Many of the nation’s most famous largemouth bass fisheries fall into the flatland classification. Waters like Greenwood Lake on the New York-New Jersey border, Lake Seminole on the Florida-Georgia line, Kentucky Lake, Santee-Cooper in South Carolina, and Ross Barnett in Mississippi offer a broad, shallow basin extending from a main river channel that meanders through farmland and low hills. Several broad arms define former tributary creeks that may run only during the rainy season.

Because of the shallow, fertile basin, aquatic plants typically thrive, sometimes covering 50 percent or even more of the surface area of the reservoir. Weed fishing patterns predominate in these waters, though flooded timber and stumps also offer cover for bass, particularly in flatland impoundments that are murky and thus have little plant growth. River channel ledges in the 12- to 20-foot range also hold bass, where the fish await passing schools of threadfin and gizzard shad.

Baitfish and bass are very abundant, and other species including white bass, hybrid stripers, crappies, and catfish are common, too. These older reservoirs were the birthplace of many bassin’ techniques and continue to offer excellent fishing.