Fishing

Your guide to where the fish are at Lake of the Ozarks

John Neporadny

Special to Vacation News | USA TODAY NETWORK

The lake level was 659.2, generation of 37,000 cubic feet per second (CFS) throughout the week for a level of 659.0 by the weekend. Surface temperature at Bagnell Dam was 82 degrees. Truman Lake was at 715.5 level.

To Note: The Lower Osage is from the dam to the 22-mile mark; Mid-Lake is from the 22- to 38-mile mark, the Upper Osage is from the 38-mile mark to the Route 65 Bridge.

Bagnell Dam spillway/Osage River

Water clarity: Stained. Black bass: Slow on crankbaits. Crappie: Slow on tube jigs.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Lower Osage

Water clarity: Stained. Black bass: Fair on shaky head worms or swimbaits 20 to 25 feet deep along points. Crappie: Fair trolling crankbaits along main channel. White bass: Good on topwater lures along points when the fish are surfacing and chasing shad.

Gravois

Water clarity: Clear to stained. Black bass: Fair on magnum-sized plastic worms in brush piles 15 to 30 feet deep along points. Crappie: Good trolling Bandit 300 crankbaits along points and bluffs or shooting jigs under docks 15 feet deep along the main channel. Catfish: Excellent drifting skipjack herring and shad in deep water along the main channel.

Mid-Lake

Water clarity: Stained. Black bass: Slow on jigs around main lake docks and shallow docks in backs of creeks. Crappie: Fair on jigs and minnows 8 to 15 feet deep along main lake docks and bluff ledges or trolling crankbaits on the main channel. Catfish: Good on drift rigs with cut shad, chicken livers and stink baits along points and bluff ledges

Grand Glaize

Water clarity: Clear. Black bass: Fair on magnum-sized plastic worms 10 to 15 feet deep in brush piles. Crappie: Good on jigs and minnows 6 to 20 feet deep around brush piles on lower end or logs in the upper end.

Niangua

Water clarity: Muddy. Black bass: Slow on Ned rigs and Texas-rigged plastic worms along main and secondary points. Catfish: Fair on shad sides either drifting or jug lining.

Upper Osage

Water clarity: Muddy. Black bass: Fair on jigs and deep diving crankbaits along main and secondary points. Crappie: Fair on minnows 8 to 10 feet deep around docks. White bass: Fair on Roostertails along main lake points. Catfish: Good tight lining cut shad or jugging with live sunfish and goldfish.

Truman Dam spillway

Water clarity: Stained. Crappie: Good on jigs and minnows. White bass and hybrids: Good on jigs and spoons. Catfish: Good on cut shad.

Sources: Guide Alfred Chapman (573465-3810), www.lakeozarkfishingguideservice.com; Big Ed’s Guide Service (573692-6710) www.bigedsguideservice.com; Guide Jack Uxa (573-434-2570) www.lakeoftheozarksfishingguide.com; Guide John Blankenbeker (573-280-1455); Guide Terry Blankenship (573-4802835); Guide Jim Dill (573-204-9005) www.jamesdillguideservice.com; Fitz Fishing (573-693-9299); Bryants Osage Outdoors (573-374-2278); Casey Scanlon (913-449-3176) and Ferg’s Bait & Tackle (660-438-7413). Tournament Results— Thanks to www.bassingbob.com. m