Introduction

Fishing is an art and the water is its canvas. Out of many, there exists a beautiful canvas which is the Lake of the Ozarks. This lake, located in Missouri, attracts many tourists every year especially anglers or fishing enthusiasts who desire a good challenging catch. Hence, they choose to team up with the fishing guide services in the Lake of the Ozarks. Now for fishing, as there are multiple fishing guide services, they have their own edge over each other when it comes to professional fishing. They provide fishing charter services and help the customer with their wide range of knowledge and expertise. The following fishing guide services are highly experienced in their craft and understand the waters of Lake of the Ozarks like the back of their hand. The conditions of the waters and weather patterns are noted by these experts to give you a good time while fishing and learning something new during the fishing experience. Now, if you are interested to pursue fishing in one of U.S.’s prime lakes, Lake of the Ozarks? We have a list of some of the amazing fishing guide services for you to choose from. Whatever happens after choosing the right fishing guide service for you? You are guaranteed to have a wholesome experience in the care of these listed fishing guide services.

Listing of the fishing guide services in the Lake of the Ozarks

1. Barber fishing guide services in the Lake of the Ozarks

Starting with one of the best fishing guide services in the Lake of the Ozarks, with a strong foothold in the Lake of the Ozarks, is the Barber fishing guide services. Led by Captain Chris Barber; located in Lick Branch Cove, at 5-mile marker, north shore of the lake. It is a great service which you can use to enhance your fishing skills, where you will be taught by Coast Guard certified Captains and fishing guides. The boating/fishing crew has an experience of 4 decades with formal training and coaching experience, hence you will be exposed to learning new skills, make progress in increasing knowledge of the tools and equipment used, and learning to catch more or better fish.

The type of charters provided are Pontoon boat fishing charter, Bass boat fishing charter and boat charter. They also provide charters for small or large sight-seeing, bachelor or bachelorette parties, real estate viewing and sunset cruises. They also welcome group, family or multi-boat fishing charters.

Every charter is led by a captain and a first mate. The fishing tackle is provided by the company itself. You can also bring your own tackle but it should be conferred with the captain about its suitability for the charter. During the charter, the captain will run you through aspects of fishing such as why this location has been chosen to fish, point out items of interest, narrating the lake history, dining avenues on the lake, instructing the usage of tackle, how to fish the baits, how to net your fish, how to take the fish off the hook, taking pictures, putting your fish in the live-well or releasing them and tag them for angler identification. At the end of the charter, they provide free-of-cost fish cleaning service along with a photo session of you with your catches. Customers should bring their Missouri fishing license.

They conduct charters primarily for Crappie fish, secondarily Largemouth Bass, tertiarily Blue Catfish and sometimes White Bass. The rates for the fishing guide service for the fishing charters and boat charters, depend on the number of people, number of hours and the kind of boat used. The rates are the following-

a) Bass Boat fishing charter (1-3 anglers)-

 4-hour charter- 450$

6-hour charter- 650$

8-hour charter- 850$

Optional 3rd angler – 125$ extra charge

b) Pontoon boat fishing charters (up-to 6 anglers)-

4-hour charter- 650$

6-hour charter- 850$

8-hour charter- 1050$

c)Boat charters-

2-hour charter- 350$

4-hour charter- 650$

6-hour charter- 800$

8-hour charter- 950$

separate fuel charge- 125$ per hour

They are flexible in extending or shortening the charter hours based on your or captain’s schedule. A four-hour charter gives you an experience of 5-6 hours, a 6-hour charter will be an experience of 7-8 hours, and an 8-hour charter will be an experience of 9-10 hours.

For more information on this fishing guide service, visit here.

For reaching out to this company, call (314) 583-8174 or mail at barberc695@gmail.com .

