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BassMasters Top 100 Lakes #10922465 06/17/15 01:59 PM
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Okhissa2 Offline OP
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http://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/new...shery/28847615/
John Toliver/Special to The Times
Toledo Bend Reservoir has been named the No. 1 bass fishing lake in the country by Bassmaster Magazine.
Consistently a premier stop for ardent and recreational anglers alike, Toledo Bend Reservoir is about to get catapulted into the stratosphere when Bassmaster Magazine announces on Thursday the fishery has been selected the No. 1 bass fishing lake in the country.

After an exhaustive amount of research, email queries and personal interviews with anglers throughout the United States, Toledo topped as many as 230 potential fisheries to be named the best-of-the-best according to Bassmaster Magazine editor James Hall.
Its a great honor. Its not easy to have the numbers to grab the No. 1 spot, Hall told The Times. Toledo Bend is a tremendous big bass factory right now. Its the first time a lake below the Mason Dixon line has been No. 1 since our inaugural list. But the data from Toledo was so overwhelmingly impressive that the South rose again.
With the area still reeling from the devastation left by the flood of 2015, northwest Louisiana needed some positive news from one of its fisheries and Toledo Bend Reservoir delivered in a big way.
The 185,000-acre fishery spanning the border of Louisiana and Texas is the fourth lake in the country to receive the No. 1 designation joining Falcon Lake (Texas) in 2012, Lake St. Clair (Michigan) in 2013 and Sturgeon Bay (Michigan) in 2014 as the previous top-rated bass producers.
The fourth installment of the top 100 best bass lakes in the U.S. will be released nationwide by BASS on Thursday. The news comes as no surprise to Louisiana Bassmaster Elite pro Greg Hackney of Gonzales, who has enjoyed success throughout his stellar career on Toledo.
Early in my career it was known to produce big numbers of bass, but it has turned into the premier bass fishing lake in the country, and its exciting to see, said Hackney, the 2014 Toyota Bassmaster Angler of the Year. I have some friends who were catching 8- to 9-pounders there just a few years ago. Now, no one pays any attention unless its a double-digit weight.
To uncover the countrys top bass fishery, Bassmaster officials polled fish and wildlife departments across the country, hundreds of BASS Nation presidents and conservation directors and the 600,000 BASS Facebook fans to come up with a master list of venues to consider.
After researching data on the Internet, the list of candidates is sent to the 3,500-member BASS Council Panel.
Its a very elite group of anglers from across the country who fish a lot, Hall said. They helped organize the top 100 into what we felt was a solid ranking. To put an exclamation and polish on the final list, I have a group of about 15 people kinda of a blue-ribbon panel of industry guys, media and anglers who fish all over the country, who look it over. Some lakes moved up, some moved down. Everyone signed off on it.
Toledo finished ahead of Sturgeon Bay, Lake St. Clair, the California Delta and Sam Rayburn Reservoir in the list. Additional Louisiana venues making the top 100 list were Lake Bistineau (No. 27), the Red River (77) and the Atchafayala Basin (98).
John Toliver has lived on Toledo since 2008 when he retired from the U.S. Forest Service and wanted a quiet, serene place to fill the remainder of his time. He and his wife built a log home in a five-fingered cove in the mid-lake area about a mile south of the Pendleton Bridge on the Louisiana side. He has since become president of the Toledo Bend Lake Association.
Toliver was part of a recent celebration when the TBLA awarded trophy bass replicas to a record 81 anglers who caught and released alive a bass weighing at least 10 pounds. That number of trophy bass has increased each of the last three years.
Who knows what the coming year holds, but when we hit 81, that number surprised me, Toliver said. Its been about 13 or 14 years since the Florida bass were added and after going through the drought in 2011, the lake is probably in better condition than its ever been. There are lots of aquatic plants, plenty of bait fish and the water level is remaining consistent.
Thanks to the No. 1 ranking, Toledo could see a rush of anglers from across the country wanting to check out what helped it earn the top spot. Hall said there were dramatic increases of visitors following the No. 1 release on the previous three fisheries.
And thats something we have to be mindful of. When we named St. Clair No. 1, I received reports back from a number of guides who said the overflow parking for all the ramps had to be opened, Hall said. There were lines and it put a significant amount of pressure on that lake. We try to make sure when we name a lake No. 1 that it can withstand some pressure without being harmed.
Handling pressure is something Toledo has become accustomed to over the years. Hall calls it a mammoth lake.
There are some parts that are very difficult to fish because of all the timber in it. Thats probably one of the reasons it has remained so productive. There are acres and acres that will never be fished, he said. It provides sanctuary for largemouth to go in there and breed and chill out without a lot of pressure on them.
Thats why Hackney and other pros love it when they see Toledo Bend show up on their Elite Series schedule for the next season.
Honestly, I dont know why it isnt on our schedule every year because its so big and vast and allows us to use any technique they like to be successful, Hackney said. Its one of my favorites, so I hate it when it isnt on the schedule.
Hall is likely to be angling in Minnesota or some remote part of the country when Bassmasters Top 100 list is released Thursday because he knows there will be some angry emails from lake supporters who wanted their fishery higher on the list.
