There may be no tougher fishing season on the Lake of the Ozarks than the time between mid-July and the end of August.
Local fishing pro Jim Dill says anglers should take a hint from the forbidding summer heat and not bother fishing during the main daytime hours. Rather, mornings and evenings are the time to throw in a line during the dog days.
Big plastic baits work best, Dill says, such as 10-inch worms, swamp bugs, and jigs. Anglers should work them around underwater brush piles or steep banks near deep water. Bass spend much of their time in those places, keeping cool during the summer. Surface water temperatures are ranging from 84–88 degrees, Dill notes.
It might be worth fishing during a windy day; swimming a jig or Zoom fluke underneath the flotation of a dock sitting over deep water could land a bass that has moved near the surface.
Dill also says catfish angling can be good right now, by drifting along bluffs over the channels, using night crawlers, cut shad, or shrimp.
Water coloration is ranging from clear to stained.
LakeExpo.com interviews professional bass angler Jim Dill to publish the “Reel Dill.” Jim is fishing guide at Lake of the Ozarks, Mo. He has fished the Lake for 20 years and is sponsored by Sportworld Boat Center, Ranger Boats, Evinrude, Falcon Rods and Crock-O-Gator Bait Company)
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