The Osage Bluff Marina has the only on-the-water facilities on the Osage arm. It’s located in a cove due east from the islands off the mouth of the Pomme de Terre arm. Its ramps and a ramp located at the Fairfield Access where the Little Pomme de Terre River joins the Pomme de Terre River are the gateways to Truman’s clear-water arm.

Other than Fairfield and a few user-made access sites, there are no on-the-water facilities of any kind on the Pomme de Terre arm. That’s a subtle way of saying that you should have a full fuel tank, a tool box and other emergency equipment on board before venturing beyond the Highway 83 bridge.

While there are spots with bass potential in the lower reaches of the river, the most productive water lies between mile markers 17 and 21. Numerous steep-sided pockets and small coves in this area provide textbook largemouth spawning habitat.

Anglers who prefer clear water will feel at home in the Pomme de Terre arm. In addition, the Pomme de Terre arm is Truman’s most scenic, and that should count for something. Conversely, this arm yields fewer 8-pound-plus bass than either the Osage arm or the South Grand arm does, but it’s an excellent producer of fish in the 4- to 6-pound class.

Bass anglers don’t have to worry about getting lonesome on the South Grand arm during March and April. Part of the reason for this arm’s popularity lies in the fact that it’s easily Truman’s most user-friendly stretch of water. Clinton, which straddles Highway 13 near the upper reaches of the South Grand River and Deepwater Creek, can supply visiting anglers with anything they might need or want, and serviceable boat ramps are found off Highway 13. The Bucksaw Marina serves the middle section of the arm. Services include lodging, camping, food, a boat ramp and a full-service marina. Anglers plying the lower reaches of the South Grand or all of Tebo Creek can choose between Long Shoal Marina and Truman Lake State Park. Both operations can be accessed from Highway 7 and include boat ramps, camping and full-service marinas.

For those among us who believe that a fishing trip should include catching fish, no amount or quality of “amenities” counts for much if the area in question doesn’t offer great bass catching. Happily, the South Grand is one of those amazing places that, despite great popularity, continue to produce bass angling of notable worth year after year.

Siltation is a serious problem west of Highway 13, but Cooper Creek (Point 13, near the juncture of Deepwater Creek and the South Grand River) is a likely place for a bass angler working his way down the river to start fishing. From Cooper Creek on east, choosing where to fish is complicated by the fact that there are so many promise-filled possibilities.

If feeder creeks are your thing, don’t pass by Big and Little Otter, Hay or Pretty Bob creeks. Under no circumstances ignore the numerous coves and pockets indenting both banks of the South Grand River channel between Cooper and Pretty Bob Creeks.

Hay and Pretty Bob creeks represent an admittedly arbitrary demarcation between water more easily reached from the Clinton area and water best fished out of Bucksaw. There are fewer coves and pockets in this section, but many of them are larger than those found further up the river. Not all of these coves are especially distinguished bass habitat, but those that are produce a lot of big bass. Jackson Branch and Cedar Creek (just uplake and just downlake from Bucksaw, respectively) are both worth a look.

East of Cedar Creek, the original channel of the South Grand River snakes back and forth across a valley, creating more than a dozen large wet-weather creek channel coves that empty directly into the river. It’d be easy to spend an entire day in any one of them, but a better strategy would involve keeping on the move until a concentration of bass is located.

The just-described lake conditions remain basically unchanged to the junction of the South Grand and Osage Rivers. Point 8 serves a convenient boundary between “Bucksaw water” and “Long Shoal water,” but the two marinas are within easy boating distance in a typical bass boat.

The general (although by no means universal) feeling among Truman regulars is that Tebo Creek isn’t on a par with the rest of the lake as a trophy-bass producer. Nevertheless, there’s some fabulous-looking spring bass water in the lower half of Tebo Creek. Either Long Shoal or Truman State Park would make a good base of operations for exploring this area.

Windsor Crossing Access provides a convenient entry to the upper reaches of Tebo Creek. The area has a campground, but no on-the-water facilities. However, food, fuel and lodging are available within a few miles.

If that’s not enough water to keep you busy for two months, please contact me privately. I’d like to learn more about your investment strategies.