LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. — The fish are looking for a place to spawn, and that’s good news for anglers.
Local fishing pro Jim Dill says bass and crappie are spreading out, heading onto flat banks with pea gravel and small rocks as they search for the perfect spawning grounds. “Both bass and crappie can be caught close to, or in, spawning pockets,” Dill notes.
With a full moon coming (April 15), Dill says a second wave of fish will move in toward the banks, and fishing will get hot in the smaller coves and pockets of the main lake. With the second wave of fish moving in, the first wave will likely begin spawning in large creeks and coves.
Dill offers several tips for fishing in the pre- and early-spawn:
Bass:
Try flipping jigs and shaky heads with trick worms around shallow docks in protected sunny pockets.
Or try dragging Carolina rigged lizards or brush hogs on secondary points leading into spawning pockets.
On windy days throw natural color wiggle warts.
Crappie:
Try small white twin tail grubs or crappie jigs in blue/white in clearer water and black/chartreuse in stained water.
Fish around visible brush along or around docks in 3-8 feet of water.
