 It was recently named the top bass fishing lake in the nation by Bassmaster magazine for this week's north was adventure Clayton Castle headed out to Malax Lake to check out all the hype. No matter the weather, whether it's an overcast day like today or a sunny day like tomorrow, it's always a good day to get on a boat at Malax Lake and catch a fish or two. Now, while the walleye ban is still in effect from Malax Lake, the lake is becoming recognized for another type of fish and it's grabbing the attention of a national magazine. Bass fishing has been solid here for a number of years. We've found in the last couple of years it started to gain some notoriety outside the Malax area. And with last year having the the angular of the year championship up here, we got a little national attention. And this year Bassmaster magazine rated us the top lake in the gap top bass fishing destination in the galaxy years. Robert Abashar is from Illinois and has been coming to Malax Lake every summer for the past 20 years. He says he's well aware of the latest recognition for the lake. I'm aware of it because I'm a bass reader, a bass angler and read the magazine and then just recently the issue had that this lake was rated that it had been coming up the ladder of rankings over the last few years. But now it's like number one with or without the recognition Abashar has some advice for those thinking about heading to Malax Lake for an afternoon of fishing. Oh that's phenomenal. You'll be able to catch maybe the biggest bass of your life as far as smallmouth bass and maybe a chance at a state record anytime you go out on this lake. It's incredible. In the end, the universal feeling around the community is that if you're looking for a good place to catch a bass, the nationally recognized Malax Lake might be a good place to start. You know, it's it's a nice designation. Will the lake hold up to it? It's like any lake, you know, we get good days and bad days, but I think most people can come to Malax and get their share of smallmouth. Now, while the bass fishing here at Malax Lake has been getting a lot of notoriety lately, the walleye fishing ban has been extended through August 11th reporting in Garrison for this week's Northwoods Adventure Clayton Castle, Lakeland News. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.