What Are The Bass Biting On At Thelake Of The Ozarks

[WAVINGSWAN]

Would love info on what the bass are biting on the Lake of the Ozarkx. I am attempting to learn the lake, so I can fish it more this year. I fished Table Rock Lake yesterday and I loved the clear water, but the drive is a little much to be doing every week. Can anyone help this Angler. Thanks Guys and Gals.

[Fishing Dude]

Right now you can catch them on alot of things. If you like messing with docks, throw 3/8 - 1/2 ounce brown jigs anywhere you can around and under the docks with brush around them. Fish under the walkways to the docks any time you can get to them around the cables. Also, you can NEVER go wrong fishing any concrete in lake of the ozarks. Fish any odd turns or corners or ends to the retaining walls and all concrete supports for walkways. If you don't like or have success with fishing the docks, get out to the secondary points in teh bigger coves or the transition banks and throw a carolina rigged brown lizard or baby brush hog. Use a 1/2 - 1 oz big weight and an 18-24 inch leader and just drag it around. You'll catch bigger fish on the jig, but you can catch a bunch on the carolina rig.

[WAVINGSWAN]

  On 5/2/2010 at 10:09 PM, Fishing Dude said:

Right now you can catch them on alot of things. If you like messing with docks, throw 3/8 - 1/2 ounce brown jigs anywhere you can around and under the docks with brush around them. Fish under the walkways to the docks any time you can get to them around the cables. Also, you can NEVER go wrong fishing any concrete in lake of the ozarks. Fish any odd turns or corners or ends to the retaining walls and all concrete supports for walkways. If you don't like or have success with fishing the docks, get out to the secondary points in teh bigger coves or the transition banks and throw a carolina rigged brown lizard or baby brush hog. Use a 1/2 - 1 oz big weight and an 18-24 inch leader and just drag it around. You'll catch bigger fish on the jig, but you can catch a bunch on the carolina rig.

Hey Fishing Dude, thank you for the information. I will take your advice next week. Have a good day and good fishing.

[Jarrett Ellis]

Caught a few good fish today on the Little Niangua. Fished a Black/Blue Jig and a purple worm. Sight fishing right now is easy, I looked at more 4+ lb fish today than I've seen in a long time, but the challenge is getting them to bite without spookin em. I'd say throw dark plastics, worm or lizard, or a jig if you feel like it.

One of the guys at the ramp said crankbait was hot last week but it just turned off before the weekend hit. FWIW. .

[Fishing Dude]

I'd agree about the sight fishing, at least from what I hear. I've been bass fishing for 30 years and I just can't figure out how to find em, see em, or catch em by sight fishing. I also probably don't have the patience for it even if I did know how. I make my way tournament to tournament without that skill though, so I deal with it. If you have that ability, this IS the time. I just can't do it. Good to hear they're still on beds though. I just entered another tournament for teh 15th, so I'm hoping I can still stick em in the skinny water. I likes that!!

[FishinJack]

Yeah you can pretty much throw your whole tacklebox at them right now and get bit. Spinnerbaits, finesse jigs, football jigs, flipping jigs, senkos, lizards, topwater, floating worm, drop shot, texas rig, carolina rig, shaky head, jerkbait, have I missed anything? I know this doesn't tell you exactly what to use but pick a bait and stick with it and you'll get bit. This is a great time to work on a techniquie that you are particularly weak at. For instance the one gentilman mentioned he was not a sight fisherman. (which is fine for him you don't need to be perfect at everything) but if you wanted to learn a specific technique like sight fishing right now is perfect. Lots of clear water, lots of sunshine, lots of fish up on the beds, good weather the next few days. Even yesterday (monday) more fish moved up to bed. These kind of conditions happen once a year. And not every year at Lake of the Ozarks because some years we have to much rain and too much stained water. For the most part on my guide trips we've been sticking with the big soft plactics. Skipping is a great techique on this lake and is fairly easy to master with a good instructor. Carolina rigging is the other main technique my clients have been landing some really nice bass on.

Jack's Guide Service

www.FishingLakeoftheOzarks.com

[Fishing Dude]

Yeah, being the guy that can't sight fish, I agree. Wish I could visit the Ozarks more than 4 times a year. But......generated too many kids to be able to do that! :-) I'm a skipping/flipping/rigging fool though and I find plenty of fish doing it the blind squirrel way.

Any chance there will still be fish on beds or up shallow in 10-15 days?? OR.....do you think they'll all be post spawn and moving back out through transition spots towards points and deeper banks?? I'd love to know an answer to that question from any of you locals. I've got a chance to come down and fish a small tourney on the 15th and won't have a practice day at all. Just gonna launch the boat, check the well, and head out. Will they be done and gone?

[Jarrett Ellis]

  On 5/4/2010 at 11:24 PM, Fishing Dude said:

Yeah, being the guy that can't sight fish, I agree. Wish I could visit the Ozarks more than 4 times a year. But......generated too many kids to be able to do that! :-) I'm a skipping/flipping/rigging fool though and I find plenty of fish doing it the blind squirrel way.

Any chance there will still be fish on beds or up shallow in 10-15 days?? OR.....do you think they'll all be post spawn and moving back out through transition spots towards points and deeper banks?? I'd love to know an answer to that question from any of you locals. I've got a chance to come down and fish a small tourney on the 15th and won't have a practice day at all. Just gonna launch the boat, check the well, and head out. Will they be done and gone?

You'll probably be in the same one I'm in. Should be a good turnout!

[FishinJack]

Remind me when we get close to your tournament. Most Mays with these conditions you can still see em until the thrid or fourth week in May.

[405z06]

Fished this Sat & Sun. Didn't catch a single female, didn't see any bloody tales, no beds.

The males we were catching were 13-15 inches. Mostly behind docks where there was a concrete pier of some other support structure for a walkway. I threw a bubble gum trick worm and my partner was throwing mostly carolina-rig lizzard. He said on Wed (a few days prior) he was catching larger fish on jerkbaits between (not behind) docks. Not this weekend.

We also hit some main lake points that have been historically strong w/ Wiggle Warts, Jerk baits, Spinnerbaits, etc, but they weren't there.

The development where my stepfather has a place has 3 different community docks, in the back of a cove, each dock has ~ 10-12 slips. Normally you can see beds everywhere behind all 3 docks, even in muddy water, but I saw only 1 bed, and it was shallower than most beds I usually see, so I am not even sure if it was in fact a bed.

Also, we cleaned some crappie yesterday that they caught on Friday before I got down. Every single one of them were full of eggs. I had read some comments somewhere and heard word that the crappie had spawned, but that is not true. At least mid-lake area.