Wappapello Lake Bass Fishing Tips
- Bass fishing gives you plenty of exercise and fun at the same time.bass image by Witold Krasowski from Fotolia.com
The Wappapello Lake draws lots of attention from bass fisherman who are eager to have a go at the many large-mouth bass found in the lake. Wappapello Lake is located in southeastern Missouri at the base of the Ozark Mountains. It’s a hot spot for crappie fishing and is well-known for a bass fishery. Stumps along the bottom, lay-downs (logs) near the shoreline and brush piles make quality cover for bass, enticing many anglers to come and fish. - No matter where you’re fishing, most anglers make a point of fishing early in the morning or just about sunset to score big. Local anglers suggest using topwater lures in the morning and late afternoon. For targeting stumps and the backs of pockets, try Storm Lures Chug Bugs with chrome sides and blue backs or buzz bait, chartreuse or white with a red head and silver blade.
A frequent angler at Wappapello Lake who owns the marina recommends buzz bait for sunny days and using a black buzzer on cloudy days. - Midday fishing can be good in and around stumps sitting in one to two feet of water, located in the stained water areas of Wappapello Lake. Try flipping 7-inch plastic worms or 5-inch plastic tubes in watermelon hues or pumpkin seeds midday or any time the weather is hot.
One of the local fishing guides likes to target rocky banks in the rivers arm, where the water is between 5- to 8-feet deep. He prefers using Texas-rigged 6- or 8-inch plastic worms during hot afternoons. Others use depth finders to locate channel drops of 7 to 8 feet, and then they hit the bass with crank bait or plastic worms.
Bigger bass tend to go after Poe’s 400 Series crank bait. It’s a slow method for catching them; however, the ones you do get usually are large. Deep-diving plugs work well in the river arm just above Holiday Landing. - Fishing at night at Wappapello Lake can be great, just watch out for the many mosquitoes. Live baits and plastic worms work pretty well during the evenings. Don’t miss out on throwing in your line around stumps and rocks in the late hours. Spinner baits and buzz baits often produce large-mouth bass catches when the sun goes down.
Try working worms along rocky banks and points in the lake at the lower end. Another spot of interest are the stumps in 5 feet of water that suddenly drop to 30 feet in the old river channel.