Yeah. Thats whats so fun about it. No matter how much information we get or how scientific we try to be, its all still subjective and up in the air. Its worth debating, Hall said. Creating a conversation about fishing is what we really hope to do. Weve had multiple guys say their goal in life is to fish the Top 100. They start making their rounds. Thats what Im doing right now.
Twitter: @JimmyWatson6
BASSMASTER Magazines 100 Best Bass Lakes (2015)
1. Toledo Bend, Texas/Louisiana [185,000 acres]
2. Sturgeon Bay (Lake Michigan), Wisconsin [from Little Sturgeon Bay to Fish Creek]
3. Lake St. Clair, Michigan [430 square miles]
4. California Delta, California [1,100 square miles]
5. Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Texas [114,500 acres]
6. Lake Guntersville, Alabama [70,000 acres]
7. Green Bay (Lake Michigan), Wisconsin [up to Little Sturgeon Bay]
8. Thousand Islands (St. Lawrence River), New York [50-mile stretch]
9. Clear Lake, California [43,785 acres]
10. Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota [132,000 acres]
11. Lake Coeur dAlene, Idaho [25,000 acres]
12. Kentucky/Barkley lakes, Tennessee/Kentucky [160,309 acres and 58,000 acres, respectively]
13. Grand Lake O the Cherokees, Oklahoma [46,500 acres]
14. Lake Champlain, New York/Vermont [490 square miles]
15. Lake Fork Reservoir, Texas [27,690 acres]
16. Lake Tohopekaliga, Florida [22,700 acres]
17. Grand Traverse Bay (Lake Michigan), Michigan [32 miles long, 10 miles wide]
18. Rainy Lake, Minnesota [360 square miles]
19. Lake Erie, New York [30-mile radius from Buffalo]
20. Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota [14,528 acres]
21. Lake Eufaula, Alabama/Georgia [46,000 acres]
22. Lake Erie, Ohio [30-mile radius of Sandusky]
23. Lake Havasu, Arizona [19,300 acres]
24. Candlewood Lake, Connecticut [5,420 acres]
25. Presque Isle Bay, Pennsylvania [5.8 square miles]
26. Lake Okeechobee, Florida [730 square miles]
27. Lake Bistineau, Louisiana [15,550 acres]
28. Lake Charlevoix, Michigan [17,200 acres]
29. Santee Cooper lakes (Marion and Moultrie), South Carolina [110,000 acres and 60,000 acres, respectively]
30. Rodman Reservoir, Florida [13,000 acres]
31. Lake Ray Roberts, Texas [29,350 acres]
32. Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri [54,000 acres]
33. Cobbosseecontee Lake, Maine [5,540 acres]
34. Lake Dardanelle, Arkansas [40,000 acres]
35. Alexandria Chain of Lakes, Minnesota [417 acres to 2,520 acres, depending on the lake]
36. Pickwick Lake, Alabama/Mississippi/Tennessee [43,100 acres]
37. Lake Berryessa, California [20,700 acres]
38. Lake Seminole, Georgia/Florida [37,500 acres]
39. China Lake, Maine [3,845 acres]
40. Oneida Lake, New York [79.8 square miles]
41. Chickamauga Lake, Tennessee [36,240 acres]
42. Falcon Lake, Texas [83,654 acres]
43. Potholes Reservoir, Washington [14,281 acres]
44. Bull Shoals Lake, Arkansas [45,150 acres]
45. Burt/Mullett lakes, Michigan [17,120 acres and 16,630 acres, respectively]
46. Leech Lake, Minnesota [103,000 acres]
47. Randleman Lake, North Carolina [3,007 acres]
48. Lake Murray, South Carolina [50,000 acres]
49. Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia [20,600 acres]
50. Lake Conroe, Texas [21,000 acres]
51. Shasta Lake, California [30,000 acres]
52. Mississippi River Pools 4-10, Iowa/Wisconsin/Minnesota [Hager City, Wis., to Harpers Ferry, Iowa]
53. Columbia River, Oregon/Washington [15-mile stretch between the Dalles and Hood rivers]
54. Lay Lake, Alabama [12,000 acres]
55. Bullards Bar, California [16 miles long]
56. St. Johns River, Florida [310 miles long]
57. Upper Chesapeake Bay, Maryland [the entire bay is more than 64,000 square miles, but the best fishing is in the top one-third]
58. Bays de Noc, Michigan [Escanaba to Little Summer Island]
59. Brownlee Reservoir, Idaho/Oregon [15,000 acres]
60. High Rock Lake, North Carolina [15,180 acres]
61. Cayuga Lake, New York [38 miles long, 3 1/2 miles wide]
62. Fayette County Reservoir, Texas [2,400 acres]
63. Pymatuning Reservoir, Pennsylvania/Ohio [17,088 acres]
64. Lake Hudson, Oklahoma [12,000 acres]
65. Squam Lake, New Hampshire [6,791 acres]
66. Lake Audubon, North Dakota [14,739 acres]
67. West Okoboji Lake, Iowa [3,847 acres]
68. Konowa Reservoir, Oklahoma [1,350 acres]
69. Saginaw Bay, Michigan [1,143 square miles]
70. Newton Lake, Illinois [1,775 acres]
71. Pardee Reservoir, California [2,257 acres]
72. Millwood Lake, Arkansas [29,200 acres]
73. Lake Texoma, Oklahoma/Texas [89,000 acres]
74. Dworshak Reservoir, Idaho [17,090 acres]
75. Lake O the Arbuckles, Oklahoma [2,350 acres]
76. Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire [20 miles long, 9 miles wide]
77. Red River, Louisiana [125-mile stretch from Shreveport to Alexandria]
78. Lewis and Clark Lake, Nebraska/South Dakota [31,000 acres]
79. Chautauqua Lake, New York [13,156 acres]
80. Cooper River, South Carolina [30-mile stretch below Lake Moultrie dam]
81. Dale Hollow Reservoir, Tennessee/Kentucky [27,700 acres]
82. Stonewall Jackson Lake, West Virginia [2,630 acres]
83. Apache Lake, Arizona [2,568 acres]
84. Noxon Rapids Reservoir, Montana [30 miles long, 2 miles wide]
85. Lake Istokpoga, Florida [26,762 acres]
86. Squaw Creek Reservoir, Texas [3,275 acres]
87. Lake Hartwell, Georgia/South Carolina [56,000 acres]
88. Lake Ouachita, Arkansas [40,000 acres]
89. Lake Lanier, Georgia [38,000 acres]
90. Old Hickory Lake, Tennessee [22,500 acres]
91. Lake Bomoseen, Vermont [2,400 acres]
92. Kezar Lake, Maine [2,510 acres]
93. Logan Martin Lake, Alabama [17,000 acres]
94. Lake Cumberland, Kentucky [65,530 acres]
95. Watauga Lake, Tennessee [6,430 acres]
96. Lake Wateree, South Carolina [13,700 acres]
97. Ross Barnett Reservoir, Mississippi [33,000 acres]
98. Atchafalaya Basin, Louisiana [260,000 acres, but only 30 percent is fishable]
99. Harlan County Reservoir, Nebraska [13,000 acres]
100. Quabbin Reservoir, Massachusetts [38.6 square miles]

