Best And Worst (Hardest) State To Fish? 2024
jitterbug127 reply :
The hardest lake fish thread got me thinking. What are the best and worst states to fish? There are several indiana responses which is where i live. I dont have much experience outside indiana to compare but it is very hard here and the ones i have caught 2 lber is huge
everythingthatswims reply :
VA has great variety for bass fishing, while we may not have the biggest or the most, we do have a little bit of everything. We have big rivers with smallies like the James, New, and Shenandoah, countless stocked trout reservoirs/lakes (If super smart trout-eating bass are your thing), many of which are in the mountains, big impoundments like Anna, Gaston, SML, tidal water like the Potomac, James, Chickahominy, tons of smaller reservoirs and lakes, and even Briery Creek with florida strain LMB.
I think I would get bored having to fish similar locations all the time, nice to have plenty of options.
J Francho reply :
NY and NY.
There's just about any kind of fishing you could want, world class smallies, but you gotta put up with winter.
Djman72 reply :
Indiana has some surprisingly good fishing if you know where to look. I live in Northwest Indiana, and have caught quite a few fish over 4 pounds and my PB of 7.5 out of Indiana lakes.
I mainly fish IN and MI and it's no contest between the two. Michigan wins hands down.
Weld's Largemouth reply :
On 12/10/2014 at 5:53 AM, J Francho said:NY and NY.
There's just about any kind of fishing you could want, world class smallies, but you gotta put up with winter.
Even maine has it better than us...
gulfcaptain reply :
California, some of the best fishing lakes in the country and some of the toughest pressured waters as well in the country.
WRB reply :
I will narrow it down to 1 lake, Casitas. This lake can be phenomenal or the Dead Sea. You can catch your PB, PB 5 bass limit and get blanked in the same week!
Tom
Alonerankin2 reply :
Florida.. Plain and Simple. Learned it along time ago and love the fishing there.
Indiana/ Sucks...
Weld's Largemouth reply :
On 12/10/2014 at 6:20 AM, gulfcaptain said:California, some of the best fishing lakes in the country and some of the toughest pressured waters as well in the country.
at least you can fish year round
roadwarrior reply :
Well, Alaska rates last...only state without bass.
"Best Largemouth" are CA, TX, FL and maybe GA. Second tier might include the
Carolinas, Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee. For smallmouth, the states with
access to the Great Lakes plus Lake Champlain for numbers. Next are AL, TN
and KY especially for "size".
Another option is Mexico...
gulfcaptain reply :
On 12/10/2014 at 6:26 AM, Weld said:at least you can fish year round
you can fish year round up there......and even drive you vehicle on the lake. Yeah it maybe cold, have to drill your way to water, but you can stil fish.....lol
Weld's Largemouth reply :
On 12/10/2014 at 6:34 AM, gulfcaptain said:you can fish year round up there......and even drive you vehicle on the lake. Yeah it maybe cold, have to drill your way to water, but you can stil fish.....lol
yea but they call it fishing, not catching and ice fishing sucks lol
Ozark_Basser reply :
To me, it seems like California has it the best as far as a variety of lakes to fish with giant bass in them. Although there is a lot of fishing pressure, your chances of hooking into a big one on any technique possible is definitely increased there.
As far as worst states, it's hard to say, but any that get extremely cold or don't put a lot of money into their fisheries would definitely be tough.
OkobojiEagle reply :
I don't live there so correct me when I'm wrong, but a couple of the east coast states make it pretty hard to bass fish... closed bass seasons, ban on lead tackle, expensive license, pay to use ramps, and "no motor" reservoirs. I'd find this government regulation to most impede my fishing.
oe
Weld's Largemouth reply :
On 12/10/2014 at 6:48 AM, OkobojiEagle said:I don't live there so correct me when I'm wrong, but a couple of the east coast states make it pretty hard to bass fish... closed bass seasons, ban on lead tackle, expensive license, pay to use ramps, and "no motor" reservoirs. I'd find this government regulation to most impede my fishing.
oe
Its not hard to fish in new york when there isn't any ice
jitterbug127 reply :
I live in east central indiana. I went out to a dozen lakes this year and didnt catch much of anything.
skeeter1980 reply :
Delaware Flat out SUCKS.
BasshunterJGH reply :
X2. California and California.On 12/10/2014 at 6:20 AM, gulfcaptain said:California, some of the best fishing lakes in the country and some of the toughest pressured waters as well in the country.
gulfcaptain reply :
On 12/10/2014 at 6:48 AM, OkobojiEagle said:I don't live there so correct me when I'm wrong, but a couple of the east coast states make it pretty hard to bass fish... closed bass seasons, ban on lead tackle, expensive license, pay to use ramps, and "no motor" reservoirs. I'd find this government regulation to most impede my fishing.
oe
Sounds like a lot of California's regulations and costs.
BassObsessed reply :
On 12/10/2014 at 7:20 AM, skeeter1980 said:Delaware Flat out SUCKS.
Yes. pretty much.
Lunker Huntin reply :
Northen Utah can be pretty tough for bass, lakes are over fished and people will take out big femails like its nothing they dont care. Plus the northern park of the state seems to be only interested in garbage trout, they wont put any money into warm water hatcherys, good thing idaho is only about an hour and half away, way better fishing and not nearly as many people.
BasshunterJGH reply :
I've found southern utah (St George area) to be excellent bass fishing. Must be Salt Lake City area too many people.On 12/10/2014 at 8:43 AM, Lunker Huntin said:Northen Utah can be pretty tough for bass, lakes are over fished and people will take out big femails like its nothing they dont care. Plus the northern park of the state seems to be only interested in garbage trout, they wont put any money into warm water hatcherys, good thing idaho is only about an hour and half away, way better fishing and not nearly as many people.
Team9nine reply :
This one is easy 
Florida is the best, and Indiana is the worst. OK, so it's not quite that easy, and obviously this is a pretty subjective subject, as every state has its share of good waters and bad. However, I did run an analysis a couple years back where I tried to determine this exact thing. It's not perfect, but it at least puts some factual numbers out there for discussion.
What I did was use the FLW Outdoors BFL divisions from across the country to help eliminate variability and be able to compare "apples to apples" as best I could. One organization with 24 tournament divisions all being run under the same set of rules. I used the full field from each of the first 4 events (excluded the Super Tournament since it was a 2-day event with a cut that eliminated much of the field of anglers), and then calculated the percent of each field that weighed in a 5-fish limit for that event. Did that for all 4 events, then average across those events to get a ranking of the overall "best" fishing waters (by state), and the worst. Here is how they all shook out when done.
Just for kicks, I even went so far as to compare the percentage of the field in the Elite Series events (same year) over the first two days (previous to any cuts). I figured if they were Elites, they should have better percentages overall than the lower BFL divisions. Sure enough, they topped all BFL divisions pretty easily. You could argue that they should though, because they intentionally try and put them on the best waters at the best times. Again, not a perfect way to compare, but a fun set of numbers to play with and argue over - LOL.
-T9
Lunker Huntin reply :
On 12/10/2014 at 8:52 AM, BasshunterJGH said:I've found southern utah (St George area) to be excellent bass fishing. Must be Salt Lake City area too many people.
