Best Fishing Towns/Cities?

[IowaHusker28]

LaCrosse is sweet! Plus upper Mississippi river fishing is an incredible place for numbers and multiple species, sometimes you never know what bit your hook. I would also say Kimberling city on Tablerock, within a drive of Lake of the Ozarks, Bull Shoals, and Beaver. Benton, Ky and Paris, TN are pretty sweet as well. Heck any city that has a major lake or lakes by it, is an awesome town to me. 

[PitchinJigz]

44 minutes ago, Jaderose said:

and all are within 100 miles of Grand Rapids...lol

Grand Rapids is a great place as well. Northern Minnesota doesn't get the recognition around the country for the great bass fishing community it is. I think that's because none of the big tours come through MN. There's great fishing everywhere in Minnesota for almost any freshwater species you could think of.

[Caliyak]

Any city in so-cal for castaic, Disneyland and weather. 

Nor-Cal places like Stockton area for the Delta or Sonoma area for Clear and Napa, to get wasted. LOL

[blckshirt98]

Yikes, Stockton is NOT a good city to spend a vacation in unless you want to get robbed.  That's like saying East St. Louis is a nice fishing city because you have access to the Missouri and Mississippi rivers!

[clh121787]

2 hours ago, blckshirt98 said:

3 hours ago, Caliyak said:

Any city in so-cal for castaic, Disneyland and weather. 

Nor-Cal places like Stockton area for the Delta or Sonoma area for Clear and Napa, to get wasted. LOL

Maybe sac for nor cal, got delta clear lake, new melones,  lake X, not super close to any thing but close enough for die hard like us. I lived in ukiah (20 mins from clear lake) for 4 years, and 10 miles from Fork for the majority of my life. I'm very fortunate. 

 

[mitchbayboy]

Mitchell's bay Ontario Canada on lake St.Clair ......smallmouth numbers are amazing ,perch through the ice musky over 50 inches and numbers of these fish ,I am sure a lot of you guys have visited Lake St. Clair I live across from marina and see the American boats here all season long and have made some good friends and fishing buddies  from the states ,I have fished buffalo in early season ,,.Erie pa for monster smallies ,gunnersville for big large mouth and anywhere on lake Erie for smallies and walleye , but if you want a great trip with huge number Clair is your lake .

[Caliyak]

21 hours ago, blckshirt98 said:

Yikes, Stockton is NOT a good city to spend a vacation in unless you want to get robbed.  That's like saying East St. Louis is a nice fishing city because you have access to the Missouri and Mississippi rivers!

Stockton is rough, so any towns around sac area. So, only the tough guys go to Stockton. LOL

[Bass newb]

Birmingham  Al close to Coosa River  and Guntersville and many other lakes within an hour and a half.

[BigSkyBasser]

On 12/28/2015 at 9:51 PM, Caliyak said:

Stockton is rough, so any towns around sac area. So, only the tough guys go to Stockton. LOL

 

You'll catch more bullets than bass out of Stockton lol

[Turkey sandwich]

It would seem like South Florida/New Orleans/any non-terrifying or retirement community dominated stretch of the gulf coast would be pretty incredible with all of the fresh and saltwater options.   Washington's coast seems really badass in terms of fresh and saltwater fishing.  Areas like Sacramento seem to have a huge variety of options ranging from tossing flies on small streams all the way to killer large and smallmouth fisheries within a few hours. 

[Brnnoser6983]

As much as I gripe about our winters, as many have said Minnesota offers over 10k lakes and ponds. You can catch trophy musky minutes from down town Minneapolis. But again agreeing with others here (not to mention bass master magazine) northern lakes often fine themself in the top 100 lakes in the U.S. You don't have to hit big names like leach, rainy, or Mille Lacs to find great fishing. Many small lakes will land you trophy bass, northern, and walleye. Plus side to these northern lakes, NO planes flying overhead, and often the only traffic you hear is other boats on the lake..

 

[Fishing Rhino]

I'll take this area.  The pond in the top image is probably my favorite pond.  Largemouth, smallmouth, crappie, pickerel, bluegills, yellow perch, white perch, etc.  Very little pressure.  There are jet skis on the beach at some of the homes, but I have yet to see one scooting around the pond.

There is not a piece of barren bottom in this shallow (max depth 12 feet) pond.  It is either rocky or vegetation covered bottom, and both where they overlap.

 

The picture below shows our home, and its proximity to several ponds.  The pond at about seven o'clock in relation to our home is surrounded by private property.  I know several people who own property on the pond and have access to it at any time.  Used to be a smallmouth pond until largemouth bass were introduced and eventually eliminated the smallmouth.  This pond is a bowl, max depth eight feet.  Rocky shoreline with a few lily pad beds but not much in the way of vegetation.  No bass in this pond away from the shore, but there are huge schools of white perch, dense enough to turn the screen on a fish finder black.  Little to no fishing pressure on this pond.  Also holds some huge pickerel.  The larger pond directly to the left is the pond in the above image.  I fish both of these ponds from my canoe.

 

 

 

Want more water to fish, maybe for stripers, bluefish, codfish, tautog.  It's all within  six miles of our doorstep. 

In addition to finfish, the Westport River has plenty of oysters, little necks, quahogs (for stuffing and chowder), and soft shell (steamer) clams for commercial and recreational shell fishing.

If you like lobsters and crabs (blue shell and Jonah), they can also be found in our local waters.

In the picture below you can see the ponds above from the center top to about a third of the way down the image.  On the right side of the image is Buzzards Bay which leads to the Cape Cod Canal.  The canal is bordered on the south by the Elizabeth Islands with Cuttyhunk being at the southwest tip of the island chain.  The body of water on the opposite side of the islands is Vineyard Sound with Martha's Vineyard's southwest end visible just above Google.

