Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free1 angler watching on this water. Exact spots stay private, always.
54,000-acre serpentine reservoir with 1,150 miles of shoreline; bass, crappie and big blue cats. The lake tops out around 130 ft. What you see is a modeled chart: the shoreline is real, the max depth is published, and the contours between are estimated. Plan with it; don't navigate by it. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
On the chart, Lake of the Ozarks draws 52,507 acres inside 899.1 miles of shoreline, broken up by 18 islands. A development index of 28 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. Roughly 78% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. The basin spans about 49.5 mi end to end and 24.9 mi across at its widest. The water lies in Camden County. For a second option, Bagnell Tailwater lies 19 mi east.
Spring puts largemouth bass in skinny water — 2 to 10 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 20 ft, wintering in 15 to 35 ft. Fall largemouth bass concentrate at Shoreline point, a prime-rated point around 4 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Feeding flat (6 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (9 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline point (4 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Sharp break (30 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. Brush piles (cove) is the standout, a standing timber / brush at roughly 18 ft, rated prime for summer crappie. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Dock / pier line (2 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Brush piles (cove) (18 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Brush piles (cove) (18 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Brush piles (cove) (18 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Spring puts channel catfish in skinny water — 3 to 12 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 25 ft, wintering in 20 to 40 ft. Spring channel catfish concentrate at Gravois arm mouth, a prime-rated inflow / creek mouth around 12 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Gravois arm mouth (12 ft) | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | Brush piles (cove) (18 ft) | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | Feeding flat (21 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Osage channel bend (45 ft) |
Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 25 ft. The spot to know is Feeding flat, a feeding flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Feeding flat (6 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Dock bluff stretch (15 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Sharp break (9 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | River bar (20 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
In spring, white bass & hybrids run shallow here, mostly 3 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. Gravois arm mouth is the standout, an inflow / creek mouth at roughly 12 ft, rated prime for spring white bass & hybrids. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a jigging spoon or a topwater (when schooling) most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Gravois arm mouth (12 ft) | Rooster tail / inline spinner, Curly-tail jig (white/chartreuse) |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | River bar (20 ft) | Jigging spoon, Topwater (when schooling) |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Channel-swing point (22 ft) | Small blade bait, Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday | Bluff wall (40 ft) | Jigging spoon, Blade bait (vertical) |
When the water first warms, blue catfish slide up into 5 to 25 ft. Summer is a 10 to 40 ft game here, winter a 20 to 50 ft one. Start at Osage channel bend. It's a creek channel holding about 45 ft of water and rates prime come fall. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dusk | Gravois arm mouth (12 ft) | |
| Summer | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Feeding flat (21 ft) | |
| Fall | 15 to 45 ft | dusk | Osage channel bend (45 ft) | |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Osage channel bend (45 ft) |
Lake of the Ozarks also holds flathead catfish (8 to 30 ft in summer), freshwater drum (8 to 30 ft in summer), common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer), walleye (15 to 35 ft in summer), spotted bass (15 to 40 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
53 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deepest basin, around 120 ft, is the deepest of them.
Access data: Missouri Department of Conservation — Access Sites. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Missouri waters are set by the Missouri Department of Conservation — and special regulations can apply to Lake of the Ozarks specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Missouri fishing regulations →
Lake of the Ozarks is about 130 ft (40 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, bluegill, white bass & hybrids, blue catfish, flathead catfish, freshwater drum, common carp, walleye, spotted bass on Lake of the Ozarks.
Shoreline point is the top-rated area: a point in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in fall. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Lake of the Ozarks is regulated by the Missouri Department of Conservation. Check the official Missouri regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Bagnell Tailwater 19 mi · Niangua River 21 mi · Pomme de Terre Lake 29 mi · Manito Lake Conservation Area 32 mi · Harry S. Truman Reservoir 32 mi · Osage River 39 mi · Scrivner Road Conservation Area 39 mi · Binder Community Lake 47 mi · Hough Park Lake 51 mi · Haysler A. Poague Conservation Area 51 mi · Haysler A. Poague Conservation Area 51 mi · Haysler A. Poague Conservation Area 51 mi
See how Lake of the Ozarks stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Missouri · best walleye lakes in Missouri · best crappie lakes in Missouri · best bluegill lakes in Missouri
Browse all Missouri fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.