Lester’s Top 5 fishing states

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Brandon Lester estimates he’s covered more than 150,000 miles of open road since his rookie season in the Bassmaster Elites Series back in 2014. </p> <p>And while all that travel could be mind-numbing for some, it’s only sharpened the focus of the 30-year-old pro from Fayetteville, Tenn.</p> <p>Lester has been one of the most consistent anglers on tour since he made his debut six seasons ago. He’s reached the GEICO Bassmaster Classic four times in that span, culminating with a Super Six appearance in this year’s Classic on the Tennessee River in Knoxville, only a couple hours north of his home.
Brandon Lester estimates he’s covered more than 150,000 miles of open road since his rookie season in the Bassmaster Elites Series back in 2014.
And while all that travel could be mind-numbing for some, it’s only sharpened the focus of the 30-year-old pro from Fayetteville, Tenn.
Lester has been one of the most consistent anglers on tour since he made his debut six seasons ago. He’s reached the GEICO Bassmaster Classic four times in that span, culminating with a Super Six appearance in this year’s Classic on the Tennessee River in Knoxville, only a couple hours north of his home.
Lester’s not sure how many states he’s crisscrossed in his pro fishing career, but one thing is certain – if B.A.S.S. went there, chances are Lester fished there. He’s competed regularly in Eastern and Southern Open tournaments throughout his career, and the Elite Series has taken him to the four corners of the country as well.</p> <p>“I feel like I’ve fished all over the world in the past six years,” he said.</p> <p>Not quite, but Lester’s seen enough of the U.S. to have built a short list of his favorite states for bass fishing.
Lester’s not sure how many states he’s crisscrossed in his pro fishing career, but one thing is certain – if B.A.S.S. went there, chances are Lester fished there. He’s competed regularly in Eastern and Southern Open tournaments throughout his career, and the Elite Series has taken him to the four corners of the country as well.
“I feel like I’ve fished all over the world in the past six years,” he said.
Not quite, but Lester’s seen enough of the U.S. to have built a short list of his favorite states for bass fishing.
Born and raised in Tennessee, it seems logical that Lester would put the Volunteer State on his list. He did, but it’s not Number 1.</p> <p>“It’s down my Top 5 list a little bit,” Lester said. “I mean, it’s where I cut my teeth, so it will always be near and dear to my heart. But it’s not my favorite.”</p> <p>So which state does Lester most enjoy for bass fishing? Read on! We’ll start with number five and work our way to Lester’s favorite.
Born and raised in Tennessee, it seems logical that Lester would put the Volunteer State on his list. He did, but it’s not Number 1.
“It’s down my Top 5 list a little bit,” Lester said. “I mean, it’s where I cut my teeth, so it will always be near and dear to my heart. But it’s not my favorite.”
So which state does Lester most enjoy for bass fishing?
Read on! We’ll start with number five and work our way to Lester’s favorite.
<b>5. Michigan</b><br> “I can’t say enough about Michigan’s giant smallmouth bass. You have Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River. One of my favorite places there is Little Bay de Noc in Escanaba. We fished there in the AOY Championship my first year in the Elite Series, and I had a really good tournament up there. And for the past two years, once in September and once in October, I took my dad up there on just-for-fun fishing trips. Me and my dad and a couple of buddies of ours have gone up there four or five days and done nothing but catch big smallmouth bass. Little Bay de Noc is pretty small, but we’ve had the whole place to ourselves, basically, and we’ve caught them good both times. We don’t put any pressure on ourselves. We can go out, fish a half day, come back and have lunch, then go right back out and fish until dark … The place is known as a walleye fishery, so not many people are fishing for bass. When we were up there for AOY, I knew if I came back up and was the only person fishing it, we could have a heck of a time. And we do. The two times we’ve been, we’ve caught several 6-pound smallmouth.”
