This is Artificial Lure with today's Lake of the Ozarks fishing report for October 26, 2025. Folks, if you’re waking up and wondering if today’s another fall dream or a leftover from winter, you’re not alone. Just a week ago we were flirting with zero, and now it’s warmed up—mornings starting in the 40s and pushing up near 50 by midday. Still, don’t let that fool you: there’s floating ice in the back of the creeks and more than a little melt-off lingering in the coves. If you were hoping to get tucked away in those narrow pockets, those are pretty much locked up with ice, so everybody’s fishing concentrated this morning, especially on the main-lake points and open bays, where you can get a boat in.

First light hit just after 7:30 and sunset will settle in right around 6:15 tonight. As always, no tides to worry about—Lake of the Ozarks is a reservoir, so the only movement is wind and boat wake. Today, plan for a light breeze around 10 miles an hour, maybe enough to break up more ice as the day goes on, but not enough to blow a hat off.

Let’s talk about what’s biting: The bigger bass are playing hard to get. Water temperatures are stuck in the upper 30s to low 40s, right after a massive shad kill. There are gizzard and baby gizzard shad floating thick enough in spots to walk on, and that means the largemouth are stuffed like it’s Thanksgiving. Veteran anglers are saying the big ones are so sluggish, you might see a pile of fish on your electronics, but they’ll barely sniff a lure. Most recent tournaments, like the Plains Division, have seen the best sticks struggle to get anything over 3 pounds, and a lot of pros haven’t even been filling a five-fish limit in a day. Still, persistence is paying off for some with totals in that 15-pound a day range—if you’re lucky.

If you’re going after crappie, fall’s still on your side: local daily reports from QP Daily say the bite’s strong, with fish relating to brush piles in 10 to 20 feet. They’re hitting jigs in shad and chartreuse, and live minnows aren’t a bad call, especially when the bite slows down. Catfish are decent, especially with the recent shad kill, so drifting cut shad on main-lake flats might get you into some action.

Now, to lures and bait. With the bass sluggish, it’s a jerkbait day—classic suspending models you can twitch and pause, letting them dangle for as long as your patience allows. Don’t overlook an Alabama or umbrella rig if you’re fishing a little deeper, but get ready for short strikes and followers instead of hard takes. On the moving side, squarebill crankbaits in shad colors are still working when bounced along rocky points. Shakey head jigs with green pumpkin plastics or watermelon work well for those stubborn largemouth holding near the bottom, and jigs and worms continue to be a staple for picking up that extra fish when other methods aren’t producing—Major League Fishing and recent tournament recaps both back that up.

Best bait for today: For crappie, minnows and bright jigs. For bass, a slow jerkbait or a squarebill in translucent shad. If you want to target blue cats or flatheads, fresh cut shad is the ticket.

If you’re looking for hot spots, check out the Grand Glaize arm near the State Park—as the main lake thaws, the secondary points are open and holding fish. Also, around the mouth of the Niangua, especially where the ice has just cleared—they’ll stack up there waiting for warmer water and baitfish.

Thanks for tuning in to Artificial Lure for your Lake of the Ozarks fishing fix. Don’t forget to subscribe so you’re always ready when the bite turns on.

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