Best State To Fish 2025

rangerboy reply :

talking to my wife about where would be a good place to live outside of ca. I told he I don't mind all the bs. because within a hour I have clear lake, berryessa, delta, folsom and lake oraville. all great bass lakes. but every place she wouldn't mind living im a jerk because the fishing sucks. ok br. what would be the best state to live in for bass fishing. florida, texas , Alabama? im sure you would have to move south.

iabass8 reply :

it depends what species of bass you want to fish for (largemouth/spots/smallmouth). i'd love to be able to fish year round down south but I would miss the heck out of the fantastic small mouth and walleye fishing up north. of the three you mentioned,i've only fished texas put would still probably choose texas. the food is just too good.

moguy1973 reply :

According to Bassmaster's top 100 bass lakes (2013), Texas has the most lakes on the list at 11. Florida is next with 8.

rangerboy reply :

seen falcon lake on tv a few times. looks awesome

moguy1973 reply :

http://www.bassmaster.com/news/100-best-bass-lakes-2013

J Francho reply :

The best two states I've fished, in terms of variety of water and species would be NY and VA.

SwampLife reply :

Florida! Huge large mouths.. .. Go off shore catch some marlins, tuna, sail fish etc.... Besides fishing they have some nice beaches! Thats where we go for vacation but I would like to spend a whole summer there.. BUT you can't keep me out of Louisiana long!! To much fun stuff to do here

Snakehead Whisperer reply :

On 7/18/2013 at 10:49 AM, J Francho said:
The best two states I've fished, in terms of variety of water and species would be NY and VA.

Can't speak for NY, but the mid-Atlantic has some world class fishing. Virginia and Maryland have a great balance of northern and southern species with a mild climate that produces pretty large fish (especially smallmouth bass, state records both over 8lbs.) Within an hour of my home in DC I can hit the upper Potomac for smallies, walleye, muskie, etc. Within 5 minutes of home I can be on the tidal Potomac for largemouth bass, stripers, gar, giant catfish, monster crappie and snakeheads. If I head east I can fish the Chesapeake bay for stripers, black sea bass, speckled trout, bluefish, etc. BTW, I am from the bay area originally and California fishing is hard to beat, but this area gives northern CA a run for it's money.

Other areas that I would rate high would be.

-Tennessee

-Minnesota or any of the northern states(though it's really cold up there.)

-Oregon (specifically the Columbia River.)

-Maryland/Pennsylvania

-Florida

-Kentucky

basseditor reply :

If its strictly bass fishing, Texas is hard to beat. But it's getting crowded.

A good thing is the option of Texas power plant lakes in winter.

I've fished in many states. In Texas, so many lakes can produce a 10 pounder on any cast. But you're not likely to catch ones pushing 20# like CA.

tjc76 reply :

tough decision. all depends on what you want to fish for most. As J Francho and Snakehead Whisperer said, NY and VA. NY has so much incredible water, it has to rank up there. Erie for monster smallmouth. Ontario for monster browns. Oneida for walleyes. Lake Champlain for any and every species imagineable. St Lawrence River smallmouth and Muskies. Salmon river. Montauk for stripers. The list goes on and on.

I haven't done much fishing in Va except for smallmouth, but the New and James River are world class smallmouth fisheries. The James is also renowned for Muskies. Chesapeake Bay is the largest striped bass estuary in the world.

Pennsylvania gets a vote in my book as well, with many fine smallmouth rivers. Also some fine muskie fisheries.

Florida goes without saying. Huge largemouth, and peacock bass. When you get bored of targeting them, you can fish for tarpon, permit, bonefish, snook, cobia, grouper, snapper, bluefish, flounder, tuna, redfish, speckled trout, you get the picture. Too bad they don't have any smallmouth. that is a dealbreaker for me. LOL I'll just live there November to May, then go back to my beloved smallies.

AK-Jax86 reply :

FL is the ultimate freshwater fish state! Lake Okechobee was created by god as a bass heaven

MarkH024 reply :

Not a state, but Eagle Lake, Ontario, Canada is one of my favorite places. Huge trophy musky, big pike, big lakers, big walleye and plentiful, great smallies, perch, rock bass...it has it all.