5. Michigan
“I can’t say enough about Michigan’s giant smallmouth bass. You have Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River. One of my favorite places there is Little Bay de Noc in Escanaba. We fished there in the AOY Championship my first year in the Elite Series, and I had a really good tournament up there. And for the past two years, once in September and once in October, I took my dad up there on just-for-fun fishing trips. Me and my dad and a couple of buddies of ours have gone up there four or five days and done nothing but catch big smallmouth bass. Little Bay de Noc is pretty small, but we’ve had the whole place to ourselves, basically, and we’ve caught them good both times. We don’t put any pressure on ourselves. We can go out, fish a half day, come back and have lunch, then go right back out and fish until dark … The place is known as a walleye fishery, so not many people are fishing for bass. When we were up there for AOY, I knew if I came back up and was the only person fishing it, we could have a heck of a time. And we do. The two times we’ve been, we’ve caught several 6-pound smallmouth.”
<b>4. Tennessee</b><br> “I hope I don’t upset too many people (picking Tennessee number four), because I love it here. It’s where it all began for me. When I was first getting started in this sport, the place I fished for hours and hours is a little lake called Tims Ford Lake. It’s about 10,000 acres, and it has smallmouth and largemouth. It’s deep, and it’s clear. That’s what I consider my home lake. But we also have (lakes) Chickamauga and Nickajack. Chickamauga is just putting out giant stringers of fish these days. Nickajack is kind of a sleeper lake, with some really great fish, too. There are a lot of options when it comes to fishing in general here, but with bass fishing specifically, it’s definitely a good place to be. And bar none, the best memory I have of fishing in Tennessee happened on the third day of the Classic just a few weeks ago. I came into Thompson-Boling Arena and the fans were packed up to the ceiling and ‘Rocky Top’ is playing as my song. That was freaking cool, man. That’s an experience I will never forget.”
4. Tennessee
“I hope I don’t upset too many people (picking Tennessee number four), because I love it here. It’s where it all began for me. When I was first getting started in this sport, the place I fished for hours and hours is a little lake called Tims Ford Lake. It’s about 10,000 acres, and it has smallmouth and largemouth. It’s deep, and it’s clear. That’s what I consider my home lake. But we also have (lakes) Chickamauga and Nickajack. Chickamauga is just putting out giant stringers of fish these days. Nickajack is kind of a sleeper lake, with some really great fish, too. There are a lot of options when it comes to fishing in general here, but with bass fishing specifically, it’s definitely a good place to be. And bar none, the best memory I have of fishing in Tennessee happened on the third day of the Classic just a few weeks ago. I came into Thompson-Boling Arena and the fans were packed up to the ceiling and ‘Rocky Top’ is playing as my song. That was freaking cool, man. That’s an experience I will never forget.”
<b>3. Alabama</b><br> “I think Alabama just barely edges Tennessee as far as great fisheries go. When you start looking at the entire Tennessee River Chain, you have Guntersville, Wheeler, Wilson, Pickwick. Then you have the Coosa River, even though I haven’t fished much on it. There’s Smith Lake maybe an hour and a half to two hours from my house. Alabama is just stacked. Just look at how many professional bass fisherman are from Alabama, then you’ll understand why it’s such a great state to fish. Guntersville is about an hour and fifteen minutes from my house, and it’s about as close to a home lake as I’ll ever get to fish (in an Elite Series event). I grew up fishing club tournaments there. The biggest one I ever caught at Guntersville went about 9 pounds, 4 ounces. I’ve had some bags go high 20s, low 30s there; just some of the best days I’ve ever had on the water came on that lake. And the sign that it’s outstanding is that even with all the fishing pressure it gets, it still keeps kicking them out, time after time. And right now is the best time of year to catch them on Guntersville. The beginning of April, they’re going to be spawning, and at the end of the month, they’ll be coming off beds and feeding back up. The place is amazing.”
