Bass Fishing

[crittermo]

So I spent 3 days last weekend enjoying the amazing weather and bass fishing in the gravois arm and around the

2-3mm on the main channel. I don't hardly fish in the winter at the lake so i'm still learning a lot.

i threw a chompers jig in brown, a pointer minnow jerkbait and a spinnerbait.

i worked the points (main and secondary) , i worked around a lot of docks that had brush with the jig, i went to the

backs of coves and I also targeted 45 degree banks with rock that were in the sun for the most part of the day, i fished

shallow and deep and i didn't catch a single fish.

can anyone tell me what i was doing wrong, it's OK, i can take it.

i loved being out on the water but it would be nice to have some bonus fish. i'm sure a lot of bass were being caught,

just not by me.

thanks for the feedback

[fishinwrench]

Critter, it sounds like you did a lot of jumping around expecting things to be different a few miles away.

Next time just forget about milk-running mainlake points and stuff for awhile and pick a decent sized cove that has a little of everything in it. Choose a cove that has a decent back end flat, a piece of steep channel bank, and some chunk/gravel mix stuff...and don't leave that cove until you have figured out a way to catch a few fish in it even if they are shorts. Then buckle down and see if you can find a keeper or at least one that's darn close.

Until you have figured out where a few fish are hanging out in that cove and have figured out a way to make a couple of them bite, then there's really no sense in leaving that cove to go look for greener pastures. By doing so you're not trying to figure anything out...you're just trying to get lucky.

This time of the year you can safely eliminate the extreme back end of the cove but it's not a bad idea to run back there where you know there's probably no bass at all and then start idling back out, staying in the middle of the cove while watching your electronics for the first sign of life. It doesn't have to be a giant ball of shad...just look for the first little speck of life that shows up on your electronics (a single lonely bluegill is good enough). When you see that, shut the motor down, look to your right then left.... And pick a side to start fishing on.

Somewhere between there and the mouth of the cove there WILL BE some bass.

Once you have unlocked the code to catching fish in your little chosen "test cove" you can own the whole lake. But until then your just stuck on the porch with the blind dogs.

[Bass Enforcer]

MFU,

Awesome advise. Basically stay awhile, fish with intent and with a purpose, but don't try to "Just get lucky." I too am thinking about heading to LOZ on Monday to enjoy some of the nice weather. Though I live closer to LOZ than the rock, I usually drive to the rock and can usually get a decent bag. I have fished LOZ, but.... "very little" thus leaving me with little experience. I am going to have to practice the preach. Keep my head down and a hook wet. Again thanks for the advise. I hope I can get into big girls. How deep do they seem to be right now at LOZ. At Table Rock they're predominantly about 45 deep. Will I find them in the same depths? Flipping a jig, Swimming a grub, using the ned, throwing an A Rig? Thanks in advance.

I usually follow the Rock report, again as that is where I mostly fish. There doesn't seem to be as many post here. I wish there was more. I guess every body is out fishing. HaHa.

[nomolites]

Good advice from wrench, no sense running if you don't have some idea where they're set up. I would add that wind plays a big factor this time of year, wind blown areas that have baitfish coming into them are where the jerk bait is dynamite. There will be fish deeper as well, but the fish will not be as deep as they are at The Rock. They can be fine found on the same channel swings or relating to bait, etc. with jigs and a-rigs. SLOW is the order of the day...

[fishinwrench]

Enforcer, No need to dissect the deep dark abyss on LO, the best bites can be right off the bank even during the coldest periods.

IMO there is something magical about the 12' depth on LO. You can almost always (Winter/Spring/Summer/Fall) catch keeper fish at 12' or get them to come up from 12' to eat a jerkbait that is running about 5-7' deep. They'll often suspend at 12-15' about 2 long casts out from a known good bank or secondary point, and those fish will eat jerkbaits if you can coax them into moving at all.

I haven't taken the time to learn A-rig fishing but I'm sure that'd work better at times.

Jerkbaits and a 5" hula grub (Chomper or Yamamoto) is about all I throw during the Winter. Before I got addicted to the DT grubs I used to do OK with a regular jig and a pork frog fishing it the same way (slowly inching it down the banks from the shoreline out, counting every rock and shaking it gently off any sticks you find). It works.

[WeekendWarrior]

Fishinwrench has hit it right, been catching a few in the 10'to 15 foot range, most fish I have been catching have been in coves with shad, have not found a main lake bite as of yet.

[crittermo]

thanks to everyone, especially fishinwrench. i like the idea of picking one cove and working

it over. i will do that the next time i'm down. i'm always willing to accept and try any tips and

suggestions and also always grateful for the help from eveyone.

for the thousands of people that fish lake of the ozarks it is difficult to find good up to

the minute information about it (except for this website, of course) you would think there would

be more info available.

[Mike3004]

Just bought a condo on the main lake near the Glaize and appreciate the info in this thread. Will the point bite pick up depending on the dam's water generation? I am sure this info on the dam generation has been posted before, is there a way to check on line the dam's water generation?

Thanks in advance for the info.

[WeekendWarrior]

Here you go:

http://apps.ameren.com/HydroElectric/Reports/Osage/HeadWaterTailWater.aspx

[freelancer 11]

• I went out Monday on MLK day and caught 14 total several were shorts but did get a couple LM and keeper spots. Found them on secondary points that had the sun and brush piles. The water was in 10-20' depth range.