10,000 lakes Bassin Posted January 22 Posted January 22 I’ll start by saying that this is ment for the guys up north, I’m sure it’s much different for guys down south. When you are specifically looking for lakes to target trophy size largies what size of lake do you find most productive? I know that this probably varies so much depending on many factors, but if you are in a new area looking at a map what size lakes are you looking for? Up here any small lake that is less than ~15ft deep, without moving water will probably winter kill occasionally so that narrows down some of the small lakes. Once you’re done looking on the map and get on the water, what are you looking for then? Amount of bait? Water clarity? Weed growth? Amount of small bass you are catching? What else are you looking for? Again I’m taking about true trophy size fish not just bigger than average bass. 1 Quote
MediumMouthBass Posted January 22 Posted January 22 Im in PA, so im up north. But not MN up north. For me the smaller the lake the better. The biggest lakes around me that i fish are 90-160 acres, but im surrounded ponds and lakes less than 50 acres. About 4-8' average depth, with deepest being 10-12' but some may go to 15-20'. Lake #1. A small bowl shaped lake coming in at 48 acres. Biggest ive caught there was 3lbs, but over the past decade ive heard about and saw numerous 6, 8, and 10lbers caught. Years ago with only my fly rod in the spring going for trout right off the bank in the rock area i saw a big bass! It was about 3 pounds (in PA this is considered big), i shouted to my mom to come over and look at it! She didnt see it but instead saw the bass right next to it that i didnt see. Compared to the 10lb bass i caught years later this was a giant, i can only imagine what i couldve weighed. This was the biggest bass ive ever seen in life or on the internet, at first i thought it was a carp. But it had the same face, shape, and markings of a largemouth. Lake #2. 24 acres. Very narrow about 30-60 yards across at most and about 4-8' deep. Has a stretch where its 100 yards across and 8-12' deep. Its shaped like the letter I with some deviations in it from manmade points. In 2023 i caught 12 bass from 3-4lbs, 1 5lber, and 1 10lber here. I also missed about 10 bass ranging from 3-7lbs that came off the hook too early. Because of its size i barely wouldve even came here, but found it on the one fishing app and seen a bunch of guys catching 4-6lbers the past few years. And it gave me hope and a purpose that i would break my 4lb PB. Lake #3. 160 acres. Most of it is shallow but the middle can go to 15-20', has a cove on both sides of it. This one has a lot of pike in it, Biggest caught was again 3lbs, but like lake #1 seen many fish upwards of 5-10lbs caught. Pond #1. 30 acres. Tear drop shaped, featureless pond. One downed tree in the middle, and in the summer its covered and unfishable. Depth varies from 4'-8', more pickerel in this pond than in the whole state. And these pickerel are huge, we are talking trophy sized. Only ever caught dinks here, but again seen numerous 4, 5, and 6's caught. All of these lakes and ponds have the same things in common, mud bottom, not too deep, not dirty but not clear either (about 3' visibility), not really any structure unless a small amount in a concentrated area, and all are very small in size. The thing i think makes the biggest impact is this, all are stocked with trout way more than they should be. The bigger lakes around me i fish range from 60-102' deep, very clear water, rock bottoms in all of half the lake, have walleye and smallmouth too. Arent big bass producers, biggest largemouth are usually 4lbs whereas competing smallmouth are also 4lbs, brown trout are huge too. Bigger the lake = the more fish competing for food, and the bigger radius you have to try and find one. You can catch a big bass year round as they still need to eat, but your best bet is pre spawn. I caught most of my big ones in prespawn with a lipless crank, the guys ive seen or heard locally catch theres were almost always on texas rigged senkos or craws. So bring a wide variety of baits that YOU HAVE CONFIDENCE IN. My advice would be to go on a fishing app where people post there catches, find a spot locally to you where in years past people caught some giants. Find one place in particular you like and fish there only every chance you get in the spring. The bite isnt always on either, several times i would go and there wouldnt even be a bite of a small bass for an hour or 2. I would not move an inch, after a few hundred casts my new PB would bite. The bigger the lake the more you have to cover, and these fish are patient, they didnt grow this big because they bit every bait that dropped in front of them. Being persistent and holding out hope will go a long way. 4 Quote
