To prove it, Boyles took me to a couple of coves off the Osage River arm in the Hurricane Deck area. Most anglers fish the docks with jigs, but Boyles used a variety of crankbaits. This allowed him to cover more angles in less time than he could with jigs. The most effective was a shallow diver with a pearl-colored body and red eyes. In addition to casting, he also pitched the crankbaits as one might pitch a jig. The difference is that the crankbait offered a fast, horizontal presentation as opposed to a static, vertical presentation.

By mid-June, however, that pattern starts to wane as warm water and bright sunshine drive bass into the deep water of the main lake. Though not as prominent as the docks, these main-lake points contain a wide assortment of artificial brushpiles and rock cover. The brushpiles are usually between depths of 8 and 16 feet. Many anglers can't seem to pry themselves away from the docks, so these deep features aren't fished as heavily as they might be.

"I've had some of my heaviest weights per day in the month of June," Boyles offered. "That's when the post-spawn fish have moved back to main-lake brushpiles, and I catch them with deep-diving crankbaits like a Norman DD-22 in shad or perch pattern. You can also throw a 10-inch worm or a green pumpkin lizard with a chartreuse-dipped tail on a Carolina rig."

Also, at certain times in June you can get some exciting topwater action. "Topwaters can be really good at times," Boyles said. "My favorite things to throw are a buzzbait or Heddon Zara Spook." Additionally, by mid-June you can start finding solid numbers of bass in the backs of tributaries. They're attracted by big schools of shad, and bass herd them into these confined pockets, where they're easy pickings.

"The best places for that is in the major tributaries, and up the Niangua and Osage arms," noted Boyles. "There's also a whole bunch of channel swings against the bluffs. On both of those areas you can find isolated laydowns in the backs of creeks and do pretty well with spinnerbaits and buzzbaits early.

"As the day progresses, I throw a shallow-running crankbait like a Bandit 100 or a Norman in crawdad pattern or chartreuse-and-black at any of the shallow laydowns. I'd also run that same crankbait alongside the docks in the same coves. On the bluffs, I'll probably be cranking with a shallow-running shad crankbait or Fat Free Shad Junior crankbait in shad color."

Shonn Goodwin of Moore, Okla., has finished in the money five times in B.A.S.S. events -- three of which were at Lake of the Ozarks. Ordinarily, he reports, the most favored, most consistent pattern year 'round at LOZ is fishing the boat docks. Many of the docks have brushpiles planted on the deep end, supplying valuable habitat for crappie and also for bass.

"If you've never been to the lake before, you can take a jig to those docks, and you're going to catch some good fish," Goodwin said. "I've caught my bigger fish on a 1/2-ounce jig on 15-pound test line. With jigs, I like to keep it basic. Black and blue in clear water; if the water is dirty, I throw black and yellow. Either way, I use a brown trailer, either pork or plastic."

SOFT JERKBAITS OVER ROCKY STRUCTURE
While boat docks are the most visible targets, they're merely one option for catching bass at LOZ. Natural structure also attracts a lot of bass. Bill Berry of Terre Haute, Ind., has won money in several BASS events, including two at Lake of the Ozarks. His main technique involves fishing soft-plastic jerkbaits on banks with transitional rock cover. This technique is so effective that he finished 13th in his first event, even after losing seven hours of fishing time because of a boating accident.