Drury University

College Ambassador: Brock Bila

Species

Bass: (Largemouth, Smallmouth, and Kentucky) The Ozarks have some incredible bass fishing! You can catch 6-pound largemouth, 6-pound smallmouth, and 6-pound Kentucky's all within an hour of Drury University.

Crappie: With its cool lakes and rivers, the Ozarks is a hotspot for anyone wanting to catch some crappie. Our lakes are loaded and it is fairly easy to go catch yourself some dinner.

Stripers: Our population is not huge but there are some opportunities to catch huge stripers in the Ozarks. Especially on big glide baits and soft swimbaits.

Trout: We have a world-class trout fishery 45 min. from Drury. Tannycomo is ideal for catching Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout.

Accessibility

Table Rock Lake: The rock is known for its ultra-clean water and the huge spotted bass/smallmouth that live there. You can reach almost every part of the lake within an hour's drive from Drury. The dam section has the cleanest water with the largest smallmouth population but the James River has a solid largemouth population.

Boat Ramps

Dam Section: Moonshine Beach
Mid Lake: Kimberling City
River: Ants Creek

Lake of The Ozarks: This is my favorite lake in the Ozark region. There are over 70,000 boat docks on the lake so there is a ton of cover for bass to get under. Brush piles year-round are the main producer of giant bags caught at the lake. Be careful if you go in the summer though, it can get extremely rough!

Boat Ramps

Dam Section: Shawnee Bend
Mid Lake: PB2
River: Green Bridge

Truman Lake: This is for the river rats! Truman has fairly stained water and is known for shallow cranking, buzz baiting, and spinnerbaits. The lake is covered in standing timber so be aware when driving across the lake. June to October is the best time frame to catch some fish shallow.

Boat Ramps

Dam Section: Shawnee Bend
River: Bucksaw Resort

Community

Drury University is surrounded by fishing history. One of the largest Bass Pro shops is located in Springfield and the entire community gets fishing. This was a culture shock for me coming from Kansas because not a lot of people cared about it. There are a ton of niche places that you could fit in.

Hangouts/Shops

BaitWrX: This is located on the East side of town and has all of the region-specific lures you will need. Everyone who works there fishes Ozark Lakes and can help guide you in the right direction.

Bass Pro Shops: Bass Pro has more of your day in day out needs for a cheap price. They also have the Wonders of Wildlife museum which you need to stop by. It shows you the decades of history that the Ozarks have in the fishing industry.