3. Alabama
“I think Alabama just barely edges Tennessee as far as great fisheries go. When you start looking at the entire Tennessee River Chain, you have Guntersville, Wheeler, Wilson, Pickwick. Then you have the Coosa River, even though I haven’t fished much on it. There’s Smith Lake maybe an hour and a half to two hours from my house. Alabama is just stacked. Just look at how many professional bass fisherman are from Alabama, then you’ll understand why it’s such a great state to fish. Guntersville is about an hour and fifteen minutes from my house, and it’s about as close to a home lake as I’ll ever get to fish (in an Elite Series event). I grew up fishing club tournaments there. The biggest one I ever caught at Guntersville went about 9 pounds, 4 ounces. I’ve had some bags go high 20s, low 30s there; just some of the best days I’ve ever had on the water came on that lake. And the sign that it’s outstanding is that even with all the fishing pressure it gets, it still keeps kicking them out, time after time. And right now is the best time of year to catch them on Guntersville. The beginning of April, they’re going to be spawning, and at the end of the month, they’ll be coming off beds and feeding back up. The place is amazing.”
<b>2. Florida</b><br> “When most people think of Florida, they think about sitting on a beach, but to me, the most beautiful part of Florida is nowhere near the coast. It’s places like the Harris Chain with the cypress trees and the Spanish moss, the birds and the gators. The first Bassmaster Open I fished was down there on the Harris Chain, so every time I go there, I think of that. You have all that beautiful scenery, but then there’s all the bass-fishing history down there, too. We’ve all heard of Lake Okeechobee. It’s been good since the beginning of time, as far as bass fishing goes. And one thing about Florida that doesn’t hurt is that we’re usually down there early in the season when it’s cold back home in Tennessee. We can go down there for a week or two and wear shorts and flip flops. That’s always nice.”
2. Florida
“When most people think of Florida, they think about sitting on a beach, but to me, the most beautiful part of Florida is nowhere near the coast. It’s places like the Harris Chain with the cypress trees and the Spanish moss, the birds and the gators. The first Bassmaster Open I fished was down there on the Harris Chain, so every time I go there, I think of that. You have all that beautiful scenery, but then there’s all the bass-fishing history down there, too. We’ve all heard of Lake Okeechobee. It’s been good since the beginning of time, as far as bass fishing goes. And one thing about Florida that doesn’t hurt is that we’re usually down there early in the season when it’s cold back home in Tennessee. We can go down there for a week or two and wear shorts and flip flops. That’s always nice.”
<b>1. New York</b><br> “I know it’s weird, and I understand it gets super cold up there … but the times when we’ve been there, it’s been super good to me. Just last year, I finished fourth in the (Eastern) Open at (Lake) Champlain and I finished third in the Elite Series event on the St. Lawrence River. I had a top-10 finish two years ago at Champlain, too. When people ask me ‘What’s your favorite place to fish?,’ I tell them Champlain. It’s just a phenomenal fishery. The water up there is so fertile. It’s got fantastic smallmouth fishing, but also fantastic largemouth fishing. When you say New York, people automatically think of New York City. But the coolest parts of New York are those rural places we go to - the Finger Lakes Region, the Thousand Islands Region. The first time I fished New York was in 2014 on Lake Cayuga. When I got there, I was surprised too. I didn’t realize New York had so much rural area. That upstate part of New York kind of reminds me of Tennessee. They’ve both been fantastic to me.”
1. New York
“I know it’s weird, and I understand it gets super cold up there … but the times when we’ve been there, it’s been super good to me. Just last year, I finished fourth in the (Eastern) Open at (Lake) Champlain and I finished third in the Elite Series event on the St. Lawrence River. I had a top-10 finish two years ago at Champlain, too. When people ask me ‘What’s your favorite place to fish?,’ I tell them Champlain. It’s just a phenomenal fishery. The water up there is so fertile. It’s got fantastic smallmouth fishing, but also fantastic largemouth fishing. When you say New York, people automatically think of New York City. But the coolest parts of New York are those rural places we go to – the Finger Lakes Region, the Thousand Islands Region. The first time I fished New York was in 2014 on Lake Cayuga. When I got there, I was surprised too. I didn’t realize New York had so much rural area. That upstate part of New York kind of reminds me of Tennessee. They’ve both been fantastic to me.”