BIRMINGHAM, Ala. >> Clear Lake’s drawing power as a top fishery received another huge boost with the recent release of Bassmaster Magazine’s 100 Best Bass Lakes rankings.
Only two other lakes in the entire nation scored higher than Clear Lake, which also was named the top bass fishing lake in the western United States. Only Mille Lacs Lake in Minnesota and Sam Rayburn Reservoir in Texas scored higher than Clear Lake in the national rankings.
Mille Lacs Lake, a 132,516-acre natural lake located 100 miles north of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, soared to the No. 1 spot after months of research unveiled its unbelievable production of smallmouth bass. Mille Lacs was ranked No. 6 in the nation last year.
“This fishery really got our attention last September during the Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship, when 94 limits of smallmouth were weighed in that topped the 20-pound mark,” said Bassmaster Magazine Editor James Hall. “Had that been a four-day event, eventual winner Seth Feider may have topped the 100-pound mark with smallmouth, a feat that has never, ever happened before.”
But it takes more than one good event to push a fishery to the top of these rankings.
“After months of research and processing data from dozens of sources, we realized that the Angler of the Year event was hardly impressive production for the lake. Thirty-pound limits were weighed in during five team events last fall, including two limits breaking the 36-pound mark. Remember, these are limits of smallmouth. Just incredible,” Hall said.
This year, the rankings highlight the Top 12 fisheries in the nation regardless of location. The remaining lakes are ranked within one of four regions (Northeastern, Southeastern, Central and Western), so readers can easily identify the Top 25 lakes nearest them.
The Central division, which has been dominated by Toledo Bend Reservoir the past two years (it was the first fishery to be ranked No. 1 more than one time), experienced the biggest shakeup of the rankings. As Mille Lacs took over the No. 1 spot here, Sam Rayburn Reservoir in Texas also jumped ahead of Toledo Bend (which fell to No. 4 in the region). Lake Erie, fishing out of Buffalo, N.Y., took top honors in the Northeastern division (No. 7 nationally). California’s Clear Lake ended up the best in the West (No. 3 in the nation). As for the Southeastern division, North Carolina’s Shearon Harris Lake topped all other fisheries (No. 4 in the nation).
“There are a lot of surprises this year,” Hall admits. “Shearon Harris may be one of the biggest. But this lake produced two limits this year that topped 40 pounds. Can you imagine an 8-pound average?”
Other highlights include the comeback of Michigan’s Lake St. Clair, a former No. 1 lake on this list that faced a serious downturn two years ago. This smallmouth factory has climbed back to No. 9 in the nation. New Bullards Bar in California (No. 4 in the Western division) has produced several world-record class spotted bass in the past 12 months, including an 11.25-pounder. South Carolina’s Santee Cooper Lakes (Marion and Moultrie) are again producing near-30-pound limits, earning them the No. 8 spot in the nation and top spot in the Southeastern division.
As for bragging rights for the individual state with the most lakes making the Top 100, Texas wins by a long shot. The Lone Star State features 11 lakes that made the cut. California was a distant second, with a still-impressive showing of seven lakes being ranked in the Top 100.
Bassmaster’s 100 Best Bass Lakes will be published in an 11-page section of the July/August issue of Bassmaster Magazine. The complete rankings will also be featured on Bassmaster.com.
Top 12 in nation
1. Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota (132,516 acres)
2. Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Texas (114,500 acres)
3. Clear Lake, California (43,785 acres)
4. Shearon Harris Lake, North Carolina (4,100 acres)
5. Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California (1,153 square miles)
6. Lake Berryessa, California (20,700 acres)
7. Lake Erie, New York (30-mile radius from Buffalo)
8. Santee Cooper Lakes, Marion and Moultrie, South Carolina (110,000 acres and 60,000 acres, respectively)
9. Lake St. Clair, Michigan (430 square miles)
10. Falcon Lake, Texas (83,654 acres)
11. Thousand Islands (St. Lawrence River), New York [50-mile stretch)
12. Chickamauga Lake, Tennessee (36,240 acres)
Western Division
1. Clear Lake, California
2. Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California
3. Lake Berryessa, California
4. New Bullards Bar Reservoir, California
5. Saguaro Lake, Arizona
6. Lake Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
7. Diamond Valley Lake, California
8. Lake Havasu, Arizona/California
9. New Melones Lake, California
10. Apache Lake, Arizona
11. Dworshak Reservoir, Idaho
12. Columbia River, Oregon/Washington
13. Siltcoos Lake, Oregon
14. Roosevelt Lake, Arizona
15. Potholes Reservoir, Washingtom
16. Sand Hollow Reservoir, Utah
17. Tenmile Lake, Oregon
18. Moses Lake, Washingtom
19. C.J. Strike Reservoir, Idaho
20. Lake Mohave, Nevada/Arizona
21. Brownlee Reservoir, Idaho/Oregon
22. Lake Powell, Utah/Arizona
23. Elephant Butte Reservoir, New Mexico
24. Lake Mead, Nevada/arizona
25. Noxon Rapids Reservoir, Montana
