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Tip #1: Gar are actually AWESOME to catch.

Fishing Tips, Articles, and Videos

This page contains a wide variety of articles about fishing Lake of the Ozarks, fishing tips, and videos I'm featured in. I've also included links to some magazine articles from authors who've fished with me or in which I'm quoted.

Videos come first. These are followed by bass fishing articles, then crappie articles, and finally articles about other species or about specialized tactics like fly fishing. Keep checking back; I'll add articles and tips as I write them and videos as I'm included in them. You can also check out Bassing Bob, where I'm featured in more videos. Videos there are pay-access.



Videos

Shooting Docks for Crappie (Courtesy Branson Fishing TV)





Bass Articles

Big Bass Bash

The biggest tournaments of the year on Lake of the Ozarks are the Big Bass Bash tournaments held twice a year. Once in the Spring and once in the Fall, literally thousands of fisherman hit the water competing for thousands of dollars. It is a unique event and you have to approach it differently than a traditional tournament. I'm going to give a few facts about the event, my opinions, and a couple of patterns to maybe help you win BIG!

Midwest Fish Tournaments and Anglers in Action Tournament Trail put on several tournaments every year. These guys know not only how to run tournaments but how to market and organize big events. The Big Bass Bash is a unique tournament for several reasons:

  • You can fish by yourself or with family and friends.
  • You're fishing for one big bass compared to five good bass in a traditional tournament.
  • You can start anywhere on the lake that you want rather than from a common takeoff point.
  • There are four weigh-in locations scattered around the lake, rather than just one location.
  • Professional fisherman are not allowed to enter the tournament.
  • Big bucks are Given away at every event. I went to their website to do a little research and found some staggering checks that had been written: $31,000, $50,000, $21,500, $51,200, $51,200, $41,200 and $61,500! In addition to the first place winners there are several places paid out at every weigh in and several side pots and bonuses, so even more people walk away winners.

In my opinion everyone needs to try their shot at winning this tournament. The chances are not bad and someone is going to be walking away at the end of the weekend with the big check. No matter what challenges or cold fronts come in, everyone fishing is facing the same difficulties on the water. The more experienced and better anglers have a better shot at winning most tournaments but this one is different. Luck is a hundred times more important since the winner only needs one big bass rather than a solid stringer of five fish. Even a young boy won over $20,000 in 2013!

Since 2006 the Big Bass Bash tournaments have been growing, and by 2009 the winners of the event were walking away with a check for $50,000. I got a chance to talk with the 2009 winner about how he won the event and what it's done for him since then. I was sworn to secrecy about his exact pattern but I can tell you that the money has helped him in several ways.

This year's Big Bass Bash dates are April 20 and 21 for the spring tournament and October 5 and 6 for the fall tournament. The fall Big Bass Bash is the larger of the two events because there are so many other tournaments being held in the spring that many fisherman have other obligations. There is also going to be a children's division just for the youth to encourage the fisherman of tomorrow, plus a Ladies Bonus for the woman that brings in the largest bass.

Weigh-in locations are scattered around the lake. Public Beach #2, commonly referred to as PB2, is the home tournament headquarters and largest boat ramp on the lake. PB2 is located on the lower Glaize arm at the 3 Mile Marker. Alhonna Resort, located on the main lake at the 8 Mile Marker, is a great place to stay, eat, and weigh in your fish. Red Fox Bar and Grille is on the Osage arm near the 50 Mile Marker. This section of the lake offers somewhat less fishing pressure. Finally, Red Oak Resort at the 32 Mile Marker is my favorite area of the lake to fish. There are several sections of the lake easily accessable from this spot, plus I live at the 31 Mile Marker.

When preparing for the spring tournament you have to keep in mind the spawn and how the weather is going to affect the fish. The spawn will start in April and end in May, with bigger fish moving shallow to make their beds earlier and average fish usually moving in a little later. All of the spring Big Bass Bash-winning fish have been large females. Sight fishing can play a significant role if everything comes together just right. The moon's phase, water levels, and weather fronts can all derail a spawning wave of big bass. Keep in mind the basics of pre-spawn, spawn and post-spawn as general rules to help guide you. Patterning the other fisherman can be important also. Understanding fishing pressure and how this affects fish can help you understand what is going on under the water in their world.