You are definitely right there, down south has some great fishing around st george and lake powell, to bad its about 5-6 hour drive for us northern guys.
hoosierbass07 reply :
Yep, after two years of bass fishing here in west central Indiana, I've learned Indiana is tough and depressing. I've not done any fishing in other states yet. I'm going to have to remember this discussion during the summer of 2015 when I'm out in my kayak trying to catch big bass and only catch small ones start getting depressed. Also, maybe I'm justified in my enjoyment for soft plastic worms and stick baits over big jigs, crankbaits and spinner baits. Perhaps Indiana is only a "finesse" state. I watch videos of fishermen using big jigs with trailers, pitching and flipping and catching big bass. I just don't see that happening much here in Indiana. My plans for 2015 - fish hard in the spring, from early March to June, and fish the one big lake closest to me, Raccoon Lake.
Montanaro reply :
Rhode Island would probably be pretty terrible
MassBass reply :
Ive heard it on tv that "If you can catch fish in Connecticut, you can catch fish anywhere". Of course that state does have the striper migration that passes by, but catching that gamefish is usually not as easy as one may think.
RSM789 reply :
For me, the best bass fishing has been in Texas (with Florida a close second).
The worse would have to be Alaska. It is so tough, it makes you wonder if there are any bass in the entire state...
Scott F reply :
My favorite state to bass fish in is Wisconsin. It may not be the "best" because the lakes are frozen 6 months out of the year and the bass don't get to double digit weights, but there are a HUGE number of lakes, high numbers of fish and very little pressure. Plus, there are smallmouth and largemouth. If you are looking for easy pickings, Wisconsin is it.
IDUTBass reply :
On 12/10/2014 at 8:43 AM, Lunker Huntin said:Northen Utah can be pretty tough for bass, lakes are over fished and people will take out big femails like its nothing they dont care. Plus the northern park of the state seems to be only interested in garbage trout, they wont put any money into warm water hatcherys, good thing idaho is only about an hour and half away, way better fishing and not nearly as many people.
I am the same way. I don't even buy a Utah license anymore unless I'm going to Sand Hollow or Lake Powell. I used to fish Mantua and Hyrum but your constantly fighting people. I just pay the 90+ dollars and drive to Idaho to go. Most the time I have the whole lake to myself.
Ozark_Basser reply :
On 12/10/2014 at 7:20 AM, skeeter1980 said:Delaware Flat out SUCKS.
But what about that dude on the Bass College (I think it's called that) on Youtube? He tears it up in Delaware.
greentrout reply :
Let me put in a good word for the great state of Mississippi. In the northern part of the state crappie fishing is great along with bass fishing. Move down south a bit and you still have great crappie fishing with bass caught in the mid teens. You like the rugged outdoors style of fishing? Places like Black Creek that wind through a national forest giving the fishermen opportunities for Crappie, LMB, Spotted Bass, Catfish and Red Bellies while seeing deer on the banks and winding through a path of breath taking nature are common.
Go further South to the coast and bassers are fishing in brackish water in the coastal waters while their salt water brethren are wading for Specks and Reds all up and down the coast. Of course, deep sea fishing provides guides with a nice living.
Just a small sample.
Old school basser
Alonerankin2 reply :
On 12/10/2014 at 10:41 AM, Scott F said:My favorite state to bass fish in is Wisconsin. It may not be the "best" because the lakes are frozen 6 months out of the year and the bass don't get to double digit weights, but there are a HUGE number of lakes, high numbers of fish and very little pressure. Plus, there are smallmouth and largemouth. If you are looking for easy pickings, Wisconsin is it.
Never fished there, but it's some of the most beautiful country I've ever seen.. Been in and around greenbay a few times! Very cool farms & silo's...
Bluebasser86 reply :
Anyone ever taken a fishing vacation to go to Kansas??? 
We have blistering hot summers, sub zero temps in winter, a full days drive from the closest ocean, very limited fish species to pursue, limited bodies of water to fish and almost all the good ones are heavily pressured, and the state couldn't care less about bass anglers. We may not be the worse, but KS has to be close.
Best I would probably go with Texas. Lots of huge lakes along with smaller bodies of water, all capable of producing monster bass. It gets hot but it never gets really cold so I'll take that trade off. Tons of saltwater fishing opportunities, not to mention lakes with great crappie, stripers, catfish, and monster alligator gar.
wisconsin heat reply :
On 12/10/2014 at 10:41 AM, Scott F said:My favorite state to bass fish in is Wisconsin. It may not be the "best" because the lakes are frozen 6 months out of the year and the bass don't get to double digit weights, but there are a HUGE number of lakes, high numbers of fish and very little pressure. Plus, there are smallmouth and largemouth. If you are looking for easy pickings, Wisconsin is it.
Wisconsin can be tough though. I agree that there are a lot of lakes and little pressured ones at that. Central Wisconsin isn't the greatest, southern wisonsin lakes seem to produce more bigger fish and up north there are a ridiculous amount of small lakes to fish.Unfortunately for me I do not live in that part of the state. Another thing is lack of shore access, dense woods and brush up to the shore make it impossible to walk and cast along the shores. Also a few lakes around my area are having stunted growth problems :/ . If you can find the smallmouth though, that is crazy fun.
Also, because bass fishing starts in May and they pretty much shut off in late September there is only about 5 months to fish.
massrob reply :
I don't know if Massachusetts is bad or good I've never fished anywhere but some ponds around my house and the charles river next to my doctors office. But in my first season of fishing I caught 6 fish over 5lbs I don't know if I'm just lucky or if I kinda know what I'm doing. I am so happy that I started fishing it's the best decision I've ever made. If anyone knows any good places to go in Massachusetts let me know cuz I'm going everywhere next season. I can't wait to get a kayak so I can get on the water.
Lund Explorer reply :
Best - Home
Hardest - Everywhere Else!
Zach Dunham reply :
Fishing seems to be the toughest overall on a certain "parallel" going across the US. New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Ohio (if you take the lakes in the state and exclude the Lake Erie shore), Indiana, Illinois (again excluding Lake Michigan), Iowa, Nebraska, Dakotas, etc. If you go further north into New York and the general New England area, you get massive numbers of smallmouth and even bigger largemouth than in the areas I mentioned. Same goes for the Great Lakes. If you go further south you get much better largemouth fishing.
This is all just my opinion based on observation and I do not have statistics to go with it.
bighed reply :
Down home gets my vote for best. Can't swing a dead cat around without hitting great bass lakes. Ok, a long tailed cat, because EVERYTHING in TX is far away! Something like 900 miles the long way across. Not sure about worse, caught bass everywhere I've tried
CarolinaBoy4Life reply :
I know plenty of people that kill it up north. They catch multiple 5lber's and up during the year. That's in MA, NY, PA. There are some good sticks up that way that can really get on em. The problem is it takes time to learn the area and the movements and locations of big fish. These guy's go after only big fish with big baits. NC is a good state to fish in. Not too much pressure, alot of lakes, and the chance to catch a DD is real. We have some TOADS swimming around. But I'd go California, TX, FL as the top three
Slefler reply :
I like Texas lol, can't say I've had worse anywhere else seein as how the only other state I've fished in was Mississippi which was a phenomenal crappie trip.
FunkJishing reply :
On 12/10/2014 at 10:03 AM, Montanaro said:Rhode Island would probably be pretty terrible
RI is great actually haha there's access to both fresh and saltwater and you can catch HUGE lmb and HUGE stripers. the water isn't as clear as maine's water (where i live now). and as far as maine goes it's an all aroung great fishery. all the waters are really clear, if you want cold water species fish northern maine. Warmwater species go southern maine.
OntarioFishingGuy reply :
Not a state, but the fishing up here in Ontario is much better than it is given credit for. Good LMB fishing, some of the best SMB fishing around, arguably the best muskie fishing on the planet, tons of panfish, and great walleye as well. Huge carp are also a blast on light tackle.
