Damn Good Largemouth Bass Fishing Guides

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Largemouth Bass Fishing Guides

Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin

Lake Fishing in Denver

Catfish/Hybrid Hunting

NEW Guided by Bill
22 ft 1 - 6 People From $325
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin

Inshore, River Fishing in Crisfield

Delmarva Tidal/Nontidal Fishing

NEW Guided by Kenny
20 ft 1 - 2 People From $450
Damn Good
Certified Damn Good Guides offer 10/10 trips. Guides earn this badge through quality reviews, quick and responsive communication, and low cancellation rates.
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin

Lake Fishing in Austin

Lake Walter E. Long Bass Fishing

100% (16) Guided by Aaron
19 ft 1 - 2 People From $350
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin

River Fishing in Woodbridge

Patomic Bass Fishing

NEW Guided by Kris
18 ft 1 - 2 People From $425
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin

Lake Fishing in Guntersville

Lake Guntersville FishingTrip

NEW Managed by Myles
20 ft 1 - 3 People From $350
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Certified Damn Good Guides offer 10/10 trips. Guides earn this badge through quality reviews, quick and responsive communication, and low cancellation rates.
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin
Fishing in Destin

Lake Fishing in Lantana

Unreal Peacock & Clown Knife Action

100% (76) Guided by Carlos
19 ft 1 - 4 People From $400
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Everything to Know About Booking a fishing trip

What are the best largemouth bass fishing trips?

The best largemouth bass fishing trips are:

What is a Largemouth Bass?

Largemouth bass are iconic freshwater fish of the US.

To help you truly understand how ingrained this fish is in the culture of freshwater fishing, the sheer number of nicknames it has will give you an idea of how many people have lived their lives obsessed with this fish: widemouth bass, bigmouth bass, black bass, bayou bass, bucketmouth, largies, Potter's fish, lake bass, line side, marsh bass, slough bass, welchman, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, bucket mouth, chub, green trout, gilsdorf bass, oswego bass, LMB, southern largemouth, northern largemouth.

And then if you want to add slang for big mommas the list gets even longer: lunker, hog, pig, toad…the list goes on.

The largemouth bass is also the state fish of Georgia and Mississippi and the state freshwater fish of Florida and Alabama.

The largemouth is a carnivorous member of the sunfish family and is native to the eastern and central US, but has spread across the country by being introduced in just about every pond and lake you can find on a map. They are a deep olive-green with black splotches on their midside to flank, sometimes looking like a set of diamonds that form a lateral line. And of course, the largemouth has a jaw that extends back beyond its eye (on smallmouth the corner of their mouth will not extend past the eye).

There are two distinct subspecies of largemouth bass and both have been introduced broadly. The Florida largemouth is the larger of the two, and the northern largemouth is the smaller. The Florida largemouth will also grow faster, and thus is a more sought after fish to stock.

How big do Largemouth Bass get?

The largemouth bass is the largest of the black basses. They can live up to 10 years or so in the wild and a true lunker can reach over 25 inches and over 20 pounds (with bigger sizes rumored to be out there somewhere…), although this is far from common.

An average good largemouth bass might be closer to 15-18 inches and about 3-4 pounds.

Due to sexual dimorphism (when one gender is substantially different from the other), the females are much larger than the males and are much more sought as a gamefish.

 

What's the biggest Largemouth Bass ever caught?

The largemouth bass all-tackle record is one of the most sought after of all fishing prizes. For almost 100 years the record stood still with a fish caught on a day of hooky in Montgomery Lake, GA in 1932. George Perry was trying to avoid work when he caught a 22 pound, 4 ounce largemouth, weighed it just because, and then took it home to eat it for dinner.

The IGFA certified in 2009 a co-record holder - Manabu Kurita, a fishing guide in Japan who caught an identical sized fish in Lake Biwa in Japan.

While Manabu’s bass was slightly bigger by weight, according to the IGFA a fish must be at least 2 ounces bigger by weight to break a record. 


The hunt for a record largemouth bass has occupied the lives of many for years, and for an incredible read on the quest to beat the record (written in 2005, before Manabu caught his tying bass) check out Monte Burke’s Sowbelly which outlines a few lives that have been totally overtaken by the quest for a shot at a record bass.

