Bass fishing enthusiasts always look for the best spots to cast their lines and reel impressive catches. Here’s a rundown of the top bass fishing spots for 2024, each offering unique features and catering to various fishing needs, including family-friendly options.
1. St. Lawrence River
What Makes It Special: The St. Lawrence River, flowing from Lake Ontario to the Atlantic Ocean, is renowned for its trophy smallmouth bass. The clear, deep waters are home to bass weighing over 6 pounds.
Family-Friendly: Yes, with numerous access points, marinas, and family-friendly amenities, it’s perfect for a family fishing trip.
Stretching over 700 miles, the river offers diverse fishing environments, from rocky shoals to deep channels. The St. Lawrence River is a large international river connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean in the middle latitudes of North America. Its waters flow northeasterly from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, traversing Ontario, Quebec in Canada, and New York in the United States.
What Makes It Special: Known for its giant largemouth bass, Ivie Lake consistently produces record-breaking catches.
Family-Friendly: Moderately, the lake has basic amenities, but it’s more suited for serious anglers than casual family trips.
A reservoir with brush and timber, offering ideal habitats for bass. On the Colorado and Concho Rivers in Concho, Coleman, and Runnels counties, 55 miles east of San Angelo
What Makes It Special: Famous for its dense vegetation and healthy bass population, Orange Lake is a prime spot for largemouth bass.
Family-Friendly: It’s an excellent spot for family outings, with parks and picnic areas nearby.
A large, shallow lake with abundant aquatic vegetation, it has perfect bass habitats. Orange Lake is the largest lake in the North Central Region at 12,550 acres. It is designated a Fish Management Area about 20 miles southeast of Gainesville. Orange Lake averages 5.5 feet deep with a maximum depth of 12 feet.
What Makes It Special: This lake is known for its excellent smallmouth bass fishing, with plenty of big catches reported annually.
Family-Friendly: Yes, with plenty of boating and recreational activities available, it’s great for families.
Lake St. Clair, a shallow, expansive lake with clear waters, is a freshwater lake between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan.
What Makes It Special: Lake Fork is legendary for its largemouth bass, holding over 50% of the Texas state record bass.
Family-Friendly: Moderately, it has some amenities but is more of a hardcore fishing destination.
A 27,690-acre reservoir with a variety of fishing environments, from submerged timber to deep channels, Lake Fork Reservoir, is a reservoir located in Wood, Rains, and Hopkins counties in the state of Texas, between the towns of Quitman, Alba, Emory, and Yantis, Texas. It was impounded by the Lake Fork Dam in 1980 and reached its average pool surface elevation of 403.0 feet above mean sea level in 1985.
6. Lake Murray, South Carolina
What Makes It Special: Known for largemouth and striped bass, Lake Murray offers excellent fishing opportunities throughout the year.
Family-Friendly: Yes, with plenty of recreational activities and beautiful surroundings, it’s ideal for a family vacation.
Offering diverse fishing habitats, Lake Murray is a reservoir in the state of South Carolina in the U.S. It is approximately 50,000 acres in size and has roughly 650 mi of shoreline. It was impounded in the late 1920s to provide hydroelectric power to the state of South Carolina.
7. Lake Erie
What Makes It Special: One of the Great Lakes, Lake Erie is famous for its smallmouth bass and walleye fishing.
Family-Friendly: Yes, with numerous parks, beaches, and family activities along its shores.
A vast lake with both shallow and deep areas provides various fishing experiences. Lake Erie is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and has the shortest average water residence time.
8. Clear Lake, California
What Makes It Special: Clear Lake is known as one of the best bass fishing lakes in the western United States, with abundant largemouth bass.
Family-Friendly: Yes, with resorts and campgrounds, it’s perfect for a family fishing vacation.
A natural freshwater lake with clear waters and extensive weed beds, ideal for bass fishing, Clear Lake is a natural freshwater lake in Lake County in the U.S. state of California, north of Napa County and San Francisco. It is the largest natural freshwater lake wholly within the state, with 68 square miles of surface area. At an age of 0.5 million years, it is the oldest lake in North America.
9. Bussey Brake Reservoir, Louisiana
What Makes It Special: Bussey Brake, a newer hotspot, is gaining fame for its healthy largemouth bass population.
Family-Friendly: Moderately, it’s more suited for dedicated anglers but has some basic amenities.
A reclaimed reservoir with plenty of cover and structure offers excellent fishing conditions.
10. Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota
What Makes It Special: Renowned for its smallmouth bass, Mille Lacs Lake is a top destination for bass fishing in the Midwest.
Family-Friendly: Yes, with resorts, lodges, and family-friendly fishing charters available.
Lake Description: A large, clear lake with rocky reefs and abundant aquatic vegetation, providing excellent habitats for bass. Mille Lacs Lake is a large but shallow lake in Minnesota in the U.S. It is located in the counties of Mille Lacs, Aitkin, and Crow Wing, roughly 75 miles north of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. Mille Lacs means “thousand lakes” in French.
Sarasota Quality Products is Near Number 7
Westlake, Ohio (where we are located) is about one mile south of Lake Erie’s southern shore. The Cleveland Metroparks Huntington Reservation, located on Lake Erie’s west side, is the closest beach to Westlake. The reservation offers a variety of activities, including bass fishing!