The times I've been up there, I have seen maybe 1 or 2 other boats on the water. 60,000 acres and something like 4,000 miles of shoreline. It is a magical place. There are so many great places in Canada though.

I myself have not been able to get down south and do serious bass fishing. I have a bucket list going so i'll be getting there some day.

roadwarrior reply :

If it's just about largemouth bass, Florida and Texas have the edge. Potential for the next World Record?

That's still California. For a shot at the next World Record Smallmouth and an abundance of 6-8 lb bass,

both brown and green, the Mid South is the ticket. The reservoirs of the Tennessee River are producing

size and numbers. Pickwick has been on fire for several years, but Guntersville is the long time leader.

In addition to world class bass fishing, the region boasts gigantic striper, catfish and is a short drive to

the White River in Arkansas for monster rainbow and brown trout. The best trophy crappie fishing in the

world is just south of Memphis in northern Mississippi.

derekxec reply :

florida when you get tired of catching bass there is 2154211234512 other fish you could catch....and once you go snook fishing and catch a nice 30 lber you probably wont do much bass fishing anymore lol

if you do move to florida and decide on south florida let me know ill fill you in on bunch of spots to fish

MCS reply :

I would pick Florida for most variety, bass, snook, redfish, trout then you have offshore. If you live in say South Florida or near the Southern St. Johns River you get some great places to fish both fresh and salt. Texas if it was just largemouth and Tenn. for an overall combo of Large/small and other freshwater species.

Honorable mention to Lousiana because they have some great freshwater and inshore fishing in that state.

Nice_Bass reply :

Well...its not going to be Illinois.

somewhere in SW TN would be the best as you can fish several states that all have the majority of record sport fish to their name- AR, TN, KY, MS, MO

Snakehead Whisperer reply :

On 7/18/2013 at 11:56 AM, basseditor said:
But you're not likely to catch ones pushing 20# like CA.

Texas is great. I have friends in Conroe, and it's always a great time out there. There's also some incredible river fishing in Texas. Oklahoma also has some great fishing opportunities.

The OP said he's within an hour of Berryessa which has some really huge LMB, but the largest I've heard of caught there is just shy of 17lb. I do remember folks catching spotted bass up to 8lbs. in that lake and others in the area (Shasta is a good place for huge spots.) Another fun freshwater fish to target on the West Coast is the squawfish, although many view them as trash fish because they compete with salmon, eat salmon roe, and aren't very good eating. However they fight good, get pretty big and will hit bass lures.

FrogFreak reply :

What about the land of 10,000 lakes, Minnesota. If you're truly trying to get away from the crowds, this place is awesome. We may not have 10 pound fish but our 5 pounders think they're 10 pounds. The only downside is the winter but if you like ice fishing, you're set.

RoachDad reply :

On 7/18/2013 at 10:49 AM, J Francho said:
The best two states I've fished, in terms of variety of water and species would be NY and VA.

uh, yeah that leaves alot of states you probably haven't fished. Both of those are good states, but Florida is the place to be.

RoachDad reply :

On 7/18/2013 at 10:32 AM, rangerboy said:
talking to my wife about where would be a good place to live outside of ca. I told he I don't mind all the bs. because within a hour I have clear lake, berryessa, delta, folsom and lake oraville. all great bass lakes. but every place she wouldn't mind living im a jerk because the fishing sucks. ok br. what would be the best state to live in for bass fishing. florida, texas , Alabama? im sure you would have to move south.

