(WJET/WFXP)– Three local bodies of water have been named among the top 25 in the region for bass fishermen by Bassmaster magazine to reel in a photo-worthy catch in their 2025 rankings, with a nearby part of Lake Erie being ranked among the best in the nation.
Each year, Bassmaster releases their rankings for the 25 best lakes to go bass fishing across different regions, and this year, Pennsylvania’s Presque Isle Bay and Lake Erie Central Basin, along with the Pymatuning Reservoir, were honored with New York’s Chautauqua Lake in the northeast region.
Presque Isle extends 2025 swimming season
Presque Isle Bay was ranked 16th with 5.8 square miles in the bay, plus 77 miles of Lake Erie’s central basin shoreline to fish at, particularly for smallmouth bass, while Chautauqua Lake finished 22nd with 13,156 acres and was praised for the ideal small and largemouth bass habitat conditions and Pymatuning Reservoir ranked 24th with 17,088 acres to go with the size of largemouth bass in its waters.
Lake Erie near the Upper Niagara River in New York also received both regional and national honors, ranking second in the region and ninth in the United States…