Mid Osage Report

[Jbrant]

Fished Thursday and Friday. Caught 4 keepers on Thursday and 5 on Friday. Focused on rock transitions in the back half of bigger creeks.

On Thursday we fished from the mouth of the Glaize to the Nianguas. Caught our first keeper (2-5) on rock on a spinnerbait just off a secondary point. The other 3 keepers ( 2-5, 2-1, and 4-8) all came in a small pocket catching wind that was loaded with shad on the surface. Two came on spinnerbaits and the smaller one on a jig. The biggest one came off a stump and the other two under the shad (which were all around a dock). We fished all day and never saw any other shad on the surface like this pocket.

On Friday we fished from the toll bridge to Tan-Tar-A. Had 5 keepers. First came on a wiggle wart just off a secondary point. Bait temporarily hung on a big rock and the 4-9 hit it when it came off. Caught a 3-1 in the back of a creek on a spinnerbait around bigger rock. Last three keepers (all in the 2 1/2 range) came on mixed rock banks - wiggle wart, soft plastic z hog. 5 went around 14.5 pounds.

Bite was fairly consistent but we struggled to catch more than one fish in a spot (other than the pocket with shad) both days. We didn't fish much main lake stuff. Fished a few deeper channel banks with jigs in the creeks. Most of our fish came on shallower stuff, cover (stumps, big rocks helped). Friday afternoon we caught more fish on shallower, mixed rock banks. Fished a lot of windblown banks and pockets.

Water in the Osage was cleaner and warmer towards the Nianguas (as compared to towards the Toll Bridge). Pressure wasn't bad considering the BFL was Saturday.

[m&m]

Jbrandt, nice pictures of healthy fish.  Thanks for the information.  Any idea what the water temp was?

Mike

[MOsmallies]

Great report and pics! You guys stuck a few nice ones! I'll be down Easter weekend and hopefully those first 2 weekends of April as well. I've been dying to get on the water and get a piece of this good bite. I haven't seriously fished since Thanksgiving. I'm tired of being cranky and hoarding tackle that I don't need. Time to put it to use!!

[Jbrant]

Water temps were 45 to 51. Water was consistently colder towards the toll bridge.  It was pretty cloudy both days, not much sunshine to warm surface or shallow water as the day went.