OSAGE BEACH, Mo. – During a cool, blustery opening day, Wal-Mart FLW Series pros caught over 1,650 pounds of bass. For whatever reason, Lake of the Ozarks seems to be at its best when the weather takes a turn for the worse. With another day of frightful conditions forecasted, the angling should once again prove delightful.
Pro Ken Wick said the unseasonably cold weather moves the fish off their summer haunts and into a more predictable fall pattern. That typically means the largemouths will start moving shallow and spend more time gorging on gizzard shad. Besides the increased activity near the bank, sunken brush piles in 
deep water also played a major role Wednesday. Many pros spent the morning tying on heavy jigs, the perfect bait for fishing brush.
Wick has been on a steady dock pattern throughout practice. However, his docks don’t heat up until noon, so he plans to throw a crankbait and a Spook along bluffs in the early morning. When the clock strikes 12 p.m., Wick throws a little swimbait.
The Star, Idaho, native caught his limit yesterday, but he still sits 88th out of the 196 pros. Today, his goal is to get a limit early and then go back to the docks to upgrade. Fifteen pounds is what the Bounty Basics pro is targeting by day’s end.
Thursday’s conditions
Sunrise: 7:17 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 41 degrees
Expected high temperature: 54 degrees
Water temperature: 60-68 degrees and dropping
Wind: WNW at 14 mph
Maximum humidity: 38 percent
Day’s outlook: sunny and cool
The day-two weigh-in will begin at 3 p.m. Central time from PB II-Grand Glaize Beach, located just off Highway 54 in Osage Beach. For those who can’t watch the action in person, FLWOutdoors.com provides FLW Live, a real-time viewing application that is the next best thing to being there.