Bassmaster started their 100 Best Lakes rankings 12 years ago. Bassmaster contacts the fisheries departments …
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Lake Okeechobee is among the best bass lakes in the country, according to Bassmaster's annual list.
Bassmaster started their 100 Best Lakes rankings 12 years ago. Bassmaster contacts the fisheries departments in every state to get feedback on the current state of bass lakes. They also survey the B.A.S.S. Nation presidents and conservation directors in every state to get feedback on the best lakes they have experienced in the past year. This information is checked against the tournament results and fish-catch surveys for every lake mentioned, as well a some Bassmaster officials come across independently, to create a master list. “Numbers are crunched and a blue ribbon panel of industry insiders vote on the rankings,” the website explained.
On July 26, Bassmaster released their “Top 10 Best Bass Lakes of 2023” and the Big O made the top 10.
“Last year, we announced that the Big O was back. This Goliath of a fishery was finally on the mend and nearly cracked the Top 10 in these rankings,” the BASSMASTER website explains. “Well, we just thought it was good last year. The Roland Martin Marine Center Series held an event there this past May. It was not only epic, but perhaps even historic. Weighing in 29 pounds on this day wouldn’t crack the Top 25! The top 20 anglers weighed in over 30 pounds. Not kidding. The winning weight was 36.82, which barely edged out the second-place finishers’ 36.19. This, of course, is not normal. It was a once-in-a-lifetime perfect storm. Still, it showed what is currently swimming in this lake, and you’d be smart to hit it while it’s hot.”
Other lakes on the list included:
