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Click here to view Part 1 of "America's Bass Capital?"

The debate has officially started. In last month's Bassmaster, we posed the question: Which American city (population 240,000 or above) deserves the title of America's Bass Capital? E-mails have flooded the BASS offices criticizing some northern contenders and discounting some smallmouth fisheries, and still others are bragging about how easily their favorite city will win. Regardless, it is obvious that metroplex bass fishermen are passionate about their city lakes. Here, we finish profiling the top-10 contenders.

After you have read about each metropolis, vote for the city you'd like to see crowned America's Bass Capital at www.bassmaster.com and www.espnoutdoors.com starting March 1. And, remember, it's not only about the quality of the nearby fisheries, but also the quality of the anglers who call that big city home.

Note: The poll will be conducted in three parts: Part 1, through March 6, will feature the first five cities; Part 2, from March 7 to March 11, will feature the second five cities; and Part 3, the finale from March 12 to March 15, will pit the winners of Parts 1 and 2 to determine our champion.

The Contenders

• Birmingham, Ala.
  
• Charlotte, N.C.
  
• Chicago, Ill.
  
• Dallas, Texas
  
• Detroit, Mich.
  
• Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.
  
• Nashville, Tenn.
  
• Orlando, Fla.
  
• San Diego, Calif.
  
• Washington, D.C.

How did we narrow our list to these top-10? We used the following requirements to cull our Bass Capital candidates:

• Cities with a population over 240,000
  
• Waters with healthy bass populations within 80 miles of the city limits
  
• A critical mass of enthusiastic and active bass anglers
  
• Opportunity for big fish

Visit www.bassmaster.com and www.espnoutdoors.com from March 1 to March 15 to cast your vote for America's Bass Capital. Votes will be tallied, and the winner will be unveiled on ESPN2's "BassCenter." Be sure to tune in to "BassCenter" on Saturday, March 18, at 11:00 a.m. ET on ESPN2 to find out how your favorite city weighs in. The winning city will be profiled in detail in the May 2006 issue of Bassmaster magazine.

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA: "Land of 10,000 Lakes" loves its bass fishing

That's the problem for bass anglers in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Prime bass waters are about as plentiful as snowflakes around the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. And if the bounty of bass alone doesn't strike a chord in your bass-fishin' heart, the variety of fishing opportunities will.

"The Minneapolis metropolitan area has so many good bodies of water that most get only moderate to low bass fishing pressure," says Tim Lesmeister, tournament angler, outdoor writer and all-around "fishin' pro."

One exception is Lake Minnetonka, the crown jewel in this land of lakes carved by glaciers during the Ice Age.

"Lake Minnetonka is just an awesome lake," says Andy Hribar, who capped his tournament season with a Minnetonka win (on the Extream Bass circuit) in September. "It's not uncommon to catch a 3 1/2-pound average in a tournament there and not cash a check."

"Minnetonka is an absolutely phenomenal bass fishery," echoes Lesmeister. "It has always been good. But it has gotten a lot better since milfoil has taken hold. The bass are bigger, and there seems to be more of them."

The Mississippi River morphs from an overgrown trout stream north of the city into Lake Pepin, a run-of-the-river impoundment southeast of the cities. Smallmouth bass thrive throughout. Local river rats frequently claim 50-bass catches in half a day floating the Miss' near the towns of Monticello, Big Lake and Elk River, yet they see nary another fisherman.

"Fishermen are so lake-oriented here that the rivers go almost unfished," admits Lesmeister.

Lesser known waters hold an equally enviable bass cache. Little Lake Harriet, a trolling motor-only lake in the middle of Minneapolis, is another gem. "The bass fishing is phenomenal," boasts Lesmeister. "The bass anglers who do fish it, love it. You can sit there and look out over the Minneapolis skyline — it's beautiful!

"Bass fishing is huge around here," he says. "You can fish a tournament every weekend, fish a Wednesday night league on Minnetonka and a Thursday evening league on Prior Lake."

Minneapolis-St. Paul Profile

Population: Minneapolis: 382,618; St, Paul: 287,769 (metro population: 2,968,805)

Major bass waters within reach: Lake Minnetonka, Whitefish Chain, Mississippi River, St. Croix River, Lake Mille Lacs and many small local lakes offering prime bass fishing.

Hometown heroes: Al and Ron Lindner, Babe Winkelman

History makers: Mark Raveling takes state record largemouth bass of 8 pounds, 15 ounces on Lake Auburn, September 2005.

Tournament facts and highlights: Twelve tournament series host three to five events each year.

