The St. Lawrence River continues to be one of the top ranked fisheries in the United States, according to Bassmaster Magazine.

Last year the St. Lawrence River topped the 2023 Bassmaster Magazine 100 Best Bass Lakes list. This year it’s in second place.

In addition to last year's No. 1 — the St. Lawrence River — which slid one spot, overall New York had six lakes on the Top 100 list — Lake Erie/Upper Niagara River, Champlain, Cayuga, Oneida and Chautauqua.

Texas takes bragging rights for having the No. 1 overall fishery in the U.S. — O.H. Ivie Lake — and for placing the most fisheries in the Top 100 rankings (10). California and Florida, each with nine lakes on the list, followed by New York and Michigan (six).

Spectacular scenery and feisty smallmouth meet on the 50-mile stretch of the St. Lawrence River known as the 1000 Islands, which dropped one spot to No. 2 in this year’s rankings. Anglers eager to do battle with giant smallmouth can head north to the 1000 Islands region of the St. Lawrence River. History was made on the clear waters of this seaway straddling the U.S.-Canadian border during the 2022 Bassmaster Elite out of Clayton. After four days, two anglers — Jay Przekurat and Cory Johnston — topped the 100-pound mark with solely smallmouth, a first-ever feat for the Elite Series.

The rankings identify the top lakes in the nation based on head-to-head comparisons, as well as the Top 25 lakes in four geographical regions — Central, Western, Southeastern and Northeastern.

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 2023

O.H. Ivie Lake, Texas

St. Lawrence River (1000 Islands), New York

Clear Lake, California

Lake Murray, South Carolina

Toledo Bend, Louisiana/Texas

Fellsmere Reservoir/Stick Marsh/Kenansville Lake, Florida

Lake St. Clair, Michigan

Orange Lake, Florida

Lake Erie/Upper Niagara River, New York

Lake Okeechobee, Florida