Super User Swamp Girl Posted January 22 Super User Posted January 22 42 minutes ago, 10,000 lakes Bassin said: When you are specifically looking for lakes to target trophy size largies what size of lake do you find most productive? I'm looking for water with little to no development, which adversely affect water quality, and challenging access. I caught my PB in a 49-acre lake, so small water can grow big bass. 44 minutes ago, 10,000 lakes Bassin said: Once you’re done looking on the map and get on the water, what are you looking for then? I'm looking for cover. Big bass like to ambush and being big, they can pick the best cover and chase other bass away from it. 45 minutes ago, 10,000 lakes Bassin said: What else are you looking for? I'm looking for thick bass, regardless of their length. Thick, short fish indicate to me that there is plenty of feed. If the short ones are stout, the long ones will be thick too. 2 1 Quote
Super User Jar11591 Posted January 22 Super User Posted January 22 @MediumMouthBass if you’re catching bass weighing double digits in Pennsylvania, I think I speak for a lot of people on here when I ask if we can see any pictures of these 10 pounders? 2 Quote
MediumMouthBass Posted January 22 Posted January 22 3 hours ago, Jar11591 said: @MediumMouthBass if you’re catching bass weighing double digits in Pennsylvania, I think I speak for a lot of people on here when I ask if we can see any pictures of these 10 pounders? Only caught 1. Saw/heard about the rest. For the others im talking about i used fishbrain to see posted local catches, which make up the remainder of the big bass im talking about. I cant share them as they arent mine but i can post a link to the fishbrain catches locally of big bass if @Glenn allows it. (not sure if outside links are allowed?) 1 Quote
Super User Jar11591 Posted January 22 Super User Posted January 22 7 minutes ago, MediumMouthBass said: Only caught 1. Saw/heard about the rest. For the others im talking about i used fishbrain to see posted local catches, which make up the remainder of the big bass im talking about. I cant share them as they arent mine but i can post a link to the fishbrain catches locally of big bass if @Glenn allows it. (not sure if outside links are allowed?) As far as I know, the current PA state record is the only largemouth the state has ever officially verified being over 10 pounds. So catching a 10 pounder in PA is beyond the catch of a life time! 2 Quote
MediumMouthBass Posted January 22 Posted January 22 3 hours ago, Jar11591 said: As far as I know, the current PA state record is the only largemouth the state has ever officially verified being over 10 pounds. So catching a 10 pounder in PA is beyond the catch of a life time! The most notable one is from 2012, i believe its unconfirmed by the state and looks a lot smaller than 10lbs (looks smaller than my 5lb catches tbh). But pictures can make something look bigger or smaller, so who knows. Personally if i caught any sized bass over 4lbs i would just take a picture if i had my phone with me and leave. I dont blame the guy who caught it or anyone else who didnt chose to kill these very rare and majestic giant bass just to get it confirmed by the state. Honestly i couldnt stand myself if i killed a giant bass who had a hard life and beat the odds/statistics just to boost my ego and for my own vanity. Another thing to think about is most anglers dont bring scales with them, and most of the people ive met fishing who have caught some real big ones are mainly older guys who are big old school fisherman, who dont take pictures and get the bass released immediately for the sake of its survival. Nor would they ever call the PAFBC to brag. Anyone younger like me however i see taking measurements and pictures of any bass above 1lb. So i can only imagine all the giant bass caught that we will never know about. And all the potetinal state records that couldve been. I can only count on one hand the 10lbers ive seen in this state, whereas for ones ive heard about from different forums, tackle shop owners, people at the lake talking are much more (but i take those with a grain of salt). But im becoming more of a believer because there is potential for bass growing big here. I mean one state over, (yours) just had the record broken by a guy from PA at 12lbs 6oz! And another record broken for the 9lb smallmouth too. So northern states are finally getting recognition for being able to grow these giants. 1 Quote
Super User Jar11591 Posted January 22 Super User Posted January 22 35 minutes ago, MediumMouthBass said: So northern states are finally getting recognition for being able to grow these giants. Yes they are. I remember as a kid being bummed about NY not being able to grow big bass. Now I feel as though I live in one of the top few states in the country for bass. Still hard to wrap my head around the state record LM that was broken last year. The smallmouth record I thought may have been ripe for falling, but a 12.5 pound largemouth in NY just seems surreal. 4 Quote
