Chill can’t kill the thrill

Stren anglers set challenge Lake of the Ozarks’ fall transition

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. – Air and water temperatures may be down, but that doesn’t diminish the optimism of Stren Central Division anglers dispersing across the sprawling impoundment known as Lake of the Ozarks.

Cold weather moving through the area about a week prior to the event chilled the local scene, but this man-made bass heaven remains a dynamic and often very rewarding fishery. The challenge for anglers will be interpreting the effects of recent and current weather and adjusting to the fall transition.

Tournament director Ron Lappin said that his pre-tournament reports have not indicated any bonanzas. Not that anyone “on” the fish would tip their hand at this point, but there’s good reason to expect anglers may have to work pretty hard to put together respectable limits.

“Everyone I’ve talked to said that the water dropping (approximately) 10 degrees over a short period of time have pulled a lot of the fish off the banks and suspended them. Even though there are some schooling fish under the millions of shad that you see all over the lake, the anglers aren’t having much luck catching anything but small (bass).

“However, a couple of anglers from out of the area told me: `Don’t let anyone kid you – they’re biting.’ In the past, we’ve seen a lot of 15- to 17-pound stringers here. I think the catches are going to be down a little, but this is still an excellent fishery.”

The week’s forecast calls for mostly clear, calm conditions through Friday. Light winds will allow anglers to run wherever they chose without the worry of rough rides threatening late arrivals at day’s end. Lots of sunshine could be the key to renewing the shallow water patterns.

The lake’s many arms and countless coves offer numerous options for snooping around those shady little hidey spots that tend to attract big bass. Traditionally, docks have represented abundant targets with varying productivity, but the occasional homerun potential. With little natural shoreline cover the bass seek shade under docks, so if this pattern turns on by mid morning, several hours of opportunity.

Folgers pro Doug Weiser of Springdale, Ark. said he had a rough practice, but he feels confident that a focused dock effort can keep him competitive. “My plan for today is to go out and fish as many docks as I can. I’m going to throw a square bill crankbait and a chatterbait around the docks. About halfway through the day, if I’m not catching keepers, I’m going to slow down and start flipping the docks.”

Weiser’s co-angler Trevor Bullock of Gravois Mills, Mo. said he’ll keep a green pumpkin Senko wet off the back of the boat. He’ll Texas rig his bait and fish it with a slow presentation.

Clinton, Mo. pro Dan Porterfield also expects good dock action. He points to jigs and shaky head worms as popular options, but he’ll put a lot faith in a white spinnerbait with twin silver willow blades and a white twin tail trailer. This bait, Porterfield said, helps him maximize his time by efficiently testing his targets.

“The spinnerbait is a key ingredient on Lake of the Ozarks,” he said. “For hitting and missing, you can go along quickly.”

Predicting a 17-pound top-10 cut for day one, Porterfield expects much of the field to take advantage of calm lake conditions for easy travel. “If you get into brush piles around here, you can probably knock a limit pretty easily, but the majority of the guys will run 12-15 miles and then you’ll have some that will run 40-50 miles. I’m going to let the sun come up and then we’ll take off and make a heck of a run.”

Daybreak generally brings a good topwater bite, particularly with schooling fish. The surface game could actually work throughout the day, if schools rise to crash shad schools.

Logistics

Anglers will take off from Grand Glaize Recreation Area – Public Beach No. 2 located at 711 Public Beach Road in Osage Beach at 7 each morning. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins also will be held at Grand Glaize Recreation Area – Public Beach No. 2 beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s weigh-in will be held at the Walmart store located at 4252 Highway 54 in Osage Beach beginning at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.

The Lake of the Ozarks Stren Series tournament is hosted by the Tri-County Lodging Association.

The entire field competes for the first three days of Stren Series events. Co-angler winners are determined on day three based on the heaviest accumulated three-day weight. The top 10 professionals continue competition on day four, and the winner is determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days. Pros are fishing for a top prize of $65,000 and co-anglers are competing for a $35,000 award.

Wednesday’s conditions:

Sunrise: 7:13 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 50 degrees

Expected high temperature: 69 degrees

Water temperature: 66-68 degrees

Wind: from the WNW at 6-7 mph

Humidity: 50 percent

Day’s outlook: Sunny