On Lake of the Ozarks we are blessed with thousands of boat docks. The fish utilize docks year round but there is no time of the year that docks are more important than the spawning season. Skipping baits under cables and walkways is one of my favorite ways to catch a giant bass. I have found braided fishing line matched up with a good spinning rod makes for the easiest way to cast into these hard-to-reach spots. A variety of lures can work, but my favorites are soft plastics like Flukes, Senkos, tubes, and also topwater frogs. A long-handled net is a wise investment, since even with a good net some bass will be lost behind the cables. If you happen to have an older bass boat or smaller fishing boat you have a huge advantage over guys with brand new and bigger boats. With your smaller boat you can get back behind more docks and into tight spots where the big ones hide. You can easily reach places where I could only wish I could bring my big 21-footer.

The fall Big Bass Bash is the granddaddy of all tournaments on Lake of the Ozarks. The fall tournament can be a difficult bite because of the overpopulation of shad in the fall, the fall turn over, fishing pressure, and changing weather fronts. Keep in mind that everyone is fishing on the same day and on the same lake with the same challenges you are facing. Try to capitalize on the early morning bite, especially on the first day before the fishing pressure really kicks in. This usually takes a few hours. It's just like the first weekend of deer season -things are a lot easier before your prey gets spooky and before a lot of the trophies get removed by others.

After the first few hours, my main focus would be on isolated cover. Isolated cover can be many things. Some examples are a lonely dock in the back of a cove by itself, a stump or piece of cover in a large flat that's otherwise empty, or an isolated sunken brushpile in twenty feet of water.

Big bass become territorial and sometimes you have to annoy them into biting. Reaction baits or patterns are my favorites this time of the year. Square-billed crankbaits, buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, and swim jigs can all work, it just depends on the conditions that day. Casting accurately with the right presentation is often more important than your lure choice.

In closing, try to keep a cool head in these tournaments, you will be sharing water with other fisherman at times. Try to come up with a slightly different pattern than what everyone else is doing. Use larger lures to entice the biggest bass. Have fun. I even encourage people to take a lunch break. Pull up to your dock or at one of the local restaurants on the water to refuel your body, take a breather or even rethink your strategies. It's a two-day event, so you have plenty of time. You only need to make one really good cast for the right fish.




Big Worm Fishing on Lake of the Ozarks

A big plastic 10 inch worm is a staple on Lake of the Ozarks.  It has been a consistent tournament producer for at least the past 20 years and will always be a staple in our tackle boxes for years to come.  There are very few other baits that will do exactly what a big worm can do. 

For one thing, it is one of the most weedless baits you can throw.  When it comes to searching deep inside secret brush piles there is no better bait for reaching into the brush and pulling out a big bass. Bass have not gotten used to seeing this presentation. 

Studies have been conducted on how quickly bass learn various lures.  The plastic worm takes the longest to learn and it leaves the least impression on the bass.  Other baits like topwaters and crankbaits were at the other end of the list.  The bass would remember these baits for the longest time and not bite those baits for an extended period of time. 

Plastic worms produce fish throughout the warmer months of the year for me.  I primarily start catching fish on them in April and continue catching fish on them through the summer into the fall.  In the fall of 2011, in November and the beginning of December, I remember the most consistent bite was still on the big worm. Traditionally on Lake of the Ozarks we lose heavy generation through the dams in July.  This is prime time big plastic worm time until things start to cool down in September.  The big bass stake residence in deep man-made brush piles throughout the lake. There is no better bait to at this time to catch quality bass.

There are a variety of ways to rig a big ribbon-tail worm.  Many people Carolina rig them on long points.  I have caught fish on this method and should use it more often than what I do. A new twist on the traditional Carolina rig is it to run two leaders off your swivel with two baits trailing your heavy weight.  This is a way to try different colors or sizes at the same time in the same area to see what the fish prefer.  It's a cool idea, but I haven’t tried it yet.

The standard tried and true method is the Texas Rig, in which a sliding sinker is placed just above the hook.  The size weight you should use varies depending on cover and depth. You’ll have to play with it to find the right combination of enough weight to get the bait down without getting snagged too often.   Add heavier sinkers when searching around for the deeper brush piles on Lake of the Ozarks.  The heavier weights will help you maintain bottom contact, which is critical for proper plastic worm fishing.  Tungsten weights are the best but they are pricey. Tungsten worm weights have been around for a few years now and have yet to come down in price.  Tungsten is a denser material than lead which means it is more sensitive.  A tungsten sinker of a given weight is much smaller than a lead sinker of the same weight, which helps reduce snags while fishing.  Tungsten weights are available in a variety of colors and the paint lasts much longer than paint on a traditional lead weight. I use both lead and tungsten. I would use more tungsten but I just don’t like the price difference.