Where is the best place to catch Largemouth Bass?

Largemouth bass can be found in just about any freshwater body, from lakes and ponds, to creeks and rivers. They are found across the US, in Southeastern Canada, Mexico, in the Carribean (bass fishing in Cuba has become popular, and the fish loves the hot climate), and even in far-flung places such as South Africa and Japan, where the fish has taken on an almost cult quality.

If you want to catch a true beast of a bass, you have a few destinations which are the go-tos: Lake Champlain, Lake Okeechobee, Falcon Lake, Toledo Bend, Lake Sam Rayburn, and Lake Fork. California, Texas, and Florida are consistently where the big bass are held, and states like Texas have even started official lunker programs to breed large bass and release better offspring when stocking lakes in the state.

While these lakes are all notorious for big bass, this also means they have a lot of fishing pressure. This is why many think a new record will come from a smaller lake or even other countries like Mexico or Cuba.

Largemouth bass prefer tons of cover and structure, and will congregate to fallen trees and other debris when available unless they are spawning. As a warm-water fish it is seldom found deeper than 20 or so feet.

When should I catch Largemouth Bass?

Largemouth generally run to deeper waters in the winter and come shallower in the summer, where they can be more easily sight-cast to.

In terms of time-of-day, largemouth bass can be caught often at daybreak and at dusk when they cruise shallower waters to feed and are not hiding under structure, although this is by no means a hard and fast rule.

Largemouth are also great to catch during their spawn, when big females will not only be more visible and available, but also protective of their patch of seabed (will attack anything that comes near, like a lure) and full of eggs (and therefore a heavier fish). The spawn will be earlier in warmer climates, often starting in March in the south and as late as May in the northern US.

How do you catch Largemouth Bass?

With such an iconic fish you are bound to develop a whole world of dedicated gear and lures. Largemouth have entire industries dedicated to finding and catching them. Lures from worms to jigs to plugs to spinners have all been built and customized just for bass.

To this end, there are any number of interesting options to fish with which range not just from picking your lure to even how you rig it (try going wacky).

The most common strategy is trying to entice the fish to bite your lure, sometimes almost out of anger as much as desire. In colder water bass are more lethargic and will need a slower retrieve. Because they love cover, you’ll want to throw to brush and into structure and you’ll want to choose your gear accordingly. 


Largemouth bass are fairly aggressive fish and there is no right way to fish them - everyone will tell you something different. The best strategy is to keep an eye on conditions and try a few methods to figure out what works in your area.

Are Largemouth Bass good to eat? What are the best Largemouth Bass recipes?

You can certainly eat largemouth bass, although they aren’t regarded as a particularly tasty freshwater option. Bass from stagnant ponds or lakes can have a muddy flavor that turns people off as well, and many people regard bass as more fun to catch than eat.

If you do decide you want to keep your catch, the flavor is generally mild, watery, and a little fishy, sometimes with a grassy taste. Try to keep fish from flowing, cleaner waters (as a rule of thumb, the better the water looks, the better your fish will taste) and grill or fry it fresh.

Recent Reviews

  • ★★★★★
    Had a great time on the lake. The weather was a little off but Capt. Joe knew all the right spots to go. We will definitely go again when the weather gets better.

    Pravin K. | November 29, 2025

    Trip: Lake Ray Hubbard Bass Trip

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    We had an awesome time catching Peacock bass and dragon slaying. 100% recommend

    Joe P. | November 14, 2025

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  • ★★★★★
    We had an amazing time with Garrett. His knowledge of the sport and the area made us better fishermen and maximized our catch. Highly recommend your company and guide.

    Mark G. | November 7, 2025

    Trip: South Florida Lake Osborne & Ida

  • ★★★★★
    Joe knows the lake and where to find the fish! Great guy.

    Thomas R. | November 4, 2025

    Trip: Lake Ray Hubbard Bass Trip

  • ★★★★★
    Outstanding experience! TJ is excellent at what he does. I highly recommend TJ; he's a lot of fun!

    Anton T. | October 18, 2025

    Trip: Guaranteed Peacock Bass And More

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