2. Mike Doll fishing guide & Charter Captain experience

This fishing guide service in the Lake of the Ozarks is run by Captain Mike Doll and his team of fishing guides. Captain Mike Doll has an experience of 17 years fishing in Lake of the Ozarks. On a charter, Captain Mike will teach all about fishing, navigating, interpreting electronics and discovering new experiences. He is also a training instructor in boat control on-water, certified by both National Safe Boating Council and National Association of State Boating Law Administrators. In fact, some of the Mike’s charters are aired on Pursuit channel, Wild tv and USOC adventures tv.

The specialty of the services is that every trip is customised depending on the customer’s skill level and the type of fish which he/she wants. If you are a novice or a professional, Captain Mike or his fishing guides will share their knowledge and experience to ensure a unique and unforgettable experience. Their techniques and expertise, involves figuring out the Bio-eco dynamics which is constantly changing that eventually gives a good fishing output, and being on the watch for season trends, phase patterns and weather changes. Along with that, they use latest fishing equipment such as the Garmin Marine Technology based Ranger 622 pro which delivers ultra-high-definition chart plotters and sonar fish finders. The fishes which are hunted during the charter are White Crappie, Black Crappie, Large Blue Catfish, White Bass and Largemouth Bass. The customer gets to have options for the style of fishing he/she wants. Special service is provided for military veterans and people with disabilities. They also specialise in individual outings, family outings, team building activities, corporate trips, birthday parties and professional tournament preps where you will be trained with useful strategy and techniques through their boat services.

All fishing guides are licensed by U.S. Coast Guard and also trained in CPR and first aid. Fishing rods and tackle are available for the charter. Wearing an adult life vest is a must. Kids should bring their own life jacket. Water along with soda is provided for the charter. Customers should bring their Missouri fishing license.

The charters provided are fishing charters and party charters. The rates of these charters are the following-

1)Fishing charters-

a)1-2 anglers

4-hour charter – 550$

6-hour charter – 750$

8-hour charter – 950$

b)3-6 anglers

4-hour charter – 650$

6-hour charter – 850$

c)1-6 anglers

8-hour charter – 1050$

2) Party charters-

a) Half day (4 hours) – 280$ plus 50$(cleaning)

b) Full day (8 hours) – 500$ plus 50$(cleaning)

For further information, visit here.

For any queries on this fishing guide service, call 314-783-6882 or mail at CaptainMike@MikeDollFishingGuide.com .

3.Casey Scanlon fishing

This fishing guide service is special because its being provided by a celebrity professional angler, Casey Scanlon. He has been a fish guide, licensed by U.S. Coast Guard, for 7 years and has been into fishing tournaments since the age of 15. With well-established foundation, he competes on the FLW tour, Costa series, Bassmaster Elite series, etc. He is also a winner of Bassmaster Open. He was voted best guide of Lake of the Ozarks in 2018. He was also voted the Missouri’s #1 angler in 2013 and 2014 by bassrankings.com.

He provides services for the ones who want to have a good time catching fishes and also guides the professionals who are prepping for a tournament. He shares his techniques which involve effective strategy-based locating of the fishes. He has the sense of pattern for each season which gives him a variety of strategies depending on factors like the flow of water, fish location points, weather changes, species movement etc.

The boat used for the charter is a Nitro Z-21 bass boat which is powered by a Mercury 250 Optimax Pro XS. It is also equipped with the latest Garmin electronics. For the charter, customers will be provided with rods, reel, line and tackle which are provided by Casey’s sponsors. Anglers can be of any age or skill-level, Casey will accommodate and give customers, a good experience. Every charter is guaranteed to have plenty of catches along with catching a prime fish. The fishes which will be hunted are Crappie and Bass. Bass fishes will be catch and release with the interest of protecting the species. Cleaning of the catch will be free-of-cost. Casey also provides cold drinks, ice, snacks and snacks.

Customers should bring sunscreen, a Missouri fishing license, rain or cold weather gear. Customers can also bring their own fishing gear.

The rate for the fishing charter is for 1-2 people. A four hours charter will cost 400$. For each additional hour, 100$ will be charged. 75$ will be charged for a third person.