Bettor's Upside: Abundant natural lakes and rivers provide diverse bass fisheries and plenty of elbowroom despite urban population. Minnetonka has national reputation as an exceptional fishery.

Bettor's Downside: Lots of small waters unknown to most bass anglers.

The oddsmaker's case: Reputation as land of snow and ice — and walleye — clouds recognition of superb bass fishing.

DALLAS, TEXAS: For big bass, dial "Big D!"

Behemoth bass have become part of Texas culture, as have big-time bass anglers like Takahiro Omori, Gary Klein, Dean Rojas, Alton Jones, Zell Rowland and Kelly Jordon — all of whom call Texas home. When state stocking needs outgrew the state hatchery in Tyler, the Athens angling community pledged more than $4 million for the opportunity to host the new hatchery site. Texas bass anglers have donated more than 360 live bass over 13 pounds from 50 public reservoirs and 11 private lakes as breeders through the state's ShareLunker program.

If the sprawling Lone Star State has a bass center, it is Dallas, situated a Texas stone's throw from some of the finest bass waters in the South. Topping the list is 27,690-acre Lake Fork.

"It's the No. 1 big bass lake in this part of the country," says David Wharton of Sam Rayburn, Texas, who has competed in 11 Bassmaster Classics and been in the money at 135 BASS events. "Lake Fork consistently puts the most fish into the Texas ShareLunker program. That includes the state record, which weighed 18.18 pounds."

Strictly managed as a trophy lake, Lake Fork also has the right stuff with 80 percent of standing timber left uncut and milfoil, duckweed and hydrilla providing prime habitat.

A close-to-home lake with a growing rep is Lake Lewisville in Highland Village north of Dallas. Engineers inundated two smaller reservoirs in its creation. "You didn't hear much about it before the BASS events came through," says Wharton. "But it's sure a hot lake now, especially after Kevin (VanDam) set the lake record in last summer's Elite 50 event."

Other prime local tanks include Lake Ray Roberts, north of Dallas; Lake Grapevine; Richland Chambers, south of Dallas near the town of Corsicana; and Purtis Lake, a catch-and-release lake managed by the state.

Lake Palestine near Tyler is another good one. It has a lot of standing timber and vegetation — both qualities to look for in a lake.

Lake Texoma on the Oklahoma state line is a multi-species lake with very good smallmouth, spotted bass and stripers along with its resident largemouth population.

Dallas Profile

Population: 1,210,393 (Metro area: 4,683,013)

Major bass waters Within reach: Lake Fork, Lake Lewisville.

Local heroes: Too many to name

History makers: The first bass entered in the Operation Share a Lone Star Lunker program in 1986 — a bass of 17.67 pounds from Lake Fork — becomes the new Texas record. Texas Black Bass Unlimited helps the Athens community raise $4 million to build The Edwin L. Cox Jr., Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, complete with its Visitor Center complex and Lunker Bunker, in 1998. The Budweiser ShareLunker program continues to thrive.

Tournament facts and highlights: Kevin VanDam wins the June 2005 Texas CITGO Bassmaster Elite 50 event, breaking the Lake Lewisville record along the way with an 11-pound, 13-ounce bass. The lake record is broken twice again within two months.

Bettor's Upside: Lake Fork and the Budweiser ShareLunker program are nationally renowned. Large Texas bass angling community is proud and loyal.

Bettor's Downside: Better known tournament waters like Toledo Bend and Sam Rayburn lie beyond 90-mile radius of the city.

The oddsmaker's case: The Dallas area's big bass reputation, anchored by the record catches at Lake Fork and amplified by the Lewisville catches, makes Dallas a top contender.

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA: Bass by the book

"It's good ol' Bass Fishing 101 around here," says Marty Stone, two-time winner on the BASS circuit. "Our lakes have classic structure, and you can learn to pattern bass. A fisherman can learn his trade around Charlotte and take it around the country."

That may be why the area has spawned so many of the top names in bass circles. Local legends include Hank Parker and crankbait meister David Fritts.

Lake Wylie at Charlotte's doorstep has been a favorite classroom.

"Wylie is a textbook fishery for finding schools of bass on humps and main river channel points," says Jason Quinn, a rising star on the BASS circuit, who also operates the Gold Hook Guide Service. "You can always catch fish here at any depth. You can just fish boat docks all day and catch a lot of bass."

