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Late May Fishing Heats Up on Lake of the Ozarks
This is Artificial Lure checking in with your Lake of the Ozarks local fishing report for Sunday, May 25, 2025.
It’s been a near perfect stretch of late May weather with warm temps, clear skies, and light winds. Today’s sunrise was at 5:47 a.m., and sunset will be around 8:23 p.m. No tidal changes to report, just the steady current you’d expect from LOZ. The water level is full pool and clear everywhere, holding steady around 659 feet, with water temps right around 80 degrees.
The bass bite is on fire right now in just about every corner of the lake. We’re in that sweet spot of the season where fish are both spawning and transitioning to early post-spawn patterns. You’ll find plenty of bass up shallow, especially near boat docks, brush, and along sunny banks. Good numbers of keepers are being caught daily, though the bigger females are hit-or-miss as they wait to push off the bank. If you’re looking for a lunker, focus on areas where bluegill are spawning—those big girls are hanging out near bluegill beds by docks, lights, and wood cover. Morning and evening shade periods are especially hot near overhead cover and in deeper boat docks.
Best baits right now include topwaters like walking baits and poppers, swimbaits, big worms, and jigs. Topwater action is reliable in spawning pockets and just inside main lake points. If you love running brush piles, don’t hesitate to throw a jig or Texas-rigged plastic. The shad and bluegill are thick and suspended, so matching the hatch will get you good results. If you find dirtier water, which is rare this week, fish it hard—you’ll likely strike gold with more aggressive bites.
Crappie are still being caught but action is starting to slow down a bit from the peak. The key is fishing brush piles on or near main lake points, especially on the Glaize Arm. Most crappie being caught are solid keepers, both black and white, most above the 9-inch minimum. Small jigs and minnows are best, and fishing structure is the real key.
For hot spots, check out the Grand Glaize Arm for both crappie and bass, especially the brush piles and docks in that area. Another great area right now is the stretch just inside main lake points throughout the mid-lake region—these spots are holding both spawning and post-spawn bass and lots of baitfish.
Overall, it’s a fantastic time to be out. The fish are biting, the water is just right, and there’s a pattern for every angler. Good luck and tight lines—see y’all on the water!
Artificial Lure
It’s been a near perfect stretch of late May weather with warm temps, clear skies, and light winds. Today’s sunrise was at 5:47 a.m., and sunset will be around 8:23 p.m. No tidal changes to report, just the steady current you’d expect from LOZ. The water level is full pool and clear everywhere, holding steady around 659 feet, with water temps right around 80 degrees.
The bass bite is on fire right now in just about every corner of the lake. We’re in that sweet spot of the season where fish are both spawning and transitioning to early post-spawn patterns. You’ll find plenty of bass up shallow, especially near boat docks, brush, and along sunny banks. Good numbers of keepers are being caught daily, though the bigger females are hit-or-miss as they wait to push off the bank. If you’re looking for a lunker, focus on areas where bluegill are spawning—those big girls are hanging out near bluegill beds by docks, lights, and wood cover. Morning and evening shade periods are especially hot near overhead cover and in deeper boat docks.
Best baits right now include topwaters like walking baits and poppers, swimbaits, big worms, and jigs. Topwater action is reliable in spawning pockets and just inside main lake points. If you love running brush piles, don’t hesitate to throw a jig or Texas-rigged plastic. The shad and bluegill are thick and suspended, so matching the hatch will get you good results. If you find dirtier water, which is rare this week, fish it hard—you’ll likely strike gold with more aggressive bites.
Crappie are still being caught but action is starting to slow down a bit from the peak. The key is fishing brush piles on or near main lake points, especially on the Glaize Arm. Most crappie being caught are solid keepers, both black and white, most above the 9-inch minimum. Small jigs and minnows are best, and fishing structure is the real key.
For hot spots, check out the Grand Glaize Arm for both crappie and bass, especially the brush piles and docks in that area. Another great area right now is the stretch just inside main lake points throughout the mid-lake region—these spots are holding both spawning and post-spawn bass and lots of baitfish.
Overall, it’s a fantastic time to be out. The fish are biting, the water is just right, and there’s a pattern for every angler. Good luck and tight lines—see y’all on the water!
