Becomes first fishery to claim top honor two years in a row
For the first time since Bassmaster started creating a Top 100 Best Bass Lakes ranking, a fishery has managed to claim the honor in back-to-back years. And 2016 also marks the first time the coveted title has been awarded to the same location twice.
But Louisiana anglers won’t be surprised one bit to hear which fishery tops the list — again.
Toledo Bend Reservoir capped off another incredible year of lunker bass production and jaw-dropping tournament stringer weights — along with a Kevin VanDam Elite Series victory in May for good measure — to reclaim Bassmaster’s top spot.
“More than three months of research went into this year’s rankings,” explained Bassmaster Magazine editor James Hall, who noted that the initial pool of top fisheries was developed with input from B.A.S.S. Nation members across the country, state fisheries biologists, the 3,500-member B.A.S.S. Council and some of the 650,000 Facebook fans of B.A.S.S.
“Then, we scoured the Internet for current catch-rate data, using the results of more than two dozen tournament organizations and several state lunker programs to narrow the field to 100,” he said. “It’s a brutal process, but the results give bass anglers the ultimate bucket list of lakes for 2016.”
There is one big difference in the rankings this year. The Top 10 lakes in the nation are ranked regardless of location, but instead of ranking the remaining lakes through 100, as has been done in the past, Bassmaster divided the nation into four regions: Northeast, Southeast, Central and Western. Now, readers will see the Top 25 lakes closest to them. This also created four No. 1 regional fisheries.
In the Southeast division, Santee Cooper lakes earned the top spot (it’s also ranked No. 2 in the nation). Clear Lake took the No. 1 spot in the Western division (No. 3 nationally), while the New York portion of Lake Erie was named No. 1 in the Northeast (No. 4 in the nation). Of course, Toledo Bend was the Central division’s No.1 fishery.
“Our panel of judges who finalized the rankings were absolutely blown away by the production of Toledo Bend the past 12 months,” Hall said. “The lake has yielded 139 certified bass over 10 pounds with a 14.15-pounder topping the list. Plus, a 38-pound limit and countless limits in the 30-pound range have been weighed in during tournaments over the past year.”
The 185,000-acre impoundment was the site of the Bassmaster Elite at Toledo Bend in May, which KVD won with almost 100 pounds — even though the anglers were fishing in tough conditions after regional flooding had occurred.
A couple of other highlights from the rankings include Texas’ Falcon Lake climbing back into the nation’s Top 10 with a No. 9 ranking. This lake was ranked No.1 in 2012 and then very nearly fell off the list when drought plagued the region. Plus, a couple of new lakes have cracked the rankings, including Mississippi’s Okatibbee Lake, Arizona’s Saguaro Lake and Florida’s Lake Rousseau.
Texas earned bragging rights for the state with the most ranked lakes, boasting eight fisheries on the list. Florida and California tied for the second most with seven ranked lakes, while New York and Michigan each have six lakes in the Top 100.
Here is the complete Top 10 for 2016:
1. Toledo Bend, Texas/Louisiana [185,000 acres]
2. Santee Cooper lakes, Marion and Moultrie, South Carolina [110,000 acres and 60,000 acres, respectively]
3. Clear Lake, California [43,785 acres]
4. Lake Erie, New York [30-mile radius from Buffalo]
5. Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California [1,100 square miles]
6. Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota [132,000 acres]
7. Lake Berryessa, California [20,700 acres]
8. Rodman Reservoir, Florida [13,000 acres]
9. Falcon Lake, Texas [83,654 acres]
10. Lake St. Clair, Michigan [430 square miles]
For more info on the Top 100, click here.
