Lake of the Ozarks Bass Fishing – 16 Jul 2026 | Fishing report
We fished Lake of the Ozarks out of LORA on 16 July 2026 and had one of our better numbers days of the summer.
We launched and started fishing around 0657 and wrapped up around 1347, giving us about 6 hours and 50 minutes on the water. Conditions were typical mid-July Lake of the Ozarks: warm, humid, partly cloudy, and stained water. The air temperature ranged from 73 to 85 degrees, while the water temperature was hot, running from 87 to 93 degrees. We had a light breeze, but nothing strong enough to really change the way we had to fish.
Overall, we caught 43 fish for 35.5 pounds total, with 5 keepers and a best five around 9.2 pounds. It was not a giant-fish day, but it was a very steady bite and a fun day on the water. Any time you can put 43 fish in the boat in July, that is a good trip.
The main pattern was very clear. The fish were heavily related to the bank, and that is where almost all of the action happened. Out of 43 fish, 38 came from the bank, while only 5 came from boat docks. That made this trip different from some of our other summer outings where docks played a bigger role. On this day, the shoreline bite was the deal.
The top bait was the 5-inch PBJ worm, and it was not even close. That bait produced 24 fish and 3 of the 5 keepers. It was the most consistent bait from early morning through the middle of the day, and it kept getting bit as we moved along the bank.
The white swimbait also helped early and late, catching 6 fish and producing 1 keeper. The biggest fish of the day was a 2.59-pound keeper caught early on the white swimbait around 0745. That was the best quality bite of the trip and gave us a good start.
We also caught fish on several other soft plastics, including a purple/black curly tail worm, green pumpkin 5-inch worm, black curly tail worm, and Junebug curly tail worm. The green pumpkin 5-inch worm produced 4 fish and 1 keeper, while the purple/black curly tail worm added 5 fish. We even picked up one early fish on a Sexy Shad popper, but the topwater bite did not develop into the main pattern.
The better keeper bites came at 0745, 0819, 1045, 1143, and 1147, with the most productive stretch happening from late morning into midday. There was a strong run between about 1045 and 1220, where the PBJ worm produced steady bites along the bank. That stretch really defined the day.
One interesting note was how little the boat dock bite contributed. We only picked up 5 fish from docks, and those came later in the day. The best action was clearly on the bank, especially with soft plastics. The fish were not huge, but they were active enough to keep us busy most of the day.
This was a solid Lake of the Ozarks summer fishing report: hot water, stained conditions, a light breeze, 43 total fish, 5 keepers, and a strong bank bite led by the 5-inch PBJ worm.
Thanks for watching.
Be sure to check out Lake of the Ozarks Fish Intel (Bassing Bob) here: https://lakeoftheozarksfishintel.com/
Need an excellent guide? Recommend Captain Jack Uxa here: https://www.lakeoftheozarksfishingguide.com/573-434-2570
Thanks for watching and supporting Mid Missouri Angling. Have fun out there!
My Lake of the Ozarks Fishing Reports Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZubefBIucWLmw6xh0nUWv1_tBs0K6YKM
Music provided by
🔥 Luna Cantina – A Huevo
🔥 NEFFEX – How’s It Supposed to Feel (Clean)
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Email: ➡ midmoangling@gmail.com
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⏰ Timecodes ⏰
0:00 – Intro
2:09 – The Highlights
8:04 – Fishing Summary
8:14 – Bait(s)
8:24 – Locations
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