LAKE OF THE OZARKS
At 61,000 acres the largest of Missouri's whopper-sized reservoirs, this venue barely needs an introduction. Boasting well over 1,300 miles of shoreline, the lake's well developed, and offers many amenities for visiting anglers.

The best fishing for white bass at this sprawling lake is found during April and May, when the fish concentrate in huge numbers to make their spawning runs. Typically, the best runs are up the Niangua, Osage and Gravois arms of the lake. Other rivers that get a fair share of whites every spring are the Turkey, Linn and Cole Camp streams.

Fall fishing can be good but the schools of fish are scattered and chasing their perennial favorite prey, the shad. From September up into November, fish can be taken with deep-running cranks, jigging spoons and vertical jigs.

Truman Dam, on the Osage, is a hotbed of activity. Bass can't go any farther, and tend to become concentrated -- the perfect choice for a shot at good numbers of fish.

Contact the Central Region office at (573) 884-6861 for more information. Boat rentals are available at the Lake of the Ozarks State Park marina at (573) 348-1233.

TRUMAN RESERVOIR
"Truman Reservoir has a nice population of white bass," said Charles Colvin. "It's a lake with a well-established fishery that anglers enjoy year after year."

The spring run is the draw for anglers. Water temperatures and water flows turn on the reproductive instinct and anglers can take loads of these fish as they congregate to migrate upstream, but every year it's a guess as to when the run will be. The fish will head up into where the river empties into the reservoir and congregate between this area and the first two or three riffles upstream.

"Whites will travel up rivers and creeks as far as they can go," said Tim Sainato. "They'll keep going upstream until their backs are sticking out of the water. The run usually starts in April and goes through May. Whites will spawn on the riffles in the creeks during the daytime and be in the deeper holes during the night, and little jigs, Rapalas and other small floating crankbaits will work well up in the creeks. The top bait up there in the springtime is the Roadrunner."

"In the fall you can get some excellent fishing on windy points," said Colvin. "Find a point with the wind blowing on it, and you'll probably find fish. The wind is probably blowing the young-of-the-year shad up onto the bank, where the white bass can catch them."