24-Hour Learning Curve at Lake Ozark, Missouri

24-Hour Learning Curve at Lake Ozark, Missouri

Lake Ozark - http://mostateparks.com/park/lake-ozarks-stateouri It’s shallower than other Ozark lakes, which makes learning how to fish here a real challenge for a novice angler.

But persistence pays off—patience can fill your livewell with big largemouth bass.

My Tournament Day on Lake Ozark

Lake Ozark holds spotted bass and smallmouth bass, but the bulk of keepers will be largemouth.

Quick Background on the Water

The launch area is a river. When the hydroelectric current was flowing, a 109 lb MotorGuide was needed to fish it. Add in the crowd—boats flipping trees everywhere—and you’ve got a bumper-to-bumper tournament scene.

Another factor? Recreational boating.

There are some big yachts cruising those waters!

Combine that with shallow water and narrow channels, and you get angry waves with nowhere to go. Be prepared—it can get rough.

One Day to Practice on a Massive Lake

We arrived around mile marker 40 about an hour and a half after launch. After stopping halfway and bagging no keepers, the time crunch began. It was a weekend on a notorious recreational lake, and the rough ride was only going to get worse.

We had to allow another half hour to make it back for weigh-in, meaning five fish in the well by 1:30 PM. A river system lake with current can make or break patterns. The closer you are to the source, the more current matters. Many tournaments are won or lost based on whether the power company needs electricity.

The Current Factor

I didn’t want to live or die by current with only one day to fish, but I knew it would play a major role—even 50 miles from the source, fish position themselves like they’re in a river.

We fished main lake points, bouncing from one to another, and managed only one keeper. Lots of bites, but no quality. Our single 15" largemouth wasn’t going to cut it. We were junk fishing—throwing baits that “should” work.

We hit the back of a major spawning cove. I threw a Mattlures Bluegill, my partner a frog. An hour later, we had 14" fish but no keepers. Tick Tock Tick Tock.

Back to Main Lake Points

We knew current mattered. We busted out the map, did quick homework, and—bam—a special point stood out.

We arrived and quickly boated a 17" largemouth. Almost fell into the trap of fishing down the bank, but I stopped us:
“Whoa, what are we doing? We caught a keeper on that point and left?!”

I re-rigged with a 10" Zoom worm, and another 18" largemouth joined the livewell. We had a reload spot. Tick Tock Tick Tock.

We hammered that point, but time was against us. Points need time to reload, and we didn’t have it.

Final Results

We pulled up to weigh-in with 4 fish for 9.97 lbs, good enough for 7th place. That extra half hour for the rough ride could’ve been the difference—there are 6 lb fish on that point, no doubt. Just didn’t time it right… this time.

Notable Lures Used

  1. Strike King Baby King Shad
  2. Mattlures U2 Bluegill flat tail floater
  3. Strike King crankbaits (blue and citrus hues)
  4. Zoom Ol’ Monster 10" worm (red hues)

@ksbigbass