Bassmasters top 100 bass lakes 2019

[Glaucus]

No Illinois fishery belongs on this list. 

[greentrout]

a politically correct list ... 

[Mike L]

2 drunks are sitting at a bar in "Anywhere USA"

 

Drunk 1...Wanna go bass fishing?

 

Drunk 2...Sure, where you want to go?

 

Drunk 1...Bassmasters said the best place to go is the St Lawrence River. 

 

Drunk 2...Where the heck is that?

 

Drunk 1...Someplace NE of here 

 

Drunk 2...Yeah but, if we're going all that way I want a chance to catch a 10+ and maybe another 50 while I'm at it. 

 

Drunk 1...Well they did say it was better than Florida or Alabama or Texas

 

Drunk 2...I'm going home, I always said you couldn't handle your liquor. 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Jleebesaw]

On 7/2/2019 at 8:31 AM, Troy85 said:

Yeah, I think they go by average tourney weights. 

Its similar fishing the tidal marshes of SE Louisiana as well .  You can go out and catch 50+ bass on good days, but the weight just isn't there. You come back with anything over 4lb and chances are you will win big fish(I think the biggest I've ever seen weighed in at a tourney I fished was 5lb).   If MLF does a top 100 lakes, the marsh I fish might make the cut.

Come back with anything under 4 on the st lawrence and you wont be seeing a check. 

[TnRiver46]

My friends that live in Chattanooga are thrilled that guntersville was ahead of chickamauga on the list this time........ for smokescreen purposes........

[BassThumb]

I'm glad Mille Lacs fell from the top spot on the list. I wish they'd wipe it from the list entirely and forget it exists.

 

The added pressure over the last few years has turned the lake into a mind bogglingly difficult bass fishery for those who don't want to vertically deadstick a dropshot over a deep boulder pile. 5-10 years ago you could run and gun for 20-25-pound bags of brown bass, now it requires a frustrating level of finesse to get those 15-year old hogs to bite.

[senile1]

On 7/1/2019 at 11:20 PM, j bab said:

Seems like they roughly throw this list together based on incomplete tournament bag data.

 

It's not a flawless list, but it does the job well enough.

The phrase, "Roughly throw this list together," nails it.  There is some truth to the idea that the list contains some of the best lakes but putting them in a particular order seems to be a fool's errand.  I think the list is more a discussion piece than anything.  I always check it out though.

[Scott F]

On 7/2/2019 at 7:00 AM, Jleebesaw said:

The article I read in the email from bassmasters stated that the list was compiled by averaging bag weights in B.A.S.S tourneys. If the fish are so big down there, you boys need to start putting together better bags in your derbies.

  I know that during the elite tourny on the st lawrence last year, they constantly talked about having more 20lb+ bags every day of the event than any event in elite series history. Maybe that has something to do with it. 

The title “Top 100 Bass Lakes” is entirely misleading. If the results are gathered strictly by tournament results, that should have been made clear. But then, it wouldn’t sell as many magazines. 

[J Francho]

7 minutes ago, Scott F said:

The title “Top 100 Bass Lakes” is entirely misleading. If the results are gathered strictly by tournament results, that should have been made clear. But then, it wouldn’t sell as many magazines. 

It's literally stated in the article, and has been compiled this way for decades.  The list is mostly the same, year after year, with small changes. 

*******************************************************************

 

As far as dissing the St. Lawrence, someone point to me in Florida where I can catch 25+ lbs. limits of smallmouth bass, regularly.

[WRB]

B.A.S.S. Rational for selecting top 100 bass lakes includes the quality of the destination, local and national tournament bag weights and largest bass caught during sanctioned events. 

Florida meets all the above criteria and should have at least 1 lake in the top 10. Everyone always complain about the annual lists and for good reasons. It's entertaining to look at listing and read replies.

It's appears smallmouth bass destinations have risen in status with B.A.S.S. and it's deserved IMO. Anyone who has fished the 1000 islands area of the St. Lawrence River understands how special this fishery is and beautiful the area is, it's outstanding.

New Melonies in the foothills of NorCal has been a very good bass lake for decades and now has produced a few giant bass 17lbs to 18 lbs not memtioned by B.S.S.S. that more then likely pushed above the Delta that should be in the top 10. If smallmouth are deing promoted then include Havasu by far the top smallie lake in the west with 25 lb 5 bass limits. Can't make everyone happy.

Tom

[moguy1973]

On 7/2/2019 at 7:58 AM, Tennessee Boy said:

When did they move Kentucky Lake to the Northeast?  I was planning to fish there this weekend.  Now I don't even know where it is. ?

It's almost like they put the list together and when they got to #25 in the southern and central regions they said, "Oops, we forgot about Kentucky Lake and it belongs in one of those regions, but it's not as good as those lakes as it once was.  Hey, I know, we can only come up with 24 really good lakes in the northeast region lets throw it on there and hope that no one notices!"