For further information on this fishing guide service, visit here.

4. Jack’s guide service

Jack Uxa spends 300 days in the outdoors and around 200 days dedicated towards pursuing to catch fishes like Bass, Crappie and Catfish. He has been in the fishing industry since he was 16. He started guiding in 2003 and was licensed by U.S. Coast Guard in 2005. He has a plenty amount of experience fishing with novice fishermen as well as professional anglers along with the fact that he is a Crappie and bass expert. Also, a friendly angler who believes that when it comes to the outdoors, “nothing remains the same”, which implies that he has an experience of multiple dynamic situations where each time the angling experience was unique. He is also a multi-species guide. Being that led to prevent multiple trips from being average, to an adventurous experience.

In his guide service, a completely rigged tournament bass boat is used. He also provides a wide selection of tackle and other equipment such as high-quality rods and reels, a fresh line, a livewell etc. Catches are cleaned by Jack himself. Bass fishes are catch and release. Pick up from customer’s location is charged. River trips in the areas of the Glaze and Niangua rivers will be provided upon request. Also, there is a mandatory need for the customer to have a Missouri fishing license.

On a charter, the capacity is of 1-2 people. The rates for the charters are the following-

4-hour charter – 400$

6-hour charter – 600$

8-hour charter – 800$

For booking the guide 50$ should be deposited in advance.

For further information, visit here.

For any queries on this fishing guide service, contact this number 573 434 2570 or you can mail at jack@fishinglakeoftheozarks.com

5. Mike’s Guide Service

Mike’s guide service, run by Captain Mike (not Mike Doll), provides fishing charters which are filled with passionate lessons of Mike involving tricks and strategies learnt over the years. Mike spent 10,000 hours studying the lake’s (Lake of the Ozarks) dynamics, bio-layout, water conditions, season trends, weather patterns and fish movements. Hence Mike knows the lake thoroughly which is handy for helping out the customers during their charters. He is also a guide certified by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Mike’s charter’s capacity is three people. The boat that is used for the charter is a 21 PHS Phoenix bass boat powered by 250hp Mercury PROXS motor. Tackles, rods including spinning rods and left-handed/right-handed bait casters are provided. The fishes which are hunted are bass, crappie, white bass and hybrid striper fishes. Mike also provides lunch and ice water during the charter. Mike is experienced enough to host charters in any conditions except during lightning or pouring rain so a cancellation of trip is rare.

The following are rates for the fishing charters-

1-2 people plus the captain

4-hour charter – 400$

6-hour charter – 600$

8-hour charter – 800$

For more information, visit here.

For any queries on this fishing guide service, contact at 314-517-3520 or mail at mike@lakeozarksfishingguide.com

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1. Which is the best fishing guide service in the Lake of the Ozarks?

A1. Barber fishing guide services is one of the best fishing guide services in the Lake of the Ozarks.

Q2. What is the average cost of a fishing guide service in the Lake of the Ozarks?

A2. Depending on the hours of a charter, the price is fixed an. On an average, a 4-hour charter costs 586$ while an 8-hour charter costs 890$.

Q3. What is the ideal time in a year to fish in Lake of the Ozarks?

A3. All seasons and weather conditions except lightning and pouring rain, are ideal for angling in Lake of the Ozarks.

Q4. Can we eat the catch obtained from the charter?

A4. Yes, you can eat the catch except bass fish which is catch and release for the sake of conservation of bass fishes.

Q5. What happens if you don’t bring any fishing equipment personally?

A5. There is no need to worry if you didn’t get your tackle or rods. All the above mentioned services provide equipment such as rods, reels, fishing line, live-well, bait, etc.

Conclusion

These fishing guide services in the Lake of the Ozarks will provide you with memories to cherish for the angler side of you. Each catch will be rejoiced and be a learning experience. If you are interested after reading up about the above mentioned fishing guide services. Choose one of them and get yourself an experience of a lifetime.