j bab Posted June 29, 2017 Posted June 29, 2017 https://www.bassmaster.com/best-bass-lakes-2017 This is good news for Toledo Bend, a lot of the crowd will head to Rayburn so we can have our lake back For the lazy: Mille Lacs - MN Sam Rayburn - TX Clear Lake - CA Shearon Harris - NC The Delta - CA Berryessa - CA Erie - NY Santee Cooper - SC St. Clair - MI Falcon - TX Thousand Islands - NY Chickamauga - TN 4 Quote
Super User gim Posted June 30, 2017 Super User Posted June 30, 2017 A lake in Minnesota beat out all those southern strongholds?! This cannot be. I thought bass only grew to monster size in the south. Haha 2 Quote
Super User scaleface Posted June 30, 2017 Super User Posted June 30, 2017 None of those lakes are close to me . Quote
RB 77 Posted June 30, 2017 Posted June 30, 2017 31 minutes ago, scaleface said: None of those lakes are close to me . Yeah, me neither. Three of then are in the same state though... about 8 hours away... Quote
Super User Koz Posted June 30, 2017 Super User Posted June 30, 2017 I live about a 90 minute drive from Santee Cooper. I promised my son I'd take him there sometime this summer or fall. We'll probably camp for the weekend and rent a boat at least one of those days. We went to Lake Murray in Columbia SC a few years ago and even though that's supposed to be a great spot for largemouth and stripers between 4 of us we caught zero fish in two days. That was a bummer. Quote
Super User Jeff H Posted June 30, 2017 Super User Posted June 30, 2017 2 hours ago, gimruis said: A lake in Minnesota beat out all those southern strongholds?! This cannot be. I thought bass only grew to monster size in the south. Haha After the Top 100 here in 95 Minnetonka made this list several times too. Was never #1 but top 10 I believe. Quote
j bab Posted June 30, 2017 Author Posted June 30, 2017 Just a word of advice to everyone commenting about these lakes. Just because a lake is on the "list" doesn't make it a magic honey hole. I've been skunked more times than I care to admit on Toledo Bend, even during the years it was "#1." Who's fault is that? Mine, not the lake's. 8 Quote
Neil McCauley Posted June 30, 2017 Posted June 30, 2017 Have to love the list. Some of my regional top 25s you literally couldn't pay me to fish. Regional Top 25 West: https://www.bassmaster.com/best-bass-lakes/slideshow/25-best-bass-lakes-western Central: https://www.bassmaster.com/best-bass-lakes/slideshow/25-best-bass-lakes-central-0 Southeast: https://www.bassmaster.com/best-bass-lakes/slideshow/25-best-bass-lakes-southeastern Northeast: https://www.bassmaster.com/best-bass-lakes/slideshow/25-best-bass-lakes-northeastern Quote
Super User N Florida Mike Posted June 30, 2017 Super User Posted June 30, 2017 What ? No Florida lakes ? Something fishy going on here!!? 2 Quote
Super User TOXIC Posted June 30, 2017 Super User Posted June 30, 2017 Without knowing what the rating criteria is there's no way to know how to interpret the rankings. 2 Quote
j bab Posted June 30, 2017 Author Posted June 30, 2017 3 minutes ago, TOXIC said: Without knowing what the rating criteria is there's no way to know how to interpret the rankings. I don't know all of the criteria, but a LOT of it has to do with tournament bags. What does it take to win a tournament on each lake. Quote
Chaddy Posted June 30, 2017 Posted June 30, 2017 I live about 20mins from shearon Harris and Jordan lake. I've never had much luck at them. Just as soon bank fish ponds. 1 Quote
Ring King Posted June 30, 2017 Posted June 30, 2017 I have fished 5 of the 12 and live an hour and a half from the three in California! Quote
Super User WRB Posted June 30, 2017 Super User Posted June 30, 2017 I didn't see a national 100 ranking, just the 4 regional 25 top that equal 100. The Colorado River chain of lakes Powell, Mead, Mohave and Havasu could be listed and only Havasu belongs in that group as the others can be very tough lakes to catch a 15 lb bass limits. Listing that try to find a good lake in each state leave out some excellent fisheries in each regional grouping. Leaving out world class trophy bass lakes like Casitas and Castaic where it takes 20+ lb limits to get a check makes little sense. Toledo Bend rank 4th when it deserves a top 3 ranking nationally shows how difficult making a listings is. Tom Quote
