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You can look back at recent tournament history and see that the lake is as healthy as any lake in the country. A Feb. 14 BassChamps team derby was won with 26.64 pounds. The Top 14 teams had over 20 pounds. Plus, the big bass of the day was an 11.39-pound monster.

But the real tale of the tape for the new best bass lake in America comes from the 2014-15 Toledo Bend Lake Association Lunker Bass Program data. This group gives a bass replica to any angler who brings a live bass over 10 pounds to an official weigh station on either the Texas or Louisiana side of the lake. Between May 18, 2014, and April 24, 2015, 79 bass in the double digits were certified. Yes, you read that correctly: 79. Although there were three different fish that topped the 12-pound mark, Brent Kegley’s 12.61, caught last November, earned the top spot.

“There’s not another lake in the nation kicking out 10-pounders like Toledo right now,” says bass fishing legend Harold Allen. “And it’s not like there’s just one hole holding big fish. You can anticipate a giant on any cast here — anywhere on the lake.”