RMcDuffee726 reply :
New Hampshire and New Hampshire...Live Free or Die baby!!!!!
Angry John reply :
Connecticut is great water and i have fished almost half the state on the east side. The rivers are good for SMB and LMB and the lakes were decent. I was reborn a fisherman i this state so i may be a little jaded. I now live in washington state next to the puget sound and its very rough. This is the hardest place to figure them out and i have never found a pattern here yet. NY was much easier for me!
ww2farmer reply :
I am biased to NY. We might not have many bass over 8lbs, but we have unreal amounts of 3-5lb fish...........both LM and SM. And you can catch them any way you want. Deep, shallow, grass, rock, wood, boat docks, big lakes, small lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, etc.....Plus we have other species that often cooperate when the bass don't...........but they have teeth LOL.
The only other state I have fished in was Florida, and I have caught fish there too, so I don't have a "worst"
EmersonFish reply :
I did some lengthy survey on line years ago that was supposed to tell me the best place in America for me to live based on my lifestyle, interests, climate preferences, etc... Every city on the list that came up was in the southeast except for #1, which was St. George, Utah. Kind of caught me by surprise, but as I looked into it, it started to make sense.On 12/10/2014 at 9:23 AM, Lunker Huntin said:You are definitely right there, down south has some great fishing around st george and lake powell, to bad its about 5-6 hour drive for us northern guys.
EmersonFish reply :
If I wasn't married with kids, I'd had moved to East/Southeast Texas by now. So many great bass fishing lakes and easy access to the Gulf. I'm in Missouri, where we have some pretty good bass fisheries; but everybody and their brother, and his cousin, and their nephews, and everybody else, knows about them, and owns a bass boat.
DILLY07 reply :
I love fishing in Iowa. I always catch fish no matter what. I've fished in the Lake of the Ozarks, Wisconsin. Not bad places.
Seeing people fishing from Alabama, Texas, Florida, California, Georgia. They all hold big bass.
BasshunterJGH reply :
Isn't the vernal area pretty good fishing? I heard flaming gorge and pelican lake are good. I guess that's still pretty far away from u though.On 12/10/2014 at 8:43 AM, Lunker Huntin said:Northen Utah can be pretty tough for bass, lakes are over fished and people will take out big femails like its nothing they dont care. Plus the northern park of the state seems to be only interested in garbage trout, they wont put any money into warm water hatcherys, good thing idaho is only about an hour and half away, way better fishing and not nearly as many people.
BasshunterJGH reply :
Sand hollow and powell are easily the best fishing in utah. I heard owl creek is pretty good too though. Haven't been there yet.On 12/10/2014 at 10:43 AM, IDUTBass said:I am the same way. I don't even buy a Utah license anymore unless I'm going to Sand Hollow or Lake Powell. I used to fish Mantua and Hyrum but your constantly fighting people. I just pay the 90+ dollars and drive to Idaho to go. Most the time I have the whole lake to myself.
Oregon Native reply :
Powell was amazing when I fished it a number of years ago....so was Delta, Shasta, and Orville....oh the Columbia River. Worst to me would be body's of water that get hard for a few months....ugh.
Preytorien reply :
On 12/10/2014 at 9:25 AM, hoosierbass07 said:Yep, after two years of bass fishing here in west central Indiana, I've learned Indiana is tough and depressing. I've not done any fishing in other states yet. I'm going to have to remember this discussion during the summer of 2015 when I'm out in my kayak trying to catch big bass and only catch small ones start getting depressed. Also, maybe I'm justified in my enjoyment for soft plastic worms and stick baits over big jigs, crankbaits and spinner baits. Perhaps Indiana is only a "finesse" state. I watch videos of fishermen using big jigs with trailers, pitching and flipping and catching big bass. I just don't see that happening much here in Indiana. My plans for 2015 - fish hard in the spring, from early March to June, and fish the one big lake closest to me, Raccoon Lake.
This is pretty true. I live pretty much immediately north of Indy, and within an hour drive there aren't any lakes that will light the woods on fire. There's decent fishing in some places, but most days you just get skunked because there is SO much pressure. I looked it up a while back, and of the decent sized reservoirs (1500+ Acres) around here, there are only about 4 within an hour. Factor in how many boating anglers hit them, it's no wonder they look at our lures and laugh. I feel too that finesse fishing here is so much more productive. I know guys that do tournaments every weekend and don't even have cranks in the boat. I look at the videos online and just WISH all those methods and techniques worked here. Maybe they'll work from time to time, but not consistently. I fish frequently with a guy who has fished all over the country and says he's never been more frustrated than in Indiana, it's just tough....every...single....time.
Lately I've just been hitting a lot of neighborhood retention ponds. Those fish only usually see kids and worms, so they're more likely to take lures. Plus they're stocked, clean, easy to get to, and many times have good bass, cover, structure, the whole bit.....so I'll take it. Sure it's not Geist in a $70K boat, but at least I'm catching SOMETHING
wytstang reply :
I've only fished 2 states SC and Fl and both hold big bass but I have to go with Fl as the best to fish. what other state holds Peacock bass (cichlids)?
greentrout reply :
God's Country...Davis Lake, Mississippi
God's country...a Louisiana Marsh...
Old school basser...
Slade House reply :
On 12/10/2014 at 6:22 AM, WRB said:I will narrow it down to 1 lake, Casitas. This lake can be phenomenal or the Dead Sea. You can catch your PB, PB 5 bass limit and get blanked in the same week!
Tom
I have to agree with Tom on this one, Casitas is like the Augusta golf course. I fished all over VA (Potomac, Lake Anna, ocququan, and all the private ponds in between) for 12-15 years , slayed it. Fished all over florida, Alabama , etc. No problem. I bought a bass boat , started fishing at Casitas cause i live near it, and I went 38 days before i caught my first fish. I had to throw out most of my east coast tackle cause it just don't work there. I thought I was a good bass fisherman , until i came to Casitas. When it comes to fishing Casitas , there isn't a TV show , website, or youtube video that can give you the advice you need. That's the allure. My friend caught a 12-1 in July, and had days in august he caught 8 or more, but he got blanked the whole month of september, and into October cause he couldn't figure out the pattern. thats casitas for you .
brgbassmaster reply :
Ive bass fished all over the country thanks to being active military and still to this day Michigan is the best. You can go out and catch 3-5lb largemouth/smallmouth in so many bodies of water in this state and there not over pressured thanks to walleye and perch fisherman. Not a lot of people know about the quality of michigan bass. Well until the elite series started going there lol. And worst has to be New mexico. I spent almost 4 years there and theres hardly any bodies of water, it never rains so the lakes just go into ridiculous droughts you really gotta grind out there to catch a limit of 2lbers. Then one day someone will come in with 18lbs once a year and everyone gets excited just to never see that again till the next season. Well I'm stationed in arizona now so we will see how this state ranks up.
Matthew2000 reply :
The best state I have ever fishes is Ohio. It's weird the lakes aren't very big but the private lakes my uncle has access to are quite good average fish around 3 pounds with lots of 6 pounders. There are some big smallies and some nice largemouth. The pattern is pretty easy to figure out too.
dubya reply :
I have always fished in Northwestern Ontario. All I've ever caught is smallmouth with a five-pounder being a big one around here. But I usually catch my limit and I am used to being the only one on the lake.
greentrout reply :
Buffalo Bayou, Houston, TX
Old school basser...
Catt reply :
Any body of water on any day can be the worst & best!
