Big Shad, Little Shad

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. — In spite of the recent heat, fall is on its way to the Lake, and bass know it as well as anyone.

Local fishing pro Jim Dill says the fish are beginning to transition into their fall feeding pattern, which means feeding mainly on shad. Anglers should choose lures that imitate that favorite food of bass, but different kinds of fish will go after different sizes of shad. And that is where lure selection becomes important.

This year's hatch has filled the Lake with approximately two-and-a-half-inch long shad—these are pursued primarily by smaller bass, crappie, and catfish.

Larger shad, known as "gizzard shad" are from four to six inches in length, and Dill says the larger bass tend to follow these, for one nice big meal, rather than chasing a lot of smaller ones.

Lures that imitate shad best are spooks, buzz baits, and swimming jigs.

"You can work all these baits in a way that will imitate swimming or wounded shad," Dill says.

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Water temperature at the Lake has moved back into the upper 80s and is mostly clear from the Bagnell Dam up to the 35 Mile Marker, but becomes stained further up the Lake.