Whether you're fly fishing, ice fishing or going conventional, add these must-visit spots to your fishing trip bucket list.
Fishing manufacturer Abu Garcia recently compiled a list of the top 100 fisheries in the country, from largemouth honey holes to the best trout fishing destinations.
While the top 10 include some no-brainers like St. Lawrence River in New York, Lake St. Clair in Michigan and Lake Fork in Texas, fans also submitted their lesser-known freshwater favorites across America.
Here are some great spots you can access - without paying for a charter boat.
Lake Lanier, Georgia
This 58-square-mile lake in northern Georgia is best known for largemouth bass, striped bass and spotted bass, but you can also enjoy sport fishing for crappie, rainbow trout and walleye. According to In-Fisherman, Lake Lanier is consistently producing 5-pound spotted bass and needs to be added to your list of the best fishing spots to visit.
Lake Okeechobee, Florida
Farther down the east coast, anglers can find great fishing throughout the Sunshine State. In addition to St. Johns River and Lake Tohopekaliga, Lake Okechoobee is a largemouth hotspot is also home to black crappie, bluegill and catfish. At 730 square miles, this lake has something for everyone.
Lake Casitas, California
California is ripe with great fishing opportunities, but one you've got to try is Lake Casitas. While small, this man-made lake boasts excellent largemouth and smallmouth bass fishing as well some crappie, rainbow trout and catfish.
Kenai & Innoko Rivers, Alaska
If you're willing to travel outside the lower 48 for your next fishing trip, head to Alaska for some unique opportunities. You'll find chinook, coho, sockeye and pink salmon along the 2,200 square miles of the Kenai River. Then head farther north to the Innoko River for northern pike, sheefish and more salmon.
A few other stops for other fish species include Lake Tahoe, Nevada for lake trout, the Snake River, Oregon for steelhead and sturgeon, Eleven Mile Reservoir, Colorado for brown trout and Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota for muskies.
If saltwater or deep sea fishing for marlin, flounder, sea bass, swordfish, tarpon, mahi-mahi and snapper is more your speed, check out these top-five boating spots from the Florida Keys to the Outer Banks.
NEXT: SALTWATER FISHING VS. FRESHWATER FISHING: WHAT WE LOVE AND HATE ABOUT BOTH