Many people who fish are familiar with the shaky head technique. It’s a very effective tool to catch fish all over the country. On Lake of the Ozarks and a few other lakes we have developed a new style of the shaky head called the magnum shaky head. Magnum shaky heads are thrown on bait casting outfits. with 12-20 pound test and big rods, ranging from something like a 7-foot medium-heavy to a 7’3’’ heavy action.  The weight of the shaky head that makes the most sense will vary once again but my favorite is the 5/8oz. Gator Shaker from Crock O Gator. I’ll sometimes use shaky heads all the way up to 3/4oz. and will be using more this summer. What make the Magnum shaky heads to great is that they come with a large hook. This is critical because most shaky heads come with very small hooks great for 4-inch worms but way too small for big worms. With big plastic worms in the 10-12 inch range, you need a head with a big, sharp hook.  Magnum shaky heads work in a variety of conditions such as along points, at bluff ends, along bluffs, in brush piles, along docks, off secondary points, and just about anywhere really.  They have accounted for more quality bass in my boat than any other technique over the past three years.

Your equipment for worm fishing needs to include well-made, quality rods and reels. A strong yet sensitive rod will help you feel more bites than your fishing buddy’s lesser quality set up. I also suggest fluorocarbon line, because it offers increased sensitivity and better hook-ups. 15-20 pound line is standard.  Strong rods are a must to deliver the hard hook sets necessary when you're fishing big worms.  7-foot medium-heavy rods are a great place to start and you can go up from there. Berkley 10-inch Power Worms are the best worms made in my opinion.  They’ve been popular for years and are still winning top level tournaments.  Just about all the colors work well, but my favorites are junebug, black and blue, green pumpkin, plum, black, and red shad.

I’d be willing to bet there are more bass weighed in at tournaments on Lake of the Ozarks that were caught on large plastics worms than on any other bait. Considering how well they work in the day time, it’s amazing that they can work even better at night in the summer.  Lake of the Ozarks is crazy-busy during the day, but it becomes quite dead after dark.  I’d be willing to bet 75% of all anglers fishing night tournaments at least have a big worm rigged and ready to use. Some guys are adding rattles.  Some guys prefer flourescent line that glows after dark under black lights. 

From Bagnell dam to Truman dam big plastic worms work great.  Don’t leave home without them.




Wintertime 2012 Bass Fishing on Lake of the Ozarks

In the past, winter was my toughest time of the year.  Our lake occasionally freezes over a day or two, or like last year for a full week, making it difficult to fish. This winter has been different. To call it a mild winter would be a huge understatement. Nice day after nice day has even made it hard for me to do all the things I need to do before I really get busy in March. I've learned a lot this winter about where the bass really winter and where they feel the most comfortable when water temperatures are in the low 40's.

Certain conditions are favorable for this pattern. For the most part warm cloudy days with a manageable amount of wind are preferred. Bright sunshine with no wind means tough bass fishing. These are ideal conditions for crappie however but that's a different topic.  Right now I'm really only using a couple baits for bass. I’ve been using a jerkbait for the most part and a jig just to change it up. Drop shot, shaky heads, and crankbaits can work but have not caught a lot of fish lately. Jerkbaits are what everyone uses in the wintertime and as the name implies we jerk the lure a lot. Generally you rip the bait with some slack in your line to twitch it but not pull it. Change up your cadence to match the mood of the fish, either faster or slower. The colder the water the slower you work the bait. Several guys will wait up to a minute in between twitches. I've never been one of those guys to work a jerkbait that slowly. My typical cast lately takes about 2-3 minutes to get back.

Right now the water temp is in the 42-44 degree range. With these relatively mild water temperatures (usually by now the lake is at 39 degrees) fishing can be very good. As the water temps drop more the shad die-off will start. Thousands of dying shad are easy pickings for all the game fish. It can help fishing, but it can certainly hurt fishing. Since there can be so much dying bait there's no reason for the fish to eat your lure. I have seen a few shad dying this winter, but nowhere near as many as I see most most winters. We have been blessed with a very mild winter so far. After a cold couple of days this weekend is expected to return to the 50's again.

