How many states have you fished and what is your opinion of them?

[Scott F]

Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Indiana, Michigan, 

Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee,  Alabama, New York, and Florida plus theses Canadian provinces;

Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

 

Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan are by far my favorite states to bass fish. I always do much better there than I ever did fishing the southern impoundments. I did catch some bigger largemouths down south but the numbers were many times higher up in the Great Lake states plus smallmouths are much more plentiful up north. Canada is just in a different league. Walleye, pike and trout were the targets there, nothing in the states can compare.

[ElGuapo928]

AZ

NM

CA

NV

TX

UT

 

Liked them all. Fished once in LA, but couldn’t really form an opinion as I was too sick to really enjoy the trip.

[N Florida Mike]

As much fishing as I have done, 99% of it has been in Florida. 
 The only other states I’ve fished is Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee,and Michigan.
Florida fishing is excellent. Can’t really speak to the others much.

[Captain Phil]

54 minutes ago, N Florida Mike said:

As much fishing as I have done, 99% of it has been in Florida. 
 The only other states I’ve fished is Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee,and Michigan.
Florida fishing is excellent. Can’t really speak to the others much.

 

I have fished all over the world, mostly for salt water species.  My bass fishing has been limited to Florida, Georgia, Texas and Canada.  Florida bass fishing speaks for itself.  I know no other place with as many opportunities, everything from Everglades canals, rock pits to large and small natural lakes.  Every road side ditch in Florida contains bass.  The challenge in Florida is finding a spot at the boat ramp on weekends.  You can avoid this by fishing during the week or fishing smaller water.  Thankfully, small bass waters in Florida are countless. 

 

My Texas bass fishing was on Sam Rayburn about twenty years ago.  We towed the boat from Florida two summers in a row.  I was impressed with Texas fishing.  They seemed to have a better handle on the environment than Florida had back then.  It was in the heat of summer and we caught bass all day. 

 

Most of my Georgia bass fishing has been in small private lakes where the fish are small and eager.  I fished Seminole and Santee Cooper in tournaments, but it's been so long whatever I told you would be dated.

 

Canada has an amazing smallmouth bass fishery in Lake Erie.  We spend a week fishing there in July two years in a row.  It was a lot different fishing than Florida bass fishing.  The fish were deep and we caught them on Goby colored tube jigs.  Most of the bass were in the 2-3 pound range.  We caught two six pound small mouths plus numerous walleyes and a few pike.  Lake Erie is big water, so you need to be careful.  The open lake is no place for a Jon boat. Fishing in Northern Canada is mostly about Walleyes and Pike.  Pike are numerous and fun to catch.   Big Pike are challenging.  I have fished for Muskies, but never caught one.   

[Skunkmaster-k]

Most of my fishing has been in Texas , for bass anyway. 

[Zcoker]

I've been to most every state in this country, from northern Mass to New Mexico, Texas, all through the wild west, the Rockies, the Dakotas, the Ozarks...the Keys. Been to Costa Rica many times, one of my favorite places out of country, both on the Pacific side and the Caribbean side. I had planned a Cabo trip for roosters but it got snuffed when Covid hit. Even with all the moving around, it's hard to beat SE Florida! The saltwater fishing down here is utterly amazing! We have three very popular migrations each year off our local beaches: the glass minnow run, the mullet run, and the annual blacktip migration. During these runs the surf fishing is dream-like. Find another place in the world to cast off a public beach and hook into 150lb trophy tarpon, just a few yards off the sand, sometimes one right after the other! The shark migration is my calling because I get those off topwater lures, off the local beaches, all on a surf rod. They hit like atomic bombs and blast out of the ocean like fireballs. Their smoking runs can pull a minimum of 400 yards before they become manageable. Talk about a nerve wracking fight! Hard to beat that kinda fishing, in my book, bass fishing included. 

 

The everglades is by far the most exciting for bass fishing. It's never ending and never disappoints. The sheer vastness of it offers a whole new world every trip, which is why it's so hard for me to go anywhere else! Having ALL these fantastically wonderful fishing opportunities so close makes it very very very hard to go anywhere else!!

[Darth-Baiter]

there is a lake in NM.  Blue Lake(?) that has a healthy stocked population of Tiger Musky.  it will be a stopping point on my road trip for sure.  my brother and his then girlfriend (I'm kinda glad she is goners) both got good Musky.  

[TnRiver46]

We have great musky fishing but I kind of hope I never get one, the musky police put a posh Southern California HOA to shame 

[A-Jay]

How many states have you fished in and what is your opinion of them?

 

I have fished in many states including but perhaps not limited to

A state of shock

A state of confusion

A state of amazement

A state of flux

and finally

in a state of grace.

My opinion of them is that they each remind me 

why I do this.