Ole Tom likes to tout his hero Dee Thomas & his win on Bull Shoals but that wasn't his first B.A.S.S. tournament. His first was the week before on Toledo Bend; he failed to make the top 50 & the next year on Toledo he failed to make the top 100.
Kevin VanDam said if you can't catch 25-30 bass a day on Toledo Bend ya can't fish! KVD's average on Toledo Bend after 5 tournaments is 30th place.
Y'all think y'all gonna come down to the Big Pond & kick bass?
Be warned ya might get skunked 
greentrout reply :
State of Mississippi farm pond. Lots of 'em to fish year round.
Old school basser...
greentrout reply :
Wade fishing for Specks & Reds Mississippi Gulf Coast
Old school basser....
WdyCrankbait reply :
Yeah, I lived in Louisiana for two years and LOVED it! But, all my tackle I brought from VA did not work there! So, I did not catch much, or of any size. (I lived in Alexandria, LA, center of the state.) Different style of fishing in LA compared to VA.
I mainly fished Black Lake in LA, great place, fished Toledo Bend once, for 30 minutes, Bass_Fanatic and I were out on the main part with 20 mph winds creating white caps.
But, Fanatic has MURDERED them out on Toledo Bend, I am so privileged to see all his 7+lb. catches on his Facebook page!!!
So, more fish caught in VA, but LA has A LOT more potential then any other state I have fished in, just so many fish period.
cyclops2 reply :
New Jersey has poor fishing.. Constant building & road repairs has wiped out all of the food chains. They took small resivoirs & put in lake trout & Tiger muskies. Guess what happened ?
Brain dead turkeys.in the parks & fish & game To put big EATING MACHINES into bass & trout tiny bodies of water.
Then the clowns introduced Striped Bass in to ocean rivers.........DUUUUHHH .........Again.............Now I heard they want to put in the fresh water Bull Sharks for more licenses to be sold.
It is all about the $$$$ for the pension plans.
fisherrw reply :
Cachuma lake in December
Mike L reply :
To Me,
Best...Florida, 'Nuff said.
Worst...Florida, after a cold front.
Mike
Dwight Hottle reply :
On 12/24/2014 at 9:07 AM, Mike L said:To Me,
Best...Florida, 'Nuff said.
Worst...Florida, after a cold front.
Mike
Not always true if your willing to adapt.
http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/148114-how-to-beat-a-florida-cold-front/
Mike L reply :
Haven't used those indigenous swimbaits in years!
Sir, I stand corrected!
Mike
greentrout reply :
Sunset at Lake Fork Texas
Merry Christmas
Old school basser...
RoLo reply :
Best Action Fishing:
Ontario has provided the best largemouth bass action we've ever encountered (30,000 Islands, Georgian Bay, Lake Huron)
In the lower 48, we've had the best largemouth bass action in New York (1000 Islands, St Lawrence River & Lake Champlain)
A close second to NY would be Georgia (particularly farm ponds)
Worst Action Fishing:
We've vacationed in 11 states & 2 provinces, and the hardest bass fishing I've ever encountered was Florida.
I was relieved to hear KVD say that Florida was his toughest state. Most of the pro anglers in the Major League
Fishing Contest at Lake Istokpoga admitted that Florida intimidates them. Chris & Bobby Lane have been
Florida's finest for years. Earlier this month the Lane brothers had a 2-hour shootout on an unfished Florida lake
and could only scrape-up a couple runts between them.
Best Trophy State:
Florida again. If your goal is a double-digit bass, no state comes close to Florida (it's well-corroborated by stats)
Roger
*Hank reply :
California deffently its highly pressured but there's
The chance of catching a world record
teamtrout reply :
Best = For me, California. I'm a big swimbait junkie, and although I fish them successfully here in MA, it's not nearly at good as CA.
Worst = Hmmm... I have limited experience there, but after fishing all of the lower 48, RI is the state I just couldn't catch bass in.
Surprisingly, while MA hasn't been nominated for best (not saying it should be, there are many places way better), it's not actually that bad. The state record here is 15 something, which is better than most NE states, and there are plenty of places to go for big smallies and largies.
greentrout reply :
Pearl River, Louisiana -- Sportsman's Paradise -- It is what it is.
Old school basser...
Mainebass1984 reply :
It is nice to see that few people have referenced New England. Hopefully most people will vacation to the south and out west for bass for years to come.
BaconStealer303 reply :
My worst would have to be Illinois and Indiana... Granted I haven't fished in too many other states there is just a lack of quality fisheries around here
greentrout reply :
Heading home after an afternoon of crappie fishing.
Bluff Lake
Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge, Starkville, Mississippi
God's country.
Old school basser...
Scott F reply :
On 1/4/2015 at 8:17 AM, BaconStealer303 said:My worst would have to be Illinois and Indiana... Granted I haven't fished in too many other states there is just a lack of quality fisheries around here
In Oswego you live right next to the Fox River an excellent smallmouth fishery. You are 20 minutes from the DuPage River, another great smallie river. In an hour, you can be fishing the Kankakee. If you find these 3 rivers not to be quality fisheries, your standards are WAY too high.
HoosierHawgs reply :
Indiana is somewhere in the middle IMO. There are good sized fish here, and some decent fisheries for sure (Raccoon, Eagle Creek Reservoir, Monroe, Patoka, and a small, but well kept shoreline of Lake Michigan). But some fisheries like the White River are trash. Not well kept IMO. But in terms of top states to fish, CA, NY, MI, The Carolina's, AL, TN, and FL all have world class fishing IMzo
RipzLipz reply :
IMO IN has terrible bass management. They used to draw down Monroe during the spawn, hurting the quality of bass. Anyone remember Turtle Creek Reservoir? That place was a bass factory until all the numbers of quality bass myteriously disappeared and now it's a haven for carp and catfish. I'm guessing the discharge temps got too high at some point but not much the state could do about that since the was owned by Hoosier Energy. How many times are they going to drain West Boggs before they get a grip on that place? Griffey Reservoir in Bloomington was tremendous in the 70s and 80s, but the DNR didn't manage the weeds and they've drained it twice in about 20 years. Pretty frustrating.
Even though Monroe is so tough to fish, strangely it's probably your best bet for a giant on public waters, if not Patoka. Our reservoirs aren't intended to be bass factories - flood control and drinking water. But I feel our DNR and corps of engineers could do a better job of managing those 2 bigger lakes in the state. Maybe take some lessons from those in TX? I've pretty much given up fishing public waters during warm weather in south central Indiana due to pressure, boaters, jet skiers and the plethora of morons on the waters. However, I do have buddies in Bloomington that tell me Monroe is pretty good at night, as I'm sure Patoka might be.
Private waters are filled with giant bass (for Indiana), capable of producing fish in double digits. I fish mostly old coal strip pits on the SW portion of the state. The public pits that I've fished are OK but can be tough if getting pressured. Did some wading in Big Blue River for a few years prior to the big flood in 2007 or 2008 and the stretch I fished was loaded with 2-4lb smallies but that all changed after the flood. Being blessed to have access to private waters, I love fishing here in IN. But as my neighbors have pointed out, it can be tough here, especially for casual fishermen and during the hot months from mid June to end of August. That's when I'd fish at night.
LM only, I'd have to say in no order AL, CA, FL and TX are best. For combos of LM and SM, northern states like MI, WI, MN and I'm impressed with ME from what I've seen on TV. However I've only fished in just over a half dozen states other than my own, so those are just my opinion. Seems to be fine fishing all across the South (across the Ohio), so don't be offended if your home state wasn't mentioned.