GetBent Posted July 1, 2017 Posted July 1, 2017 Falcon is 45min away from me. Going Wednesday. No 10lb fish yet but this year I have caught about 6 over 6lbs. Not great but considering I am new to the lake and haven't had anyone show me around I will take it. Quote
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted July 1, 2017 Global Moderator Posted July 1, 2017 Really shocked there's no lakes from Kansas on the list.... 2 Quote
Junebugman Posted July 1, 2017 Posted July 1, 2017 Bass in kansas! Thought there were only trophy whitetail there 1 Quote
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted July 1, 2017 Global Moderator Posted July 1, 2017 56 minutes ago, Junebugman said: Bass in kansas! Thought there were only trophy whitetail there Also a myth. Much better off going to Iowa or Nebraska for those. 1 Quote
Global Moderator Mike L Posted July 1, 2017 Global Moderator Posted July 1, 2017 2 weeks ago I was in a tournament on Big 0 where 32 lbs took first and 29 lbs took 2nd. Point is ranking by an advertised tournament bag weight is not exactly the best way to rank a lake. I understand its not an exact science and they have to use something but to me it doesn't mean very much. IMHO, People who live around and fish a lake consistently will give a better understanding of how a lake fishes. They're there through all the changes a fishery goes through in a year which should be factored in. Mike Quote
Basseditor Posted July 1, 2017 Posted July 1, 2017 The lakes I like to fish made number one the last few years. They got raped after that. Trust me, you don't want that designation on your favorite lake. Quote
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted July 2, 2017 Global Moderator Posted July 2, 2017 23 hours ago, Junebugman said: Bass in kansas! Thought there were only trophy whitetail there Seriously though, one of the lakes I fish often produced a nearly 40lb 5 fish limit last spring with a nearly 10lb kicker and a couple of fishing buddies of mine had a low 30lb bag this spring with a 7.5lb kicker. Another one I fish a lot kicked out a 10lb 15oz bass one day and a 10lb 2oz bass the next day. But yeah, it really sucks here. Much better off driving to Oklahoma or Missouri instead 4 Quote
Super User NorcalBassin Posted July 2, 2017 Super User Posted July 2, 2017 Nice to see Melones back on the list after the water rose 200 ft this past year, seriously 200 ft. Funny they mention it being a LM lake since someone pulled out an 18 pounder in a recent tourney, but it's way more of a spotted bass lake these days with numbers and size (WR was from there until Bullards Bar went crazy a couple years ago). Quote
IndianaFinesse Posted July 2, 2017 Posted July 2, 2017 On 7/1/2017 at 1:44 AM, Bluebasser86 said: Really shocked there's no lakes from Kansas on the list.... Still better than here in Indy, no Indiana lake has never made the top 100 list. I you rank the states by the average tournament winning bag, Indiana ranks dead last in the country. 2 Quote
A5BLASTER Posted July 2, 2017 Posted July 2, 2017 I put about as much stoke in the lake listings as I do on the great Chevy vs Ford debate. But everybody is correct the Bend is trash now no fish leavt in it yall all go to Rayburn lol. 1 Quote
OCdockskipper Posted July 2, 2017 Posted July 2, 2017 12 minutes ago, IndianaFinesse said: Still better than here in Indy, no Indiana lake has never made the top 100 list. I you rank the states by the average tournament winning bag, Indiana ranks dead last in the country. Why do you think that is? Is it a combination of natural factors & resources or is it something else? As an aside, these guys put Indiana ahead of at least 10 other states, but I don't know how credible or correct they are http://www.wideopenspaces.com/10-absolute-worst-states-fish-bass/ Quote
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