Bass tournaments pounding rivers.

We like to fish Osage River below LOZ down to Missouri. Our favorite spot has been difficult the last couple of years because of all the bass tournaments out of there. There is 18 tournaments this year just out of the one ramp. No place to park when they are there. Small parking lot. Only hold 12 rigs. We fish for everything when there. Just need place to,park. There is a couple of houses down there and the one house has put up a sign by there driveway and yard. NO PARKING. Vehicles will be towed. That might get interesting next month there is 2 tournaments scheduled for,the same day. Total of 30 rigs. Here is link to,check for tournaments where you want to fish. https://www.mshp.dps.missouri.gov/WP...n=Search+Again.

had no idea there were that many bass tournys on the river thanks for the info

Had a better catching day sunday. Husband 8 lb. 12 oz. drum and me 5 lb. channel cat. Plus some bass, a couple smaller cats. a buffalo, gar and skipjack. Drum and Channel cat caught on artificial while bass fishing. Channel caught in shallow water on gravel bar area. Attachment 246609Attachment 246610

That's better! Congrats

St Thomas gets fished pretty hard by several bass clubs. The Osage bass club only fishes out of that ramp. The others spread it out across the multiple Osage accesses as well as the Gasconade River.

Yes. 18 tournaments out of St. Thomas this summer. One day in September there is two that day. A total of 30 boats. Don't know were they will park. 1 fills lot and road up. The house by the river has a posted sign no parking in their driveway or yard. They will be towed. I don't blame them. We don't care if they are chasing bass just need to be able to park when you get there. So I check water patrol web site to see were we don't want to go.

My buddy Paul needs to fix you up he really gets into the other than crappie bite.:Rofl Just take him with and he will put something in the boat no one has seen.

Bass tournaments are no different than crappie tournaments. Or drum tournaments. Or catfish tournaments. Or guppy tournaments. They are entirely legal, all of them. And they bring MONEY into the area.
Live and let live.

I don't think anyone is complaining about the tourneys, themselves. More about parking. It does kind of suck to pull into your favorite ramp to see there is no where to park. Or get back to your pickup and find somebody parked you in because there isnt enough parking.
And on the other side of the coin, I have fished a couple of tourneys that were held at ramps where the ramp and parking lot wasn't big enough. It takes the fun out of it when it takes a couple hours to weigh in.

Nice catch, perch! Are you seeing a lot of skipjack activity up that way yet?

No on the skipjack. Did catch one trolling. Not complaining about tournaments. They can go about fishing. Just the parking problem. St. Thomas is a very small lot. Been wanting to go to highway 50 ramp but still to much party traffic on weekends.

it is a problem in a lot of places...and it is the parking that is the biggest pain.

I fish a lot of these river bass tourneys and I agree with you 100%. Some accesses are far better than others for the tourneys with bigger turnouts.