Lake of the Ozarks
Missouri's giant serpentine reservoir with 1,150 miles of shoreline and year-round bass and crappie action.
Depth & Structure
Giant serpentine reservoir: 54,000 acres, 1,150 miles of shoreline, average depth about 70 ft and maximum depth about 130 ft near Bagnell Dam. The fishing is dock-and-brush driven at much shallower depths: bass on docks under 8 ft and brush piles at 10-20 ft, crappie schooled on brush at 16-22 ft near channel swings.
Best Lures
Bass: Texas rigs pitched/flipped to docks, structure jigs around brush piles and dock posts, buzzbaits early around shallow docks/riprap, and shallow-diving crankbaits during shad activity. Crappie: dock shooting with light jigheads, vertical jigging over brush, and small tube jigs.
Best Baits
Bass are artificials primary; crappie anglers are reported tightlining live minnows with light split shot over brush piles alongside jig presentations.
Gear to Bring
Medium-heavy baitcasting gear for flipping jigs/Texas rigs under docks, medium spinning gear for crankbaits and finesse, and light spinning/crappie rods with light line for dock shooting and minnow rigs over brush.
Local Tips
['Fish follow the current switch: with low current bass suspend under docks, and when current is present they school on main-lake points.', 'Summer crappie hold tight and deep for the lake - daytime schools sit in the 16-22 ft brush near channel swings rather…
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Related Water
Fish photos: largemouth bass — Wikimedia Commons · crappie — Wikimedia Commons · catfish — Wikimedia Commons
Fishing regulations, seasons and limits change — always check the current rules for this water before you fish. Spot pins are approximate area markers, not launch or access coordinates.