Florida and you knew that before you posted! ha

Basswhippa reply :

Ya'll quit lying to a CA fellow and tell the truth. Kansas, Idaho, Nebraska, the Dakotas are where it's at!

bryantbrdfrd reply :

I would definitely choose Texas, with Louisiana in 2nd and Oklahoma/Tennessee for 3rd/4th. I'm from Texas and absolutely love the bass fishing there. I was in Louisiana for 8+ years and the bass fishing was really good there too. In fact, that's about all that state is good for lol. Now, I live in Oklahoma and to my surprise it's really good here. Unfortunitely I can't speak for California or Florida because I haven't fished there. I've read a lot that says how great they are but I don't personally know.

chubaka reply :

St.Clair in Mi

Snakehead Whisperer reply :

On 7/19/2013 at 2:20 AM, FrogFreak said:
What about the land of 10,000 lakes, Minnesota. If you're truly trying to get away from the crowds, this place is awesome. We may not have 10 pound fish but our 5 pounders think they're 10 pounds. The only downside is the winter but if you like ice fishing, you're set.

Mentioned Minnesota in my first post on page 1.

On 7/19/2013 at 2:59 AM, Basswhippa said:
Ya'll quit lying to a CA fellow and tell the truth. Kansas, Idaho, Nebraska, the Dakotas are where it's at!

The Dakotas are definitely awesome. Some of the best walleye fishing in the world. Never fished the other 3. Also worth mentioning are Wyoming and Montana if you're into trout.

I've fished all over the place, and I've never encountered a state (or country) that didn't have something substantial to offer. The only thing I can think of is that Germany and Switzerland have banned systematic catch and release (you can only release fish that are below the legal size and must keep all legal fish until you limit out.) That is a buzzkill.

J Francho reply :

On 7/19/2013 at 2:45 AM, RoachDad said:
uh, yeah that leaves alot of states you probably haven't fished. Both of those are good states, but Florida is the place to be.

I've fished Florida several times. Not the best, in my opinion.

RoachDad reply :

On 7/19/2013 at 3:35 AM, J Francho said:
I've fished Florida several times. Not the best, in my opinion.

All right, your just doing that on purpose. The only reason not to prefer Florida is if you have something against catching 10 pound Largemouth bass. If you actually prefer catching smaller fish I guess that could happen.

Upstate NY is great fishing but a really nice fish is 3-4 pounds. I don't think too many people will "choose" NY over Florida if all you are talking about is bass fishing.

But to each his own. I left all that snow and swore I'd never go back and I have not regretted that decision. Obviously, that was based on snow, not fishing.

RoachDad reply :

On 7/18/2013 at 10:32 AM, rangerboy said:
talking to my wife about where would be a good place to live outside of ca. I told he I don't mind all the bs. because within a hour I have clear lake, berryessa, delta, folsom and lake oraville. all great bass lakes. but every place she wouldn't mind living im a jerk because the fishing sucks. ok br. what would be the best state to live in for bass fishing. florida, texas , Alabama? im sure you would have to move south.

If you strictly talking about catching "fish" and nothing else, Alaska is the place to go.

J Francho reply :

On 7/19/2013 at 3:44 AM, RoachDad said:

All right, your just doing that on purpose. The only reason not to prefer Florida is if you have something against catching 10 pound Largemouth bass. If you actually prefer catching smaller fish I guess that could happen.

Upstate NY is great fishing but a really nice fish is 3-4 pounds. I don't think too many people will "choose" NY over Florida if all you are talking about is bass fishing.

But to each his own. I left all that snow and swore I'd never go back and I have not regretted that decision. Obviously, that was based on snow, not fishing.

Not blowing smoke. It isn't just about catching 10 lb. bass. I've got fish living next to the bass that will eat your 10 lb. green fish. There's a lot more to it - as I mentioned - diversity in both waters and species in freshwater fishing. I've fished Big O at least a dozen times....boring. Yes, the fish are bigger, but they are fewer, and far between. NC and SC have great fishing as well, as does AL. But from the places I've fished, VA and NY are far more interesting. VA is probably where I'll end up retiring.

And BTW, a 3-4 lb. fish is merely a "nice keeper" up here.

Some upstate NY dinks....

J Francho reply :

Oh, I forgot to mention....gators. I bleeping hate gators, lol.

RoachDad reply :

On 7/19/2013 at 4:09 AM, J Francho said:

And BTW, a 3-4 lb. fish is merely a "nice keeper" up here.

