Lake of the Ozarks

[wags]

I was just wondering if anyone has fished LOZ lately??  I'll be heading down there in 17 days and counting!!   8-)

Last I heard the water was really high.  I was wondering what stage of the spawn they were in.  I didn't know if this cold weather and heavy rains would have pushed it back.

Thanks in advance for all the help.

[cart7t]

http://lakesunleader.com/articles/2008/04/27/outdoors/01.txt

Using this as a reference, it appears the fish are staging up for the spawn right now.  Looks like the cold, muddy water coming in may be putting a damper on things.  

[Mid-MO]

Just got home from a weekend trip.  Fished the middle Osage (46-52 MM) and struggled - ad did the other guys I talked to.

Fished about 10 or 11 hours total for the weekend.  Caught 9 fish total (also lost one)- the biggest went 14".  Did manage two keeper spotted bass though.  I couldn't find any keeper size largemouth.

The water was over full pool (though it dropped some from Friday night to Saturday).  Water was muddy - 2" visiblity and mainly in the mid to high 50's.  I found some low 60's in the backs of coves late Saturday afternoon.

I started off on a secondary point and worked all the way down the docks to the back of a cove (Friday night).  Saturday morning went to another secondary point and worked all the way to the back.  Went out after lunch and tried the same thing.  After dinner I went back out and hit a big flat just off of the channel.  Finished in the rain this morning back in a cove.

All of the reports (and fish I've caught this year) have said the fish were shallow.  I've caught most of my fish on wiggle warts and the reports are all saying spinnerbaits (in the backs of creeks).  That is what I started with.  Working behind docks, around seawalls, ramps, and walkways.  Flipping a jig, throwing spinnerbaits and a shallow running crank.  Ended up moving back out in front of docks and throwing a deeper diving crank.

All of the fish caught came in the back of half of the coves in shallow water on flat banks.  Caught 2 on a spinnerbait and the rest of a shallow running, wide wobbling crankbait.  I'm not sure where the bigger fish were - the places I caught the shorts were a long way from any substantial breakline (or deeper water) I could find.

[Hawghead]

I was down there the 18th-20th.  We caught everything on Wiggle Warts off of sea wall will boulders in shallow water, or concrete piers or launch ramps.  

We use crawdad wiggle warts.  I caught a limit of keepers on saturday, two of which were right @ 4 lbs.  My dad caught a 3.5  and  6.5 on the same bait.  

[wags]

Awesome guys, thanks for the updates.  Sounds like they might be right in the middle of spawning when I get down there.

If anyone else has any reports I'd love to hear them.

Thanks again.

[Bass XL]

I'm going down this weekend (pretty sure) and I'll give you the report.

[Mid-MO]

Hawghead - which part of the lake were you fishing - just curious?

Thanks.

[Hawghead]

Right where the little Niangua comes into the Big Niangua.  Irish Hills Resort.

[Bass XL]

Well I've got good news my friend. This weekend, we slayed them. It was un-real. Let's just say that I lost count of fish 3 hours into saturday. I was around Larry Gail ramp (roach) near the niangua river. Here's what they were doing:

In the morning, I caught most of my fish on a 3/16 oz black/blue jig. I also caught them on a shakey head (watermelon red). And starting about 8 o'clock, I threw craw colored wiggle warts. Actually, I couldnt keep the fish off of the wiggle wart. I was using a 'stop-n-go' presentation becuase if I would reel it straight in, they would just slash at it.

If there is one thing that you should learn from this post, it's in this next sentence. THE FISH ARE RIGHT ON THE BANK!!! I fished all rock banks (with sea walls) and they were all on the bank basically.

I hope this helps, my mind is kind of jumbled right now because I could write a book about this weekend.

[Hawghead]

Thats awesome XL!!! I am glad that you had a dandy weekend.  Hopefully the tip on the Wiggle Warts helped.  I went to a small lake on Thursday where I caught a 9lber earlier in March.

Then Senko bite was sensational.  My dad and I probably caught between 50-60 bass.  It could have been higher, didnt keep track that well.  Like your trip, ours were right on the bank

Your report really makes me wish that I was heading back down this weekend.  But I am heading back to the lake where I caught the boatload this past Thursday.  I am gonna try out some Paca Craws and lizards.  THe tails of the bass were torn up last time out.

What were they like at LOZ?   Any pics or big ones?

