Local bass pro Sig Taylor concentrates his efforts at the shallow end of Clear Lake when he's looking for monster bass. Photo by Brian Sak.

Over the past several years, bass fishing has been getting better in Northern and Central California.

Anglers are breaking big-bass lake records, while tournament organizations are recording unheard-of creel limits and winning weights.

Our quality fisheries are almost too good to be true. Does that mean that it's time for things to start heading the other way?

"It's a difficult thing to predict," said Bay Area fisheries biologist Peter Banash. "The quality of any fishery depends on a lot of factors -- everything from reproductive success to the amount of food available to the species you're interested in."

Banash credits the excellent fishing that bass anglers have experienced to several consecutive years of average to above-average rain and snowpack. Over the long term, a drought could result in less than ideal conditions for bass fisheries.

"You can't call one bad wet-weather season a drought," said Banash, "but the 2006-07 water year was the fourth-driest on record.

"If we have two or three additional below-average years, we'll likely see poorer bass survival and decreasing growth rates."

He said that anglers would feel the effects several years after that, when these fish have had time to reach catchable size.

But in 2008, California Game & Fish readers can expect outstanding bass fishing, regardless of water conditions. Stop worrying about the possibility of drought. This year, make the most of your time on the water by hitting any of these best bets.

CAN'T-MISS LAKES AND RESERVOIRS
If you're able to make only one or two fishing trips this year, do yourself a favor and head to any of these top-notch destinations.

Picking which alternative of the four you should pick to plan your outing is no easy task, but you really couldn't go wrong with any one. Whether you're looking for big fish or big numbers, these waters provide some of the best bass fishing that the Golden State has to offer.

SHASTA LAKE
Shasta County
Looking for a fishing spot where you won't feel crowded -- and that's relatively easy to get to? How about a destination with enough largemouths, smallmouths and spotted bass to keep you busy all day? Head to California's largest lake.

Shasta's four main arms make getting lost in nature a breeze, and with Interstate 5 crossing the main body, access couldn't be better.