Anyone near the Great Lakes I *** you for the smallmouth fishing you have available to you. Just hope it continues and the invasive fish like the Asian carps stay out.
beagle 25 reply :
Where I live in Indiana I have found good fishing. Sullivan lake is better than most give it credit for. I also have access to a private lake that produces >5 lbers on a regular basis. I wish turtle creek would rebound 20 years ago it was world class and I pretty much live in the shadow of Hoosier Energy's stack. I've fished other places around the state but non as good as what's around here.
hoosierhawghunter reply :
On 1/10/2015 at 7:50 PM, RipzLipz said:IMO IN has terrible bass management. They used to draw down Monroe during the spawn, hurting the quality of bass. Anyone remember Turtle Creek Reservoir? That place was a bass factory until all the numbers of quality bass myteriously disappeared and now it's a haven for carp and catfish. I'm guessing the discharge temps got too high at some point but not much the state could do about that since the was owned by Hoosier Energy. How many times are they going to drain West Boggs before they get a grip on that place? Griffey Reservoir in Bloomington was tremendous in the 70s and 80s, but the DNR didn't manage the weeds and they've drained it twice in about 20 years. Pretty frustrating.
Even though Monroe is so tough to fish, strangely it's probably your best bet for a giant on public waters, if not Patoka. Our reservoirs aren't intended to be bass factories - flood control and drinking water. But I feel our DNR and corps of engineers could do a better job of managing those 2 bigger lakes in the state. Maybe take some lessons from those in TX? I've pretty much given up fishing public waters during warm weather in south central Indiana due to pressure, boaters, jet skiers and the plethora of morons on the waters. However, I do have buddies in Bloomington that tell me Monroe is pretty good at night, as I'm sure Patoka might be.
Private waters are filled with giant bass (for Indiana), capable of producing fish in double digits. I fish mostly old coal strip pits on the SW portion of the state. The public pits that I've fished are OK but can be tough if getting pressured. Did some wading in Big Blue River for a few years prior to the big flood in 2007 or 2008 and the stretch I fished was loaded with 2-4lb smallies but that all changed after the flood. Being blessed to have access to private waters, I love fishing here in IN. But as my neighbors have pointed out, it can be tough here, especially for casual fishermen and during the hot months from mid June to end of August. That's when I'd fish at night.
LM only, I'd have to say in no order AL, CA, FL and TX are best. For combos of LM and SM, northern states like MI, WI, MN and I'm impressed with ME from what I've seen on TV. However I've only fished in just over a half dozen states other than my own, so those are just my opinion. Seems to be fine fishing all across the South (across the Ohio), so don't be offended if your home state wasn't mentioned.
Anyone near the Great Lakes I *** you for the smallmouth fishing you have available to you. Just hope it continues and the invasive fish like the Asian carps stay out.
Monroe to me and quite a few other guys I know is a nightmare. Patoka on the other hand has been nothing but good to me. Especially at night with a 1/4 ounce chatterbait over a submerged grass flat. Catch several nice fish at night there. But turtle creek was definitely the best fishery in Indiana up until they ruined it. Indiana treats its fish like it treats it's deer herd. The state could give a d**n about the wildlife. They just do what makes them money and nothing else. When speaking with kvd at the spring fishing classic last year he said if you can catch fish in indiana,you can catch them anywhere.
So indiana is definitely the worst state for fishing that I know of. I've fished table rock, guntersville, Ohio river, private lakes in Florida. Guntersville is my favorite place to fish by far. So many big fish and very easy to catch a 5+...
hoosierbass07 reply :
On 1/4/2015 at 7:52 PM, jakob1010 said:Indiana is somewhere in the middle IMO. There are good sized fish here, and some decent fisheries for sure (Raccoon,
Raccoon is one of my main bank fishing (and kayak fishing) lakes/parks and I don't think it's good at all. I did catch 2.15 pound bass last spring. But Raccoon is not that great. This year I'm going to try and fish it hard from my kayak in the early spring and see how it is.
It ticks me off a little - I record a lot of fishing programs and when they are titled "Fishing the Midwest" I think of Indiana. And yet it's always Minnesota or Oklahoma, over and over and over again. Do they
ever do programs from Indiana? Nope!
strvmmer reply :
I'm surprised by the hate Delaware is getting. I've had some epic days catching largemouth there.
Preytorien reply :
Pretty much in Indiana I've concluded a couple of things.....
1. The White River, north of Noblesville is pretty darn good for smallmouth, not Great Lakes good, but I can catch them all day wading the river. It's clean, accessible in quite a few places, and it's not even close to crowded. However, once you get below Noblesville, and especially into Indianapolis, the fishing might be good, but usually isn't. The water's not as clean, deeper (not as much wading), and runs quite a bit faster.
2. With the exception of a few banner days here and there, I've never really smoked em' on the main Indiana reservoirs. I tend to do better in ponds and small lakes. They hold good fish.
3. I conclude with a lot of the other Indiana guys, the DNR focuses heavily on hunting, but the fishing quality in our state seems to escape them. I lived on Morse Reservoir for 9 years, and in that time they drained it once and significantly lowered it twice. That's not DNR behavior concurrent with fisheries management. But then again, apparently that's not their goal.....unfortunately. It's not KVD who I've talked to, but I've also heard it said by several guys I know who fish all over the country that if you can catch em' in Indiana, you'll do pretty good anywhere else. High pressure, bad fisheries, weird weather, etc all come into play.
RipzLipz reply :
On 1/11/2015 at 11:40 PM, beagle 25 said:Where I live in Indiana I have found good fishing. Sullivan lake is better than most give it credit for. I also have access to a private lake that produces >5 lbers on a regular basis. I wish turtle creek would rebound 20 years ago it was world class and I pretty much live in the shadow of Hoosier Energy's stack. I've fished other places around the state but non as good as what's around here.
That fish in my profile pic was caught in your neck of the woods, near Clay City, from private waters. Great fishing in that area if you're lucky enough to gain access to the private places. I've set my PB the past 2 years from that pit.
My criticism about IN fishing was aimed only at the larger public lakes and our DNRs approach towards improvements in those fisheries, or lack thereof, compared to other states. Public streams and rivers can be fine fishing in certain areas, but those areas can be much more difficult to access compared to places like Monroe, etc. The fish we are lucky enough to catch from a private area shows that our area has the potential for great public fisheries. I just find it frustrating that more isn't being done for those public areas that are lacking or need better management.
Chris186 reply :
For the worst Im gonna say RI, and I live here. There just isnt enough big water, I think its like 20,700 acres of water TOTAL. The biggest lake in the state is 1,051 acres, with only 4 bigger than 500 acres. So imagine all the tournaments on small lakes, yes there are 25 boat tournaments here on 100 acre lakes. They get POUNDED. Not to mention Bass managment is pretty much doesnt exist, all the state really cares about are their salt water ramps and their trout lakes. Freshwater ramps are mostly HORRIBLE, some are decent, some lakes dont have ramps. Three quarters of the lakes and ponds are 10hp and under, unless you have a permit for a tournament, then its anything goes. All that being said, there are big fish here, but in recent years I havent heard of anything over 8lbs. Those are few and far between, a 4lber is a big fish in this state.
tnt2671 reply :
i havnt fished in a lot of different states outside of Massachusetts and Connecticut but i will say being on the Ct. River on a beautiful 75 degree september day is a little piece of heaven!
on the flip side sitting here at 1 o'clock in the morning posting up on fishing forums when it hasn't been above freezing for a freaking week and theres still a good month and a half of this dreaded winter left totally sucks!!