Once known locally as the "Dead Sea," 26,000-acre Lake Norman was resurrected with the introduction of spotted bass and alewives. "The lake took a 180-degree turn, and the last five years it has become unbelievable," says Quinn. "The North Carolina record spotted bass of 6 pounds came out of Norman, but you have a chance of catching a 3- or 4-pounder every time out."

Sharon Harris Lake is one of the few area lakes known for its vegetation. "Acre for acre, it produces more fish than Guntersville," insists Stone. "If I had to pick a lake to take an 8-pound bass, Sharon Harris is my only choice."

Catawba River reservoirs south of Lake Wylie include Fishing Creek Reservoir and Wateree.

High Rock Lake northwest of Charlotte, known for its dock fishing and crankbait bite on humps and channel points, has hosted two Bassmaster Classics.

"Our state apologizes to no one. We have as good a group of lakes as any in the country, very diverse," maintains Stone. "And we have a die-hard angling community. Take our top 12 bass anglers and put them against any regional team in the country, and they will do very well."

The 2004 Bassmaster Classic on Lake Wylie left Stone with his most memorable image of bass fishing competition. "Early in the morning, well before sunrise, I looked out in the dark at a sea of white rear lights and green and red front lights," he recalls. "I'll never forget how those 250, maybe 300 spectator boats lit up the water. That's how much they love bass fishing here."

Charlotte Profile

Population: 594,359 (metro population: 1,913,884)

Major bass waters within reach: Lake Wylie, Lake Norman, Catawba River, Monticello, Wateree, Sharon Harris, Yadkin River, High Rock, Badin, Lake James, Lookout Shoals, Lake Hickory, Fishing Creek.

Local heroes: Hank Parker, Jason Quinn, Marty Stone, Davy Hite

History makers: Takahiro Omori wins 2004 Bassmaster Classic over Martens, VanDam and Rojas on Lake Wylie.

Tournament facts and highlights: Edwin Evers eeks out victory over Jason Quinn and Rick Clunn at March 2005 Bassmaster Tour event on Lake Norman.

Bettor's Upside: Teacher's pet. Top tour pros have learned their craft on Charlotte waters.

Bettor's Downside: Recreational traffic on local waters can be a distraction to some bass anglers.

The oddsmaker's case: Avid bass community and history of producing big-name anglers will work heavily in Charlotte's favor.

WASHINGTON, D.C.: District of Columbia enjoys changing tides of bass fortune

Three major rivers near Washington, D.C., account for some of the best bass fishing along America's eastern seaboard. Best of all, it is getting better every year.

The peerless backdrop of the Potomac River includes some of our nation's best-known monuments and the postcard beauty of a cherry-blossom spring.

This one-of-a-kind setting has a two-tier bass fishery to match. The rocky, swift-moving water of the upper reaches provides fantastic smallmouth fishing. Largemouth thrive in the brackish water of the lower river.

"The fascinating thing about the Potomac is its forage base," says Curt Lytle, three-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier and runner-up at the New Orleans Classic in 2003. "You have abundant freshwater baitfish, but you also have countless saltwater baitfish ranging from grass shrimp to smelt and hickory shad. Different baitfish are coming in at all times of the year."

New-found vegetation has had a profound effect on the fishery.

"When milfoil arrived in the early 1980s, it was like night and day," says Lytle. "Suddenly it became an incredible fishery. Where we had lots of 12- to 14-inch fish before, we suddenly had 2- to 4-pounders."

Upper Chesapeake Bay also hosts superb bass fishing.

"As good as the Potomac is, the Susquehanna River headwaters are as good as they get," Lytle opines. Milfoil has enhanced the fishery here, as well, over the past 20 years. Lytle lauds the first five miles of the river as it crosses the Maryland/Pennsylvania border.

Washington, D.C. and Richmond sit on a line separating tidal and non-tidal waters. That line also is the demarcation between largemouth and predominantly smallmouth bass sections.

Beyond the reach of tides, the Potomac and James rivers provide swift, scenic waters ideal for smallmouth bass.

"The upper Potomac and upper James are fantastic," says Lytle. "The smallmouth fishing there is a blast and a good place to escape the heat in summer. And, unlike the tidal section of the James, it was not hurt at all by Hurricane Isabella."

The Rappahannock is another of the area's rivers of renown, and small intimate streams abound in the region.

Water supply reservoirs also provide bass sport. Such Maryland waters include Tridelphia, Rocky Gorge and Black Hills Lake, along with Prettyboy and Liberty reservoirs in the Baltimore area.

Washington, D.C. Profile

Population: 553,523 (metro area: 7,200,000)

Major bass waters: Potomac River, Susquehanna River, Rappahannock River, upper James River.

