mwfischer

X3, I used it a lot last year at LOZ, and caught a good # of crappie, even in the summer. Smaller fish on avg than a larger jig in summer months, as suggested here. Definitely catches em too though.

Definitely agree with the "close to the bottom" approach, as well as a light to even ultra light setup for straight tied jigs. Last weekend we had a great trip, albeit a bit slow on Sunday, but I was consistently catching fish just down from the Cooper launch on a straight tied 1/16oz Lilley's orange head/brown setup with 2# flouro on the whole spool and ultra light 6'6" browning rod. First time trying lighter straight tied jigs in no current, and I was shocked at how light the bite really was. Once I knew what to feel for, I caught fish steadily through around noon. Others in my boat with a slighter heavier setup just couldn't feel the subtle change on the jig. Sometimes just on the first pop up it was just a tad heavier. Definitely a fun way to catch them down there. We also saw a lot more browns than in previous years. Only a few decent sized, but caught close to a dozen in 3 days compared to one or maybe two in prior weekend trips.

Hey everybody, I know it's been discussed prior in past years, but with the snow and big time cold yesterday and today, does anyone have an idea if Cooper Creek and/or the landing ramps will be clear by tomorrow early morning? Clearly with mid 40s tomorrow afternoon they'll clear up, but I wasn't sure if the corps came in and plowed/treated the ramp and lot on a day after a storm like today, mid-week. Thanks! Mike St. Peters, MO

No kidding. Put a few behind the desk with my name on them for next weekend. Amazing.

Awesome. Need fishing to stay on this level for the next couple of weeks. Headed down 3/6-3/8.

Thanks Phil, appreciate it. Looking forward to this years' trip.

Where is the best spot to get the current level? Do you all have a visible gauge at your place? I've never even thought to look while there. Always just eyeballed it based on the depth at fall creek.

Looking at these maps, which outlet is which? Are they numbered from the dam down, or the other way? Assumed 3 was closest to the ramp, but wanted to be sure. For the last few years, I haven't tried to get my 18' Nitro through the shoal at Lookout I believe. Fairly certain I'd be OK at most levels we've seen there, but it's tight. Haven't had any trouble getting past the narrows unless too many boats congregated in the channel there.

I'd say close to normal clarity but still on the clearer side despite a decent amount of rain lately. The lake in general has a bluer look across the surface than I've ever seen (More like TR than it usually would) right now, at least IMO. Glaize area had a few spots of 2-4' but definitely dinge taking back over.

Ned rig does indeed work at LOZ as it does at TR. Was introduced to it this spring and brought it to the Glaize area this year. On a side note... you caught a short smallmouth in the Glaize arm of LOZ??? Fished there for 15 years and my dad has for 45 and we've only seen one combined and that was a number of years ago. Crazy.

We made our annual trip to the Ft. Leonard wood rec area at the 6mm of the Glaize this past week. What usually is a bass mornings and catfish evenings trip turned into a white bass frenzy on Thursday and Friday mornings. We normally don't see whites this early in the year, and I don't normally expect to see this kind of surface action until the evenings later in the summer/fall. Around 7am Thursday in Patterson Hollow (9mm Glaize) a few surface pops turned into the entire mouth of the cove and down the left side exploding on the surface. Caught several dozen between 11-13" and then this really nice one. Great fight on ultralight tackle. Friday was the same, just out of the cove mouth and up the lake about a 1/2 mile on the bluff side. We left Friday afternoon and part of our group stayed until Sunday but couldn't find them surfacing again. Really fun end to the week. Caught fish on anything small and silver.. Whites were eating the little threadfin shad from this season... thinking the whites may be in a different type of schedule this year with the shad kill from the winter.

Anyone know where the winner was caught? Was fishing club tournament Saturday morning across from a couple guys who were celebrating a catch big time and bolted out of the cove around the time the 6# was caught. Wife and I were thinking that may have been a BB attempt.

Fished a small St. Louis area club tournament with my wife in the Aunts Creek area this past weekend and had to add to this topic. She's the definition of fair weather fisherman, and usually won't even come out during an entire week at LOZ, but I put together a batch of Green pumpkin and PBJ Neds for this tournament and she had an absolute blast. Simple spinning outfit and some super glue later, we finished middle of the pack and importantly had a blast catching all three species in a main lake pocket, 12-20 FOW. Amazing little bait, anyone wondering if it is still catching, the answer is a resounding yes!

