Toledo Bend is no longer the No. 1-ranked destination in the nation. In fact, it’s not even in the Top 10 according to Bassmaster Magazine. The new No. 1 for Bassmaster Magazine in 2017 is Mille Lacs Lake, a 132,000-acre natural lake 100 miles north of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area that cranks out smallmouth bass.
“This fishery really got our attention last September during the Bassmaster Angler of the Year Championship, when 94 limits of smallmouth were weighed in that topped the 20-pound mark,” explained Bassmaster Magazine editor James Hall. “Had that been a four-day event, eventual winner Seth Feider may have topped the 100-pound mark with smallmouth, a feat that has never, ever happened before.”
The Top 12 fisheries are ranked within one of four regions (Northeastern, Southeastern, Central and Western)
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The Central division, which has been dominated by Toledo Bend the past two years (it was the first fishery to be ranked No. 1 more than one time), experienced the biggest shakeup of the rankings. Toledo Bend fell to No. 4 in the region.
In the Central Division, Mille Lacs Lake was No. 1, followed by Sam Rayburn, Falcon Lake, Toledo Bend at No. 4 and Lake Palestine in Texas at No. 5.
Bassmaster’s Top 12 in the nation are:
1. Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota
2. Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Texas
3. Clear Lake, California
4. Shearon Harris Lake, North Carolina
5. Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California
6. Lake Berryessa, California
7. Lake Erie, New York
8. Santee Cooper Lakes, South Carolina
9. Lake St. Clair, Michigan
10. Falcon Lake, Texas
11. Thousand Islands, New York
12. Chickamauga Lake, Tennessee