Fried Lemons Posted January 22 Posted January 22 I fish places ranging from 20-1600 acres that all have fish over 8lbs. I prefer to fish the smaller >100 acre spots because they usually don't have boat ramp access and thus don't get tournament pressure. As far as I'm concerned there are things more important than lake geography in determining trophy potential. Forage is one thing I look at. I tend to catch bigger fish on lakes with gizzard shad or stocked trout. In fact all of the fish over 8lbs I have seen or heard of being caught came from lakes with one or both of those forage fish. Another thing to consider is competing species. I prefer to avoid lakes with too many competing predator species like walleye, pike, striped bass, etc. Fishbrain is a good resource. I despise that app but it is useful for looking at the leaderboards to see if any big fish have been caught in the past. There are places that go under the radar but for the most part this is a pretty quick way to determine if a lake can produce a trophy fish, especially places that don't keep records. Once you have narrowed down some places pay close attention to the fish you are catching. My pb would have been a 6lb fish on another lake. On that same lake I caught a 19" fish that weighed 5.5lbs. A fish needs good growing conditions to reach maximum size. Once you have determined a good lake just grind at that lake exclusively. Bite windows are small so the more often you are on that lake the better your odds. Some of the lakes with trophy potential have sucky overall fishing. 2 1 Quote
Super User WRB Posted January 22 Super User Posted January 22 Cayuga lake NY is your best bet for Northern LMB over 8 lbs. Tom 4 1 Quote
BassResource.com Administrator Glenn Posted January 23 BassResource.com Administrator Posted January 23 Yes, you can post links. 1 Quote
MediumMouthBass Posted January 23 Posted January 23 4 hours ago, Glenn said: Yes, you can post links. Fishbrains website wont let me copy individual catches, so i will just link the lakes i can remember people posting 5,6,7,8lb+ bass from. Not sure if theres any 10's posted on these lakes so if anyone finds any let me know! Lake #2 had a few posted but its no longer on Fishbrain, the other 10lbers ive only seen in person, so no way to add them here. You will have to take time and scroll through each one to find the big ones, some are recent some are at the bottom, others in between here and there. Click largemouth/smallmouth to filter out the panfish. (while im not sure if theres any 10lbers here, theres many very big ones that come close in weight, along with being very impressive for a northern state in mostly small and shallow waters) Lake #1 https://fishbrain.com/fishing-reports/aiLRvdlx?species-ids=SCQyR-cP Lake #2 isnt on Fishbrain anymore like i said above, but this guy posted a few bass he caught here and lake #3. https://fishbrain.com/anglers/jgiordano6201 Lake #3 https://fishbrain.com/fishing-reports/2Pol7SOU?species-ids=SCQyR-cP Pond #1 doesnt have any big catches posted so i wont link it. Some additional places Lake #4 https://fishbrain.com/fishing-waters/GjwFr-f5/beltzville-lake Lake #5, small largemouth but some monster smallmouth and trout that are more of an achievement than a DD largemouth in my opinion. https://fishbrain.com/fishing-waters/cZnmdl3J/harveys-lake This is PA's largest natural lake in the state in volume! Reminds me alot of the lakes @A-Jay fishes, especially the massive sized trout and smallies. No pike however. Although the catches on fishbrain are mid sized, the ones on facebook and in the news are giants. Lake #6 https://fishbrain.com/fishing-reports/W6eSsKsb?species-ids=SCQyR-cP Lake #7 https://fishbrain.com/fishing-waters/kQrsFaRR/briar-creek-reservoir Lake #9 doesnt have many big ones posted either. But heard many stories about huge bass being in it. The local shop owner was telling me once he caught one about 6-7lbs that had teeth marks going down its side from what he thinks a perivous pike encounter. Quote
papajoe222 Posted January 23 Posted January 23 I don't look at the size of the lake first, I look for diversity in structure. Specifically, I'm looking for multiple changes in depth, be they, points, drop-offs, humps, flats and if the map shows bottom content, I'll look for changes from muck to sand or gravel, or my favorite, rock. A good trophy lake will have multiples of each. One of my favorite lakes, Lake Geneva, WI, has some structural elements and changes in bottom composition. That mix, along with a mix of cover makes for a lake that not only gives up trophy smallmouth, but some nice size toothy critters. That last factor is a benefit as the bass aren't at the top of the food chain and that helps in finding them. Oh yea, there is a well established forage base, too. 2 Quote
Super User Catt Posted January 23 Super User Posted January 23 16 hours ago, 10,000 lakes Bassin said: I’m sure it’s much different for guys down south. What I look for now is lists published by Wildlife & Fisheries showing the number of Florida strain stocked in various bodies of water & for how long. 2 Quote
