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Spring Bite at the Lake of the Ozarks - Bass, Crappie, and Catfish Action
Good morning, folks, Artificial Lure here with your Lake of the Ozarks fishing report for Monday, May 12, 2025.
Right now, it looks like we’re heading into another fine spring day with temperatures expected to reach the mid-70s, and winds are light, around 6-8 mph out of the southwest, keeping the water pretty calm across most of the lake. We’re not really a tidal lake, so don’t worry about tides—just focus on the structure and the weather. Sunrise was at about 6:05 AM and tonight’s sunset is around 8:10 PM, giving us plenty of daylight to get after those fish.
Let’s talk about what’s biting. Bass fishing has been steady, but the fish are a bit picky and spread out right now. With water temps climbing, the shad and bluegill are starting to suspend, and the bass are keying in on them, especially during the low-light hours. You’ll want to target docks and overhanging cover early and late. There are some wolf packs of bass chasing shad, so walking baits like spooks or smaller swimbaits are triggering some nice strikes, especially if you see bluegill activity nearby. For that real big bass, focus on solo fish hanging tight to bluegill beds. Docks, trees, and lights at dusk and dawn are all holding pockets of fish. If you find a stretch of stained water, stick around—it could be your honey hole.
Crappie fishing has been a little slower than usual, thanks to those droughts a couple years back that set recruitment back. Still, anglers targeting brush piles along points—especially in the Glaize Arm—are finding keepers. Both black and white crappie are holding in 8 to 15 feet of water. Small jigs in the 1/32 to 1/8 ounce range, especially in chartreuse, are working well, and minnows under a float are still the best bet for steady action.
Now, if you’re after catfish, this is prime time. They’re active and feeding aggressively right now.
A couple hot spots to try today: First, hit the Glaize Arm for both crappie and bass. Look for brush piles on points in 8-15 feet of water. Second, work the docks and overhanging cover in the main lake, especially in stained water, for both numbers and quality bass.
Best lures and baits right now: for bass, try walking topwaters early and late, and switch to small swimbaits through the day. For crappie, stick with small chartreuse jigs or plain old minnows.
That’s it for today, folks. Get out there and bend a rod! Artificial Lure, signing off.
Right now, it looks like we’re heading into another fine spring day with temperatures expected to reach the mid-70s, and winds are light, around 6-8 mph out of the southwest, keeping the water pretty calm across most of the lake. We’re not really a tidal lake, so don’t worry about tides—just focus on the structure and the weather. Sunrise was at about 6:05 AM and tonight’s sunset is around 8:10 PM, giving us plenty of daylight to get after those fish.
Let’s talk about what’s biting. Bass fishing has been steady, but the fish are a bit picky and spread out right now. With water temps climbing, the shad and bluegill are starting to suspend, and the bass are keying in on them, especially during the low-light hours. You’ll want to target docks and overhanging cover early and late. There are some wolf packs of bass chasing shad, so walking baits like spooks or smaller swimbaits are triggering some nice strikes, especially if you see bluegill activity nearby. For that real big bass, focus on solo fish hanging tight to bluegill beds. Docks, trees, and lights at dusk and dawn are all holding pockets of fish. If you find a stretch of stained water, stick around—it could be your honey hole.
Crappie fishing has been a little slower than usual, thanks to those droughts a couple years back that set recruitment back. Still, anglers targeting brush piles along points—especially in the Glaize Arm—are finding keepers. Both black and white crappie are holding in 8 to 15 feet of water. Small jigs in the 1/32 to 1/8 ounce range, especially in chartreuse, are working well, and minnows under a float are still the best bet for steady action.
Now, if you’re after catfish, this is prime time. They’re active and feeding aggressively right now.
A couple hot spots to try today: First, hit the Glaize Arm for both crappie and bass. Look for brush piles on points in 8-15 feet of water. Second, work the docks and overhanging cover in the main lake, especially in stained water, for both numbers and quality bass.
Best lures and baits right now: for bass, try walking topwaters early and late, and switch to small swimbaits through the day. For crappie, stick with small chartreuse jigs or plain old minnows.
That’s it for today, folks. Get out there and bend a rod! Artificial Lure, signing off.