Last edited by Okhissa2; 06/17/15 02:00 PM.
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Re: BassMasters Top 100 Lakes [Re: Okhissa2] #10922543 06/17/15 02:28 PM
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Sparlin Offline
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Great job guys keeping Lake Lewisville a secret! WHEW!! roflmao


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Re: BassMasters Top 100 Lakes [Re: Okhissa2] #10922603 06/17/15 02:49 PM
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Rob Lay Offline
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acre per acre you can't beat Lake Fork, but I have to agree with Toledo Bend especially considering it is 185k acres.

I have fished...

1. Toledo Bend, Texas/Louisiana [185,000 acres]
2. Sturgeon Bay (Lake Michigan), Wisconsin [from Little Sturgeon Bay to Fish Creek]
5. Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Texas [114,500 acres]
7. Green Bay (Lake Michigan), Wisconsin [up to Little Sturgeon Bay]
12. Kentucky/Barkley lakes, Tennessee/Kentucky [160,309 acres and 58,000 acres, respectively]
15. Lake Fork Reservoir, Texas [27,690 acres]
16. Lake Tohopekaliga, Florida [22,700 acres]
17. Grand Traverse Bay (Lake Michigan), Michigan [32 miles long, 10 miles wide]
21. Lake Eufaula, Alabama/Georgia [46,000 acres]
26. Lake Okeechobee, Florida [730 square miles]
31. Lake Ray Roberts, Texas [29,350 acres]
36. Pickwick Lake, Alabama/Mississippi/Tennessee [43,100 acres]
41. Chickamauga Lake, Tennessee [36,240 acres]
42. Falcon Lake, Texas [83,654 acres]
73. Lake Texoma, Oklahoma/Texas [89,000 acres]
86. Squaw Creek Reservoir, Texas [3,275 acres]
87. Lake Hartwell, Georgia/South Carolina [56,000 acres]

I haven't heard of many, seems like they have more 2-4k small lakes in there this year.