SneakySnook reply :
This time of year Florida is a great place to fish with a flipping rod or the worst place to fish if a cold front hits. If you watched the Bassmaster Open this past week the weights were low because of the cold front that hit. The funny thing is that wasn't even that bad of a cold front. If we would have had a colder front come down you would have seen lots of zeros. Good part about Florida is we can fish year round.
TorqueConverter reply :
Iowa is terrible especially West Okoboji. No one should ever fish there. Pleasure boaters should also stop pleasure boating there too. They're making it hard for me to not fish there.
brgbassmaster reply :
I have fished Michigan, new Mexico, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Arizona, Mississippi, and by far Michigan wins as best state. I have never seen a place where u can go to just about any man made lake or natural and catch 3-5lb smallies. And laregemouth in the same lake. Michigan has some of the best untapped largemoth fishing. All u hear about is the smallmouth. And best part is you can catch them from punching mats to fishing 30 ft deep and every technique in between. Now for hardest definitely new Mexico. Tournament winning limits in the 6lb range lol a big bag is 11lbs. I have seen a 17lb bag and people went crazy. And most of the time people don't even limits out. Nit to mention the lack of water in that state. The ones that do are at like 30% capacity. Lived there for 3 years.
Fishing Cowgirl reply :
On 1/22/2015 at 9:55 AM, SneakySnook said:This time of year Florida is a great place to fish with a flipping rod or the worst place to fish if a cold front hits. If you watched the Bassmaster Open this past week the weights were low because of the cold front that hit. The funny thing is that wasn't even that bad of a cold front. If we would have had a colder front come down you would have seen lots of zeros. Good part about Florida is we can fish year round.
I agree. You can catch some great fish here and fish year round. But the Florida fish are finicky and do the "Ninja Bites" or be Mafia bass (They only get in trouble when they open their mouth). It can take 30+ lbs to win a tournament on the Kissimmee Chain or Okeechobee, or you're pushing to make a 20 lb bag to make a check a week later. When I was a Marshall on Okeechobee in 2012, I was kinda surprised when I listened to several of the Elites saying they were just trying to "Survive" Florida. I even saw KVD scratching his head and flipping reeds. (then an hour later he catches an 8 lber). Everything "looks" like it should be holding fish and your electronics will light up with all of them, but you end up throwing everything in the tackle box at them and they just aren't interested. Some of say there are 90% of the fish in 10% of the lake. Then its they are here today, gone tomorrow.
Alonerankin2 reply :
Florida is my favorite state for bass, I stated as such in this thread months ago, I lived there for a decade. Florida is anything but "easy" however, once you taste the honey, the work & effort required is always rewarded... Plus, there's always, as Dwight Hottle says, those indigenous swimbaits, lol..then if your feeling really defeated, you just go saltwater fish...
jacob95 reply :
I live in Northwest Indiana and we don't have double digit bass here but I don't think the fishing is terrible. I have caught pretty big bass from Indiana lakes but nothing like Southern lakes. I'd love to live in FL, GA, AL, or TX.
Penguino reply :
New Jersey easily wins for worst state. New Jersey lakes and ponds are so polluted, that half the fish are dirty or sick. Also, New Jersey has a ton of bass anglers for such a small state
FishTank reply :
The southern states are the best fishing I have experienced. TN is awesome for small mouth and Florida has all kinds of lakes loaded with large mouth.
FrogFreak reply :
I live in one of the worst (North Dakota) right on the border and fish in one of the best (Minnesota). MN has just about everything you would want. No pressure, small lakes, large lakes, access to one of the great lakes, rivers (how about the Mississippi??). Not huge LMBs but a ton of 3-5 pounders. SMB are readily available as well. It's a lot like Michigan and Wisconsin in that most people fish Walleye. So even on a day when there are a bunch of boats on the water, they aren't fishing for bass! The big downside is that you can only fish for 5 months or so if you don't ice fish it can be a long wait. From what I can see, TX is probably the best place for me to winter when I retire. That's the life, TX fishing in the winter and MN fishing in the summer baby!
doyle8218 reply :
NY & FL best.
Rush50 reply :
I'm from upstate NY but I now live in Delaware. The best freshwater (that's all I do) fishing I've experienced was in Minnesota. NY is nice, too. But Delaware is by far the worst. The "lakes" here are all man-made by damming a saltwater tributary. Over the years they became freshwater but they are only 8-15' deep, at best. Average lg mouth are 3lbs. Occasionally someone might pull in a 5-6 pounder, and there have been a few 8s but they are very rare. There are no walleye or pike. We have some pickerel but they are very small, 2-3lbs at best. I can't wait to move and get back to real fishing.
ranger7717 reply :
On 1/21/2015 at 1:49 PM, tnt2671 said:i havnt fished in a lot of different states outside of Massachusetts and Connecticut but i will say being on the Ct. River on a beautiful 75 degree september day is a little piece of heaven!
on the flip side sitting here at 1 o'clock in the morning posting up on fishing forums when it hasn't been above freezing for a freaking week and theres still a good month and a half of this dreaded winter left totally sucks!!
not sure what this "dreaded winter" comment is about...live in central ma most of my life and this is by far one of the easiest winters we've had in a long time - i work outside most of the time. but anyway, i agree with you about the conn river - great fishing and great scenery. as far as best fishing for a northern boy, i absolutely LOVE lake champlain...so many choices - so many types of fishing
Mosster47 reply :
Oregon bad, California good.
sprint61 reply :
Western KY is phenomenal. KY lake, Barkley, barren river, and green river to name a few are great. But the eastern part where I live can be very tough.
Derekbass02 reply :
Wisconsin is pretty good when it's not winter. The largemouth fishing is good for how far north I live. There are a good bunch 3 and 4 pound fish as well as some larger one's. I once heard of someone who caught a 7 pounder in the 200 acre lake I always fish. Obviously the smallmouth fishing is great in some places. The only bad part is that we have to have a 6 month break called winter. 
clh121787 reply :
Texas isn't much good. Better off going else where
Fishinthefish reply :
Any lake surrounded by private property for a man without a boat. Worst fishing ever.
Zippyduck Krimm reply :
Pennsylvania is terrible if you don't count Erie. State only stocks trout, musky and walleye. Lakes all have been depleted from the Amish keeping everything they catch. and every decent lake is highly pressured with tournaments every weekend. We also have long winters with ice being on the lakes but usually not safe except for about 1-1/2 months.
Look at the Classic in Pittsburgh 1# fish ad very few limits, welcome to our tournaments.
Paul Roberts reply :
Montana?
gardnerjigman reply :
Kansas is pretty tough, we just make it look easy
contium reply :
On 12/10/2014 at 6:20 AM, gulfcaptain said:California, some of the best fishing lakes in the country and some of the toughest pressured waters as well in the country.
That's the truth. I've been doing pretty good and then bam, skunked twice in a row. Not even a single hit fishing around 9 hours each day.
Bankbeater reply :
Favorite place to fish is down in the Missouri Ozarks. You have multiple lakes down there that are only a couple of hours away from each other. Eastern Missouri, especially around St. Louis is very tough. These lakes and ponds have very heavy fishing pressure.
blckshirt98 reply :
I can't complain here in California but one thing we lack here are any "secret" spots. If there's water, and there's fish, it's been fished and there's going to be trash laying around. One regret I have is I lived in St. Louis and Atlanta for about 6 years combined in the early 2000's and wasn't fishing back then. Now I look at all of the good places a short drive away and wish I had.
ranger7717 reply :
i hear a lot about california's giants....is that exclusive to certain waters or pretty typical throughout the state?
blckshirt98 reply :
On 2/9/2016 at 11:47 AM, ranger7717 said:i hear a lot about california's giants....is that exclusive to certain waters or pretty typical throughout the state?
