Missouri Lakes Fishing Report

Lake - Lake of The Ozarks 09/19/05:

Lots of changing conditions this week at Lake of the Ozarks!

The lake is full of bait. And the bass fishing seems to be good throughout most of the lake. Lake levels: 658.26 with no generation scheduled for the next few days. Forecasted lake levels of 658.3 and holding steady for the next three days. Truman lake level: 707.66 Garmin water temp: 74-79 degrees.

Dam and Gravois areas: Clear with the stained water in the upper reaches of the Gravois. All the water flowing through this area really helps the fishing. Fish can be found on flats with horizontal wood. (Laydowns and docks) Fish this type cover with HawgCaller Spinnerbaits in white and chart/white. Shallow cranks in shad color and chart/blk also work. Tubes and beavers flipped to the backs of docks has been taking a few good fish. This area is a real sleeper. It can produce big stringers.

No generation from the dam is hurting the structure bite. But the “good spots” are still producing some nice fish. 5/8 football jig on structure at 18'-25'. PBJ has been the best producer. Topwater in the mourning and evening is also producing. Zara Spooks! Grand Glaize to Linn Creek: Clear to stained. If you go into the back of the Glaize there is some stained water. There is a topwater bite in the mournings. Spooks. After that move to mid depth brush and fish it with DD 22 in shad color. Fish the brush located near point docks.

Some fish can be caught on Rattleback jigs and tubes on the shallow docks. Rig tubes on a light sinker such as 3/16 to get a slow fall. The best size tubes seem to be the medium size like the Crock-0-Gater tubes sold at MAO Web store. The reason this size is best: The medium tube is big enough to give you a slow fall with a flipping hook. And it is not to big that it will ball up on your hook on the hook set. Best colors are blk/neon, blk/blue flk and greens. Niangua’s: Clear to stained. The topwater bite has been good in the mournings.

Spooks have been best. RattleBack jigs and plastic worms fished in the brush around docks has been the best way to catch a good fish. Blk Blue or Watermelon. Some fish are being caught on flats on shallow cranks and spinnerbaits. Shad colored cranks and white spinnerbaits are the best colors. There has been some grouping of fish around the points in the mournings. I think this is because of the falling water conditions that existed last week. These fish are already starting to scatter.

I was catching them on medium cranks like Norman deep n and Bandit 200. Osage River: Clear by the green bridge-stained from 55 mile to 65 and dirty from 65-85 and clear under Truman Dam. The river is on and off. Some days it is producing great fishing and sometimes it is a real struggle up there. I fished with a pretty good young fisherman named Mike Horstmeyer up in the river last Saturday. We fished the upper Osage on a bluebird day after the water had falling 2 feet in a week! Tough conditions.

On top of it, there was a 30+ boat tournament fishing the same water as us. Mike’s father Dave and I watched as the tournament fisherman whined about the tough fishing conditions. The only fisherman that wasn’t complaining about the tough conditions was Mike. He was too busy reeling in fish. Look for this young angler to be in the winners circle in the future. The key to Mike great day of fishing was his casting. Lots of accurate presentations during a sunny calm day to the shade inside docks produces best. Rattleback jigs and plastic creature baits. Blk blue and blk/neon are hard to beat colors.

On sunny cold front days it isn’t as much the bait you throw. But how far you can skip it into the shade. On cloudy days the fish scatter and presentations that cover more water produce best. Such as Buzzbaits in blk and white. Spinnerbaits and crankbaits fished throughout the cover. I would like to think everyone for their support of Bassfactory Guide Service. We fished under lots of changing conditions last week. Extreme falling lake conditions. We saw heat and sun Monday. It changed to clouds Tuesday afternoon and Wed and down right rained Thursday and got cold Friday.

These five days Monday through Friday was some of the most challenging conditions I’ve seen in a long time. My clients got to see first had how to change with the conditions. And this is what makes instructional bass fishing trips so great. I know I learned a lot. We caught quality fish in 3 different arms of the lake. And logged 37 keepers in the five days. My clients learned how to change with the conditions. And that there is always a way to make them bite!

I still have a few dates available at the end of Sept! If you would like to book a trip. Drop me a line at BassFactory@Netzero.Net Great fall fishing is just around the corner!

Thanks and Good Luck!