Clear Lake named nation’s best bass lake for 2025

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — 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 Clear Lake 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

1.   Clear Lake, California
2.   O.H. Ivie Lake, Texas
3.   Lake Fork, Texas
4.   St. Lawrence River (Thousand Islands), New York
5.   Lake Casitas, California
6.   Orange Lake, Florida
7.   Santee Cooper Lakes, South Carolina
8.   Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota
9.   Lake Erie, New York
10. Lake St. Clair, Michigan

Best Bass Lakes – Central Division

1.   O.H. Ivie Lake, Texas
2.   Lake Fork, Texas
3.   Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota
4.   Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Texas
5.   Bussey Brake Reservoir, Louisiana
6.   Toledo Bend Reservoir, Louisiana/Texas
7.   Caney Creek Reservoir, Louisiana
8.   West Okoboji Lake, Iowa
9.   Lake J.B. Thomas, Texas
10. Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, Oklahoma
11. Lake Claiborne, Louisiana
12. Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri
13. Upper Mississippi River, Wisconsin
14. Lake Oahe, South Dakota/North Dakota
15. Bull Shoals, Arkansas
16. Lake O’ the Pines, Texas
17. Table Rock Lake, Missouri
18. Bois d’Arc Lake, Texas
19. Caddo Lake, Louisiana/Texas
20. Millwood Lake, Arkansas
21. Newton Lake, Illinois
22. Lake Conroe, Texas
23. Lake Hamilton, Arkansas
24. Lake Tenkiller, Oklahoma
25. Black Bayou Lake/Hosston Lake, Louisiana

Best Bass Lakes – Southeastern Division

1.   Orange Lake, Florida
2.   Santee Cooper Lakes, South Carolina
3.   Lake Guntersville, Alabama
4.   Albemarle Sound & Connected Rivers, North Carolina
5.   Lake Murray, South Carolina
6.   Fellsmere Reservoir/Headwaters/Lake Egan, Florida
7.   Pickwick Lake, Alabama/Tennessee/Mississippi
8.   Jordan Lake, North Carolina
9.   Withlacoochee River/Lake Rousseau, Florida
10. Lake Lanier, Georgia
11. Falls Lake, North Carolina
12. Lake Seminole, Florida/Georgia
13. Lake Tohopekaliga, Florida
14. Kentucky Lake, Tennessee/Kentucky
15. High Rock Lake, North Carolina
16. Dale Hollow Reservoir, Tennessee/Kentucky
17. Clarks Hill Reservoir, Georgia/South Carolina
18. Lake Eufaula, Alabama/Georgia
19. Chickamauga Lake, Tennessee
20. Lake Chatuge, Georgia/North Carolina
21. Wheeler Lake, Alabama
22. South Holston Reservoir, Tennessee/Virginia
23. Lake Hartwell, South Carolina/Georgia
24. Ross Barnett Reservoir, Mississippi
25. Lake Okeechobee, Florida

Best Bass Lakes – Northeastern Division

1.   St. Lawrence River (Thousand Islands), New York
2.   Lake Erie/Upper Niagara River, New York
3.   Lake St. Clair, Michigan
4.   Lake Erie, Ohio/Michigan
5.   Lake Champlain, New York/Vermont
6.   Burt/Mullett Lakes, Michigan
7.   Grand Traverse Bay, Michigan
8.   Cayuga Lake, New York
9.   Lake Charlevoix, Michigan
10. Bays de Noc, Michigan
11. Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia
12. Cobbosseecontee Lake, Maine
13. China Lake, Maine
14. Great Pond, Maine
15. Candlewood Lake, Connecticut
16. Presque Isle Bay/Lake Erie Central Basin, Pennsylvania
17. Oneida Lake, New York
18. Upper Chesapeake Bay, Maryland
19. Otisco Lake, New York
20. Potomac River, Maryland/West Virginia/Virginia
21. Saginaw Bay, Michigan
22. Chautauqua Lake, New York
23. Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire
24. Pymatuning Reservoir, Ohio/Pennsylvania
25. Lake Cumberland, Kentucky

Best Bass Lakes – Western Division

1.   Clear Lake, California
2.   Lake Casitas, California
3.   Lake Berryessa, California
4.   Diamond Valley Lake, California
5.   Lake Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
6.   Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California
7.   Lake Mead, Nevada/Arizona
8.   Lake Perris, California
9.   Siltcoos Lake, Oregon
10. Lake Washington, Washington
11. Lake Havasu, Arizona/California
12. Roosevelt Lake, Arizona
13. Lower Colorado River, Arizona/California
14. Moses Lake, Washington
15. Lake Powell, Utah/Arizona
16. Don Pedro Reservoir, California
17. Lake Mohave, Nevada/Arizona
18. Lake Sammamish, Washington
19. Lower Otay Reservoir, California
20. Elephant Butte Reservoir, New Mexico
21. Navajo Lake, New Mexico/Colorado
22. Alamo Lake, Arizona
23. Columbia River, Oregon/Washington
24. Fort Peck Reservoir, Montana
25. Dworshak Reservoir, Idaho