Other equally successful anglers rank protection from high wind dead last when deciding whether to spend valuable fishing time in a particular cove. Some local experts insist that a good spring cove must lie so as to be protected from high winds, which, in the Osage basin, usually come from the southwest or the northwest. It’s far more important that the cove’s bank have a moderate slope and that it be composed of gravel or broken rock. Coves that empty directly into submerged creek or river channels are preferable but not essential. No matter which lure you choose, look for coves or pockets off any of the lake’s river or active creek arms. Hard-bodied jerkbaits and crankbaits work well in coves with relatively clean bottoms. Other spring options, more of less in order of preference, include the venerable jig-and-pig, spinnerbaits and soft-plastic jerkbaits. Of course, no bass angler worthy of the name would leave the dock with only one type of lure on board, no matter how good that lure might be. Fortunately, virtually all such accidents can be avoided by keeping a sharp lookout - and remembering that the governor on your outboard’s fuel delivery system is a throttle, not an on/off switch. However, even more tree trunks snapped at or a few inches below the normal lake level and sank to the bottom.Įvery year, numerous newcomers and more than a few seasoned veterans are deceived by Truman’s new variety of back-breaking work - getting a heavy bass boat off a mudbar. Uncountable tons of wood are no longer in play, having been blown onto the shoreline during periods of high water. In addition, the always difficult, sometimes impenetrable jungle of emergent standing timber has thinned to the point that virtually all of the lake is accessible to a determined angler. All the angler needs to do in order to find familiar structure types is to move farther downstream on whichever arm he’s fishing From a bass angler’s perspective, siltation isn’t a good thing, but neither is it a tragedy. Submerged channel bends aren’t as well defined as they once were, and many pre-impoundment roadbeds and field drainage ditches have disappeared entirely. Now, that stuff-of-dreams day took place several years ago, and there’s no disputing that Truman Lake has changed - some would prefer the term “matured” - in the years intervening.įor example, siltation has dramatically altered the upper ends of all of the lake’s year-round feeder creeks and rivers.