Local heroes: Curt Lytle, Woo Daves

History makers: Largemouth bass in tidal waters of Potomac and Susquehanna rivers flourish when milfoil grass takes hold in the 1980s. Herbicide treatments "foiled" by repeated flush of saltwater currents. Bass numbers and sizes soar. George Washington 'fesses up about hatchet job on cherry tree, yet promulgates dubious tale of hurling silver dollar across the Potomac. Bass not planted in the river until the following century, saving father of our nation from further stretchers. The other George W. extends family tradition, becoming the second President Bush to cast for bass on the Potomac during his presidential term.

Tournament facts and highlights: Locals tamed the tides at the 2003 Maryland Northern Open, with area pros Ernest Freeman, Chris Daves and Rick Morris claiming the top three prizes. Anglers tally 367 limits.

Bettor's Upside: Fabulous bass fishing against backdrop of awe-inspiring monuments unmatched anywhere.

Bettor's Downside: Relatively few, among the millions of travelers who come to the capital each year, take advantage of the angling opportunities.

Oddsmaker's case: Bass fishing eclipsed by distractions like government, history and the Smithsonian. But don't discount the patriotic vote, especially when locals display lunkers over a field of red, white and blue.

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: Smallmouth as famous as the Grand Ol' Opry

To most of the bass fishing world, 30,000-acre Dale Hollow Lake, which straddles the Kentucky/Tennessee border, is home to the world record smallmouth bass. The 11-pound, 15-ounce monster, taken by Kentucky angler David Hayes, has held the top spot in the record books for most of the 50 years since its capture. Today, it heads a list of top bass waters in the Nashville area's renowned Tennessee and Cumberland watersheds.

The easy pickings for smallmouth comes in the cool weather seasons of fall, spring and temperate winters. Dale Hollow's hungry bronzebacks often herd shad or alewives on wind-blown points and flats, and lay in deep grassbeds when the water flattens out.

"Dale Hollow is known for its big smallmouth, but it is great for spotted bass, too," says legendary guide Fred McClintock, who guides on Dale Hollow and the Cumberland River. "The cold water doesn't seem to affect them. I think they fight harder than a smallmouth in winter. They really carry on."

Percy Priest Reservoir on the eastern outskirts of Nashville offers another excellent fishery. The site of early BASS events, it continues to provide top smallmouth action.

Area anglers hone their deep water techniques on the hill-land reservoirs of central Tennessee. Anglers often hunt them in waters as deep as 75 feet or more.

"Hair jig fishing is kind of a religion in Tennessee, like fly fishing in other parts of the country," says Jay Kendrick, a fourth year pro who fished his first Bassmaster Classic in only his second professional season. "The float-n-fly technique is an institution at Center Hill Reservoir in the winter. When bass are suspended off a deep bank or bluff, it is the best way to get them. That hair jig is such a natural presentation. On Center Hill, you never know what you will catch. All three bass species will mix (largemouth, smallmouth and spotted)."

West of Nashville lie Kentucky and Barkley lakes. World-class crappie fishing siphons angling pressure off strong largemouth and smallmouth bass populations.

Nashville Profile

Population: 545,524 (metro area: 1,134,524)

Major bass waters within reach: Dale Hollow, Percy Priest, Center Hill, Old Hickory, Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley, Tennessee and Cumberland rivers.

Local heroes: Fred McClintock, Billy Westmoreland

History makers: David Hayes, a weekend angler from Leitchfield, Ky., catches world record smallmouth bass, July 9, 1955. Forty years later, a report of tampering taints the record, causing record keeping organizations to disqualify the fish's claim to the top rung. National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame reinstates record in 1999. The IGFA follows suit, reinstating the record in 2005.

Tournament facts and highlights: The second Bassmaster Classic on Percy Priest Reservoir (1972) finds Tulsa angler Don Butler topping a field of bass fishing legends including Bill Dance, Billy Westmoreland, Ricky Green, Tom Mann, Roland Martin, Forrest Wood and then reigning Classic champion Bobby Murray. Bass Champs Tournament on Percy Priest (1977) ends with a Rick Clunn victory over another Who's Who field.

Bettor's Upside: The world's best known bronzeback and the area's deep angling heritage are both big pluses. Roots of BASS in eastern Tennessee could help.

Bettor's Downside: Deep reservoirs can be tough nuts to crack during the summer, especially for anglers using conventional bass tactics.

The oddsmaker's case: World records loom large in the collective angling consciousness. Will definitely earn Nashville votes.