There are two main types of area where it makes sense to fish a jerkbait. The first class of area is made up of points and creek channel banks. Cast to the rocky shoreline and crank to get the bait to the desired depth. Twitch your rod tip with some slack in your line to make the bait snap, similar to working topwater Spook-style baits. You want to have some decent water depth below your boat. A general rule of thumb is more than twelve feet. Winter fish are generally suspended and you're going to be calling them up to feed. Fishing windy or shady areas make it easier to get the bass to move up to your bait. Windy points can be main lake or secondary points. Secondary points are my favorite. Creek channel banks are steep, rocky banks with shores of about 45 degrees. They are great for jerkbaits or a jig this time of the year. Find a stretch without a lot of docks so you can make some long casts down the banks. Good chunk rock banks with wind and shade and some baitfish in the area are killer.

Jerkbaiting over brushpiles is another technique often used on Lake of the Ozarks. For this technique it is best if you fish brushpiles you already know about. You want to make specific casts to the brushpile and work your bait slowly by the submerged tree. Working your lure just above a specific spot helps you be more patient in between your jerks. An added bonus this time of the year is the giant crappie that can be caught while you are bass fishing. Crappie love brushpiles and the 4 inch long jerkbaits can trigger some true slab sized crappie. These deep submerged brushpiles can hold a few very large bass. This pattern is more difficult than fishing points and creek channels, but it can produce some very large stringers in the winter.

Where the bass spend most of their time is in creeks on steep banks and secondary points. Good conditions will help pull the fish up in the water column and make them occasionally feed.  Baitfish in the area are helpful but not mandatory.  You should be seeing fish occasionally on your electronics.  Fish areas where you see fish thoroughly, making multiple casts to any area holding fish. Winter fish group together and to catch a limit of quality bass off one small stretch of bank or point is not uncommon. Then remember that spot and return next winter.

The best rods for winter jerkbaiting are medium action and six to six and a half feet long. Your rod length changes for how tall you are. I'm just under six feet tall so a 6’6”or 6'3" rod is ideal. My favorite rod is a 6'3" medium action Garcia Vendetta. Another really nice rod is the new smallmouth series from Fenwick. I also like this series of rods in a 6'3" length, and use both spinning and casting models. You will want to fish a good baitcasting reel. Jerkbaits can be troublesome to cast with a baitcasting setup compared to most lures. I use a Garcia Revo SX or STX to help eliminate backlashes. I can cast a long way and these reels are very smooth. Spinning rods are also nice for jerkbaits and offer a change in the wrist action. After several days of Jerkbaiting your wrists can become tired and a spinning rod can be a nice change. I suggest using 8 or 10lb line to help you maximize lure depth. Lighter line also helps you get more bites in the clear water that works best for jerkbait fishing. 6lb line is not out of the question, provided you're using a spinning rod. Some of the brands of Jerkbaits that I have caught fish with this winter are Megabass, Lucky Craft, Lucky Strike, Smithwick Rogue, Berkley Frenzy, and Sebile. I prefer the Berkey frenzy jerkbaits on spinning rods because they cast much easier. The high dollar ($30) Megabass are being thrown on heavier line. My number one jerkbait is the Lucky Strike Stix.

Have you ever wondered why some of these baits are so expensive? The reason is the bass literally study these baits ten times as long as look at a typical lure. We have to fish jerkbaits slowly because of the cooler water temperatures. The fish learn obvious color schemes and even learn particular baits after months and months of regular use. That is why companies like Megabass and Lucky Craft have been so popular for so many years. Dynamic and lifelike colors or one of a kind paint jobs make a big difference when it comes to jerkbaits. More than any other bait it is important to make your bait a little different than what everyone else is throwing. Red hooks, gill slits, finger nail polish, Spike-it lure dye, even permanent markers can easily make a difference for you without spending $30 on a lure. Berkley Frenzy jerkbaits work just fine for me after tweaking the bait the way I like.

December is a great month to fish jerkbaits. January and February can be cold and tough. It just depends on the year. March is another great month to fish a jerkbait.

The Ozarks are known nationwide for a couple bass fishing tactics. We have a lot of great jig fishermen and jerkbait experts. Experiment and you might become one of them. Good luck out there this winter.





