Fishing Report For Week Ending August 23, 2013
Friday, August 23, 2013
A Tough Week Catching Quality Bass
The water temps throughout the lake vary from low 80's to the high 80's. This week saw water temperature in the high 70's up the Osage River in the 60+mm to mid to high 80's in the main lake areas. With high water, heavy generation, sunny skies, no wind and mid to high 80 water temps, finding quality keeper bass has been very tough. A great example of how tough quality fish are to be found, one of the summer tournaments, Missouri Anglers Wednesday night tourney, a tournament that have some of Lake of the Ozarks very best fisherman, saw a winning weight of 14 plus pounds with 4 fish and the final spot to take a check was just over 10 pounds of fish. The quality keeper bass seem to be scattered. The only patterns that worked this week, as reported by Bassing Bob experts, were fishing a square billed crankbait around isolated cover in the backs of coves and football head jig on points in 20' of water. Dock fishing has good potential using a weightless fluke, swimming a jig or using a square billed crankbait along the sides of docks with shade.
The baitfish are everywhere. A good option is to find brush piles near these schools of baitfish. Try running a square billed crank bait along the sides and top of these brush piles. The bass are so scattered and not much of a pattern will require a lot of moving around. To locate the larger bass. Jack Uxa reported catching a few nice bass on a ¾ football jig on a point around brush.
Topwater has been the most consitant bite early in the morning and just before sunset.
Several bass have been caught on isolated cover in the back of the coves. Look for laydowns, logs or stick ups in the back of the coves. The bass seem to react to a moving bait such as square billed crankbait around this type of cover. Try targeting the cover with several cast from different angles. Again you will need to move around a lot as not every piece of cover is producing. The area above the 50mm has a lot of this type cover along with the Glaize, Gravois and Niangua arm of the lake.
If the weather remains the same with no wind, calm water, bright sunny days, warm water and heavy generation you are going to need to hunt for the fish, Look for the isolated cover, laydowns, stick ups or any cover you can find. The dock bite has been a bit slow with not wind on the docks. If the wind picks up this week, target the shaded side that wind is blowing into.
Have a great week and please post your fishing reports on the Bassing Bob forum
Happy Fishing