Best And Worst (Hardest) State To Fish?

[BasshunterJGH]

I am the same way. I don't even buy a Utah license anymore unless I'm going to Sand Hollow or Lake Powell. I used to fish Mantua and Hyrum but your constantly fighting people. I just pay the 90+ dollars and drive to Idaho to go. Most the time I have the whole lake to myself.

Sand hollow and powell are easily the best fishing in utah. I heard owl creek is pretty good too though. Haven't been there yet.

[Oregon Native]

Powell was amazing when I fished it a number of years ago....so was Delta, Shasta, and Orville....oh the Columbia River.  Worst to me would be body's of water that get hard for a few months....ugh.

[Preytorien]

 Yep, after two years of bass fishing here in west central Indiana, I've learned Indiana is tough and depressing.  I've not done any fishing in other states yet.  I'm going to have to remember this discussion during the summer of 2015 when I'm out in my kayak trying to catch big bass and only catch small ones start getting depressed.  Also, maybe I'm justified in my enjoyment for soft plastic worms and stick baits over big jigs, crankbaits and spinner baits.  Perhaps Indiana is only a "finesse" state.  I watch videos of fishermen using big jigs with trailers, pitching and flipping and catching big bass.  I just don't see that happening much here in Indiana.  My plans for 2015 - fish hard in the spring, from early March to June, and fish the one big lake closest to me, Raccoon Lake.  

 

This is pretty true. I live pretty much immediately north of Indy, and within an hour drive there aren't any lakes that will light the woods on fire. There's decent fishing in some places, but most days you just get skunked because there is SO much pressure. I looked it up a while back, and of the decent sized reservoirs (1500+ Acres) around here, there are only about 4 within an hour. Factor in how many boating anglers hit them, it's no wonder they look at our lures and laugh. I feel too that finesse fishing here is so much more productive. I know guys that do tournaments every weekend and don't even have cranks in the boat. I look at the videos online and just WISH all those methods and techniques worked here. Maybe they'll work from time to time, but not consistently. I fish frequently with a guy who has fished all over the country and says he's never been more frustrated than in Indiana, it's just tough....every...single....time.

 

Lately I've just been hitting a lot of neighborhood retention ponds. Those fish only usually see kids and worms, so they're more likely to take lures. Plus they're stocked, clean, easy to get to, and many times have good bass, cover, structure, the whole bit.....so I'll take it. Sure it's not Geist in a $70K boat, but at least I'm catching SOMETHING

[wytstang]

I've only fished 2 states SC and Fl and both hold big bass but I have to go with Fl as the best to fish. what other state holds Peacock bass (cichlids)?

[greentrout]

God's Country...Davis Lake, Mississippi

God's country...a Louisiana Marsh...

Old school basser...

[Slade House]

I will narrow it down to 1 lake, Casitas. This lake can be phenomenal or the Dead Sea. You can catch your PB, PB 5 bass limit and get blanked in the same week!

Tom

I have to agree with Tom on this one, Casitas is like the Augusta golf course.  I fished all over VA (Potomac, Lake Anna, ocququan, and all the private ponds in between) for 12-15 years , slayed it.  Fished all over florida, Alabama , etc. No problem.  I bought a bass boat , started fishing at Casitas cause i live near it, and I went 38 days before i caught my first fish.  I had to throw out most of my east coast tackle cause it just don't work there.    I thought I was a good bass fisherman , until i came to Casitas.  When it comes to fishing Casitas , there isn't a TV show , website, or youtube video that can give you the advice you need.  That's the allure.  My friend caught a 12-1 in July, and had days in august he caught 8 or more,  but  he got blanked the whole month of september, and into October cause he couldn't figure out the pattern.  thats casitas for you .  

[brgbassmaster]

Ive bass fished all over the country thanks to being active military and still to this day Michigan is the best. You can go out and catch 3-5lb largemouth/smallmouth in so many bodies of water in this state and there not over pressured thanks to walleye and perch fisherman. Not a lot of people know about the quality of michigan bass. Well until the elite series started going there lol. And worst has to be New mexico. I spent almost 4 years there and theres hardly any bodies of water, it never rains so the lakes just go into ridiculous droughts you really gotta grind out there to catch a limit of 2lbers. Then one day someone will come in with 18lbs once a year and everyone gets excited just to never see that again till the next season. Well I'm stationed in arizona now so we will see how this state ranks up.

[Matthew2000]

The best state I have ever fishes is Ohio. It's weird the lakes aren't very big but the private lakes my uncle has access to are quite good average fish around 3 pounds with lots of 6 pounders. There are some big smallies and some nice largemouth. The pattern is pretty easy to figure out too.

