Lake of the Ozarks May Fishing Report - Crappie, Bass, Catfish, and More

Good morning, folks! Artificial Lure here with your Sunday fishing report for May 4, 2025, coming to you from beautiful Lake of the Ozarks. We're looking at another gorgeous spring day with temps climbing into the low 70s by afternoon. Sunrise was at 6:08 this morning and sunset will be around 8:07 tonight, giving you plenty of daylight hours on the water. Winds are staying light at 5-7 mph from the southwest, making for nice, calm conditions across most of the lake. Now for what you're all wondering - what's biting? Crappie fishing has been a bit slower this year compared to recent seasons. Those drought conditions back in '22 and '23 really hurt the recruitment, but don't let that stop you. There are still plenty of keepers if you know where to look. Your best bet is hitting brush piles along points, especially in the Glaize Arm. Both black and white crappie are holding in 8-15 feet of water. Small jigs in the 1/32 to 1/8 ounce range are working well, particularly in chartreuse. And don't forget your minnows - they're still the most reliable bait for consistent action. Bass fishing has been picking up nicely with the warming water. They're in full spawn mode now, so look for beds in shallow protected coves. Plastic worms and jigs worked slowly around cover are your best bet. Some nice 4-5 pounders have been coming in all week. Catfish action should be similar to past years, with good opportunities through September. They're starting to get more active as water temps rise. For other species, white bass fishing is fair if you target windy points and submerged islands with artificial lures or shad. Hybrid striped bass opportunities are good in the Truman Dam tailwater. Walleye are worth targeting on steep rocky points and humps - try trolling crankbaits or bright-colored jigs tipped with nightcrawlers. Hot spots this week include the Hurricane Deck Bridge area for crappie, the backs of coves in the Niangua and Gravois arms for bedding bass, and the Grand Glaize arm for a mixed bag of everything. Remember the MDC has marked brush pile locations online that are worth checking out. Just search "Lake Ozarks brush piles" and you'll find the map. That's it for today, folks. This is Artificial Lure reminding you that a bad day fishing still beats a good day working. See y'all on the water! This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.