Missouri Lakes Fishing Report by Steve Wilson

Lake - Lake of The Ozarks 04/17/08:

Water temps have really gone up here at the Lake of the Ozarks. And the fishing has picked up with it.   

Lake level: 659.5 and rising slowly. Heavy generation is scheduled for the next few days. Predicted lake levels for the next few days are 659.6, 659.7 and 659.8 Depending on the rain storms predicted for Thursday night and Friday. Truman lake 721.6

Water temps: 52-low 60's    
 
Gravois and Dam area to the Toll Bridge. There is dirty water in the main channel of the Osage all the way to Bagnell Dam. The key is to look for the mixing conditions which change daily. The fish are staging on secondary points. The ones that aren’t are headed there down channel banks. The chunk rock to pea gravel transitions are starting to hold fish also. Which signals to beginning of that carolina rig bite. It will be on big time by next week. Right now the best fishing has been the deeper water rock transitions in front of those pea gravel areas. Spinnerbaits and wiggle warts are very productive right now. With all the water those two lure allow you to cover enough of it to run into a few biting fish. Once fish are located re-fish the area with a jig and try to mop up those larger fish. The bite is good in the North Shore creeks and in the Gravois. It is a little warmer up the Gravois.

  Glaize: The water temps have helped the situation out a lot in this portion of the lake. It is still muddy but there is some clearing conditions. With the warmer temps fish are more cooperative with the spinnerbait and wiggle wart. Use dark colors that put off a big profile. Fish the channel banks with the rock transitions. Most of them are under water right now. So it is important to know where they are by experience are to have a quality map that shows the ditches and small creeks that enter the coves. Where the cover is too heavy for spinnerbaits and crankbaits pitch a jig threw it. 

Nianguas: The Niangaus are still muddy but there are small sections of clear water. Like the Glaize the warmer temps have started to activate these fish. More importantly the full moon is April 20th. With longer, warmer days and a full moon approaching these fish are thinking about spawning. Next week will be interesting. The people who like to throw carolina rigs to pea gravel points will be happy! Right now the best bite has been on spinnerbaits, wiggle warts and jigs on rock transitions. Chunk rock to pea gravel transitions with a little wood or brush pile usually holds a fish.  

Osage River: Very Muddy strong current in upper sections. More fishable stained to muddy conditions in the lower Osage near Hurricane Deck Bridge. It is hard to find good quality water in the Osage right now. The fishing has been ok with the warmer water temps. But since this last rain the stained conditions are few. Maybe when they start dropping the lake some it will start to clear out a little. But for now it is muddy. There are still good fish to catch. But the bite is different than the other portions of the lake. Less bites with a few real quality fish. The fish are really tight to cover and you better hit them on the lips. The best baits have been wiggle warts and jigs. The spinnerbait is starting to pick up with the warmer conditions but hasn’t been as productive as the other two lures.  

Thanks and Good Luck!

Note: If you are a tournament angler and your not catching fish under these conditions you might want to think about investing in a Bassfactory trip. You will see how I hunt clearing conditions and catch fish in this high muddy water. This experience will go along way next time you are in a tournament situation like this.  If you have any questions about fishing patterns/lures or would like to book a trip at Bassfactory Instructional Fishing Trips send me an email at Bassfactory@Charter.net

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