3 Bass Fishing Lake Factors
By Andy Whitcomb
Mar 06, 2017
There are thousands and thousands of lakes that have bass. But, the best bass fishing lakes consistently have these three factors.
The largemouth bass is an immensely popular “sport fish.” It commonly grows to 3-5 pounds and may exceed 10 pounds. It will hit a variety of lures and put up a good battle, often leaping in the process. Plus, bass are found in every state, in a variety of waters. However, the best bass fishing lakes seem to have similar characteristics.
1. Habitat. When seeking the best lakes to fish for bass, any experienced bass angler will tell you that bass love aquatic structure. If you can find vegetation, brush piles, docks, stumps, or rocks, you have located where to fish for bass.
2. Forage. Largemouth bass lack teeth but will swallow any prey that will fit in that bucket of a mouth. This can be any smaller fish, frogs, snakes, or even mice. However, the best bass fishing lakes tend to have an ample supply of sunfish, shad, and/or crayfish.
3. Spawning areas. The best bass fishing lakes have plenty of good spawning habitat. Bass prefer nesting sites of small gravel, without too much silt or vegetation. If bass harvest regulations are managed carefully on these types of lakes or reservoirs, little if any supplemental stocking is needed.
Bass are fairly tolerant of a wide range of lake conditions such as turbidity, depth, temperature, and size. Bassmaster compiles a yearly list of best bass fishing lakes and this list is continually changing, as lakes periodically fluctuate. But the best lakes to fish for bass consistently provide plenty of these three factors in some form. What is your best bass fishing lake? And have you used your renewed fishing license already this year for bass?
1. Habitat. When seeking the best lakes to fish for bass, any experienced bass angler will tell you that bass love aquatic structure. If you can find vegetation, brush piles, docks, stumps, or rocks, you have located where to fish for bass.
2. Forage. Largemouth bass lack teeth but will swallow any prey that will fit in that bucket of a mouth. This can be any smaller fish, frogs, snakes, or even mice. However, the best bass fishing lakes tend to have an ample supply of sunfish, shad, and/or crayfish.
3. Spawning areas. The best bass fishing lakes have plenty of good spawning habitat. Bass prefer nesting sites of small gravel, without too much silt or vegetation. If bass harvest regulations are managed carefully on these types of lakes or reservoirs, little if any supplemental stocking is needed.
Bass are fairly tolerant of a wide range of lake conditions such as turbidity, depth, temperature, and size. Bassmaster compiles a yearly list of best bass fishing lakes and this list is continually changing, as lakes periodically fluctuate. But the best lakes to fish for bass consistently provide plenty of these three factors in some form. What is your best bass fishing lake? And have you used your renewed fishing license already this year for bass?
Andy is an outdoor writer (http://www.justkeepreeling.com/) and stressed-out Dad has contributed over 380 blogs to takemefishing.org since 2011. Born in Florida, but raised on banks of Oklahoma farm ponds, he now chases pike, smallmouth bass, and steelhead in Pennsylvania. After earning a B.S. in Zoology from OSU, he worked in fish hatcheries and as a fisheries research technician at OSU, Iowa State, and Michigan State.
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