Is New York home to some of the best fishing spots in America? You bet your bass it is.
Two world-class waterways in Upstate New York just reeled in big wins in a coveted ranking: The St. Lawrence River and Lake Erie have been named among the top 10 best bass lakes of 2025 by Bassmaster magazine.
Despite not being a lake, the St. Lawrence River in the stunning Thousand Islands was ranked the fourth-best bass fishing lake in the nation.
The sprawling Lake Erie, which shares some of its shoreline with Western New York, earned the No. 9 spot on the list.
A man fishes from a wooden boat in the St. Lawrence River in the Thousand Islands of Upstate New York. Photo: Getty ImagesGetty Images/Cavan Images RF
The two Upstate waterways are no strangers to recognition.
Both made Bassmaster’s 2024 ranking of the best bass lakes in the U.S., with the St. Lawrence River earning the top spot.
Lake Erie was also recently recognized as the sixth-best lake in the U.S. and one of the nation’s best lakes for water sports and swimming.
Bassmaster said its list of the 100 best bass lakes is data-driven. The team that created the “ultimate bucket list of bass fishing destinations” by viewing tournament results from the last year, polling thousands of anglers and consulting with biologists.
But what factors helped snag the St. Lawrence River and Lake Erie impressive spots in the recent ranking?
A home perches on a small island in the St. Lawrence River in the Thousand Islands of Upstate New York. Photo: Getty ImagesGetty Images/Cavan Images RF
In that search for the best fishing spots, the St. Lawrence River caught Bassmaster’s attention for the huge hauls anglers bagged during the 2024 Progressive Bassmaster Elite Series. The tournament’s winner, Cory Johnston, won with 102 pounds.
“These waters continue to reign as the nation’s unrivaled trophy smallmouth fishery,” Bassmaster wrote in its review of the St. Lawrence River.
Although the Great Lake has a border that touches Canada and four states in the U.S., the portion of Lake Erie that falls within New York is what earned the lake a spot on Bassmaster’s top 10.
A Lake Erie Research Unit aquatic biologist told Bassmaster that a recent survey of 120 bass boaters revealed anglers in one out of every eight boats caught over 50 bass in one day.
“If you wish to avoid aching wrists from battling quality smallmouth bass, stay away from Lake Erie’s eastern basin,” Bassmaster wrote.
Lake Erie in Buffalo, New York, as viewed from an observation deck that offers 360-degree views of the city. Matthew Digati for NYup.comSYR
While the St. Lawrence River and Lake Erie were the only New York waterways to make Bassmaster’s list of the top 10 best bass lakes of 2025, five other New York lakes made the magazine’s longer ranking of the nation’s 100 best bass fishing spots:
- Lake Champlain in the Adirondacks and Vermont
- Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes
- Oneida Lake in Central New York
- Otisco Lake in Central New York
- Chautauqua Lake in Western New York
To view Bassmaster’s full list, visit the magazine’s website.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.