A-Jay

[MIbassyaker]

55 minutes ago, Darth-Baiter said:

there is a lake in NM.  Blue Lake(?) that has a healthy stocked population of Tiger Musky.  it will be a stopping point on my road trip for sure.  my brother and his then girlfriend (I'm kinda glad she is goners) both got good Musky.  

 

Interesting -- I found this:

https://www.wildlife.state.nm.us/download/fishing/fish-warm-water/Tiger-Muskies-Brochure-2014.pdf

 

Apparently, stocking Tigers in a couple lakes has improved the trout fisheries there as well, because the muskies control invasive suckers and goldfish that were causing the trout to decline.

[Darth-Baiter]

^^. Bluewater lake!!  that's it.  

 

they got big muskies apparently.  

[LrgmouthShad]

On 10/31/2023 at 9:33 AM, Bluebasser86 said:

South Carolina- Really enjoyed fishing here and probably some of the nicest people I've encountered. Everyone I ran into was friendly. 

Welcome to the Carolinas. You may want to stay

[Bluebasser86]

5 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Welcome to the Carolinas. You may want to stay

I have 13ish years left before I can retire. SC is high on our list of places to move to when that happens. 

[Captain Phil]

2 hours ago, Zcoker said:

 I had planned a Cabo trip for roosters but it got snuffed when Covid hit. 

 

Don't miss Cabo, it's fantastic.  Take your wife if you have one, she will love it!  Best salt water offshore fishing I have ever seen.   Their schoolie dolphin are 20 pounds!  

[LrgmouthShad]

15 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

have 13ish years left before I can retire. SC is high on our list of places to move to when that happens. 

What are some other places on that list?

[Zcoker]

48 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

 

Don't miss Cabo, it's fantastic.  Take your wife if you have one, she will love it!  Best salt water offshore fishing I have ever seen.   Their schoolie dolphin are 20 pounds!  

 

Yea, man, wife & I were all fired up and ready to go, even had lures lined of from Jansen Tackle down there. Was all ready to go, surf rods, hotel, and then boom--covid hit. Just haven't booked since. I'll get around to it someday! June is supposedly wicked crazy down there, Roosters all over the surf, which is what I wanted to hit into. 

[Bluebasser86]

4 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

What are some other places on that list?

Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas.

[thediscochef]

I've wet lines all over the world but I've only ever really done well in Texas. Which is good because I live there. I've only ever fished freshwater in Texas

[FryDog62]

On 10/31/2023 at 1:08 PM, Darth-Baiter said:

Tex

NM

AZ - where it all started for me

CA - home

Hawaii

Oregon

Idaho

 

i think that is is.  i am probably going to cross country in 2024 with my kayak in tow, buying 3 day fishing licenses along the way.  going to MN to meet a friend.  

As a fellow yakker originally from Minn, there are so many lakes… but if you are close, consider Lake Koronis in the central part of the state. Been a lot of good bass caught there in recent tournaments (LMB and SMB). And although a fairly large lake, some islands and points to get out of the wind if you need to. 

[FryDog62]

7 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Welcome to the Carolinas. You may want to stay

For those of you that have fished South Carolina - I’m driving up there with my kayak this winter/Spring… what bodies of water (large or small) would be good to hit? 

[crypt]

Florida..Texas..Louisiana..Mississipi..Alabama..Georgia..New York...Virginia..California....Indiana...North Carolina..South carolina..Arkansas....for bass. Bermuda also...was born there,Dad was in the Navy. Best place.....Florida for me.....but I'm biased,I live here.......but anyplace I've been has been awesome. It don't matter where I am, if I'm casting life is great.

Oh yeah I forgot Colorado and Wyoming.....for trout though..still had a blast...

[LrgmouthShad]

1 hour ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas.

Cross Florida off that list and good to go 👍🏻🤣

[Bluebasser86]

2 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Cross Florida off that list and good to go 👍🏻🤣

It's not at the top of my list but the wife is a fan. I think SC offers a lot of the Pros of Florida without a lot of the Cons.

[papajoe222]

Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida.

Of those I like Minnesota the best as my strong suit is natural lakes and I prefer smallmouth over largemouth. Michigan is a close second.  Believe it or don't, but Florida is at the bottom of my list. Although I've caught some big fish there, that strain of LM seem very moody (stronger response to and longer recovery from the passing of cold fronts).

[Mike L]

12 hours ago, FryDog62 said:

For those of you that have fished South Carolina - I’m driving up there with my kayak this winter/Spring… what bodies of water (large or small) would be good to hit? 

 

Murray, Hartwell and Santee/Cooper 

All are great fisheries but different. 
 

Santee/Cooper has more wood

 

Murray has more brush piles with both shad and blueback herring the predominant food. 
 

Hartwell is bigger and deeper 

 

There are many more but those are the only one’s I’ve fished, but never in a kayak 

You’ll need to investigate them more for your preference. 
 

 

 

 

Mike