Fishing Tip #3

As the date approaches for the Lake of the Ozarks FLW Everstart Series, local fishing pro Jim Dill has a few tips for anglers looking to gain a competitive edge. The tournament begins next Thursday – March 14 – so this week's Reel Dill features the third and final tip.

Tip #3: Catch your own fish.

Listening to "dock talk" can derail an angler, Dill says. By "dock talk," he means all the raves and boasts and tips – whether true or false – anglers exchange at the docks, the tackle stores, and anywhere else they may gather before a big tournament. He says these can often amount to nothing more than mind games.

Listening to other anglers boast about their recent success with a particular lure in a particular spot may seem like wise "pre-game prep," but it will often result in an angler trying lures or techniques he or she is not adept at using.

"Don't try to catch somebody else's fish," Dill says. Instead, anglers should use lures that they find are working as they go out on the water.

The FLW Everstart tournament will likely be a competitive one; the winner of last weekend's tournament at Coffman Beach in the Gravois Arm weighed in 24 pounds with five fish. That part of the Lake will likely continue to be a hot spot for fish.

General tips

The Lake of the Ozarks is at the beginning of a warming trend, Dill says, pointing to the weather forecast. "The nights are supposed to be in the lower 30s, and the days are supposed to get up to the 50s," he notes. He says the water temperature could possibly rise four degrees by the beginning of next weekend's tournament.

The result of the warming trend: fish are going to start moving. "They're not necessarily going to be holding tight to one spot," Dill says. Main lake fish will likely begin moving into pockets and coves, he says, as they pursue more active shad and crawfish.

Water temperature is currently around 40 degrees. Clarity is varied: between the dam and the Gravois Arm, the water is clear, but beyond that it is fairly stained.

(LakeExpo.com interviews professional bass angler Jim Dill to publish the “Reel Dill.” Jim is fishing guide at Lake of the Ozarks, Mo. He has fished the Lake for 20 years and is sponsored by Sportworld Boat Center, Ranger Boats, Evinrude, Falcon Rods and Crock-O-Gator Bait Company)

http://www.lakeviewresortlakeozarks.com