October Bass Fishing At Lake Of The Ozarks
October is one of the most beautiful times of the year at Lake of the Ozarks as the autumn leaves peak in color around the 3rd and 4th weeks of the month. The scenery combined with the generally pleasant daytime temperatures make it a great time to head out for a bass fishing trip before the weather turns cold. With the right preparation and armed with some useful information from Bassing Bob expert Jack Uxa, owner of Jack’s Guide Service and Head Guide at Tan-Tar-A Resort, anglers can catch some big bass in the first full month of the fall season.
October Air and Water Temperatures
The month of October is a time characterized by rapidly declining daily highs and lows that fall about 10°F below the highs and lows of September. The average high in October is 73.2°F and the average low is 45.9°F. Weather statistics between 1960 and 2017 show a wide range of possible deviations from the norm with a record high for the lake of 93.9°F on October 10, 1963 and a record low of 23°F on October 24, 2006. Because the weather in Missouri can be unpredictable, especially in this transitional month of the year, anglers should always check the weather report for the time they plan to be on the lake and plan accordingly. Some days in October may still be t-shirt and shorts weather while other days will call for much warmer clothes or a raincoat.
Because of the falling temperatures and shorter periods of daylight, the water temperatures fall from September’s average of 77.4°F to October’s average of 69.2°F. The daily water temperature is generally in the low- to mid-70s in the early part of the month, and ranges across the 60s by the month’s end, occasionally falling into the upper 50s if the month has been cooler than normal.
Uxa says the cooler days, longer nights, and falling water temperatures will pull the fish into the shallows and trigger a feeding frenzy as the bass get ready for the sparse food supply of the coming winter. “Anglers will find increasing success fishing the shallows and flats now,” Uxa says, “and many will welcome the return of the topwater bite at this time of the year.”
However, Uxa admits having a love-hate relationship with October because of the fall turnover. “There will always come a time this month when the fishing just gets really tough,” he laughs. “It’s hard to predict where the turnover will be or when it will happen, so a place that was great to fish the previous day will be completely unproductive the very next day and it may stay that way for a week or two.”