Some upstate NY dinks....

Ok, Granted, those are nice fish. Since this is BassResource.com, I assume we are talking largely about bass.

I know alot of Yankee fisherman as that is where I cut my teeth fishing, and 3-4 lb bass are very nice fish to them. You are obviously a very good fisherman. Hard to believe that with that kind of success in NY that you could not catch some real giants in Florida.

If variety is the criteria, I am sure northern lakes would rank very highly.

RoachDad reply :

On 7/19/2013 at 3:17 AM, bryantbrdfrd said:
I would definitely choose Texas, with Louisiana in 2nd and Oklahoma/Tennessee for 3rd/4th. I'm from Texas and absolutely love the bass fishing there. I was in Louisiana for 8+ years and the bass fishing was really good there too. In fact, that's about all that state is good for lol. Now, I live in Oklahoma and to my surprise it's really good here. Unfortunitely I can't speak for California or Florida because I haven't fished there. I've read a lot that says how great they are but I don't personally know.

Hard to beat the food in Tejas!

ANd you might bump in to ZZ Top

J Francho reply :

I will say this....I never fished Texas. One trip to Falcon, and I may change my mind, lol.

Snakehead Whisperer reply :

On 7/19/2013 at 4:09 AM, J Francho said:

This right here!

rangerboy reply :

On 7/19/2013 at 2:47 AM, RoachDad said:
Florida and you knew that before you posted! ha

you got me... lol.

rangerboy reply :

On 7/19/2013 at 2:07 AM, Snakehead Whisperer said:

Texas is great. I have friends in Conroe, and it's always a great time out there. There's also some incredible river fishing in Texas. Oklahoma also has some great fishing opportunities.

The OP said he's within an hour of Berryessa which has some really huge LMB, but the largest I've heard of caught there is just shy of 17lb. I do remember folks catching spotted bass up to 8lbs. in that lake and others in the area (Shasta is a good place for huge spots.) Another fun freshwater fish to target on the West Coast is the squawfish, although many view them as trash fish because they compete with salmon, eat salmon roe, and aren't very good eating. However they fight good, get pretty big and will hit bass lures.

I live at berryessa, if you like spots you can really hammer them in the winter and spring. weighed one in at a tournament in may close to 6lbs, thought I had a 10lb lmb. looked like a football. plenty of squawfish, haven't met any body that targets them. catch them on top waters fishing for bass. but they put up a good fight. slimy though. .. nice pics

Jrob78 reply :

Florida's cool if you think 8' is deep, and you like fishing grass. TX is awesome, tons of lakes with big bass and a state agency that does its best to make sure the bass fishing only gets better. Great salt fishing in the gulf and the smallmouth fishing is getting better every year, (in select lakes.) Also, the cost of living is way lower than CA.

The down side to TX is the extreme heat in the summer and the fact that everything is so far apart. Texas is freaking huge. If I had to pick somewhere else to live, it would probably be the Carolina's, Tennessee or maybe Alabama.

JellyMan reply :

Florida and Texas.

Done.

Muzzy8124 reply :

Minnesota is AMAZING

SirSnookalot reply :

If it weren't for my wife I'd be in California, not that catching permit and tarpon is bad here in Florida. I'd stay in California, everything is there, good weather, good fishing, the mountains and desert, different climates, urban as well as rural areas, and lots of variety aside from fishing. You have the Pacific Northwest just up the street and Mexico just down the street. The grass is not always greener some where else.

basseditor reply :

My previous comment was based on bass fishing. Texas is up there. One year our club members caught 40 bass 8-12 pounds in one year from one Texas lake.

In our last two tournaments, big bass was 9 to 10 pounds. That's June and July. Not typically big bass months.

For variety, mid west and northern states are better. And, Don't overlook mountain west states.

My best trophys:

Small mouth 7-3

Rainbow 8-6

Brown trout 10-1

Lake trout - 34#

Walleye - 9-15

All caught in Utah.