Throughout the state, DD bass are in pretty much all of the major reservoirs, though the places with larger forage like hitch and trout get some real tanks. I'm not sure why the fish in Cali get so large compared to other places around the country. I do know pretty much all of the largemouth bass here are Florida strain or hybrids that are genetically Florida-dominant that have taken over most of the state.
Andy Stocker reply :
I have good luck here in Southern Indiana, not sure why people think it is so hard to fish here.
John P Bitondo reply :
New Jersey ,hands-down is one of the worst states for Bass Fishing, it only has two lakes over 1000 acres, lake Hopatcong and Greenwood Lake (straddles NY/NJ). Both bodies of water leave a lot to be desired for a serious Bass fisherman and aggressive recreational boaters can make a day on the water a nightmare. Almost all of the reservoirs do not have boat ramps and/or do not allow power motors. Most of the large rivers in the north of the state are so polluted that eating a fish out of the waters will be a high risk endeavor(no choice but to catch and release). The so-called Lunker Bass lakes are Assunpink in Monmouth County, Parvin in Salem County and Delaware Lake, Warren County. In addition, Boonton Reservoir, Morris County, also known as Jersey City Reservoir, is listed as a “smallmouth lake,” though there are largemouth bass in abundance in this body of water. Nonetheless, Boonton Reservoir has a 15-inch size limit for smallmouths, and a 12-inch limit for largemouths. The creel limit is three bass in total.
Wayne Atherley reply :
Utah has a huge span of species including many trout as well as large and small mouth bass. Catfish and Kokanee as well as plenty of small breed like bluegill and crappie. Hundreds of small mountain lakes as well as plenty of well maintained easily accessed large lakes. Come to southern Utah sometime and I'll show you a good time for largemouth. Up to about 6-7 lbs is biggest but there are plenty in there
gardnerjigman reply :
On 2/9/2016 at 12:50 PM, blckshirt98 said:I'm not sure why the fish in Cali get so large compared to other places around the country.
Warmer waters more times of the year than most places so the fish actively feed more. No different than mexico, florida, Texas etc.
blazerrick reply :
On 2/6/2016 at 4:08 AM, Mosster47 said:Oregon bad, California good.
While CA has bigger fish in the big lakes that grow while eating all of the stocked trout, Oregon has the John Day and Columbia rivers for good smallies. Quite a few in the Willamette, too. Well, at least there are until people pull every last one of them out thanks to the ODFW removing the bag limits. Oregon isn't nearly as bad as CA in the amount of annual AND daily fees just to be able to get on the water.
blazerrick reply :
On 2/10/2016 at 12:32 AM, John P Bitondo said:New Jersey ,hands-down is one of the worst states for Bass Fishing, it only has two lakes over 1000 acres, lake Hopatcong and Greenwood Lake (straddles NY/NJ). Both bodies of water leave a lot to be desired for a serious Bass fisherman and aggressive recreational boaters can make a day on the water a nightmare. Almost all of the reservoirs do not have boat ramps and/or do not allow power motors. Most of the large rivers in the north of the state are so polluted that eating a fish out of the waters will be a high risk endeavor(no choice but to catch and release). The so-called Lunker Bass lakes are Assunpink in Monmouth County, Parvin in Salem County and Delaware Lake, Warren County. In addition, Boonton Reservoir, Morris County, also known as Jersey City Reservoir, is listed as a “smallmouth lake,” though there are largemouth bass in abundance in this body of water. Nonetheless, Boonton Reservoir has a 15-inch size limit for smallmouths, and a 12-inch limit for largemouths. The creel limit is three bass in total.
NJ is good if you like fishing smaller waters for medium size bass. I have no interest in fishing a 1000+ acre lake. Manasquan Res, Assunpink and Mercer are plenty big for me and my kayak. The state record didn't come from a huge lake. The lakes do get a lot of pressure, but luckily most people catch and release, so there are usually fish around.
TommyTreble reply :
Maine fishing can be very satisfying -- lots of smaller bodies of water filled with aggressive bass and little pressure.
blckshirt98 reply :
" Maine fishing can be very satisfying -- lots of smaller bodies of water filled with aggressive bass and little pressure. "
This is what I want...lots of smaller lakes that have never seen a lure where you can throw anything and get a fish.
slonezp reply :
ILLINOIS SUCKS FOR BASS FISHING. Fishing is expensive and our public waterways are poorly managed due to politics and lack of funding. I spend a lot of time fishing Wisconsin waters to make up for the poor fishing here in Northern IL. Consistently, the best bass fishing I have ever experienced was on KY Lake. I've made numerous trips and have never been disappointed. Guntersville would be my next choice.
BassObsessed reply :
On 2/10/2016 at 12:44 AM, gardnerjigman said:Warmer waters more times of the year than most places so the fish actively feed more. No different than mexico, florida, Texas etc.
And the trout they feed on is like steroids lol. Beats the heck out of lousy Delaware fishing.
bonzai22 reply :
On 2/10/2016 at 10:17 AM, slonezp said:ILLINOIS SUCKS FOR BASS FISHING. Fishing is expensive and our public waterways are poorly managed due to politics and lack of funding. I spend a lot of time fishing Wisconsin waters to make up for the poor fishing here in Northern IL. Consistently, the best bass fishing I have ever experienced was on KY Lake. I've made numerous trips and have never been disappointed. Guntersville would be my next choice.
X2 on Illinois being god awful. On the lakes I fish if you catch a limit it's a large miracle.
Last_Cast reply :
NY!!!!!
Fishing in NY angers me..Dont get me wrong I go every chance I get but it could be better.
thomas15 reply :
No one moves from state XYZ to NE PA because of the fine freshwater fishing.
RMcDuffee726 reply :
Good Ole New Hampshire. Great bass fishing, but was -33 two days ago with windchill. Gotta love it!
yugrac reply :
jitterbug, if your fishing P.C. And Summit, I can understand your issues in Indiana, The state that I also hail from, [although an Ohioan by birth]. Yes Indiana is a tough state for bass fishing, they are out there, but if your like me, its hard to get very far from home. Sunday is really the only day I have to get out, and if you go much more than 90 minutes from home, and have to work on monday morning, it cuts down on your chances in this part of Indiana anyways. If your still on here, where in Indiana are you? I live about 30 minutes from Prairie creek, and 50 minutes from Summit, maybe we could compare notes.
Steven_mccormacktk reply :
I'm from and fish in NH. I have my whole life. There's very high quality and healthy smallie fishing along with great largemouth fishing and even crappie. The chain pickerel around here can grow very large and put up a good fight, along with pike.
ranger7717 reply :
from mass....but i got to stay on little squam for a few months and loved the bass fishing - caught a 6 lb pickerel.....big fish . did big squam and winnie too....awesome fishing - gotta watch those rocks, especially in little squam
RMcDuffee726 reply :
On 2/16/2016 at 11:54 PM, Steven_mccormacktk said:I'm from and fish in NH. I have my whole life. There's very high quality and healthy smallie fishing along with great largemouth fishing and even crappie. The chain pickerel around here can grow very large and put up a good fight, along with pike.
Lets fish together.
FrogFreak reply :
Worst for Bass- North Dakota
Great for Walleyes and awesome for waterfowl hunting but Bass.....not so much
Best for Bass-Minnesota
Yes, it's frozen for months but there are tons of lakes with 5 pounders and very little pressure.