Pop r is deadly around docks on loz as well in early to mid summer, always have one close by if docks are abundant.

Wow, yes what part? That is incredible compared to 3/15-3/17, unless that was operator error.

I'm staying at Ft. Wood Rec this weekend as well. Usually up there you don't have a ton of what I consider spring secondary points, though a few up close to the 54 bridge. I know the area well and will likely stay there especially with the forecast for Sunday, yuk, better locate fish is all I can say. Would still rather be on the boat than in this office.

Are you talking about LORA at the 8mm? I'm there this weekend too if so. We haven't been there this early with the lake down but I remember their ramp being plenty deep for a smaller boat. I'm thinking Mccubbins is likely OK too. Not sure if you're looking to drive up lake rather than boat though.

Have to believe with 70+ for a couple days, shot of cold but then back into the 60s/70s this should be the end of the ice yes? I can't imagine it's going to bump the temp that much before my trip this weekend but I suppose you never know!

Miss being able to get all the way up there with the new boat. I think unless the lake was up about 1.5' with units running I wouldn't try to get past that shallow riffle down from trophy run.

Well our group decided to make the trip down Friday morning the 28th despite the Winter Storm warning issued shortly before we left. We all come from St. Louis and typically make the trip a 3 day weekend and head back Sunday afternoon, but this time we knew we would be best hitting the road Saturday afternoon, especially towing a boat. Turns out they missed the forecast the farther north you went, but it still would have been a white knuckle drive back, but on to a quick report. Started out running up to the riprap shore (not quite sure where the buzzword locations are when I read them here, but stopped just short of the shallow flat about 1/4 mile up from fall creek where the channel hugs the south bank) No water running all day Fri that I could tell. Threw a 1/8 oz straight tied orange/sculpin jig from LL and first fish was a really nice 19/20" rainbow. Really dark fish, very pretty, snapped a photo and released him for someone else. Always fun preparing and expecting mostly 10-13" fish on 2# line and hooking into one of these guys. Need to locate a photo and re-post later on. I've done quite well in that stretch in the past, from the deeper cut along the riprap down to the mouth of the creek. We drifted (Trolled would be a better word with no flow) this area for an hour or so and went in to pick up a late arrival and boated back up through the shallows and up to what I think you all call the narrows, just down from the first island in the trophy area. My group spent all of the remaining fishing time in about a 300yd stretch from the island point along the bluff wall throwing orange/brown and sculpin jigs, dropped down to 3/32 and I believe 1/16 once or twice and as long as the wind was blowing we caught fish. Not nearly as many as years past but the quality was so much better than I remember, including a couple decent 15" browns that fought like a ton of bricks. Saturday water was on in the AM, but fishing was slow for us. Tried our jig combination and drifted that area, and I would say the boat caught 20 or so before hitting the launch around 3p, but certainly another successful trip. Thanks for the guidance and supplies Lilley's. We introduced two new folks to the lake and the fishing down there and have two more addicts! That makes about 12 for 12 in the past few years we've brought folks with us.

I'd say we left just in time! Headed east to St. Louis Saturday afternoon after a pretty successful, albeit quick, trip. Report to follow later on.

Yep seems to be the million dollar question. Could bolt early Sunday AM but varying reports of timing from Saturday evening to Sunday afternoon. St. Louis affected more Sunday/Monday AM. Going to be a tough call, think we'll get there and fish fine, all about getting home. Thx Phil.

The winter that just won't quit to say the least. I'm sure it's been muttered there as much as here in St. Louis lately. Looks as if our yearly trip to fish the upper lake is going to have to be cancelled as we all have commitments in the early week back home, and the forecast just hasn't varied much on this incoming potential ice storm. What is the word in the area? Really a bummer that it couldn't wait one more day. Signed, #cabinfeverinSTL

Awesome report. I too have been converted to jig fishing through reading the posts here and talking to the folks around the area. Heading down next weekend and hoping to avoid the cold/rain and do some fishing. Usually always tie direct but may try this method as an alternative if the water is slow. Thanks for the report!

70 and 45mph winds did wonders! Need to get a boat off a lift this weekend, hope today did it!