Super User Swamp Girl Posted January 23 Super User Posted January 23 9 hours ago, papajoe222 said: One of my favorite lakes, Lake Geneva, WI, has some structural elements and changes in bottom composition. I always love when someone mentions water that I've fished! Quote
Super User gim Posted January 23 Super User Posted January 23 Hey @10,000 lakes Bassin the MN DNR has public stocking and population estimate records for every fishable/access lake in the state on their website. They usually conduct a new survey at minimum, every 5 years or less. Some lakes they do it every year. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/index.html One item I will say though, some survey methods they use are not very good for species like largemouth bass (like various gill or trap nets). Electrofishing surveys are way better for largemouth. In cases where they aren't doing electrofishing surveys, it may not be much help. I'm not sure exactly where you are in MN, but I would advise not fishing some of the more heavily pressured lakes that have constant tournaments and derbies. Lakes that tend to have less pressure are more productive and generally the fish are more willing to bite. That's been my observation here for the past 15 years anyways. Also, your definition of "trophy" size here is a little vague. I would consider a trophy of each species here in Minnesota to be 20+ inches or 5+ pounds. Yours may differ. If you're looking for a new state record, that may be a completely different conversation. Lastly, when you do find a lake that has a respectable population of plus sized bass, keep it to yourself. 2 1 Quote
Super User FryDog62 Posted January 23 Super User Posted January 23 I fished 5 decades in Minnesota - best options are: #1 For largemouth, fish in the southern half of Minnesota. Slightly longer growing season - in general, shallower eutrophic lakes (but deep enough to hold big fish). Mankato, Faribault, Waseca areas have some tanks. #2 Study the DNR Lakefinder that Gim suggested. Look for recent Fisheries Lake Surveys with a higher concentration of 20+ inch fish present. Six pound fish are rare in Minn, 7 is just about nonexistent, but a few people catch them every year. You gotta be smart, disciplined and lucky but it can happen. FWIW, I like South Dakota for less pressure and some of the bigger LMB and smallmouth in the region. Check out Big Stone for LMB in the spring before it turns too green to fish effectively in the summer. Horseshoe and Cattail/Kettle are known waters with 6 and even 7 pound smallmouth. Then, there's always Mille Lacs... 3 Quote
Super User gim Posted January 23 Super User Posted January 23 5 minutes ago, FryDog62 said: Big Stone for LMB in the spring That lake has turned into a trophy destination in recent years. I can recall nearly a 32 pound bag in a tournament there two years ago. That's over 6 pounds/bass. 3 Quote
Super User Swamp Girl Posted January 23 Super User Posted January 23 18 minutes ago, gim said: That lake has turned into a trophy destination in recent years. I can recall nearly a 32 pound bag in a tournament there two years ago. That's over 6 pounds/bass. What a North Country bag! I might have neared 25 pounds a time or two, but that's a looonnnnngggg ways from 32 pounds. 3 Quote
Super User gim Posted January 23 Super User Posted January 23 2 minutes ago, Swamp Girl said: What a North Country bag 25 pounds is a really big bag here. 32 is nearly unheard of until someone did it lol 2 Quote
Super User TOXIC Posted January 23 Super User Posted January 23 What do I look for in a big bass lake? Palm trees and a Florida address. 😂 Really though, I’ve fished a chain of lakes in Waupaca, Wisconsin for 25 years, I’ve fished the Wolf River from Winniconnie up, Big Green and Pine lake. What I have found in summertime fishing these waters is that the bass are consistently on weed lines next to deeper water. They either position on the inside edge or the outside edge. Once again, this is summer fishing. With the advent of FFS, I’ll bet some of the big girls who live out in the open deep water will eventually be tipping the scales and records. 1 Quote
Super User Swamp Girl Posted January 23 Super User Posted January 23 10 minutes ago, gim said: 25 pounds is a really big bag here. 32 is nearly unheard of until someone did it lol I can catch one six-pounder on a great day. On ONE day, I even caught two six-pounders. But five six-pounders? In my dreams! 1 Quote
Super User gim Posted January 23 Super User Posted January 23 Haha yeah. Its out of my league too. 1 Quote
Super User FryDog62 Posted January 23 Super User Posted January 23 19 minutes ago, gim said: 25 pounds is a really big bag here. 32 is nearly unheard of until someone did it lol Its the equivalent of catching one of those 50 pound bags they do in Texas... 3 Quote
Super User Swamp Girl Posted January 23 Super User Posted January 23 1 minute ago, FryDog62 said: Its the equivalent of catching one of those 50 pound bags they do in Texas... Agreed...EXCEPT I'd have to catch a 30 lb. bag without FFS...and a bass boat...and a partner...and a CLUE! Quote
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