The body of water in the third left side of the picture is The Sakonnet River and to the left of that is Narragansett Bay.

[hatrix]

I am sure every piece of the country has awesome places to fish. But really I don't think florida can be beat. I just moved down here recently and fishing is everywhere.

[mwwilliams]

On 12/25/2015 at 7:10 AM, Oregon Native said:

We moved to Knoxville from Oregon five years ago.  Have no complaints about the smallie fishing in the Columbia...was amazing and the salmon and steelhead used to be to on all the coastal rivers but time has changed for those along with peoples attitude.  Now we are loving the south and all the bass lakes a short distance from Knoxville and the year around fishing. 

Tight Lines

I live in West Knoxville and if you ever want a fishing partner give me a shout. I'm just really getting back into fishing and am at the moment a bank fisherman but looking for a good fishing kayak and building up my tackle and gear. Where Turkey Creek comes into Lake Loudoun will be very lively area come spring and lots of wood on that shore when not exposed with draw down to fish. Give me a shout!

[N Florida Mike]

I live on a small lake in jax. Fl.It has great bass fishing.I've fished for bass in most of the famous lakes within an hour and a half away,such as Orange,lochloosa,Sante fe, Rodman.And we have the St Johns river and all of its tributaries.Not to mention all the great salt water opportunities, with inshore fishing ,offshore,along with pier and surf fishing.I am blessed to have been able to do all of these and I can't imagine a place where fishing Could be any better. 

[Oregon Native]

7 hours ago, mwwilliams said:

I live in West Knoxville and if you ever want a fishing partner give me a shout. I'm just really getting back into fishing and am at the moment a bank fisherman but looking for a good fishing kayak and building up my tackle and gear. Where Turkey Creek comes into Lake Loudoun will be very lively area come spring and lots of wood on that shore when not exposed with draw down to fish. Give me a shout!

Currently fish a lot of club tourneys and other little tourneys with a partner.  If you want to try that and learn lots of water check out Smokey Mt. bass club at  Ganders first tues of the month at 7:00.  Great club

[HoosierHawgs]

13 hours ago, mike barnett said:

I live on a small lake in jax. Fl.It has great bass fishing.I've fished for bass in most of the famous lakes within an hour and a half away,such as Orange,lochloosa,Sante fe, Rodman.And we have the St Johns river and all of its tributaries.Not to mention all the great salt water opportunities, with inshore fishing ,offshore,along with pier and surf fishing.I am blessed to have been able to do all of these and I can't imagine a place where fishing Could be any better. 

Is this a private lake, or is there public access? Can it be accessed from the bank?

[N Florida Mike]

1 minute ago, HoosierHawgs said:

Is this a private lake, or is there public access? Can it be accessed from the bank?

It's private,and gets little pressure.Most days I'm alone on it.

[HoosierHawgs]

Just now, mike barnett said:

It's private,and gets little pressure.Most days I'm alone on it.

Interesting. I've got some family in Jax.

[N Florida Mike]

If you're in town,let me know and we'll get a trip together.I enjoy having company .

[HoosierHawgs]

2 minutes ago, mike barnett said:

If you're in town,let me know and we'll get a trip together.I enjoy having company .

Will do! Thanks for the offer! Not sure when I will be back next, but hopefully the fish will.be biting when I do!

[mwwilliams]

7 hours ago, Oregon Native said:

Currently fish a lot of club tourneys and other little tourneys with a partner.  If you want to try that and learn lots of water check out Smokey Mt. bass club at  Ganders first tues of the month at 7:00.  Great club

So, it will be on 1/5 this next week? If so, I will be there.

[Jerry g]

On December 24, 2015 at 11:20 AM, Neil McCauley said:

Strange question because I'd never really consider fishing "good" if it was very close to a major town or city. As far from high population densities as possible, please.

Minneapolis has eleven lakes within its borders. You can catch panfish, walleye, northern, musky, and of course bass. I live in the western suburbs. We have two major rivers and hundreds of lakes and streams.  And the fishing is very good. We are truly blessed here.

[Jerry g]

i love Minnesota, but when it comes to a fisherman's dream, try Anna Maria Island, off coadt of Bradenton, Florida.

Shore fishing on Western shore for just about anything in the season, out my back door into Anna Maria Sound  for redfish, black drum, flounder, snook, shark, sail fin cats, jacks, pompano, and mackerel. All assessable in my kayak or a walk to the beach.

jump on a charter, and the sky is the limit.

try it some time, you will not be disappointed  

[imagine29028]

I'll just have to throw my 2 cents in. I live in Annapolis, MD five minutes from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. The bay is such an amazing body of water...to the north you have the Susquehanna River which boasts world class Smallmouth action, and at the mouth of the river and the whole Upper Bay you have a great largemouth population. Many people forget the 93' Bassmasters Classic was held here. It took 70lbs from Martens here in August to win the Elite event. 

The Mid bay is loaded with a variety of saltwater fishes, but the Rockfish reigns supreme. Notice I didnt say Stripers...same fish, but these are the migratory fish that come from the Atlantic Ocean, not quite the same as you find in your landlocked lakes and such. 

To the South is the Potomac River, a constant visit for both the FLW and BASS tours. The upper part of the river is fast moving water and loaded with Smallies. 

When you get to the mouth of the Bay around Virginia Beach you get a lot of your heavy Saltwater Fish; 40 & 50lb Drum, huge Rockfish, Sheepshead, Tautog, Trout, and on and on.