You can fish these pools a couple of different ways. If you want to go deep, you can work the bottom with a Carolina-rigged worm or grub. In the summer, it's best to go with small grubs or worms in subtle colors, such as watermelon or pumpkinseed. Drifting with spoons can also be effective.

Periodically, bass will also chase shad onto the mudflats. Sometimes these feeding frenzies are spectacular; at other times it'll just be a bass or two. Either way, you can catch them with a small Sassy Shad or a similar soft-plastic bait on a 1/8-ounce jighead. The presentation is easy: Just throw it and then retrieve it by swimming or pumping it, slowly either way. You can also do well with a small topwater like a tiny Torpedo or a Zara Puppy.

Further up, the creeks look more like Ozark streams, with deep, narrow pools lined with rocky shelves and bluffs. Again, you can fish them with Sassy Shads, soft-plastic crawdads or spider grubs on standup jigs. Small ultralight crankbaits also work well at times. Avoid the skinniest, clearest water, because bass are scarce there at this time of year, and the ones that are there hold tight to cover and are hard to catch.

Although many bass anglers frown on it, trolling is a great way to catch largemouth bass on Lake of the Ozarks in June. Again, docks are key, as many of these docks have brushpiles nearby for crappie fishing. I like to troll two lines -- one with a small, deep-diving lure, the other with a larger deep-diver. I use different colors until I find one that gets strikes more consistently than the other. I let out about 30 yards of line and troll slowly in front of the boat docks. I catch a lot of bass this way, including some big ones. I also catch a lot of crappie and white bass that way, too.

That's the nicest thing about Lake of the Ozarks. There doesn't seem to be a wrong way to fish it. The trick is staying in the boat.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION
Lake of the Ozarks is in central Missouri, primarily in Camden, Miller, Morgan and Benton counties. To get there from Interstate 70, take U.S. Highway 63 south from Columbia to Jefferson City, and then take U.S. 54 about 40 miles south to Osage Beach and Camdenton. From I-44, take state Highway 5 north about 25 miles north to Camdenton (state Highway 5/U.S. Highway 54). Continue north to the Hurricane Deck area, or go west on U.S. 54 about eight miles to Route AA. Take Rt. AA about three miles to the Larry Gale Access. Or, from the state Highway 5/U.S. Highway 54 junction, go about 10 miles north to Osage Beach.

Collectively, the towns of Lake Ozark, Osage Beach, Sunrise Beach and Camdenton are major tourist destinations. They have many hotels, motels, restaurants, tackle shops, marine suppliers and golf courses. For information, call the Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, 1-800-451-4117, or send e-mail to info@lakeareachamber.com. For a complete list of Lake Area chambers of commerce, visit online www.funlake.com/cvb/chambers.

If you're new to the lake and would like the services of a guide, Lake of the Ozarks supports a number of guide services and resorts. A generous listing can be found online atwww.funlake.com.

For information about the lake and its bass fishery, contact the Missouri Department of Conservation Camdenton Office, RR2 Box 247, Camdenton, Mo. 65020; (573) 346-2210.