Conditions shakeup

Cool, windy weather spills into Ozarks

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. – Wicked weather is nothing new to the Ozarks region in Missouri, and Thursday night Mother Nature put on a display. Thunderstorms racked the Osage Beach area with high winds, heavy rains and hail.

The start of day three at the EverStart Series Central Division event on Lake of the Ozarks looked and felt a little different this morning. The water was up and the temperatures were down.

The stormy skies had already given way to clear blue, but the air temperatures had dropped to the mid-50s and that infamous post-frontal northwest wind was starting to stir.

The lake water at Lake of the Ozarks State Park had much more color to it, and floating debris littered the surface – a sure sign of rising water.

The top 10 pros and 10 co-anglers were eyeing the condition change, quietly calculating how it might impact their fish.

The sight-fishermen seemed undeterred. Pro Eric Ambort of Mabelvale, Ark., who caught 19 pounds, 9 ounces sight-fishing yesterday, was readying his bright-colored tube jigs for more sight-fishing action.

Pro Dan Morehead of Paducah, Ky., also had a deck full of bright yellow and white soft plastics.

“The water should still be clear down the lake,” Morehead said. “Wind is the only issue I’m worried about.”

Another difference this morning was that anglers were wrapped back up in their winter garb. Temperatures should climb into the 60s today, but overnight lows will drop into the 30s making for an interesting finish at Lake of the Ozarks.

Friday’s conditions

Sunrise: 6:24 a.m.

Water temperature: 60 degrees

Air temperature: 53 degrees

Expected high: 63 degrees

Wind: forecasted from the NNW at 15 to 20 mph

Day’s outlook: sunny and breezy