Bigmagic

I would hire a guide, you will learn more and have a memorable vacation. Stripers can be tough to locate and easily spooked, hire a guide and you'll say it was the best money you ever spent. See ya on the water!

I'm not sure near Lebanon but below Bagnel is usually pretty good.

Well I kept some small ones for the fryer last week. Yes I'm a big believer in CPR. Here are some pictures but they aren't too good. We caught these fish in the main channel near an outside bend where the channel changes from one side of the lake to the other. We caught them on shad using circle hooks. We had drift rigs on that we didn't bother to change and we were anchored in 12ft fishing into the channel edge at different depths. We chose to night fish due to the low water and high water temps. Two days prior to this I had caught 32 Blues drifting but none over ten hence the strategy change. I forgot to take a camera with me so we kept the fish in the livewell till we got back to the ramp. This almost proved costly, the 33lber took about an hour to recover enough to swim off on his own. Both the large fish were females and full of eggs. I apologize for the poor quality of the pictures, my fifteen year old wasn't sure how to use the camera. See ya on the water!

Friday evening went out on the main channel. Between 8:30pm and midnight we caught a 38,33,25,15 and multiple smaller Blues. The weather was beutiful and the fishing was fantastic. All fish were caught on rod n reel and released unharmed after photographing. We did have to revive the 33 since he had been in the livewell the longest. See ya on the water!

Well I'm not sure I agree with jcmojo. There are a number of Walleye fisherman who fish the lake and do pretty well. Yes a number of them are caught accidentaly while crappie fishing or white bass fishing. My father-n-law lucked into a 16lber a few years back. I was at Truman dam a while back when they shocked some 20lb plus females below the dam. Walleye may be a secret on LOZ but there are some people who fish for them succesfully. Also Truman is another lake that has quite a few Walleye and are caught regularly by some locals. I'll just throw in that I caught 32 Blue Cat today. I released all but five and had a nice fish fry this evening. See ya on the water!

You need to get a net with at least 5/8" mesh. I have a 20ft net that I use that gets them out of the deeper water(up to 25ft) where they lay on the bottom in winter. Below Truman Dam in Drake Harbor if the current is running there are always shad there. I was out Friday and the shad were on the bottom just off the point where the old channel meets the new below Truman. Hope this helps and good luck with the cattin and let the big ones go.

I have been busy this week and didn't get to go fishing Sunday. I may go today since they are calling for sixty degree weather. Winter fishing for Blues is one of the most exciting times of the year for a catfisherman. You have the lake to yourself and if you get into fish its not unusual to catch several hundred pounds of fish in a short time. I hope to catch one of the white bass runs this year so if anyone can help in that regard please PM me. Now a word about myself. I am a lifelong fisherman who converted to a die hard catfisherman in the last five years. I have caught a large number of fish over 40lbs on rod and reel since I began doing it seriously. Its fantastic fun. I was diagnosed with Atriel Fibrilation last spring and have been unable to work since. This illness has greatly curtailed the number of times I get to fish since my wife will no longer allow me to go by myself. I am working on a Catfishing for Blues DVD to help get people catching this great sportfish. I release all fish over twenty pounds without exception but I like a good fish fry as much as the next guy. I just want my grandkids to have a chance at some large ones too. If you have any questions about fishing for Blues I'll be happy to help you out just shoot me a PM. Thanks for your time.

Here on Lake of the Ozarks the best place to catch Hybrids on the upper end is near the dam. Right off the point that splits the two river channels you can have some pretty good success in the spring. Live 5" shad are the ticket with a slip sinker fished right below the boat. In the old days the radio control boats were best now its live shad or Hog sticks when they are really going. On Truman lake check out point #3 beginning in June and the humps above the mile long bridge. There are some humps in the KK Island area and the shallow flats north of KK Island can be a white bass bonanza during summer as the fish push the shad up on the flats. Slab spoons will work on the humps though my preference is still live shad(I'm a catfisherman after all). Shad are abundant on Truman and locating them is fairly easy. Now don't forget me when them river whites start running.

Hey Brent hook me up with the how and where. I primarily fish for catfish but I love Hybrids,Whites and Stripers as well. Thanks

Well in the world of Blue Catfishing this is prime time! I am looking forward to the coming weekend and breaking out the boat for the first time since october. I have been struggling with an irregular heart beat since last spring that has limited me to less frequent fishing. I am planning to make a run down to the Niangua and see if I can tangle with some winter Blues on Sunday. I have planned several such trips this fall but my wifes refusal to let me go alone has caused some cancelllations. My son-n-law(shad net thrower) has been deer hunting and he's finally gotten it out of his system so we can get on with fishing. I felt the need to begin a blog here so the Catfish would have a voice on this site. Its 1:39am on Jan.11th 2006 time to charge the boat batteries and lube the reels. I look forward to posting some pictures if this blog allows and maybe giving some tips to anyone heading to LOZ for any species. Tight lines and bent rods.