Lake of the Ozarks Midday Update – Day 2
The leaders are riding the struggle bus
The weather on day two of the Costa FLW Series presented by Evinrude on Lake of the Ozarks has been stupendous, but the fishing hasn’t really kept up. The day dawned clear and cool, and though there have been a few patchy clouds, it’s mostly been sunny and warming throughout the morning. Now, the temperature is nearing 80 degrees, almost 30 degrees warmer than it was Thursday morning.
We started out tracking Shawn Kowal, and he got off to a quick start with one big fish and a miss, but struggled after that. By about 9:30 he’d only managed to add one tiny fish to his limit. Kowal says the bite is a lot tougher today, but it seems likely he’ll be able to put together a limit, even if it isn’t another 19 pounds. Kowal started out the day by almost exclusively throwing a buzzbait on rock and behind docks.
Roger Fitzpatrick is fishing very similarly to Kowal, but is off to a better start. He had four good ones in the boat by about 11 a.m., and had a few other big misses while we watched. He seems to have Lake of the Ozarks fairly well figured out right now.
Farther up the lake, Steve Floyd was stuck on one small keeper when we left him, and James Dill had three little keepers by about 11:45. Greg Bohannan is making a push for the top 10 with 12 pounds, and Dylan Hays has two small keepers so far.
Overall, the fishing seems a little slower than expected this morning. That said, there are signs of hope, and if Fitzpatrick’s morning is any indication, James Watson is going to have an opportunity to catch ‘em again.
Tournament details
Format: All boaters and co-anglers will compete for two days. The top 10 boaters and co-anglers based on cumulative weight after two days of competition will advance to the third and final round, with the winner in each category determined by the heaviest cumulative three-day weight.
Takeoff Time: 7:00 a.m. CT
Takeoff Location: Public Beach #2, 711 Public Beach Road, Osage Beach, Mo.
Weigh-In Time: Days 1 and 2 at 3 p.m. CT; Day 3 at 4 p.m. CT
Weigh-In Location: Days 1 and 2 at Public Beach #2; Day 3 at Walmart 4252, Highway 54, Osage Beach, Mo.