Good morning from the heart of the Ozarks—this is Artificial Lure with your Lake of the Ozarks fishing report for November 20, 2025. We’re heading into the back half of November, but fall fishing is still serving up plenty for local anglers braving the chill.
Sun rose this morning at 6:41 a.m. and will set tonight around 6:04 p.m., giving us just over 11 hours of daylight. We’ve got a waxing crescent moon, with the peak fish activity forecasted for the minor solunar window between about 7 and 8 a.m. and again in the evening between 7:50 and 8:50 p.m., according to the solunarforecast.com calendar. No tides to watch here, but the moon phase will help fuel good bites during those early and late bites.
The weather today is brisk, typical for this time of year—upper 40s climbing into the low to mid-50s by late afternoon. Expect a mixed bag of light north winds and some lingering cloud cover that could get patchy sunshine peeking through mid-day. Bring your layers and your insulated gloves; the dock talk is all about staying comfortable while waiting for that big thump.
On the fishing front, the bass bite remains strong. According to recent results coming off local tournaments and guide chatter, largemouth have been pushing up around deeper brush piles and secondary points. The top-producing baits this week include a 3/4-ounce Crock-O-Gator Football Jig paired with a NetBait Paca Chunk Sr., especially in green pumpkin or black/blue for that water-stained clarity. Anglers are reporting good bags on the jig from 12 to 20 feet, dragging slow and bumping every piece of cover you can find, as highlighted by local legends in the Major League Fishing recaps.
Shad are moving, so don’t overlook a fluke rigged weightless and worked over the deeper docks; Major League Fishing pro Scott Suggs is a big proponent of this style on the lake, especially for those suspending bass. Spinnerbaits and vibrating jigs are also firing up a reaction bite around wind-blown points and main-lake pockets with shad nearby.
Crappie reports have been steady—folks are loading up on 10-12 inchers over brush piles set in 18 to 25 feet. Live minnows are still the go-to under slips, but if you prefer plastics, go with small chartreuse or monkey milk jigs for best results.
Best catches lately have come from the Gravois Arm and the Niangua Arm, two hot spots this week. Gravois is seeing a little more stained water, which the fish seem to be loving, especially shallow first thing in the morning. Niangua’s brush piles, particularly near the mouth, are loaded with both bass and crappie, and local guides have been weighing in consistent limits.
On the gear front, don’t forget to check your hooks—sharp matters, especially with the cooler water making those fish a little less aggressive. Black’s Custom Lures buzzbaits and Strike King Rage Hawgs are moving off shelves at bait shops around the lake, and for good reason—they’re racking up bites.
No big striper or catfish runs reported this week, but a handful of blue cats over 20 pounds came from deeper channels with cut shad as the bait of choice.
To sum it up: football jigs and flukes for bass, minnows and small jigs for crappie, and focus your efforts on those minor activity windows at dawn and dusk. Target Gravois and Niangua for the best shot at numbers and size.
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