Lake Of The Ozarks

[Brian6428]

Wow man. That hurts. Crazy how things like that haunt you. I don't remember every big fish I've caught, but I do remember every one I've lost.

Are you getting excited for the big bass bash?

[gardnerjigman]

Are you getting excited for the big bass bash?

My wife told me she isn't even going to talk to me until after I get back. Just about all that is running thru my mind at this point

[Brian6428]

My wife told me she isn't even going to talk to me until after I get back. Just about all that is running thru my mind at this point

What's your gameplan? Where are you launching from? I can't fish it this year but I am quite interested in the whole idea.

[gardnerjigman]

I stay around the alohana resort area. Targeting docks with brush, rock transitions. Back up plan is, as always, chase the shad up river.

[Brian6428]

I stay around the alohana resort area. Targeting docks with brush, rock transitions. Back up plan is, as always, chase the shad up river.

How'd day one go?

[gardnerjigman]

Had a great morning and weighed in 2 fish today. 4.09 (.09 cost me a $500 exact weight check) and a 4.24. Both fish were beat. Afternoon was rough. Had 4.5 foot whitecaps on the main lake making runs very hard (kidneys still hurt). Big fish is 6.7 so far. I went out and idled the backs of coves with feeder creeks and found big schools of gizzard shad. Will be starting there tomorrow morning.

[Brian6428]

Had a great morning and weighed in 2 fish today. 4.09 (.09 cost me a $500 exact weight check) and a 4.24. Both fish were beat. Afternoon was rough. Had 4.5 foot whitecaps on the main lake making runs very hard (kidneys still hurt). Big fish is 6.7 so far. I went out and idled the backs of coves with feeder creeks and found big schools of gizzard shad. Will be starting there tomorrow morning.

What kind of boat are you in? Sounds nasty. 

 

Nice fish, though. Bummer to not get paid.

[gardnerjigman]

A triton 186 with a 150 merc. No dice today boys. Tried to hit a exact weight fish and it came in at 2.15. Caught all my fish today on main lake points dragging a wobble jig head with a green pumpkin berkley power hawg with the last inch dipped in blue garlic spike it. Getting loaded up and heading to the award ceremony. Heard there was a toad weighed in at just under 8#s!!

[EmersonFish]

7.89 won it. Weighed in the first time period this morning. A lot of nice fish were weighed in.

 

I was going to fish this but opted not to because I have not got to fish the lake at all recently due to my broken foot, and I still am not comfortable spending all day alone on the big lake in my old boat. Not that there wouldn't have been plenty of help out there if I needed it. There were probably close to 2000 entries. Not sure what the actual number is. I'll have to check that out.

[gardnerjigman]

7.89 won it. Weighed in the first time period this morning. A lot of nice fish were weighed in.

 

I was going to fish this but opted not to because I have not got to fish the lake at all recently due to my broken foot, and I still am not comfortable spending all day alone on the big lake in my old boat. Not that there wouldn't have been plenty of help out there if I needed it. There were probably close to 2000 entries. Not sure what the actual number is. I'll have to check that out.

 

Sure did, came from the 2 mile marker on an Omega jig. Stud of a fish!

 

It would have been rough for you with a broken foot to control everything. We were in a 2006 Triton 18'6 and we had the holy hell beat out of us on Saturday from waves from that 20-25mph gusts. Sunday the weather was much more tolerable, but that also made pleasure boaters come out. Had a 45' monster of a boat come around a main lake point close enough for me to cast and hit at full speed. Put the nose of the boat at a 45 degree angle in the air and when it slammed back down we took a wave straight on the nose and it just flooded the boat and almost took us both off of it.

 

Was a fun tournament and atleast i didn't go completely empty handed. Won a lews speed spool and an omega tackle assortment.

 

Can't decide if I want to fish the April one or not.

[conorsixtakc]

A triton 186 with a 150 merc. No dice today boys. Tried to hit a exact weight fish and it came in at 2.15. Caught all my fish today on main lake points dragging a wobble jig head with a green pumpkin berkley power hawg with the last inch dipped in blue garlic spike it. Getting loaded up and heading to the award ceremony. Heard there was a toad weighed in at just under 8#s!!

 

Sounds like you ran the main channel, how far from the Gravois did you run?

[conorsixtakc]

Sure did, came from the 2 mile marker on an Omega jig. Stud of a fish!

 

It would have been rough for you with a broken foot to control everything. We were in a 2006 Triton 18'6 and we had the holy hell beat out of us on Saturday from waves from that 20-25mph gusts. Sunday the weather was much more tolerable, but that also made pleasure boaters come out. Had a 45' monster of a boat come around a main lake point close enough for me to cast and hit at full speed. Put the nose of the boat at a 45 degree angle in the air and when it slammed back down we took a wave straight on the nose and it just flooded the boat and almost took us both off of it.

