Photo by Ron Sinfelt

The first time I fished Lake of the Ozarks, I nearly got thrown out of my boat. It happened on a still, sultry day in June.

A relentless web of wakes from an endless parade of boats made the big mid-Missouri reservoir resemble an oversized wading pool full of exuberant toddlers. Whizzing past was a veritable regatta of party barges, personal watercraft, cigarette boats and luxury cruisers. Waves bounced off the rocky banks and collided with incoming waves, creating a multidirectional chop with deep, narrow troughs.

Sitting at the bow of my ancient Ranger with my foot on the trolling motor, I struggled to stay positioned over the end of a deep point where largemouth bass were biting a Carolina-rigged worm. The boat fell sideways into one of these troughs and then pitched violently to the other side when the next wave hit. With the boat practically on its side, I wrapped my legs around the seat stem and grabbed both sides of the seat until things calmed down. I spent the rest of the day fishing from a kneeling position.

Anyone who has fished Lake of the Ozarks recognizes this as an everyday scene during the summer. Even so, the fishing is actually very good during this period. If you don't mind large crowds and the unique fishing conditions associated with them, then Lake of the Ozarks is one of Missouri's finest summer bass fishing destinations.

LOZ PROFILE
An impoundment of the Osage River, Lake of the Ozarks covers 55,000 acres. The lake is owned by a private electric company and is managed primarily for hydropower generation. Directly upstream is Harry S Truman Reservoir, a huge U.S. Army Corps of Engineers impoundment of the Osage River that is managed partially to regulate water levels at LOZ.

Lake of the Ozarks has several large tributaries that can almost be considered separate lakes, including the Niangua River, Grand Glaize Creek and Gravois Creek. The Little Niangua River, which feeds the big Niangua, is another notable tributary.

In addition, the lake is fed by nearly 1,000 springs. The largest, Ha Ha Tonka Spring, feeds 48 million gallons of fresh water per day into the Niangua arm. In June, when water temperatures start getting hot, the mouth of the spring is an excellent place to fish.

LOZ touches about 1,300 miles of shoreline. The most prominent shoreline features are rocky points and tall bluffs interspersed by long coves. Much of the shoreline, especially around Osage Beach, is covered with homes, condominiums, hotels and marinas. Consequently, the lake has countless boat docks of all sizes and descriptions. In some coves, boat docks and marinas cover a large part of the water surface.

All of this adds up to a rich diversity of excellent bass habitat that can produce bites for all types of anglers. No matter how you like to fish, you can do it successfully here.

DOCK IT!
Without question, boat docks are the most popular targets for all bass anglers at Lake of the Ozarks. If one dock doesn't produce, there's another one just a short cast away. Mike Boyles of Ozark spends most of his time on Table Rock Lake these days, but he honed his bass fishing chops at LOZ during the mid-1980s. The skills he learned there helped him at age 17 become the youngest angler ever to earn a spot in the Red Man Golden Blend Diamond Invitational Bass Fishing Championship. That was in 1992, but nothing has changed: Bass loved the docks back then, and they love them now.