Crappie Articles

Lake of the Ozarks Crappie Fishing

Crappies are one of my favorite species to fish for. They are just as fun to catch as they are good to eat. Lake of the Ozarks has a limit of 15 crappie per person, with a minimum length limit of nine inches. Most days catching a good mess for dinner is not a problem.  This is because Lake of the Ozarks has a huge population of not only crappie, but also docks with brush piles.

The equipment I use includes light action Fenwick HMX graphite rods and Abu Garcia Spinning reels spooled with 6lb high visibility Berkley XL line. Generally for the bait we use 2’’ Johnson crappie tubes, 1/16 oz jig heads, and we tip our bait with a Crappie Nibble. This combination will produce limit after limit of crappie for you. Berkley Crappie Nibbles often times will literally double your catch! You will catch twice as many crappie compared to someone else in your boat without a nibble on their jig.

The most popular time to crappie fish is in April. The fish spawn then and the action is usually fast and furious. The males will even change color. They literally turn almost black. It’s amazing to see how dark they can get.  Spring, summer, fall, and winter all have certain peak time periods to catch a lot of crappie. My favorite is in the winter time. They are predictable and in large groups then.

Fishing specific docks with brush piles is one of the keys to consistent crappie fishing. Close access to deep water, current (when available), and baitfish in the area are also very important when choosing which dock to fish. During the spring, crappie fishing is great and the fish seem to be everywhere. But as the water warms up it becomes more important to get out early in the morning. Even in the middle of summer my clients have had numerous 30, 40, even 50 fish days. Generally 50% are keeper crappie being put into the live well to be filleted for dinner. I do not charge extra to clean the day's catch as long as time permits. However if I have another guide trip immediately following your trip we will see what we can do because of limited time. If you are planning on keeping a bunch of fish you might want to bring a cooler because most hotels’ freezer space is limited.

Last spring was unbelievable.  I found a few handfuls of crappie "nests" that produced hundreds of quality crappie.  I use the term nests because it was almost like a hornet’s nest or something.  Just lots and lots of crappie coming out of a little spot. It was so amazing you just had to see it to believe it.  This coming year should be good also.  Plan your trips in April for the spawn.

Summer can be great too. The summer pattern deals with main lake docks. Shade is important and current can play a big role too. Large schools are congregating after the spawn to feed on young of the year shad and fry. The big problem with summertime crappie fishing is that you catch so many that your live wells can be overwhelmed. Warm summer water temperatures can stress the fish so it’s important to clean the fish after a few hours.

Fall crappie fishing can be good too. The lake is cooling off and you’ll see a return of crappie to the coves and creeks. For the most part in the spring crappie are in shallow water, in the summer they’re in deep water under docks, while in the fall the more intermediate brushpiles do the best. Wind plays a big factor in locating the crappie in the fall too.  Some quality black crappie will move shallow in late fall with the white bass on rocky points.

Winter is my favorite time of the year to catch crappie. December is usually my best month. Crappie are moving deep to a few certain special spots that a lot of people don’t know about. Deep brush in the 25-30 foot range is usually the best for numbers of white crappie, while black crappie are shallow under docks where the “shooting” technique is effective. Thus there are two distinct patterns to catch winter crappie and both are very productive. The black crappie are bigger on average and put up a nice fight.

No matter what time of year or how much you fish this is a great lake for crappie fishing. We are fortunate to have a lake with so many docks for cover and shade, a shad population to feed the crappie and so many brushpiles scattered all around the lake to locate crappie. Take advantage of the good fishing. I have fished several places around the Midwest and even the U.S. and not too many of those places could compete with the consistently good crappie fishing like we have here on Lake of the Ozarks.





Other Articles and Tips

Equipment for Fly Fishing for Bass and Gar on Lake of the Ozarks

by Walter Wiese

Lake of the Ozarks isn't a spectacular place to fly fish for bass. For that, you're better off fishing a farm pond or an Ozarks river like the Gasconade. That said, during the summer there's one good pattern for bass that fly fishermen can take advantage of that Jack knows well, plus some spectacular fishing for gar. If you're looking to fly fish Lake of the Ozarks, book a trip from the post-spawn period for bass in late May through early fall. Expect to fish for bass when conditions are right and for gar at other times. Or just fish for gar. They're spectacular on a fly. If anything, it's easier to pattern gar on a fly rod than on spinning gear, though Jack might disagree with me on that.

