Expert
Articles by John Neporadny Jr. - August
2013
Lake of the Ozarks for Family Fishing
Vacation
By John Neporadny Jr.
Lake of the Ozarks is an excellent fishing spot
that offers other recreational opportunities such as swimming, hiking, water
skiing, sightseeing and camping that the whole family can enjoy.
My home lake is also one of the top family
fishing vacation spots in the state, but to get in on the best bass fishing you
have to be an early riser or a night owl. Recreational boating is the most
popular sport on the lake during a summer day, so all the boat traffic makes it
difficult to fish during the mid-day hours.
Savvy bass anglers usually wait for the sun to
set before trying for bass. A Texas-rigged 10-inch Berkley Power Worm in
black/blue or blue fleck hues is one of the most effective lures to throw for
bass hanging out in brush piles 15 to 25 feet deep.
During the summer months, catfish and sunfish
keep anglers busy baiting their hooks. “You can catch a ton of channel and
blue catfish,” says James Bryant of Bryant’s Osage Outdoors in Laurie. The
bait-and-tackle shop owner suggests families can have plenty of fun fishing for
catfish and panfish (crappie, bluegill and green sunfish) off of docks and
seawalls.
“We sell more panfish equipment here than
anything else in the store,” says Bryant. “Pan fishing is the staple of the
Lake of the Ozarks. That is what the lake is all about. You don’t have to have
an expensive boat; you can enjoy fishing the Lake of the Ozarks from a lawn
chair.”
Customers at the various resorts on the lake
enjoy catching crappie, bass, bluegill and catfish from docks that the resort
owners enhance by sinking brush piles in multiple locations. “We have a
fishing dock and it produces crappie almost year round,” says Michael Spriggs,
owner of Point Randall Resort.
Tight lining for catfish off the resort docks
offers families a great chance for a bragging-size catch. “We have a picture
on our wall of a kid who caught a 17-pound blue cat right off of our fishing
dock,” Spriggs says.
Popular attractions at Lake of the Ozarks
include Big Surf amusement park, Miner Mike’s Indoor Family Fun Center, HaHa
Tonka State Park, Lake of the Ozarks State Park, Bridal Cave, the Bagnell Dam
Strip and the Osage Beach Premium Outlets mall.
For information on lodging and
other facilities at the Lake of the Ozarks or to receive a free 162-page
vacation guide, call the Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitors Bureau at
1-800-FUN-LAKE or visit the Lake of the Ozarks Convention and Visitors Bureau
web site at www.funlake.com.
Copies of John Neporadny's book, "THE Lake of the Ozarks Fishing
Guide" are available by calling 573/365-4296 or visiting the web site www.jnoutdoors.com.