[dubya]

I have always fished in Northwestern Ontario. All I've ever caught is smallmouth with a five-pounder being a big one around here. But I usually catch my limit and I am used to being the only one on the lake.

[greentrout]

Buffalo Bayou, Houston, TX

 

Old school basser...
 

[Catt]

Any body of water on any day can be the worst & best!

Ole Tom likes to tout his hero Dee Thomas & his win on Bull Shoals but that wasn't his first B.A.S.S. tournament. His first was the week before on Toledo Bend; he failed to make the top 50 & the next year on Toledo he failed to make the top 100.

Kevin VanDam said if you can't catch 25-30 bass a day on Toledo Bend ya can't fish! KVD's average on Toledo Bend after 5 tournaments is 30th place.

Y'all think y'all gonna come down to the Big Pond & kick bass?

Be warned ya might get skunked

[greentrout]

State of Mississippi farm pond. Lots of 'em to fish year round.

 

Old school basser...

[greentrout]

Wade fishing for Specks & Reds Mississippi Gulf Coast

 

Old school basser....

[WdyCrankbait]

Yeah, I lived in Louisiana for two years and LOVED it!  But, all my tackle I brought from VA did not work there!  So, I did not catch much, or of any size.  (I lived in Alexandria, LA, center of the state.)  Different style of fishing in LA compared to VA.  

 

I mainly fished Black Lake in LA, great place, fished Toledo Bend once, for 30 minutes, Bass_Fanatic and I were out on the main part with 20 mph winds creating white caps.  

 

But, Fanatic has MURDERED them out on Toledo Bend, I am so privileged to see all his 7+lb. catches on his Facebook page!!!

 

So, more fish caught in VA, but LA has A LOT more potential then any other state I have fished in, just so many fish period.

[cyclops2]

 New Jersey has poor fishing..  Constant building & road repairs has wiped out all of the food chains.  They took small resivoirs & put in lake trout & Tiger muskies.  Guess what happened ?

 

Brain dead turkeys.in the parks & fish & game To put big EATING MACHINES into bass & trout tiny bodies of water.

 

Then the clowns introduced Striped Bass in to ocean rivers.........DUUUUHHH .........Again.............Now I heard they want to put in the fresh water Bull Sharks for more licenses to be sold.

 

It is all about the $$$$  for the pension plans.

[fisherrw]

Cachuma lake in December

[Mike L]

To Me,

Best...Florida, 'Nuff said.

Worst...Florida, after a cold front.

Mike

[Dwight Hottle]

To Me,

Best...Florida, 'Nuff said.

Worst...Florida, after a cold front.

Mike

 

 

Not always true if your willing to adapt.

 

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/148114-how-to-beat-a-florida-cold-front/

[Mike L]

Haven't used those indigenous swimbaits in years!

Sir, I stand corrected!

Mike

[greentrout]

Sunset at Lake Fork Texas

 

Merry Christmas

 

Old school basser...

 

 

[RoLo]

Best Action Fishing:

Ontario has provided the best largemouth bass action we've ever encountered (30,000 Islands, Georgian Bay, Lake Huron)

In the lower 48, we've had the best largemouth bass action in New York (1000 Islands, St Lawrence River & Lake Champlain)

A close second to NY would be Georgia (particularly farm ponds)

 

Worst Action Fishing:

We've vacationed in 11 states & 2 provinces, and the hardest bass fishing I've ever encountered was Florida.

I was relieved to hear KVD say that Florida was his toughest state. Most of the pro anglers in the Major League

Fishing Contest at Lake Istokpoga admitted that Florida intimidates them. Chris & Bobby Lane have been

Florida's finest for years. Earlier this month the Lane brothers had a 2-hour shootout on an unfished Florida lake

and could only scrape-up a couple runts between them.  

 

Best Trophy State:

Florida again. If your goal is a double-digit bass, no state comes close to Florida (it's well-corroborated by stats)

 

Roger

[*Hank]

California deffently its highly pressured but there's

The chance of catching a world record

[teamtrout]

Best = For me, California. I'm a big swimbait junkie, and although I fish them successfully here in MA, it's not nearly at good as CA.

 

Worst = Hmmm... I have limited experience there, but after fishing all of the lower 48, RI is the state I just couldn't catch bass in.

 

Surprisingly, while MA hasn't been nominated for best (not saying it should be, there are many places way better), it's not actually that bad. The state record here is 15 something, which is better than most NE states, and there are plenty of places to go for big smallies and largies. 

[greentrout]

Pearl River, Louisiana -- Sportsman's Paradise -- It is what it is.

Old school basser...

[Mainebass1984]

 It is nice to see that few people have referenced New England. Hopefully most people will vacation to the south and out west for bass for years to come.