Mid April Fishing Report

mmgsozarks
Apr 14
3 min read

It's been a while... Truth be told, too long. Let's talk fishing...

Nice Female Smallmouth caught on a "thin blue line" of the Northern Ozarks.

The Season Transitions...

As weather warms and streams swell from recent rains, my fishing/guiding seasons change as well. 5wt fly rods & indicator rigs are swapped out for Sex Dungeons, Deceivers, & fast sinking fly lines. Not only that, but I love running gear alongside fly rod setups. Especially in a scouting scenario. Soft plastic Senkos, spinnerbaits, and Megabass Jerkbaits are my go to's. In general, the baits and flies get bigger, faster, and more aggressive. The rivers are once again alive...

The Report

All across the Northern Ozarks region, Smallmouth are moving out of their winter holes and moving into pre spawn position. What that means for us anglers is identifying patterns/locations and making a play off of that. Is that always easy? No. Sometimes it can take all day, and you still don't figure it out. Other times it's not so bad. These fish are moving on THEIR schedule. Knowing the water well always helps when coming back year after year.

Smallmouth need current to breed, so that's where I start. I find the top part of riffles where the water is fastest & deepest. Pitching a bait or fly far up into the fast stuff will give it time to drop down into the water column where the bass are holding. From there I work my way down through the riffle and into the pool. You can also do this the other way around with equal results usually. If the water gets too deep and slow, I will typically start catching less fish, with exceptions of course. While I do focus on cover this time of year, it's not like what I would fish in 6 weeks. I look past tree lay down's and my precious boulder fields in lieu of fast water and drop off's. If there are trees or boulders in the fast water, forget what I just said. That can be gold.

A slightly above average creek Bass.

What's working?

On the spinning side, I've already mentioned it above. Those are the 3 lures I use in the early spring. The Senko's get rigged on a shakey head or weighted Texas rig hook of some sort. I like them bouncing off the bottom. The Megabass jerkbait is the #1 lure I use. give it sharp, short rips with the rod tip and collect the slack fast. They will hammer this bait HARD in the spring. I like the 90 & 110's the best, and don't mind a mid range diver in even shallow water settings.

The hot flies for me right now are Kreelex's, Bendback Clousers, Sex Dungeons, and Deceivers. I like a lot of whites and tans right now, but will grab a black or darker color of any of these if the water turns muddy or visibility drops. Don't be afraid to throw big flies. I go as big as 8-9" deceivers right now, when the times call for such madness. Most of the time, a 4.5-7" fly will get the job done.

Keep your eyes out and stay in the loop. My hands are getting better, slowly, and I will be able to get back into a regular posting schedule soon. Until next time...

Thank you for reading! If you’re interested in booking a fishing trip here in the Missouri Ozarks, get ahold of me! I’m now booking for Trout, Smallmouth, and Grass Carp trips for 2026.

Current Locations:

Gasconade River (Dixon, Missouri)

Meramec River (Steelville)

Niangua River (Lebanon)

Maries River (Freeburg)

Creek X (Nice Try)

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