National Top 10 Lakes from the Northeastern Division
1. St. Lawrence River (Thousand Islands), New York
2. Lake St. Clair, Michigan
3. Lake Erie/Upper Niagara River, New York
4. Burt/Mullett lakes, Michigan [17,120 acres and 16,630 acres respectively] Of the Wolverine State’s many spectacular fisheries, Burt/Mullett is the place to go if you dream of catching a trophy smallmouth. A study by Michigan fisheries biologist Thomas Goniea reveals that the average bass in 12 tournaments here weighed 3.8 pounds. Each derby drew nearly 40 anglers who caught 92.2% smallmouth. Of the 745 bass registered, 244 topped 4 pounds. The average big bass weighed 5.6 pounds. Five of those bruisers exceeded 6 pounds, including one over 7.
5. Lake Champlain, New [490 square miles] This vast, picturesque lake hosts several tournaments every year due to its fabulous bass fishing. You can do everything from froggin’ shallow grass for largemouth to finesse fishing deep, rocky structure for smallmouth. It typically takes 20 pounds or more to win a one-day derby. A New York B.A.S.S. Nation event here in June 2022 was typical. It took 19.26 to best the 66 competitors, with the top eight weighing in over 18 pounds. The big bass weighed 4.79.