Ratherbfishing reply :
On 2/10/2016 at 10:17 AM, slonezp said:ILLINOIS SUCKS FOR BASS FISHING. Fishing is expensive and our public waterways are poorly managed due to politics and lack of funding. I spend a lot of time fishing Wisconsin waters to make up for the poor fishing here in Northern IL. Consistently, the best bass fishing I have ever experienced was on KY Lake. I've made numerous trips and have never been disappointed. Guntersville would be my next choice.
Hey now! Just because 4 or our last 6 governors have spent time in Jail, we can't pass a budget, most vendors won't touch us with a ten foot pole, and people are leaving the state in droves doesn't mean the fishing is bad here!
It sucks for different reasons.
BigSkyBasser reply :
Montana for both, and for several reasons.
Pros
- Quite possibly one of the most underrated, unpublished bass fishing destinations in the country.
- Fishing pressure is typically minor, usually replaced by pressure from recreational boat traffic.
- Not hard to come across 40-50 fish days.
- It's fairly common for a 25 pound bag to win local tournaments.
- Most of the lakes and reservoirs are smaller and easier to break down in a day.
- We have native populations of slow growing trout that bass regularly feed on.
- Montana is world famous as a fly fishing and trout fishing destination, leaving bass fishing off the radar for most.
- Post card quality scenery surrounding any and all fishing.
Cons
- We have the greatest temperature range out of all 50 states, and still hold the world record for greatest temperature change in a 24 hour period.
- Our fishing season usually lasts from about mid March for ice off, and can close up again as early as mid October. This leaves very short windows to identify and successfully fish bass phases.
- Post spawn is our longest and toughest fishing season. Usually lasting from June until September or early October.
- Our fall bite rarely lasts 30 days, as the transition from summer to winter is typically very short.
- The weather changes so frequently and drastically that a pattern very rarely lasts more than a day or two.
- Most of the lakes are dominated by small schooling smallmouth, who feed almost exclusively on the sunfish and crawfish.
- These fish are nearly impossible to find for consecutive days.
- 90% of our lakes are deep and gin clear, with limited structure usually consisting of submerged pines, rock outcroppings, and milfoil mats and eel grass lines. This leaves fish very finicky
- Very few of the lakes have accurate or current topo maps, or are mapped at all.
- Seldom accessible from multiple locations and often surround by private property, making bank fishing impossible on some waterways.
- Lack of diverse forage and a shortened feeding season leads to smaller fish.
0119 reply :
Worst= Florida.
Extreme pressure. Complete lack of local interest makes sure the tiny bit of funding provided by a development minded governor, goes straight to the coast. Wildlife law violators find the judiciary sympathetic. Unregulated population growth. The governors first act in office was to eliminate the states Dept. of Environmental Protection's pollution investigations unit to promote a friendly business atmosphere. Extreme heat only getting worse every year along with added pollution has exploded exotic cichlads and tilapia further destroying freshwaters with tonnage of nitrogen waste into the water, leaving the few bass left to be stunted and unhealthy.
Best=Tennessee
Within one hour, fishing from the bank at a boat ramp of Kentucky Lake in Paris, I caught 3 species of bass. In one afternoon I caught from the shore, more bass than I catch via boat in a month in Florida.
greentrout reply :
Recently fished Texas and Mississippi both very good. Right now Mississippi. Here's my take:
Can fish small waters private and public in remote places with very little pressure from other fishermen during the week. Can be on a 60 acre lake with no one else there. Can be on a 300 acre lake and the same. Bass are healthy and feisty. I'm a senior fisherman and now fish only small waters in a small boat with total enjoyment of God's creation and the pursuit of the LMB. Mississippi is one of the best kept secrets in the country. I'm a lucky man.
0119 reply :
On 2/29/2016 at 12:18 PM, greentrout said:I'm a senior fisherman and now fish only small waters in a small boat with total enjoyment of God's creation and the pursuit of the LMB.
Amen. Kinda makes fishing great anywhere doesn't it? I wish I could keep that mentality even when they are not bighting.
yugrac reply :
I always hate when guys post about how great the fishing is in there friends private stocked pond or small lake, where the fish only see a small number of lures in a year, and there are no wake boarders or pontoon boats to deal with. We dont all have the connections to fish these places, and as far as my opinion, they should not even be considered in a poll of this kind.
.ghoti. reply :
Don't know about the best state, but the worse state to fish in is inebriated.
IndianaFinesse reply :
The best state is a tie between Florida, Texas, and California. And if the states are ranked by the average number of pounds it takes to win a BASS tournament there, Indiana ranks last.
Wbeadlescomb reply :
Toughest lake I've ever fished is lake tuscaloosa in central alabama in the summertime. It's not great anytime of the year but a summertime tournament on the lake will separate the men from the boys. I've seen 4 1/2 lb 5 bass limits win tournaments there in the summer time
Richard Metzger reply :
I'm from Jersey and it's tough. It's great that you have a huge variety of types of waters and species to fish for. Living in North Jersey I could pretty much do any kind of freshwater fishing I could possibly want within a 30 minute drive...however none of it is really great. You have to work for what you catch for sure. Anyone who has ever fished the Monksville Reservoir knows what I'm talking about. Big lake with every kind of structure you can think of and the big fish to go with it but d**n if it isn't one of the toughest to fish.
Hurricane reply :
On 12/10/2014 at 5:53 AM, J Francho said:NY and NY.
There's just about any kind of fishing you could want, world class smallies, but you gotta put up with winter.
Agree..... Winter sucks here in Buffalo.... Period... this past winter wasn't bad though..
Fish the Mitt reply :
On 3/24/2016 at 12:07 AM, LastCast721 said:Agree..... Winter sucks here in Buffalo.... Period... this past winter wasn't bad though..
As I read this I look out my window....and it's snowing. Again.
Gundog reply :
On 3/23/2016 at 9:11 AM, .ghoti. said:Don't know about the best state, but the worse state to fish in is inebriated.
How about the state of Denial? I've fished there many times. And I'm always sure I know what bait will work and it never does.
BadBassIndy reply :
I live in Central Indiana and I havn't seen anyone mention Geist Resevoir, I've had some good luck.
drc9805 reply :
I'm still a novice but I'm surprised no one has mentioned Oklahoma as at least being a pretty decent place to fish. I guess the question was best and worst though and I'm sure we're just right there above average more than likely. There are a ton of lakes big and small with even more ponds that all hold nice bass. There is a lot of fishing pressure on most of the decent lakes though.
BassThumb reply :
I love this thread!
I don't have a lot of experience fishing in states other than Minnesota (home), North and South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
I'd have to give Minnesota a nod as an extremely good state to fish in. With almost 6000 fishable, multi-species natural lakes (13,000 total), not to mention the great Mississippi River and it's tributaries, it's very easy to find highly unpressured fish that are willing to bite. Anywhere in the state, a person has dozens of options within a 20-minute drive from home. Some of these lakes see only a handful of boats per day, and bass anglers are often in the minority, despite good numbers of fish in the 3-6lb range.
The DNR fisheries funding is extraordinary, both state and federal, trailing only Texas, California, and Alaska, so the lakes are well maintained, well stocked, easily accessible, and clean.
j bab reply :
On 12/10/2014 at 6:22 AM, WRB said:I will narrow it down to 1 lake, Casitas. This lake can be phenomenal or the Dead Sea. You can catch your PB, PB 5 bass limit and get blanked in the same week!
Tom
That's exactly what happened to me this week on Toledo Bend
trick worms reply :
SC has some good pond fishing. Nothing like other states but I still enjoy it
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