[Bassin' Brad]

Maybe I missed it but I didn't think the definition of the list was "top lakes for catching your PB Florida Strain Largemouth Bass". I thought it was more about top fisheries that produce quantity and quality bass for that region during tournaments....

[.ghoti.]

The list comes out every year.

 

Every year the List is soundly ridiculed here.

 

Life goes on.

[Levi Howard]

My only complaint is that Pickwick lake is not in the top ten.(I could even argue it for 1 st place). The fact that you have the opportunity to catch 4-6 smallmouth and 8-12 largemouth all in the same day. Makes it the number 1 bass lake in the country.

[r83srock]

On 7/3/2019 at 12:38 PM, BassThumb said:

I'm glad Mille Lacs fell from the top spot on the list. I wish they'd wipe it from the list entirely and forget it exists.

 

The added pressure over the last few years has turned the lake into a mind bogglingly difficult bass fishery for those who don't want to vertically deadstick a dropshot over a deep boulder pile. 5-10 years ago you could run and gun for 20-25-pound bags of brown bass, now it requires a frustrating level of finesse to get those 15-year old hogs to bite.

I went for the first time two years ago, the pressure reminded me of guntersville, just unreal. It’s crazy to me how many Angler’s take these lists seriously and go hunt the next trophy lakes. We need to keep growing this sport ya know. ?

[Johnbt]

I admit the Chesapeake Bay has some nice bass, but why limited yourself to largemouth when there's something much tastier - and larger - to chase...

 

"The recreational record for Chesapeake Bay striped bass is 67 pounds, 8 ounces. The largest recorded striped bass was a 125 pound female caught on the North Carolina coast in 1891."

 

https://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/Pages/Fish-Facts.aspx?fishname=Striped%20Bass

 

[dh1337]

On 7/1/2019 at 11:30 PM, Bluebasser86 said:

Wish they'd stop putting lakes from Kansas on the list. Fishing sucks here, go to Table Rock or Lake of the Ozarks instead. 

idk I remember pulling in a couple 20 lb bags at cedar bluff 10 years ago. Webster and norman are tough though.

[billmac]

The BASS collegiate tourney on the St. Lawrence in June broke the previous 3-day weigh in record by 1000 lbs (with 50 fewer boats).   The average bag weight was 20 lbs.  On day 1 a 20 lb bag was good for 84th place.   By day three the angler's fingers were shredded from all the bass they were catching.  The all time record BASS weigh in crowd was set in Waddington (pop: 952) at the St. Lawrence tourney in 2013.

 

When BASS first started coming to the St. Lawrence in the late 70s, the pros discovered an incredible largemouth fishery that the locals largely didn't even know was there, and it was soon considered to be one of the top largemouth fisheries in the country.  That fishery is still there, although smallmouth get all the attention now because they are consistently bigger fish.

[Bluebasser86]

On 7/30/2019 at 12:45 PM, dh1337 said:

idk I remember pulling in a couple 20 lb bags at cedar bluff 10 years ago. Webster and norman are tough though.

There was a bit of sarcasm in my post, sort of. Cedar Bluff use to be a great lake until it almost dried up. Never fished Webster and have no idea what or where Norman is? Maybe you mean Norton? I fish mostly eastern Kansas. It's not terrible, but not top 100 in the country worthy or even close really. 

[cyclops2]

Do the old  guys really believe that Snakeheads do not wipe out everything in any waters they grow in ? Snakeheads have been sold in California for DECADES to Oriental & others . Who then release the fish to gain good luck. Add in the Asian carp eating all the Plankton. In waters that help them multiply. 

 

I doubt the USA Fish & Game has done 1 thing to eliminate the invasives………… All money goes to more retirees.

 

Oh well

[J Francho]

Ummmm....

[flyfisher]

1 hour ago, cyclops2 said:

Do the old  guys really believe that Snakeheads do not wipe out everything in any waters they grow in ? Snakeheads have been sold in California for DECADES to Oriental & others . Who then release the fish to gain good luck. Add in the Asian carp eating all the Plankton. In waters that help them multiply. 

 

I doubt the USA Fish & Game has done 1 thing to eliminate the invasives………… All money goes to more retirees.

 

Oh well

Huh? 

 

And by invasive you mean the ones you don’t like, right?

 

[cyclops2]

Right 

Asian jumping Carp. Snakeheads. 

[Mike L]

17 hours ago, cyclops2 said:

 

I doubt the USA Fish & Game has done 1 thing to eliminate the invasives………… All money goes to more retirees.

 

Oh well

With all do respect...

Do some research 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[cyclops2]

The let the Asian Carp into the Great Lakes by NOT turning on the required Electric barriers During a maint. job.

 

What are your hoorays ?