Wet and willing

American Series finalists expect good things in bad weather

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. – It’s not going to get much warmer and it’s not going to get any drier, but the general consensus among the final field at the American Fishing Series Central Division event on Lake of the Ozarks is that the fishing is going to improve.

A large weather system sweeping through the area will drop a full day of rain on the lake and hold the daytime highs to the upper 30s. Winds have switched north-northeast and they’ve bumped up to about 10-15 mph. This is not a day for tanning, bird watching or shooting tourism videos, but it’s a pretty good day to fool largemouth and spotted bass into eating plastic and metal.

Consider this: Today is the first day of spring and that means the lake’s mature fish are starting to think about spawning. As the water warms, the fish will make a shoreward migration from the deep water that sustains them through winter. Anglers practiced under cloudy skies for a week before the tournament – a stark contrast to the sunny conditions of days one and two.

This double dose of warmth stimulated a lot of fish and anglers reported quality bites in shallow water. Lake of the Ozarks is known for fishing strong in bad weather and today, the rough stuff should play out well in terms of lower visibility. Essentially, the sun can be a double-edged sword – it coaxes bass to move up by raising shallow water temperatures, but keeping the fish wary.

Seventh place pro Marcus Sykora of Osage Beach described days one and two as “building days” in which the warmth created favorable water conditions. Increased wind on Day Two triggered more bites and today is shaping up to offer good opportunities. Pro leader, Bub Taylor believes his opportunities will be of the heavy variety.

“I think the big fish will move up today,” he said. “The nastier days seem to produce the bigger fish. You may not get as many bites, but if you do get one, maybe it will be a quality fish. If the sun was out today, I think more fish would move up, but it’s not that cold today, so I think the fish that have moved up are going to stay.”

Like most, Taylor will throw a jerkbait all day. With a lot of fish still in a relatively lethargic state, this bait enables anglers to imitate shad and maintain a vulnerable presentation at desired depth. A common tactic is to pull the bait down and then kill it, so the fish sees what resembles a suspended baitfish.

Second place pro Shawn Kowall will also throw a jerkbait. Targeting 5-10 feet, he’ll look to sack up a limit quickly and then determine where he needs to go.

“I have one spot that, hopefully, I can catch five in,” he said. “From there I’ll move – depending on what size they are. I may make a big run, or I may stay close and see if I can catch a big fish. Today, that’s going to be crucial.”

Earl K. Garrison will seek to improve his third place position – also with jerkbaits. “I’ve got two rods on my deck and they have two different colored jerkbaits on them. I’m going to throw them from the time I start, `til the time I come in.

“This is actually going to be the best day we’ve had for catching them on jerkbaits. After two warm days, a lot of big fish have moved up and with the cloud cover, they’re not going to leave the bank. This is what we were wanting in practice. We wanted a couple of days of sunshine to warm that water up and make the big fish move up and feed. We didn’t get it in practice, but after the last two days (of sunshine), being fortunate enough to make the cut, I think it will pay off today.”

The co-angler division is setting up for a dramatic conclusion, as Michael Penix of Lewisburg, Tenn. leads Marty Bohlke Jr. of Nixa, Mo. by one ounce. Bohlke blew away the field on Day One with 23-3 – the event’s only bag to break 20 pounds – but zeroed on Day Two. This left the door open for Penix, who added 12-4 to his Day One weight of 11-0 for a total of 23-4.

Bohlke will stick with the jerkbait he’s thrown since Day One, while Penix will put his faith in a Texas-rigged Zoom Baby Brush Hog. “I’ve been fishing slower every day and today with this weather pattern, I’ll have to slow down even more and just soak the bait around any cover I find.”

Logistics

Weigh-ins will be held at Grand Glaize Recreation Area beginning at 3 p.m. Weigh-ins are free and open to the public.

The Lake of the Ozarks Stren Series tournament is being hosted by the Tri-County Lodging Association.

Pros will fish for a top award of $25,000 plus a 198VX Ranger powered by an Evinrude or Yamaha outboard if Ranger Cup guidelines are met. Co-anglers will cast for a top award of $10,000. If the co-angler meets the Ranger Cup guidelines, they will earn an additional $5,000.

Saturday’s conditions:

Sunrise: 6:35 a.m.

Temperature at takeoff: 36 degrees

Expected high temperature: 39 degrees

Water temperature: 39-42 degrees

Wind: NNE at 10-15 mph

Humidity: 70 percent

Day’s outlook: Rain