Bassmaster reveals the 2025 100 Best Bass Lakes in America
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — After a year of record-setting catches and jaw-dropping tournament results, Bassmaster Magazine has unveiled its annual list of the 100 Best Bass Lakes in America for 2025 — and this year, a powerhouse lake returns to the top spot.
California’s Clear Lake takes the crown as the best bass fishery in the country, edging out some of the sport’s most celebrated waters. Topping Bassmaster’s 100 Best Bass Lakes list in 2020, the 43,785-acre natural lake in northern California continues to churn out double-digit largemouth like clockwork — including a staggering 102.81-pound, 15-bass total landed by John Pearl in the WON Bass Open this spring. Biologists and anglers alike agree: despite heavy pressure, Clear Lake is a big-bass factory like no other.
“This fishery has endured decades of tournament traffic and still produces monsters year-round,” said B.A.S.S. Conservation Director Gene Gilliland. “It’s a testament to both the ecosystem’s productivity and sound fisheries management.”
Rounding out the Top 3 nationally are Texas’ O.H. Ivie Lake, long regarded as a bucket-list destination for trophy bass seekers, and the ever-reliable Lake Fork, also in the Lone Star State.
The 2025 rankings were developed through a combination of tournament data, fishery reports from state wildlife agencies and feedback from thousands of anglers across the country. More than 500 bodies of water were evaluated in the process.
California leads the pack this year with an unmatched 10 lakes in the Top 100, followed by Texas with nine and New York with seven.
The full list — segmented by region and topped with the national Top 10 — showcases a wide diversity of waters, from sprawling Southern impoundments to remote glacial lakes teeming with smallmouth. Whether you’re chasing personal bests or scenic solitude, there’s a lake on this list calling your name.
Full rankings can be found in the July/August issue of Bassmaster Magazine and on Bassmaster.com.
Bassmaster Magazine’s Top 10 Best Bass Lakes of 2025
- Clear Lake, California
- O.H. Ivie Lake, Texas
- Lake Fork, Texas
- St. Lawrence River (Thousand Islands), New York
- Lake Casitas, California
- Orange Lake, Florida
- Santee Cooper Lakes, South Carolina
- Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota
- Lake Erie, New York
- Lake St. Clair, Michigan
Best Bass Lakes – Central Division
- O.H. Ivie Lake, Texas
- Lake Fork, Texas
- Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota
- Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Texas
- Bussey Brake Reservoir, Louisiana
- Toledo Bend Reservoir, Louisiana/Texas
- Caney Creek Reservoir, Louisiana
- West Okoboji Lake, Iowa
- Lake J.B. Thomas, Texas
- Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, Oklahoma
- Lake Claiborne, Louisiana
- Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri
- Upper Mississippi River, Wisconsin
- Lake Oahe, South Dakota/North Dakota
- Bull Shoals, Arkansas
- Lake O’ the Pines, Texas
- Table Rock Lake, Missouri
- Bois d’Arc Lake, Texas
- Caddo Lake, Louisiana/Texas
- Millwood Lake, Arkansas
- Newton Lake, Illinois
- Lake Conroe, Texas
- Lake Hamilton, Arkansas
- Lake Tenkiller, Oklahoma
- Black Bayou Lake/Hosston Lake, Louisiana
Best Bass Lakes – Southeastern Division
- Orange Lake, Florida
- Santee Cooper Lakes, South Carolina
- Lake Guntersville, Alabama
- Albemarle Sound & Connected Rivers, North Carolina
- Lake Murray, South Carolina
- Fellsmere Reservoir/Headwaters/Lake Egan, Florida
- Pickwick Lake, Alabama/Tennessee/Mississippi
- Jordan Lake, North Carolina
- Withlacoochee River/Lake Rousseau, Florida
- Lake Lanier, Georgia
- Falls Lake, North Carolina
- Lake Seminole, Florida/Georgia
- Lake Tohopekaliga, Florida
- Kentucky Lake, Tennessee/Kentucky
- High Rock Lake, North Carolina
- Dale Hollow Reservoir, Tennessee/Kentucky
- Clarks Hill Reservoir, Georgia/South Carolina
- Lake Eufaula, Alabama/Georgia
- Chickamauga Lake, Tennessee
- Lake Chatuge, Georgia/North Carolina
- Wheeler Lake, Alabama
- South Holston Reservoir, Tennessee/Virginia
- Lake Hartwell, South Carolina/Georgia
- Ross Barnett Reservoir, Mississippi
- Lake Okeechobee, Florida
Best Bass Lakes – Northeastern Division
- St. Lawrence River (Thousand Islands), New York
- Lake Erie/Upper Niagara River, New York
- Lake St. Clair, Michigan
- Lake Erie, Ohio/Michigan
- Lake Champlain, New York/Vermont
- Burt/Mullett Lakes, Michigan
- Grand Traverse Bay, Michigan
- Cayuga Lake, New York
- Lake Charlevoix, Michigan
- Bays de Noc, Michigan
- Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia
- Cobbosseecontee Lake, Maine
- China Lake, Maine
- Great Pond, Maine
- Candlewood Lake, Connecticut
- Presque Isle Bay/Lake Erie Central Basin, Pennsylvania
- Oneida Lake, New York
- Upper Chesapeake Bay, Maryland
- Otisco Lake, New York
- Potomac River, Maryland/West Virginia/Virginia
- Saginaw Bay, Michigan
- Chautauqua Lake, New York
- Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire
- Pymatuning Reservoir, Ohio/Pennsylvania
- Lake Cumberland, Kentucky
Best Bass Lakes – Western Division
- Clear Lake, California
- Lake Casitas, California
- Lake Berryessa, California
- Diamond Valley Lake, California
- Lake Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
- Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California
- Lake Mead, Nevada/Arizona
- Lake Perris, California
- Siltcoos Lake, Oregon
- Lake Washington, Washington
- Lake Havasu, Arizona/California
- Roosevelt Lake, Arizona
- Lower Colorado River, Arizona/California
- Moses Lake, Washington
- Lake Powell, Utah/Arizona
- Don Pedro Reservoir, California
- Lake Mohave, Nevada/Arizona
- Lake Sammamish, Washington
- Lower Otay Reservoir, California
- Elephant Butte Reservoir, New Mexico
- Navajo Lake, New Mexico/Colorado
- Alamo Lake, Arizona
- Columbia River, Oregon/Washington
- Fort Peck Reservoir, Montana
- Dworshak Reservoir, Idaho