 

Was a fun tournament and atleast i didn't go completely empty handed. Won a lews speed spool and an omega tackle assortment.

 

Can't decide if I want to fish the April one or not.

 

I'd fish it if I were you. April's my favorite month to fish LOZ. Most of the big boats are still winterized and on the lower end there's a good chance you'll be able to sight fish a toad. See attached.

 

 

[gardnerjigman]

The condos we stay at are on the main channel around the 1.5 mm. Saturday we ran up the gravious to Mill Creek Cove and Soap Creek Cove. Main lake of Saturday was very difficult to fish because the wind made it nearly impossible to skip docks or stay on a brush pile. Sunday we focused on docks until the pleasure boaters got to running and we then focused on main lake points and just let the wind drift us over them.

[gardnerjigman]

I'd fish it if I were you. April's my favorite month to fish LOZ. Most of the big boats are still winterized and on the lower end there's a good chance you'll be able to sight fish a toad. See attached.

 

Yah, i've had very good luck in April on LOZ. Very first tournament we fished there was the carpenters union tourney from st louis. We placed 4th in it with 18lbs. This is definetly a lake that can keep you in check though. Can walk into it with all the confidence in the world and walk out at an all time low. I'm happy with our performance, but it's haunting me a little that the almost 8# winning fish came practically in the back yard of where we were staying!

[EmersonFish]

Sure did, came from the 2 mile marker on an Omega jig. Stud of a fish!

 

It would have been rough for you with a broken foot to control everything. We were in a 2006 Triton 18'6 and we had the holy hell beat out of us on Saturday from waves from that 20-25mph gusts. Sunday the weather was much more tolerable, but that also made pleasure boaters come out. Had a 45' monster of a boat come around a main lake point close enough for me to cast and hit at full speed. Put the nose of the boat at a 45 degree angle in the air and when it slammed back down we took a wave straight on the nose and it just flooded the boat and almost took us both off of it.

 

Was a fun tournament and atleast i didn't go completely empty handed. Won a lews speed spool and an omega tackle assortment.

 

Can't decide if I want to fish the April one or not.

It would have been very rough on me with the boat I have up here. It's a fairly light weight, aluminum boat. It's a v-bottom with the front deck raised up (probably raised too high, if I'm honest). But my biggest concern would have been the runs across the main lake to the weigh in site. If I fish it in the Spring, I'll go down and get my boat that lives at Table Rock. Not that it's ideal. But it's a reliable boat that would be much better for the job.

If I don't fish in April, I'll definitely do the Oakley Big Bass Tour event at Table Rock, assuming it happens around May as it usually does. Not as much money at stake, but good hourly prize money, and this year the grand prize was a Nitro Z8.

[awmcdonald]

Had a great morning and weighed in 2 fish today. 4.09 (.09 cost me a $500 exact weight check) and a 4.24. Both fish were beat. Afternoon was rough. Had 4.5 foot whitecaps on the main lake making runs very hard (kidneys still hurt). Big fish is 6.7 so far. I went out and idled the backs of coves with feeder creeks and found big schools of gizzard shad. Will be starting there tomorrow morning.

 

 

gardnerjigman, had to reply to your comment on the 4.5 footers. I have a 17' boat with 50 hp motor. A buddy and I were out Friday as well... made runs to Gravious Arm all the way from Alhonna all 3 days. We were so sore, we couldn't move by Sunday night.

 

It was our first BBB, and first time on LOZ as well. He ended up cashing a check in the 9-11 slot sunday with a 4.73. We caught probably 25 fish between both tournament days with only 1 keeper.

[gardnerjigman]

gardnerjigman, had to reply to your comment on the 4.5 footers. I have a 17' boat with 50 hp motor. A buddy and I were out Friday as well... made runs to Gravious Arm all the way from Alhonna all 3 days. We were so sore, we couldn't move by Sunday night.

 

It was our first BBB, and first time on LOZ as well. He ended up cashing a check in the 9-11 slot sunday with a 4.73. We caught probably 25 fish between both tournament days with only 1 keeper.

 

 

Congrats on the check! We ran from the dam to alohanna and the gravious. Actually going to the weigh in or to the gravious from the dam wasn't bad at all, but coming back from either one going with the waves sucked! Nothing you could do to keep the boat from jumping and the slower you went the worse it was so it was 50mph all the way. Our condo had a big Jacuzzi tub in it and it was used both Friday and Saturday nights just to keep the ache out!