Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Some of the Country's Best Fishing - Right Here at the Lake

Lake of the Ozarks rates as one of the best reservoirs in Missouri for catching a variety of game fish. Largemouth bass and crappie are the most sought-after fish at the Lake, but catfish, white bass, walleye and sunfish also offer plenty of action throughout the year.

"Anybody can come down here and catch a limit of crappie on nearly any day of the year," says James Bryant, co-owner of Bryant's Osage Outdoors in Laurie. "The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has done such a good job to keep a steady rate of fish on the Lake. The harvest rate here has to be massive but we still have crappie in the 1- to 1 1/4-pound class range, which is respectable anywhere in the country."

Bryant believes the 9-inch minimum length limit on crappie imposed by the MDC has helped keep crappie fishing consistently good each year. "I have not caught as many 10- to 11-inch fish anywhere as I have caught at the Lake of the Ozarks," he says. "When I first started fishing here, I thought crappie fishing was easy because of the fact that I always caught so many fish."

The MDC trapnetting survey in the fall of 2010 indicated crappie fishing at the Lake should be good for keeper fish in 2011 and beyond. The survey revealed 40 percent of the crappie netted by the MDC comprised of fish equal to or greater than the 9-inch length limit-- a significant increase over 2009. Judging by the number of small crappie collected, the survey also indicated a strong 2010 year class that will bolster the crappie population for years to come.

The Lake also contains a good number of keeper bass. Electrofishing surveys conducted by the MDC in 2010 indicated that the percentage of the largemouth bass population equal to or larger than the 15-inch minimum length limit was above average.

Professional bass angler Denny Brauer has competed in tournaments throughout the country and his travels confirm a belief that his Lake of the Ozarks home waters ranks among the nation's best bass fisheries. "You look at how old the Lake is, and a lot of lakes, once they age, the fishing there totally deteriorates, but with all the boat docks, rock formations and coves that Lake of the Ozarks has, it is just a fishery that continues to stay good," says Brauer. "The tournament results pretty well prove that. We see tremendous weights weighed in. It's a fun lake to fish and you can catch bass a lot of different ways."

The various arms of the Lake offer diverse water clarity and structure so bass anglers can catch fish on a wide range of tactics. "A fisherman can certainly seek out a comfort level there (and fish his strength)," Brauer says. "I have a lot of people call and ask me where they need to go on the Lake because on some lakes you need to go to some arms and avoid others. It seems like the Lake of the Ozarks has a pretty good bass population no matter where you go."

During the summer months, catfish and sunfish keep anglers busy baiting their hooks. "You can catch a ton of channel and blue catfish," says James Bryant. "When I just want to get away and just go fishing I love to run a trotline."

The bait-and-tackle shop owner suggests families can have plenty of fun fishing for catfish and panfish (crappie, bluegill and green sunfish) off docks and seawalls. "We sell more panfish equipment here than anything else in the store," says Bryant. "Pan fishing is the staple of the Lake of the Ozarks. That is what the Lake is all about. You don't have to have an expensive boat; you can enjoy fishing the Lake of the Ozarks from a lawn chair."

Customers at the various resorts on the Lake enjoy catching crappie, bass, bluegill and catfish from docks that the resort owners enhance by sinking brush piles in multiple locations. "We have a fishing dock and it produces crappie almost year round," says Michael Spriggs, owner of Point Randall Resort. "We have lots of retirees who come here for a week and don't have a boat. They just fish off our docks every day."

Tight lining for catfish off the resort docks offers Lake visitors a great chance for a bragging-size catch. "We have a picture on our wall of a kid who caught a 17-pound blue cat right off of our fishing dock," Spriggs says. "Last year we probably had more than ten catfish in the 5- to 10-pound-plus range caught here."

Several marinas and resorts rent boats to visiting anglers who don't own one and want to venture out on the water. Newcomers to the Lake also can have a relaxing and rewarding day on the water by hiring a Coast Guard-licensed guide.