Eight Reasons to Take An Ozarks Bass Fishing Trip

I’ve been fortunate to fish for bass all over the United States, from the far southern Texas fisheries that overlap into Mexico, to the northern natural lakes that stretch into Canada. I’ve chased them as far west as you can go in the Lower 48 in California, and all up and down the east coast. Yet despite it not necessarily being known as a “trophy destination,” I think that the Ozarks region needs to be on more traveling anglers’ radar. Both Hanna and I have been out there on multiple occasions and we’ve learned quite a bit that we’ve been able to translate elsewhere, while also catching a pile of fish. Here’s why you might consider the area for your next fishing adventure.

All Three Species

There are multiple places – from Georgia to California – where you can catch largemouth, smallmouth and spots on the same day, but the Missouri/Arkansas region seems to be most consistent in that regard. If you want to catch a truly giant largemouth, then Florida, Texas or Alabama might be a preferable location. The Coosa River and California may produce more giant spots, and the Great Lakes has more 6-pound-plus smallies, but if you want quality specimens of all three, places like Table Rock are best bets.

Varied Habitat

There are plenty of high-quality destinations that are “one trick ponies” – you go there to dropshot smallmouths or flip vegetation for largemouths. They excel shallow or deep, clear or dirty. The nice thing about the Ozarks is that you can mix it up within the hour – learn to Livescope out deep, flip shallow brush, or throw a glide bait in mid-range depths. The one thing they don’t have much of is matted vegetation, but there’s even some of that if you look close enough. All of this makes it a perfect laboratory for learning, and means that there’s always some kind of bite going on.

Lots of Fishing History

This region – from Table Rock to Bull Shoals to Lake of the Ozarks to Grand Lake – has bred many top pros, like Denny Brauer. At the same time it has also served as a magnet for pros like Rick Clunn, who could live anywhere he wants. There’s a fishing-related reason for that. The region has also hosted dozens of top-tier tournaments over the years, many of which you can still find on YouTube. That should breed some excitement, and also give you a starting point if you travel to one of these lakes.

Centrally Located

Whether you’re in Texas, Wisconsin, Tennessee or Oklahoma, you’re just a short drive to several of these lakes, making them perfect for weekend jaunts. Draw radiuses of 200 and 400 miles around Springfield, Missouri, and you’ll see how close it is to a great number of population centers. Except for the few bigger cities, there’s not much traffic this way, either, so you’ll make good time. Just make sure that you have ample power if you’ll be pulling a boat through these hilly environs.

Easy Airport Access

Let’s say you’re more than a few hours’ drive away from your Ozarks lake of choice, but you still want to check it out. Fortunately, the Springfield airport (SGF) is one of the nicest and most accessible smaller-city airports we’ve used. Depending on where you’re coming from you can get there on American, United, Delta or Allegiant, and there are direct flights from multiple hubs.

Lodging Opportunities

Some tournament lakes, even the most popular and well-known, have extremely limited or extremely overpriced lodging around. In the Ozarks, there are tons of options, from houses to hotels to cabins to campgrounds, and unless you’re headed to the priciest and most popular among them in the height of the summer, there’s something safe and affordable for all budgets.

Top Pros as Guides

As noted above, lots of top pros either hail from this region or gravitate there. That’s because it’s a fantastic learning environment and also because of its central location to the tournament scene. We’ve fished with several of them, including former Elite Series pro Chad Morgenthaler and Dave Mansue, who both live down the street from fellow former Elite Brian Snowden. They’re still dialed into the latest and greatest gear and techniques, but no longer beholden to demanding tournament schedules. They can help you learn a new technique, dial in your weaknesses, or just catch a bunch of fish. In 2023, in addition to our normal fall trip we’re also adding in a spring vacation – that’s how much we like this option and want to publicize it.

Tons of OTHER Things to Do

Finally, whether you’ll be traveling with non-fishing family members or just want to do something else before/after your angling experience, Johnny Morris has built an endless supply of family-friendly entertainment options in the area in addition to Branson. You MUST check out the Wonders of Wildlife Museum, but there’s also Dogwood Canyon, Big Cedar Lodge, and all sorts of natural wonders. I’m notoriously focused on fishing on my trips, but even I take time out each time we visit to do something else.