It's starting to click

[Needemp]

I have been putting a lot of time the last 2 years in becoming a consistent angler and it seems to be coming together for me. I just hope it lasts. Two weeks ago I had the best day I have ever had at the MO Bass-resources members tourny at Little Dixie. I caught a 5lbs 4oz, 6lbs 8oz and an 8lbs 3oz. This week, I was pretty successful again while at Lake of the Ozarks, at least by my standards.

I got to the lake on Wednesday night and left Sunday morning. I caught at least a 5+ pound bass all five days. I only had 20 minutes of daylight Wednesday to fish. But Thur, Fri, Sat and Sun I started at 6 to 6:30am and had a limit by 10am.

Wed night was a 5+ in about 45 minutes of fishing.

Thur was 5 keepers at 16 1/2 pounds with a 5+lber and 4 1/2lber.

Fri was 6 keepers with the best 5 at 17 1/2 pounds with a 5+ and four 3+lbers.

Sat was 8 keepers with the best 5 at 20 pounds with a 5+, three 4lbers and a 3. (I lost a 5+ due to not checking the sharpness of the hook)

Sunday was the day I had to leave and only had 3 hours to fish, but still had 5 keepers for 14 pounds with the very first cast producing a 5+ and third cast another keeper, oh and by the way, the very last cast I made another keeper.

Amazingly enough, it only took an hour the first day to figure out the pattern and I was able to make enough adjustments to catch bass the rest of the trip. I did not target bedding bass or males, I decided to go after the post spawn females. Some of them were skinny and I would have liked to seen what they weighed a few weeks ago. A couple of the 5 pounders were 22 inches long. I was disappointed I didn't get one in or over 6lbs, but I am satisfied that I had success. Some pics down below but I didn't post all off them because some are too dark to see anything.

PS DanielMyBrother, you said you like these posts so here you go.

[jaskoh]

Very nice looking fish!  Congrats on everything comming together for you.  

[Daniel My Brother]

Congrats Needemp! I do love seeing big Midwestern bass!  

Sounds like you were on 'em the whole weekend. What was your most productive presentation?

[cart7t]

Congrats.

Looks like the bite was on at LOZ.

[Needemp]

All the areas I knew at LOZ were basically summer and fall places. So I tried mainly all new areas. I marked all the places on my maps that had current and semi-steep to steep rocky banks. I then went to all the areas I had marked and checked to see what the rock was like. By Friday I knew that the slab rock would not produce and that chunk rock and swiss cheese rock was producing. I figured out that the spawned out females would be up on the shallow flats in the morning or any real low light condition, and then with increased light, they would move to the steep drop offs in about 8 to 15 feet of water. They only preferred 3/8 oz jigs, compared to 1/2 or 1/4 oz. I tried all 3, even when I got a strike, I would throw that 1/4 oz up there and they wouldn't touch it. I know there had to be other patterns that worked, but this one produced good size fish all week. The neat thing about it was I caught more keepers than I did non-keepers.