Lake of the Ozarks 5-14

[Bruce Carp]

Fished Saturday and Sunday and spent more time on the road than fishing, caught limits of 10-12 inch fish each day, tightlining, fish suspended 10-12 feet in 15-30 feet of water over structure. jig and minnow worked best! try it again next week. Wait a minute I think I have another bite!!

[Persuit]

I wanted to thank you and RAINTREE. My buddy and I did well on your advice around the 25MM. We didn't catch our limits, but we did freeze fish, so we can show Coloradans what a fish fry is all about.

We fished the areas and baits you recommended and caught about 10 fish a day. Plus, the trot lines help fill the cooler.

Thanks again. Can't wait until I get down to the lake again.

Dennis

[Bruce Carp]

Glad we could help a bit, and glad you caught some fish and had a good time!! Come back again! Bruce

[TwainGang]

Hey Bruce- Can you tell us more about when and how you go about tightlining? I was marking fish Sunday at Twain but couldn't get many takers. Would hanging a minnow or jig "in their face" cause them to bite better? I was basically dabbling Kalin grubs in the cedars and around other trees, and marked a lot of possible fish suspended but they were closed mouthed. I didn't think of tightlining down to where they were to see if I could aggravate them into biting. When do you tightline versus move and find more aggressive fish?

[Bruce Carp]

twain, I always try to fish in the wind and fish the windward side, fish are looking into the current or wind waiting for a meal to come drifting in, I find brush, and present the bait to them at the desired depth straight down. Many hit it before it gets to the desired depth, but if it does reach the desired depth I shake hit with a palsy move and it tends to make them bite. Also a little magic dust helps this time of year, during the right light conditions. If we don't get hits on the initial drop we keep moving. Looking for that more aggressive fish school. Often have caught 10-15 off a brush pile after this spawn, post spawn is where we are now. Bruce

[CrappieOutlaw]

Bruce, you think they are done at Twain?

[TwainGang]

Thanks Bruce. That is basically what I've been doing, (I've also heard it called "dabbling") but my primary hot-spot wasn't producing. I have seen people sitting stationary and lowering weighted hook/minnow or jigs down over the side of their boat using multiple rods and simply waiting it out. That is what I thought you were referring to with the "tightlining" technique. I have done good in the past by slip-floating minnows at the depth level I see fish, but I was too confident Sunday and didn't buy minnows that morning.