Missouri Lakes Fishing Report by Steve Wilson

Lake - Lake of The Ozarks 04/26/06:

Bass are in all three phases of the spawn at Lake of the Ozarks.

Lake level: 654.96

Minimum generation is scheduled for the next few days. This should keep lake levels steady at 655.0 Truman lake level: 706.9

Water temps low 60's to mid 60's. The cold front has cooled the water down some.

Dam and Gravois areas: Clear. Your best bet for a good pre spawn bite. The creeks of the lower end are a little cooler than the rest of the lake. But for the most part fish are all over the beds. Mostly males. The females are holding just out from the beds suspending on the fronts of docks. Some are huge. But hard to catch.

The males range from 2-4#’s and are much easier to target. If your not a good sight fisherman (Get a good pair sunglasses and see what you’ve been missing) try a small carolina rig to the deeper beds. You will catch larger fish like this anyway. Brush hogs, lizards and beavers are all good plastics on the end of a carolina rig. Watermelon and pumpkinseed have been top producers.

Glaize: Clear with some stained water in the very back by PB 1. They are all over the beds in this area also. They are just deeper and harder to see. The fish are in all three phases of the spawn in this part of the lake. There are females that have already dropped eggs and in the recovery stage. There are males locked on beds that are fighting off other males trying to move into limited spawning areas.

These fish are harder to catch of the beds because they are so distracted by all the other fish moving into their territory. They are constantly busy. The other areas of the lake you can read a fishes personality and no how long it’s going to take to catch it. The best bet in this part of the lake is to target the deeper beds and the post spawn fish on the secondaries with the carolina rig. Fish 4'-8' deep. These fish will be larger and easier to catch then those shallower fish that are seeing lots of lures.

Another good tactic is to pitch jigs and plastics behind docks for spawners. You may net see this fish but they are there. I like to pitch the Crock-O-Gator tube like they sell at the MAO-Store. I use 15-20# line on a Team Daiwa Flip Stick with a TD-X reel with light bullet weight and a wide gap hook. Lots of different colors work during the spawn so experiment.

Nianguas: Clear with some stained in the upper portions of both rivers. Most females are post spawn here. With the males on beds. Some fry should be showing up soon in this part of the lake. The cold front might have slowed that down some. It also has hurt the topwater bite.

Once those females start to recover they will suspend around deeper points and bust a Zara Spook. This is about two weeks away. Lots of fun! Right now carolina rigging secondaries and the backs of pockets is producing the best fish. In the upper portions try Texas rigging lizards and tubes and fishing the backs of docks. If you want to up grade and catch large fish try a 3/8 Rattleback Jig in Blk/Blue.

Osage river: Clear in the mid lake region starts to dirty up past the 45 mile mark. The Osage offers a lot of different water colors from clear around Tan Tara to 39 mile mark to stained to 45 mile to dirty past there. The water has come up a little. And stained up the backs of the creeks and upper Osage. At Least the water level is starting to go in the right direction. Bass are spawn and post spawn in the Osage.

Most females are done and males are locked on nests. The males will be on the beds for a while. They will guard the eggs and then guard the fry. They are there for as long as it takes to get as many females to lay eggs on them beds as they can and then to guard against anything eating eggs or fry.

The males are easy to catch right now. The females on the deeper banks can be caught early on topwaters. With buzzbaits working the best. After the sun gets up Rattleback jigs fished behind docks on deeper banks is producing the better fish.

Note: Between Osage Beach Bait & Tackle (Located near Town and Country Motel-PB 2 area) and District 78 Tackle Shop (Located in Standing Rock Hollow 32 mile marker of the Osage by water-Red Oak Resort by Land.) You should have all your tackle needs taken care of at Lake of the Ozarks. They both carry premium tackle. The good stuff!

So check your calendars, reserve a date and Lets Go Fishing!!!!!!!! To inquire about or book a trip email me at BassFactory@Netzero.Net or call 314-406-3913

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