OSAGE BEACH, Mo. — It’s one of the most famous bites in bass fishing, and the upcoming Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine Ozark Division Super Tournament on Lake of the Ozarks might catch that topwater bite perfect.
This year, BFL anglers benefit from an expanded slate of Regionals, which minimizes travel costs and provides more opportunities to qualify for the $120,000 BFL All-American while fishing familiar, closer-to-home waters. Click here to find out more.
What to expect
Everything couldn’t be more perfect right now on Lake of the Ozarks.
The lake is currently a little high, with the water up in the grass, especially in the river. Meanwhile, the temperatures are starting to dip into the 50s at night. Either is good on its own for the fall topwater bite, but both could make it explode.
“Oh, it’s gonna set up good,” said local Dennis Berhorst. “The fish are in that grass right now, but you’re also starting to see the better ones starting to make that move to the boat docks. That’s when it gets interesting.”
Speaking of interesting, one of the quirks of the lake is it can be broken into three sections – the lower end, mid-section and the river – and one section always seems to fish significantly better than the rest.
Berhorst says the lower end used to be the place to be in early fall, but it’s been off for the last several years. Thus, he expects most pros to stay in the middle or head up the river.
“A lot of it will be finding a section of the lake that doesn’t get a lot of pressure,” Berhorst said. “There are a whole lot tournaments in September and October. So, these fish get beat up. But there’s always a certain area where they’re biting a little bit better, and it’s usually an area where there’s been less pressure leading up to the event.”
In terms of tactics, forward-facing sonar will certainly come into play in some aspect (because it almost always does). That said, Berhorst doesn’t think it will help a pro win. Instead, he thinks it’s going to be all about the old-school technique of putting his head down and covering water along the bank.
“I think the majority of the fish, especially the big fish, will be caught shallow,” Berhorst said. “Those places we’ve fished long before sonar even existed.”
Baits to bring
Come this time of year, Berhorst doesn’t make things too complicated.
“On my deck I’ll have a topwater – a buzzbait, plopper or walking bait,” Berhorst said. “Then I’ll have a Chompers Salty Sinker to flip to isolated targets and a little brown jig. Even if the bass are focusing on shad, they’ll never quit eating crawfish.”
What will it take?
A look back at the standings from most every Ozarks tournament this time of year offers a pretty clear picture of what an angler needs to contend for the win.
“A pro is going to need 17-18 pounds a day be in contention,” Berhorst said. “Someone will probably crack 20 pounds, but to do that two days in a row is going to be really hard. So, getting in that 34- to 37-pound range will take it home.”