In my book, Texas because I fish mostly at night in summer but can fish all winter without a jacket (most of the time).

J Francho reply :

Quote

My best trophys:

Small mouth 7-3

Rainbow 8-6

Brown trout 10-1

Lake trout - 34#

Walleye - 9-15

All caught in Utah.

I really had no idea Utah had so much. Those are some really respectable numbers. Come up here, and I'll get you to double your brown and 'bow PB's

Dwight Hottle reply :

For largemouth Texas wins hands down.

For smallmouth the PA waters of Lake Erie does not take a back seat to anyone. Last year I kept track of smallies over 5 lbs caught from my boat for three prime months of April, May & October. Sixty smallies over five lbs hit the net. Eight smallies over six lbs up to 6lb-15oz. All caught on jerkbaits. No live bait. And to top it off a Michigan boy named A-Jay contributed extensively to those numbers over a two week period.

Downeaster2010 reply :

If one is targetting Smallmouth, Lake Winnepausaukee in New Hampshire is just the best in the

United States. It is a 40 mile long lake with many shoals, crystal clear water, 365 islands, and

tons of bass. Largemouth probably Okeechobee in Florida.

fstr385 reply :

I havent been fishing in the other 2, but if I had to choose other than Florida where I am, now, it would be Texas or Cali. Ocean is near for salt variety if you live near the coast, and the weather in the South end of the states allows nearly year round fishing. All winter while I was out fishin in shorts, I read so much about lakes being frozen over and peoples poles collecting dust. Many times in south Fl you can fish bass, peacocks, snook, tarpon ect in the same water system.

SwampLife reply :

On 7/19/2013 at 12:27 AM, MCS said:
Honorable mention to Lousiana because they have some great freshwater and inshore fishing in that state.

Great Offshore too..just to mention going frogging is one of my favorite things to do at night on the water.. Throw some jugs "noodles" out for cat fish and then go beat the the banks up and start catching huge as bull frogs with your hands all night long..get home at daylight sleep wake up clean fish and froglegs and fry them up later that evening!

And we don't call them crappie or bluegill here it's sacalait and bream!!

Snakehead Whisperer reply :

In the winter I often long for milder weather, but there is just something incredible about catching fish in sub-freezing temperatures that can't be explained. If one is dedicated, fishing can be a year round pastime regardless of the weather.

J Francho reply :

On 7/20/2013 at 12:54 AM, Snakehead Whisperer said:
In the winter I often long for milder weather, but there is just something incredible about catching fish in sub-freezing temperatures that can't be explained. If one is dedicated, fishing can be a year round pastime regardless of the weather.

Uh huh. Bass are pretty tough up here, unless through the ice, but the ditches up here provide some great hand to hand combat with big fish on light line...

Snakehead Whisperer reply :

On 7/20/2013 at 1:15 AM, J Francho said:

Uh huh. Bass are pretty tough up here, unless through the ice, but the ditches up here provide some great hand to hand combat with big fish on light line...

Looks like a blast man. Nice fish.

I also feel sorry for those who have never fished a warm water outflow in cold water conditions. Some of the best fishing there is IMHO.

derekxec reply :

ah yes forgot to mention if you like different seasons then florida isnt the place to be lol....we have like 2 weeks of 40-50 degree weather and then 11 months of heat lol

tatertester reply :

Just watched a bass tournament on TV in Alabama....Winning weights , 5 fish , 15 lbs....In Minnesota you would be middle of the pack....Big bass 4lb-7oz, we normally see several over 5 lbs at the scales.....The Lindners maintain that Minnesota has some of the best bass fishing in the country with many more quality lakes than most states....May not have 10lbers ,but, commonly catch 4 and 5 lbers....Wisconsin and Michigan are much the same.

AndyTN reply :

I grew up in FL and was spoiled by the fishing there. TX is also pretty close. Here in TN you seem to have to work a lot harder for the big bass. I can match quantity here without to much difficulty but cant's do it with the size. Now they are here but are often caught in the very private "farm ponds", and you could sooner sleep with a mans wife then fish that pond.

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