Artificial Lure
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By Quiet. PleaseThis is Artificial Lure checking in with your Lake of the Ozarks local fishing report for Sunday, May 25, 2025.
It’s been a near perfect stretch of late May weather with warm temps, clear skies, and light winds. Today’s sunrise was at 5:47 a.m., and sunset will be around 8:23 p.m. No tidal changes to report, just the steady current you’d expect from LOZ. The water level is full pool and clear everywhere, holding steady around 659 feet, with water temps right around 80 degrees.
The bass bite is on fire right now in just about every corner of the lake. We’re in that sweet spot of the season where fish are both spawning and transitioning to early post-spawn patterns. You’ll find plenty of bass up shallow, especially near boat docks, brush, and along sunny banks. Good numbers of keepers are being caught daily, though the bigger females are hit-or-miss as they wait to push off the bank. If you’re looking for a lunker, focus on areas where bluegill are spawning—those big girls are hanging out near bluegill beds by docks, lights, and wood cover. Morning and evening shade periods are especially hot near overhead cover and in deeper boat docks.
Best baits right now include topwaters like walking baits and poppers, swimbaits, big worms, and jigs. Topwater action is reliable in spawning pockets and just inside main lake points. If you love running brush piles, don’t hesitate to throw a jig or Texas-rigged plastic. The shad and bluegill are thick and suspended, so matching the hatch will get you good results. If you find dirtier water, which is rare this week, fish it hard—you’ll likely strike gold with more aggressive bites.
Crappie are still being caught but action is starting to slow down a bit from the peak. The key is fishing brush piles on or near main lake points, especially on the Glaize Arm. Most crappie being caught are solid keepers, both black and white, most above the 9-inch minimum. Small jigs and minnows are best, and fishing structure is the real key.
For hot spots, check out the Grand Glaize Arm for both crappie and bass, especially the brush piles and docks in that area. Another great area right now is the stretch just inside main lake points throughout the mid-lake region—these spots are holding both spawning and post-spawn bass and lots of baitfish.
Overall, it’s a fantastic time to be out. The fish are biting, the water is just right, and there’s a pattern for every angler. Good luck and tight lines—see y’all on the water!
Artificial Lure
It’s been a near perfect stretch of late May weather with warm temps, clear skies, and light winds. Today’s sunrise was at 5:47 a.m., and sunset will be around 8:23 p.m. No tidal changes to report, just the steady current you’d expect from LOZ. The water level is full pool and clear everywhere, holding steady around 659 feet, with water temps right around 80 degrees.
The bass bite is on fire right now in just about every corner of the lake. We’re in that sweet spot of the season where fish are both spawning and transitioning to early post-spawn patterns. You’ll find plenty of bass up shallow, especially near boat docks, brush, and along sunny banks. Good numbers of keepers are being caught daily, though the bigger females are hit-or-miss as they wait to push off the bank. If you’re looking for a lunker, focus on areas where bluegill are spawning—those big girls are hanging out near bluegill beds by docks, lights, and wood cover. Morning and evening shade periods are especially hot near overhead cover and in deeper boat docks.
Best baits right now include topwaters like walking baits and poppers, swimbaits, big worms, and jigs. Topwater action is reliable in spawning pockets and just inside main lake points. If you love running brush piles, don’t hesitate to throw a jig or Texas-rigged plastic. The shad and bluegill are thick and suspended, so matching the hatch will get you good results. If you find dirtier water, which is rare this week, fish it hard—you’ll likely strike gold with more aggressive bites.
Crappie are still being caught but action is starting to slow down a bit from the peak. The key is fishing brush piles on or near main lake points, especially on the Glaize Arm. Most crappie being caught are solid keepers, both black and white, most above the 9-inch minimum. Small jigs and minnows are best, and fishing structure is the real key.
For hot spots, check out the Grand Glaize Arm for both crappie and bass, especially the brush piles and docks in that area. Another great area right now is the stretch just inside main lake points throughout the mid-lake region—these spots are holding both spawning and post-spawn bass and lots of baitfish.
Overall, it’s a fantastic time to be out. The fish are biting, the water is just right, and there’s a pattern for every angler. Good luck and tight lines—see y’all on the water!
Artificial Lure