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By Quiet. PleaseGood morning, folks, Artificial Lure here with your Lake of the Ozarks fishing report for Monday, May 12, 2025.
Right now, it looks like we’re heading into another fine spring day with temperatures expected to reach the mid-70s, and winds are light, around 6-8 mph out of the southwest, keeping the water pretty calm across most of the lake. We’re not really a tidal lake, so don’t worry about tides—just focus on the structure and the weather. Sunrise was at about 6:05 AM and tonight’s sunset is around 8:10 PM, giving us plenty of daylight to get after those fish.
Let’s talk about what’s biting. Bass fishing has been steady, but the fish are a bit picky and spread out right now. With water temps climbing, the shad and bluegill are starting to suspend, and the bass are keying in on them, especially during the low-light hours. You’ll want to target docks and overhanging cover early and late. There are some wolf packs of bass chasing shad, so walking baits like spooks or smaller swimbaits are triggering some nice strikes, especially if you see bluegill activity nearby. For that real big bass, focus on solo fish hanging tight to bluegill beds. Docks, trees, and lights at dusk and dawn are all holding pockets of fish. If you find a stretch of stained water, stick around—it could be your honey hole.
Crappie fishing has been a little slower than usual, thanks to those droughts a couple years back that set recruitment back. Still, anglers targeting brush piles along points—especially in the Glaize Arm—are finding keepers. Both black and white crappie are holding in 8 to 15 feet of water. Small jigs in the 1/32 to 1/8 ounce range, especially in chartreuse, are working well, and minnows under a float are still the best bet for steady action.
Now, if you’re after catfish, this is prime time. They’re active and feeding aggressively right now.
A couple hot spots to try today: First, hit the Glaize Arm for both crappie and bass. Look for brush piles on points in 8-15 feet of water. Second, work the docks and overhanging cover in the main lake, especially in stained water, for both numbers and quality bass.
Best lures and baits right now: for bass, try walking topwaters early and late, and switch to small swimbaits through the day. For crappie, stick with small chartreuse jigs or plain old minnows.
That’s it for today, folks. Get out there and bend a rod! Artificial Lure, signing off.
Right now, it looks like we’re heading into another fine spring day with temperatures expected to reach the mid-70s, and winds are light, around 6-8 mph out of the southwest, keeping the water pretty calm across most of the lake. We’re not really a tidal lake, so don’t worry about tides—just focus on the structure and the weather. Sunrise was at about 6:05 AM and tonight’s sunset is around 8:10 PM, giving us plenty of daylight to get after those fish.
Let’s talk about what’s biting. Bass fishing has been steady, but the fish are a bit picky and spread out right now. With water temps climbing, the shad and bluegill are starting to suspend, and the bass are keying in on them, especially during the low-light hours. You’ll want to target docks and overhanging cover early and late. There are some wolf packs of bass chasing shad, so walking baits like spooks or smaller swimbaits are triggering some nice strikes, especially if you see bluegill activity nearby. For that real big bass, focus on solo fish hanging tight to bluegill beds. Docks, trees, and lights at dusk and dawn are all holding pockets of fish. If you find a stretch of stained water, stick around—it could be your honey hole.
Crappie fishing has been a little slower than usual, thanks to those droughts a couple years back that set recruitment back. Still, anglers targeting brush piles along points—especially in the Glaize Arm—are finding keepers. Both black and white crappie are holding in 8 to 15 feet of water. Small jigs in the 1/32 to 1/8 ounce range, especially in chartreuse, are working well, and minnows under a float are still the best bet for steady action.
Now, if you’re after catfish, this is prime time. They’re active and feeding aggressively right now.
A couple hot spots to try today: First, hit the Glaize Arm for both crappie and bass. Look for brush piles on points in 8-15 feet of water. Second, work the docks and overhanging cover in the main lake, especially in stained water, for both numbers and quality bass.
Best lures and baits right now: for bass, try walking topwaters early and late, and switch to small swimbaits through the day. For crappie, stick with small chartreuse jigs or plain old minnows.
That’s it for today, folks. Get out there and bend a rod! Artificial Lure, signing off.