December is by far my favorite time of year to chase hybrids and stripers on Lake of the Ozarks. While spring and fall often steal the spotlight for bass anglers, winter brings an entirely different type of fishing opportunity—one that’s fast-paced, aggressive, and highly rewarding. If you’re looking for explosive bites and big numbers, striper fishing during December just might become your new obsession.
For most of the year, hybrid striped bass and their full-blooded cousins spend their time out in open water, chasing shad schools across the lake. They’re constantly on the move, often making them a challenge to locate and catch consistently. But when the water temperatures start to drop and the air gets crisp, that all changes. Cold weather triggers a feeding frenzy as these fish begin to congregate in massive numbers in specific areas across the lake—particularly the backs of major creek arms.
Lately, I’ve been having great success focusing on coves and creek pockets with depths ranging from 6 to 12 feet. These areas tend to attract large populations of shad in late fall and early winter, which in turn draw in predatory fish like stripers and hybrids. This seasonal shad migration is the key to locating productive water. If you can find the bait, chances are the predators aren’t far behind.
One of the biggest differences between striper fishing and targeting other species like largemouth or spotted bass is the speed and aggression of the bite. These fish don’t nibble—they crush. You’ll often find entire schools moving through in waves, attacking bait with such ferocity that it feels like a blitz. While bass might suspend or hold to cover, hybrids are often found patrolling open zones, constantly roaming in search of their next meal.
To stay on the fish, I keep my trolling motor on high and rely heavily on forward-facing sonar. This technology has become a game-changer for striper fishing, allowing me to spot moving schools in real time and make accurate casts right into the strike zone. It’s not uncommon to mark dozens—sometimes hundreds—of fish stacked up and cruising the channel edges or deeper pockets of a cove.
When it comes to bait selection, I keep things simple but effective. My go-to presentations include Alabama rigs, soft swimbaits, and suspending jerkbaits. The Alabama rig mimics a small school of baitfish, and when stripers are feeding aggressively, it’s hard to beat. I’ll also throw soft plastic swimbaits on jig heads for a more natural look, especially when fish are a little more pressured. On calm days or in clear water, a suspending jerkbait worked with a long pause can trigger strikes from even the most cautious fish.
There’s something about striper fishing in cold weather that keeps me coming back year after year. Maybe it’s the challenge of tracking down fast-moving fish. Maybe it’s the adrenaline rush of hooking into a powerful hybrid. Or maybe it’s just the quiet solitude of a cold December morning on the water, where every cast feels like it could be the one. Either way, if you haven’t given winter striper fishing a shot at Lake of the Ozarks, now’s the time to start.