Re: BassMasters Top 100 Lakes [Re: Okhissa2] #10922623 06/17/15 02:55 PM
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Outdoordude Offline
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I cannot fathom how Millwood is still considered a top 100 lake, much less ranked above Ouachita.


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Re: BassMasters Top 100 Lakes [Re: Okhissa2] #10922633 06/17/15 03:01 PM
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lamoon78 Offline
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Toledo definately deserved it

Re: BassMasters Top 100 Lakes [Re: Okhissa2] #10922650 06/17/15 03:05 PM
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She is a special place for sure. Just hope our visitors continue to treat her right.


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Re: BassMasters Top 100 Lakes [Re: Okhissa2] #10922697 06/17/15 03:25 PM
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This list is always fun to see just how many I've been able to experience over the years - kind of "Bucket List" stuff.

Geez, got a LONG way to go, LOL

Here's my list:
1. Toledo Bend, Texas/Louisiana [185,000 acres]
4. California Delta, California [1,100 square miles]
5. Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Texas [114,500 acres]
9. Clear Lake, California [43,785 acres]
11. Lake Coeur dAlene, Idaho [25,000 acres]
15. Lake Fork Reservoir, Texas [27,690 acres
26. Lake Okeechobee, Florida [730 square miles]
37. Lake Berryessa, California [20,700 acres]
42. Falcon Lake, Texas [83,654 acres]
51. Shasta Lake, California [30,000 acres]
53. Columbia River, Oregon/Washington [15-mile stretch between the Dalles and Hood rivers]
55. Bullards Bar, California [16 miles long]
71. Pardee Reservoir, California [2,257 acres]
73. Lake Texoma, Oklahoma/Texas [89,000 acres]
74. Dworshak Reservoir, Idaho [17,090 acres]
84. Noxon Rapids Reservoir, Montana [30 miles long, 2 miles wide]
89. Lake Lanier, Georgia [38,000 acres]
98. Atchafalaya Basin, Louisiana [260,000 acres, but only 30 percent is fishable]

Re: BassMasters Top 100 Lakes [Re: Okhissa2] #10922961 06/17/15 05:07 PM
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epicoutdoors Offline
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Lake Konowa at #68 but no Monti? There is no comparison between these two power plant lakes, either historically or currently. Konowa is a good little lake but come on man!

Re: BassMasters Top 100 Lakes [Re: Okhissa2] #10922967 06/17/15 05:09 PM
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fouzman Offline
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Bassmaster does this every year. And it changes every year. This list is meaningless to me.


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Re: BassMasters Top 100 Lakes [Re: epicoutdoors] #10923036 06/17/15 05:27 PM
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Originally Posted By: epicoutdoors

Lake Konowa at #68 but no Monti? There is no comparison between these two power plant lakes, either historically or currently. Konowa is a good little lake but come on man!


I'd rather Monti not get the publicity. As far as number of 4-7 pound fish, there aren't many lakes in Texas that are better.


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Re: BassMasters Top 100 Lakes [Re: Okhissa2] #10923039 06/17/15 05:29 PM
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Kevin Bryant Offline
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Lake Ray Roberts made this list? That's laughable. These people have obviously never fished it...


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Re: BassMasters Top 100 Lakes [Re: Okhissa2] #10923072 06/17/15 05:39 PM
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northdallasfisherman Offline
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I'm shocked that Ray Roberts is ranked higher than Falcon. Only basing it on the way everyone talks how good Falcon is and how frustrated people get on here with Ray Roberts


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Re: BassMasters Top 100 Lakes [Re: Kevin Bryant] #10923133 06/17/15 05:54 PM
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epicoutdoors Offline
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Originally Posted By: Kevin Bryant
Originally Posted By: epicoutdoors

Lake Konowa at #68 but no Monti? There is no comparison between these two power plant lakes, either historically or currently. Konowa is a good little lake but come on man!


I'd rather Monti not get the publicity. As far as number of 4-7 pound fish, there aren't many lakes in Texas that are better.



I hear you, but there may not be 2000 acres of water anywhere that has been pounded like Monti has over the last 35 years.
Monti has been a bass factory since day one. Just one of the best ever.

Re: BassMasters Top 100 Lakes [Re: Okhissa2] #10923157 06/17/15 06:05 PM
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squaw made the list... WHy? and how?

who got paid to make this up lol


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Re: BassMasters Top 100 Lakes [Re: Okhissa2] #10923267 06/17/15 06:47 PM
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Ray Roberts????!!!!! roflmao roflmao


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