Here's one caveat: you need to know what you're doing. Wind, waves, the nature of the structure, how hard the fish fight (in the case of gar), and often the need for long, accurate casts all mean that you need to know what you're doing. I've been a fly fishing guide for thirteen years, and in my estimation you need to have at least intermediate casting and line management skills to do well fly fishing Lake of the Ozarks. If you are just getting started, or have only fished at very short range with light gear for trout or panfish, you will be much better off picking up a spinning rod when you're out with Jack.

Gear for late spring, summer, and early fall bass and gar fishing is really pretty simple.

Rods should be nine-foot medium-fast or fast-action 6-8 weights. The "Bass" or "Pike" series rods from Sage would also work well. A 7-weight is as close as you can come to an all-around rod, though you might be a touch undergunned for larger gar, especially if it's windy. I personally use a 9' 7-weight Sage VXP for almost all my bass fishing on Lake of the Ozarks, but use an 8-weight TFO Professional Series for gar. I save the 6-weight for crappie fishing or screwing around with bluegill.

Reels don't need to be complicated, though you'll want a good drag on any outfit you plan to use for gar, because they can really peel line.

Lines should have a weight-forward taper. Make sure your lines are in good repair and are clean. Both factors will really make a difference in making longer and more accurate casts, especially if the wind is blowing. For the most part, floating lines are all that you'll need, though if you are coming in the fall a fast sink-tip will prove helpful in case conditions are right to go after white bass.

Leaders should be 7.5-9 feet in length. Taper them to 8-15lb test, with the heaviest leaders earmarked for gar. I like to use Maxima Ultragreen as my tippet material, since it is stiff enough to turn over big flies into the wind and also abrasion resistant to help keep gar from cutting you off and to give you a chance of landing fish that get you wrapped around dock cables or dive into brush. You should also plan to have 6-foot sinking Polyleaders, especially if you don't have a sink-tip line. I like RIO's Versileader series in the Intermediate, 3.9ips, and 7.0ips sink rates. These leaders will prove helpful if you're fishing for bass with unweighted flies or if the gar want your flies fished fast but subsurface. Use about 18 inches of 8-15lb Maxima as tippet with these leaders.

Flies: Fly choice is simple. For bass, you'll want a range of Clouser Minnows, Murdich Minnows, and Double Bunnies. Deceivers, Meat Whistles, large Marabou Muddlers, Kreelexes, CK Baitfish, and other similar large-profile baitfish imitations are all worth a shot. Hook size should range from 2/0 down to 2, with overall fly length from 2.5 inches up to 5 inches. Color combinations should include all white, gray over white, chartreuse over white, yellow over white, and black over chartreuse. If I was limited to one fly for Lake of the Ozarks it would be a size-1 gray over white Clouser Minnow with a lot of flash and a tuft of marabou under the belly bucktail to add more bulk and some pulsating action. My second choice would be the same fly in chartreuse over white, while my third choice would be an unweighted #1/0 gray over white Murdich Minnow. Smaller versions of these same flies work well for crappie and white bass.

For gar, tie a range of rope streamer flies ranging from 3-6 inches in length. My bread and butter gar fly is tied out of soft poly rope, with several stacks of rope fibers secured in the "high-tie" method. Finish it off with silver or chartreuse doll eyes and plenty of superglue to secure everything. After you tie the fly, brush it out with Velcro and your scissor blades to achieve a frayed, fuzzy, tapered look. I tie most of my gar flies on red or black size-2 Gamakatsu octopus hooks. The hook's a good fail-safe in case you think you might get hit by a bass. Given the undulating action of this pattern, occasional eats from bass are possible. If you're sure there are no bass in the area, clip off the hook points before you fish. More-complicated flies (also tied out of rope) featuring flash, dumbbell eyes, and contrasting colors are good to have, but seldom necessary. I usually just tie a few of the pattern given above with some pearl and silver Flashabou and color a few with permanent marker to achieve different color tones. Chartreuse backs and red gill/blood spots are fun additions. Jack can also tie some unweighted versions of his gar jigs that are suitable for fly rod use, but let's be honest --it's lots more fun to tie your own flies.

If you book with Jack at the right time of year and follow the tackle and fly advice above, you should do pretty well. Still, I suggest being ready to use conventional tackle if the fly gear just isn't working. I'm almost always a "fly or die" guy, but on Lake of the Ozarks I'll use conventional gear if I have to.

If you want some more tips, to order some of the flies discussed above, or want to talk about setting up a fly fishing trip in a more conventional place (where I guide for trout, in southwest Montana), feel free to contact me.

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