Late Fall Fishing at Lake of the Ozarks: Bass, Crappie, and Tournament Tactics

Good morning from the heart of Missouri—this is Artificial Lure with your Lake of the Ozarks fishing report for Monday, November 17th, 2025. Lake of the Ozarks stepped into the thick of late fall this week. We’re waking up to mild temps for November: expect a cool morning around 40°F rising into the low 50s come afternoon. Winds are light, mostly out of the northwest at 5 to 10 mph. Not much rain in the forecast—just gray skies as we push deeper into autumn. Sunrise was at 6:52 AM, and you can fish until sunset at 4:58 PM. Now, while there is no tidal influence to speak of here in Missouri, that dropping barometer and overcast will keep fish on the move and looking up. The lake water temps are in the high 50s, maybe touching low 60s in sun-warmed pockets. That means baitfish—shad and small bluegill—are stacked up, and the bass are not far behind. According to the recent Major League Fishing Toyota Series tournament, it’s a grind, but if you put your bait in the right spot, the fish are there. Just a couple days ago, winner Jared Lintner bagged nearly 16 pounds a day, focusing on isolated docks near main lake points. He worked a 5/16-ounce swim jig in blue magic with a white Zoom Z Craw trailer, along with a 1/2-ounce brown flipping jig. When the clouds rolled in, a white and gold-bladed Chatterbait Jack Hammer with a white Yamamoto Zako trailer triggered bites. Co-angler Mason Chambers snuck out a win after noon pitching a Whopper Plopper for a couple key 4-pounders—so don’t sleep on topwater, especially later in the day when the bite fires up for short windows. Across the tournament and the scoop from local podcasts like “Lake of the Ozarks Fishing Report Today,” anglers are reporting steady bass and crappie action. Expect to catch 30–50 bass a day if you’re covering water, but only about 5–7 will measure up to be keepers. That’s typical for this time of year: lots of fish, but you’ll have to grind for those bigger bites. If you’re after numbers or want to swing for a limit, umbrella rigs like the YUM YUMbrella Flash Mob Jr. loaded with 3.25–3.8 inch swimbaits are red-hot, especially around brush and rock piles. Swimbaits like the Strike King Rage Swimmer (pro blue or light hitch) were standouts in the top-10 pro bags this week. Mix in jerkbaits—especially the Megabass Vision 110 in ghost or shad colors—for suspended fish on points, and try slow-rolling a finesse jig near brush. Best live bait right now is still big, frisky minnows for crappie or shad imitations for bass. Match the hatch—if you see those bait balls on your electronics or being chased near docks, throw something as close as possible to what they’re eating. A couple of hot spots to try today: the Gravois Arm (where Brock Reinkemeyer dominated with the A-rig and jerkbait) and the lower lake brush piles near the dam, especially if you can find isolated docks jutting out from bank points. Covered docks close to deep water are holding the better fish, so don’t be afraid to skip This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.