[Bass XL]

You bet it helped. If the tails were cut up, they must be spawning. I couldnt tell if the fish were spawning there becuase I was fishing rock. I did notice however, that many fish had their sides cut up from swimming in and out of the rock. I only got 2 pictures, becuase most fish were not huge. Biggest being about 3 1/2 pounds.

I forgot to add. If you see any 'mats' like this one:

fish it. I was flipin' a 'dirty sanchez' sweet beaver with a 1 oz. Tru-Tungsten weight and caught a few nice chunkey ones. The mat was a bunch of tiny chips of wood.

My only picture of a fish was this one. I was just walking around, and this kid named Chris wanted to know if he could fish with me. I gladly said yes. He really wanted to use a fluke. I gave him one and on his 2nd cast he caught this.

Not that big, but it was cool watching him catch it.

[Hawghead]

Dynomite!  Just supports the idea that muddy water affects the fisherman worse than the fish.

[wags]

Only nine more days till I'm there.

Thanks alot for the updates guys...keep them coming.

[Mid-MO]

Fished the Gravois Arm today.  Water temps were in the low 60's, it was cloudy most of the day and rained some.  Water was close to 2' visibility in the middle of the arm - best I've seen all spring.

Caught 13 bass and lost 2 others (plus several that would pick up a jig).  All but 1 of them were males I think.  Most of them were very shallow - some in a foot of water or less.  Never caught anything bigger than 3 lbs - almost all of them were between 14-18 inches.  Caught most of them at least 1/2 way back on shallow banks but caught the bigger fish on the points.

Most of them were caught on spinnerbaits but also caught one on a jig, a sammy, and a shallow running crank.  

Saw a couple of fish on the bed but never saw or caught any bigger females.  Fished a jig and spinnerbait right behind the docks (in 5-7' of water) but only had one bite and I missed in on a jig.   Tried a deeper running crank adn a carolina rig briefly but gave up (was getting a lot of moss).

[cart7t]

Once the trees start pollenating and the moss starts growing along the spawning banks I usually switch to a C-rigged French Fry type lure, a sluggo, Gitzit or a plastic worm.  Sounds like the lake is finally getting back to it's normal routine. Wish I could've been there this spring.  That Wiggle wart bite is da bomb.  

[Mid-MO]

Fished the North Shore and Gravois again yesterday.  Not much had changed from Tuesday.  Water temps and colors were pretty much the same.  

Caught 11 (lost two more) but just two were keepers.  4 of them measured between 14" and 14 1/2" - biggest went just under 3#.  Found them in the same spots - shallow - with the same lure - spinnerbait.

Tried to fish a little deeper some and ran my spinnerbait around a bunch of docks.  The only fish I could find where shallow.  Still haven't caught a female.

I know they have to be back in a little deeper water but had a hard time making myself fish deeper.  I threw a jig in some deeper water and a carolina rig a little.  Was planning to fish deeper later in the afternoon but got chased off the lake by lightning.

[405z06]

I just got back for a week long trip at LOZ. We stayed at Robin's Resort near the Grand Glaize bridge. Here is a summary:

Sunday 5/4: Couldn't keep the bass off our Wiggle Warts. Many, many, quality fish. If we had been fishing a tournament, we would have been culling after about 2 hours. Started near PB2 and later fished some points and coves near Tan-Tar-A. One of the best days of fishing I've had in a long time.

Monday 5/5: Same exact weather conditions as day before, but didn't get a single keeper all day!!!! Bizarre....

Tuesday 5/6: Started off poor but stumbled upon a bite using a 5" SwimSenko texas-rigged with 1/8 oz bullet. Caught a few nice fish in the Glaize in coves.

Later in the week we got some reports that the bite was very strong on secondary points with worms and jigs, but I had no luck. The last few days of our trip all we really caught were short, 13 inch largemouth and kamikaze 10-inch kentuckys. Kind of disappointing, especially considering how strong our first day of fishing was.

The crappie fishing was universally reported to be spectacular, though I did not partake. 90% of the boats you would see on the water were crappie fishing.

[wags]

I'm heading down tommorrow and will be coming back next Mon.  Hopefully we have some good days.  Good Luck to everyone.

[Hawghead]

"Sunday 5/4: Couldn't keep the bass off our Wiggle Warts. Many, many, quality fish. If we had been fishing a tournament, we would have been culling after about 2 hours. Started near PB2 and later fished some points and coves near Tan-Tar-A. One of the best days of fishing I've had in a long time."

Man ain't that awesome.  Nothing better than that confident feeling of each cast could be the next dandy.  I love that crankbait bite.