Lake of the Ozarks Fishing Spot
- Elevation: 904'
- Last Modified By: vinny60 on 09/18/09 03:51 PM
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Although bass can be caught year-round, the best times are spring and fall. Fish points, brush, and docks. The best producing lures are topwater baits (low light periods), plastic worms, crankbaits, and spinnerbaits. Winter is also an excellent time to fish for bass by slowly fishing jerkbaits off points. Crappie fishing should be excellent this spring as many fish from the large 1999 year class are now 10-inches or greater in length. In addition, a very large year class was produced in 2001. Pending survival of these young fish through the 2001/2002 winter, they should enter the harvest by fall of 2003. Concentrate on brushpiles, especially those located on or near points. The ability to locate good structure is the key to successful crappie fishing on Lake of the Ozarks. Small jigs (1/32 to 1/16 ounce) and minnows are the best baits. Catfish action should be similar to the past few years. The best months are April through September. Drifting and fishing live or cut shad on the bottom on days with a light breeze consistently produces the best catch. White bass fishing in 2002 should be normal. White bass up to 16 inches are available. Fish windy points, submerged islands and long, sloping points using either artificial lures or shad. Opportunities for catching hybrid white bass are good in the Truman Dam tailwater and, during the summer and winter months, in spring-fed areas of the lake. Walleye are now well established in Lake of the Ozarks after 10 years consistent stocking. Several of these fish are being caught on steep points on crankbaits, jigs, and minnows. The lake also offers good fishing for a number of other species including paddlefish, sunfish, gar, and carp. Remember to use proper handling techniques when releasing sublegal (or legal) fish back to the water to ensure their survival.
Lake of the Ozarks Description
Since the 1931 completion of Bagnell Dam in a remote area of the Ozark hills, visitors and vacationers have enjoyed the fun and excitement of the Lake of the Ozarks for more than seven decades. The Lake of the Ozarks has over 1,100 miles of shoreline in four different Missouri counties. The massive body of water is the largest manmade lake in the Midwestern United States and has made Lake of the Ozarks of the most popular vacation spots for residents from all parts of the country and the world. The Lake of the Ozarks is the Midwest's premier lake resort destination, offering world-class boating, golf, shopping and fishing, and a wide variety of lodging, restaurants, state parks, and other recreational activities to suit any budget and taste. Lake of the Ozarks vacations are defined by the Lake and its many waterfront accommodations, restaurants, and recreational and entertainment venues. Whether you are a serious pro looking for some outstanding bass fishing or just look forward to a lazy day of relaxation and family fun, Lake of the Ozarks has the ingredients for your Missouri fishing vacation. Although Lake of the Ozarks offers some of the midwest's finest recreational and sight-seeing opportunities above the water, it's what's underneath that counts. And it counts big. Largemouth bass, crappie, white bass, hybrid striped bass, catfish and walleye are the main source of excitement to Lake anglers and when one species isn't cooperating, relax....another one will. The fishing season begins early on Lake of the Ozarks, about January 1, and it ends late, December 31. No kidding! Knowledgeable anglers work cool, spring waters using deep diving crankbaits and jig-n-frog lures. As the Lake warms up, topwater lures produce the explosive strikes that make grown men shake with excitement. After the bass spawn, usually in late April or early May, the plastic worm begins to replace the crankbaits and surface lures on the business end of the fishing rod. Summer anglers find their bass around deep points, drop offs and boat docks. And just when you think the action's going to end, the cool weather of October and November brings the bass back in the shallows for some more fast fishing action. If black bass doesn't excite you, our white bass fishing will. During the early spring spawning runs, experienced anglers often fill their 15 fish limit in about as many casts. The summer months find the whites schooled up on shallow flats. Though the one to two pound whites are great table fare (and by the way, put up a rowdy battle), nothing strips line from your reel like the stripers and hybrid stripers which were first stocked in Lake of the Ozarks in 1980. The reigning state record 20.5 lb hybrid striper was pulled from our waters only six years later. Through effective management, regulation and stocking efforts of the Missouri Department of Conservation, Lake of the Ozarks has provided numbers of other state record catches over the past ten years including a 40 lb. freshwater drum, a 36 lb. 12 oz. small mouth buffalo, a 41 lb. 2 oz. muskie, a 91 lb. blue catfish (caught in 1988) and a 111 lb. paddlefish. Crappie fishing is another main event at the Lake. The length limit is 9 inches. The spring spawn usually occurs in mid to late April. Local anglers know the crappie won't spawn until the dogwoods bloom. Whether you¹re a serious pro looking for some outstanding bass fishing or just looking forward to a lazy day of relaxation and family fun, Lake of the Ozarks has the ingredients for your fishing vacation. For a special thrill, go after a paddlefish, also referred to as a spoonbill. This rare fish is a bonafide remnant of the dinosaur age. It is caught by blind snagging. Fisher-persons troll and jerk large hooks attached to heavy lead sinkers or cast and retrieve the hooks by jerking. All paddlefish caught in Lake of the Ozarks must be 34 inches or longer from the eye to the fork of the tail. Paddlefish season is from March 15 to April 30.
The Lake of the Ozarks is a large reservoir created by impounding the Osage River in the northern part of the Ozarks in central Missouri. Extents of three smaller tributaries to the Osage, the Niangua River, Grandglaize Creek, and Gravois Creek, are included in the impoundment. The lake has a surface area of 55,000 acres (223 km²), over 1,150 miles (1,850 km) of shoreline, and the main channel of the Osage Arm stretches 92 miles (148 km) from end to end. The total drainage area is over 14,000 square miles (36,000 km2).