With the sale of fishing licenses climbing, bass fishing is reeling in new fans. “There’s a huge influx of young blood,” says James Hall, editor of Bassmaster magazine, citing high schools and colleges that are adding competitive fishing teams. Hall shares some favorites from the magazine’s annual list of the top 100 bass-fishing lakes with Larry Bleiberg for USA TODAY.
Lake Coeur d’Alene
Idaho
Even if the fishing weren’t good here, Hall says he’d still journey to this spot for its beauty. But the lake stands out because of the different ways you can catch bass. “You can fish shallow by the bank, or you can go to 30 to 40 feet of water and catch just as many fish off deep ledges or boulders.” 877-782-9232; coeurdalene.org
Sam Rayburn Reservoir
Texas
All lakes go through life cycles with good and poor fishing, and this southeast Texas reservoir north of Beaumont is at the top of its game right now, Hall says. After several years of drought, the lake is recovering nicely. “The water has risen recently, and usually when that happens, the bass fishing goes crazy.” samrayburn.com
Thousand Islands
New York
This section of the St. Lawrence River Valley in Upstate New York and on the Canadian border is not only a long-recognized beauty spot, it’s also renowned as a hatchery for smallmouth bass. “They’re acrobatic and they fight hard, and they’re typically willing to eat artificial bait if you get it in front of them,” Hall says. 315-386-4000; fishcap.net Read more….