. The fishing was tough up there and we struggled to catch fish . we did manage to catch 3 keepers and some shrts but my guys made millions of cast to get them.. The water temp is a little warmer up there around 52 but the water color is stained more than it is in my area.. My guys wanted to catch some crappie and I found a load of them suspended on a dock but we could not get them to bite. The fish we caught up there was on a crankbait and I found out the bills on a crankbait do not stand up to throwing them up on the rocks...Had a good time but the fishing could of been better . Jack found some crappie that were biting up the lake pretty good and caught them good shooting docks.. What a difference 10 miles makes....