10 Texas Lakes Make BASS List Of Best In America

Truth be told, when it comes to bass fishing here in the Arklatex, we are a little spoiled. And rightfully so!

We have proven again that the finest bass fishing in the entire United States is right here in our backyard, or lakefront as it were.

Though Texas leads the charge again this year with an impressive total of ten lakes to make the nation's Top 100, including the overall #1 which was O.H. Ivie near San Angelo, Texas, the Bayou State once again was pretty impressive as well.

With this week's release of Bassmaster Magazine's Top Ten Bass Lakes of 2023 and the other top finishers from each of the four specific regions including the Central region in which Texas and Louisiana are included, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that we have our "unfair" share of incredible bass fishing all around us.

Apparently Things Really Are Bigger In Texas; Even The Bass

Just consider that with ten lakes making the nation's Top 100, a full ten percent of all the best bass fishing in America is in Texas; just staggering.

But the Bayou State also made another impressive showing this year with five Louisiana or Louisiana/Texas border lakes all showing up on the BASS radar!

In a press release from Bassmaster Magazine Editor-in Chief James Hall, we learn that this annual ranking takes a lot of work to compile.

“We are always a little surprised when going through the data how many fisheries make the rankings and then fall off, as well as by those lakes that just always make the list.”  “Creating the rankings takes more than two months as we dig through current tournament data as well as state fishery information on stocking efforts, catch rates and angler access.

“While the fisheries may change, our goal is to point anglers toward the most productive waters so that their time is spent with rod bent. These rankings provide a bucket list of destinations for anglers.”

 

The rankings identify the top lakes in the nation based on head-to-head comparisons, as well as the Top 25 lakes in four geographical regions — Central, Western, Southeastern and Northeastern.

Bassmaster Magazine’s Top 10 Best Bass Lakes of 2023

1. O.H. Ivie Lake, Texas
2. St. Lawrence River (1000 Islands), New York
3. Clear Lake, California
4. Lake Murray, South Carolina
5. Toledo Bend, Louisiana/Texas
6. Fellsmere Reservoir/Stick Marsh/Kenansville Lake, Florida
7. Lake St. Clair, Michigan
8. Orange Lake, Florida
9. Lake Erie/Upper Niagara River, New York
10. Lake Okeechobee, Florida

Best Bass Lakes – Central Division

1. O.H. Ivie Lake, Texas
2. Toledo Bend, Louisiana/Texas
3. Lake Fork, Texas
4. Possum Kingdom Lake, Texas
5. Caney Creek Reservoir, Louisiana
6. Bussey Brake Reservoir, Louisiana
7. Mille Lacs, Minnesota
8. Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Texas
9. Grand Lake O’ The Cherokees, Oklahoma
10. West Okoboji Lake, Iowa
11. Caddo Lake, Louisiana/Texas
12. Lake Eufaula, Oklahoma
13. Lake of the Arbuckles/Arbuckle Lake, Oklahoma
14. Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri
15. Lake Falcon, Texas
16. Lake Oahe, South Dakota
17. Lake Nacogdoches, Texas
18. Bull Shoals, Arkansas/Missouri
19. Lake Conroe, Texas
20. Table Rock Lake, Missouri
21. Upper Mississippi River, Wisconsin
22. Lake Hudson, Oklahoma
23. Lake Bistineau, Louisiana
24. Newton Lake, Illinois
25. Lake Texoma, Oklahoma/Texas

Full rankings can be found in the July/August issue of Bassmaster Magazine and on Bassmaster.com.