Tight Lines at Lake of the Ozarks: Bass, Crappie, and Catfish Heating Up for Fall Frenzy

Artificial Lure here, bringing you the latest fishing report for Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri on Sunday, October 19, 2025, just after sunrise. The day kicked off at 7:24 a.m., with a late sunrise painting the coves and brush piles gold, and we’re looking at sunset coming around 6:28 p.m. Weather this morning is brisk and fall-perfect, mid-50s climbing into the high 60s by afternoon, with light variable winds and clear skies—ideal conditions for active fish and comfortable casting.

No tidal activity to report, as we’re a freshwater lake, but barometric pressure is holding steady after yesterday’s cold front, which’s got the fall bite fired up. Water temps are hovering in the low 60s, and that’s prime time for October bass, crappie, and catfish action all around the lake.

Local anglers and the Lake of the Ozarks Missouri Daily Fishing Report are seeing excellent numbers right now. Bass are smashing craw baits, squarebills, and the classic spinnerbaits. Early morning topwater takes—think walking baits and buzzbaits—have produced some explosive strikes off rocky points and main lake docks. Several 3-to-5 pounders landed in the last 48 hours, with some chunky keepers caught around the Niangua Arm and up by Shawnee Bend. Tournament pros are talking fast-moving baits and power fishing—cover water, focus near baitfish schools, and target shallow cover for the bites.

Crappie have moved up: big slabs hanging around brush piles at 8–15 feet, especially on the Grand Glaize and Gravois arms. Chartreuse jigs, small shad-pattern plastics, and live minnows have been hot. Reports say some anglers loaded the boat with limits before noon this week, with fish averaging 10–12 inches. Best bait for numbers is live minnows; best lure for big ones is a two-inch flick-tail grub, white/silver.

Catfish are still active as the water cools, with channel cats and blues hitting cut shad and stink bait near main lake ledges. Several over 10 pounds have come out near the 8-mile marker and Coffman Bend overnight—folks using fresh-cut skipjack and nightcrawler combos. Drifting cut bait has also produced a steady catch through the evenings under the full moon.

For the best fall bass experience, use crankbaits (squarebill or wake) in craw or shad patterns, medium spinnerbaits in white or chartreuse, and don’t forget a walk-the-dog topwater for morning and evening periods. Crappie anglers stick to jigs in electric chicken and blue/white, paired with a slip float, or just drop a minnow into submerged brush. Catfish fans, anchor up and soak cut bait around deep holes from dusk till dark.

Hot spots for anglers looking to maximize their haul today:
- **Niangua Arm near Larry R. Gale Access:** Shallow transitions are holding good numbers of feeding bass and crappie.
- **Gravois Arm brush piles:** Classic crappie grounds, especially mid-morning after the sun pops up.
- **8-mile marker—main channel ledges:** Deep catfish and big blues after sunset.

Bait shop chatter from Ozark Bait Laurie says craw baits and shad-pattern crankbaits are flying off the shelves. Local tournament chatter confirms the fall turnover’s setting up for a big week—don’t miss the bite window!

Thanks for tuning in to Lake of the Ozarks fishing report—don’t forget to subscribe for your daily dose of local wisdom. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Artificial war here bringing you the latest fishing report for
Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, on Sunday, October nineteenth, twenty
twenty five, just after sunrise. The day kicked off at
seven twenty four am with a late sunrise painting the
coves and brush piles gold. And we're looking at sunset
coming around six twenty eight pm. Whether this morning is

(00:21):
brisk and fall perfect mid fifties climbing into the high
sixties by afternoon with light, variable winds and clear skies.
Ideal conditions for active fish and comfortable casting. No tidal
activity to report, as we're a freshwater lake, but barometric
pressure is holding study after yesterday's cold front, which has
got the fall bite fired up. Water temperatures are hovering

(00:42):
in the low sixties and that's primetime for October Bass,
crappie and catfish action all around the lake. Local anglers
and the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri Daily Fishing Report
are seen excellent numbers right now. Bass are smashing crawbaits,
square bills, and the classic spinner baits. Early morning topwater takes,
think walking baits and buzz baits have produced some explosive

(01:05):
strekes off Rocky Points and Main Lake docks. Several three
to five pounders landed in the last forty eight hours,
with some chunky keepers caught around the Niangua Arm and
up by Shawnee Bend. Tournament pros are talking fast moving
baits and power fishing cover water, focus near baitfish schools,
and target shallow cover for the bites prappy. I've moved

(01:27):
up big slabs hanging around brush piles at eight fifteen feet,
especially on the Grand Glaze and Revoir arms. Chartru's jigs,
Small shad pattern plastics and live minnows have been hot.
Reports say some anglers loaded the boat with limits before
noon this week with fish averaging ten twelve inches. Best

(01:47):
bait for numbers is live minnows. Best lure for big
ones is a two inch flicktail grub. White silver catfish

(02:12):
are still active as the water cools, with channel cats
and blues hitting cut shad and stink bait near Maine
Lake's ledges. Several over ten pounds have come out near
the eight mile marker and Kaufman Bend. Overnight folks using
fresh cut skipjack and nightcrawler combos. Drifting cut bait has

(02:33):
also produced a steady catch through the evenings under the
full moon. For the best fall bass experience, use crank baits,
square bill or waken craw or shad patters, medium spinner
baits in white or chartreuse, and don't forget I'll walk
the dog top water for morning and evening periods. Crappy
anglers stick to jigs in electric chicken and blue white

(02:55):
paired with a slip float, or just drop a minnow
into submerged brush. Catfish fans anchor up and soak cut
bait around deep holes from dust till dark potspots for
anglers looking to maximize their haul Today Miangua arm near
larry Argale access shallow transitions are holding good numbers of

(03:16):
feeding bass and crappy gues. Gravois armbrush piles classic crappy grounds,
especially mid morning after the sun pops up. Eight mile
Marker Main channel ledges deep catfish and big blues after sunset.
Bait shop chatter from Ozark Bait Laurie says craw baits
and shad pattern crank baits are flying off the shelves.

(03:38):
Local tournament chatter confirms the fall turnover setting up for
a big week. Don't miss the bite window. Thanks for
tuning in to Lake of the Ozarks Fishing Report. Don't
forget to subscribe for your daily dose of local wisdom.
This has been a quiet please production. For more check
out Quiet Please dot ai