Missouri Lakes Fishing Report by Steve Wilson

Lake - Lake of The Ozarks 11/08/06:

The fronts trigger bass movement on Lake of the Ozarks. Fish are moving to different cover based on if it’s a cold or warm front. This can make fishing tough. But this fall seems to be one of the best since fall 1998 for producing big bass. I have caught 3 in the last couple of weeks in the 6 ½ to 7# class. That always makes things interesting.

Lake level: 657.07 with minimum generation scheduled for the next few days. This should hold the lake at 657.07, 657.06 and 657.05 the next few days. Truman lake: 704.33

Water temps range from 50 to 60 degrees.

Dam and Gravois areas: Clear with a little color in the water up the Gravois. The dominate pattern right now is football jigs fished against the bluff banks down to 35' deep. This is really a winter pattern that really picks up in December. I think the fact the lake is 3' low triggered the movement to the bluffs. Jigs from Eakins 5/16 up to 3/4 football jigs fished up against the bluffs from North Shore up into the Gravois. The fish can be against the bluff in 4' of water or down on a ledge as deep as 35'. Look for rocks slides in the middle of the bluffs and the points on the ends. Natural color jigs work best. Browns and greens. But that isn’t the only way to catch quality bass. On a 93 mile long lake there is a few dominate patterns that can produce large catches. And when it warms in this area of the lake fish move from rocks to docks. Crankbaits and spinnerbaits catch these fish. If they’re being fussy try a tube or jig behind the cables. Look for shad around shallow docks on sunny warm calm days and start fishing.

Glaize: Clear with some color in the upper reaches. The fish in the first couple of miles of the Glaize are a lot like the ones in the dam area. They are using the deep bluff banks. Look at your map and make sure the channel runs against the bluff your fishing. Jigs are key to catching these fish. But on warming conditions the docks in the backs of the pockets have been producing. Spinnerbaits, crankbaits are catching them. They are back there feeding on shad. Stop in at Osage Beach Bait & Tackle. They have a ton of these football jigs and a good selection of spinnerbaits.

Nianguas: Clear with stained water in the upper reaches. Hopefully this warming trend doesn’t junk up the rivers. Both the Nianguas and the Osage have been on the same schedule. They were just starting to adjust and the fishing was really picking up. The fish are doing a few different things in this area depending on how aggressively they are feeding. Some fish are up in the shallows eating shad and can be caught on topwaters, crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Others are hanging back deep and can be caught on jigs and deep diving crankbaits. I usually go for the ones feeding shallow. I feel it is my best chance to catch the larger fish. This time of year it is important to make a lot of casts and cover water.

Osage River: Clear around Hwy 5 bridge, stained from 45-60 mile markers and dirty from 65-85 then it clears up again around Truman Dam. The river was really fishing good during the cold last week. Those cold nights where it got down to 18 degrees turned them shallow fish on. One thing about the Osage river though. It is 58 miles of water from the green bridge to Truman Dam. The fish group in small areas. And it is like finding a needle in a haystack. It takes time and hard work to pattern these fish and a lifetime to figure them out. Right now they are going to and from deep to the shallows feeding on large gizzard shad. I wish they didn’t move so much but they do. I am catching them good when it’s cold. But warm days are a different story. Cover water with spinnerbaits and crankbaits fishing horizontal wood in the backs of creeks. Docks on channel banks are holding the non aggressive fish. Jigs and tubes work best one them. The better ones seem to be behind the docks.

Thanks and Good Luck!

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