Page 1 of 5 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 97
  1. #1
    Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Hartselle, AL
    Posts
    927

    Best State For Bass Fishing?

    A lot of factors to consider like size, numbers and species. If you had to pick the state that offered the best fishing for all three major species of bass, I would go with Alabama. Wheeler, Wilson and Pickwick for smallies, Guntersville, Eufaula, Pickwick for largemouths and then a lot of spotted bass waters. All the Coosa lakes-Weiss, Lay, Logan Martin, Mitchell and Jordan. Wilson has the second biggest smallmouth on record and Smith had the spotted bass record for years until Alabama spots were moved to California.
    If you just did it by species: Texas and Florida for largemouths, Bama and California for spots and I don't know for smallies-Lake Erie area?

  2. Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Alabama
    Posts
    21,508
    #2
    Florida for sure. Any lake, river, crick, retention pond, large pothole is teeming with fish.

  3. Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2021
    Location
    Port Richey, FL
    Posts
    2,941
    #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Transom View Post
    Florida for sure. Any lake, river, crick, retention pond, large pothole is teeming with fish.
    ssssshhhhh! sheesh!!!

  4. Dumbass bilgerat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Down South Jersey
    Posts
    17,966
    #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Transom View Post
    Florida for sure. Any lake, river, crick, retention pond, large pothole is teeming with fish.
    But how much of that is accessible and open to anyone ? Access is key …
    Ranting incoherently

  5. Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Alabama
    Posts
    21,508
    #5
    Quote Originally Posted by bilgerat View Post
    But how much of that is accessible and open to anyone ? Access is key …
    There are tons of canals alongside many of the roads down there. As for the potholes I guess they are accessible to anyone but you got to watch out for traffic

  6. Dumbass bilgerat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Down South Jersey
    Posts
    17,966
    #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Transom View Post
    There are tons of canals alongside many of the roads down there. As for the potholes I guess they are accessible to anyone but you got to watch out for traffic
    I’m going by my limited knowledge of the Ft. Lauderdale area from when I was down there some time ago for work … I remember what bodies of water I did see were fenced off so that’s why I asked about access.
    Ranting incoherently

  7. Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Florida
    Posts
    64,071
    #7
    I don't know. I had the pleasure of meeting alot of members while they were visiting the State. And most told me how much better it was where they were from for numbers. And that they were just hoping for that big one. I have only fished the Southeast, so I wouldn't have enough knowledge to even make any kind of a educated guess.

  8. Member basscat21's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Falmouth, Ma
    Posts
    43,678
    #8
    NY, you have pretty much any type of fushing you want, Great lakes, finger lakes, champlain, Tidal- Hudson

  9. Banned
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Jacksonville, FL
    Posts
    2,172
    #9
    Florida sucks. All our lakes have been assaulted with herbicides. Its a money making machine going from companies to politicians and back to the big chemical companies. Our lakes now have 3 feet of silt and muck. Who only knows what carcinogen's are in that muck due to round-up and diquate (spelling) and 2-4D. Its so bad here that the chemical/spray companies use aircraft to drop chemicals in lakes. Two of the helos they were using crashed in the same lake the same day. I believe it was on lake apopka.

  10. Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Florida
    Posts
    64,071
    #10
    Now if you want to guess the State for crowds on the water partying, I may guess Florida.

    https://amp-tmz-com.cdn.ampproject.o...-lake-party%2F

  11. Member tcesni's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2005
    Location
    Smith Mountain Lake, VA and a cottage in Ontario
    Posts
    11,526
    #11
    I’ve never fished in Alabama but the number and variety of lakes appears to be amazing plus it’s a year around fishery. That being said, eastern Ontario during the open season is amazing for beauty and fishing.

  12. Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2021
    Location
    Port Richey, FL
    Posts
    2,941
    #12
    Quote Originally Posted by 250bassFL View Post
    I don't know. I had the pleasure of meeting alot of members while they were visiting the State. And most told me how much better it was where they were from for numbers. And that they were just hoping for that big one. I have only fished the Southeast, so I wouldn't have enough knowledge to even make any kind of a educated guess.
    LOL ... funny you say that - was a guide on the Kissimmee Chain for many, many years and I used to have people tell me quite frequently that they could catch 3-5 lbers all day on their home lake and my favorite reply was - Hell, lets load up and fish there!

  13. Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Dayton Ohio
    Posts
    4,818
    #13
    OHIO hands down.

  14. Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2019
    Location
    Weatherford, Texas
    Posts
    2,113
    #14
    Texas
    Sapphire Blue/Black Bottom Vexus AVX 1980, Mercury 150 Pro XS

  15. Member juice780's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Valdese nc
    Posts
    18,604
    #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Big J Mac View Post
    OHIO hands down.
    Did you not see the word best in the title.

  16. Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    South Louisiana
    Posts
    1,254
    #16
    Quote Originally Posted by tcesni View Post
    I’ve never fished in Alabama but the number and variety of lakes appears to be amazing plus it’s a year around fishery. That being said, eastern Ontario during the open season is amazing for beauty and fishing.
    Forgive my ignorance, but when you say open season, is that because of ice limiting your access or another reason?

  17. Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Cedar Falls, Iowa
    Posts
    9,639
    #17
    If you say for all 3 species Alabama probably tops the list. For largemouth and smallmouth there’s a handful of northern states that have fantastic fishing for both in the 4-6# range. Then there’s Texas, Florida and California for mainly largemouth and then Shoal, Suwannee, and Spots in each respective state. There’s some states that are good for certain species that are a bit off the radar too

  18. Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2019
    Location
    Weatherford, Texas
    Posts
    2,113
    #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Shuck Grass View Post
    Forgive my ignorance, but when you say open season, is that because of ice limiting your access or another reason?

    they actually have seasons for bass up north. It’s crazy.
    Sapphire Blue/Black Bottom Vexus AVX 1980, Mercury 150 Pro XS

  19. Member
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Harrison AR
    Posts
    10,099
    #19
    I'm going to say Texas and Arkansas. Here in Arkansas you have lakes in the southern part of the state that a 10#+ could be a cast away, the Arkansas River system including Dardanelle, other small clear rivers in the Ouachita and Ozark mountain areas, Bull Shoals where you can catch all three species, Norfork, Table Rock dips down into Arkansas, and of course the White River for trout in the northern section below BS dam. I love this state, although biased being born and raised and never left just moved from the very bottom of the map to the very top of the map.

  20. Moderator Mark Perry's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Runaway Bay, Texas
    Posts
    82,549
    #20
    It's not Texas. I would probably go elsewhere.














    Besides monster largemouth there is actually some really good spotted bass and smallmouth bass fishing here.

Page 1 of 5 123 ... LastLast