ALEXANDRIA CHAIN
The Alexandria Chain consists of lakes Carlos, Darling, Geneva, Le Homme Dieu and Victoria. You won't hear any complaints from bass anglers when it comes to the sheer numbers of largemouths in these waters, but what they will whine about is the size. While an average day on the water can provide plenty of pole-bending action, finding bucketmouths pushing the 4- to 5-pound mark isn't easy.

On Lake Darling, the largemouths concentrate in the weedy bay on the west side. On Lake Carlos, bass anglers are drawn to the weedbeds on the north end, but there is also a large, weedy flat on the east side that deserves attention. Le Homme Dieu is considered the best of the basins for largemouths, and the grass off the tip of Government Point and to the north is a productive patch of real estate. Both the northeast and west sides of Lake Geneva provide quality cover for bass, and if you want to find some true lunkers on this chain, this is the lake to target.

For more information, go to www.alexandriamn.org.

LAKE MINNEWAWA
In the northwoods, if you find a lake with a healthy crop of wild rice as well as a solid population of largemouths, you're going to enjoy some great fishing. Walleye anglers tend to avoid the thick rice beds, so the bass go relatively undisturbed. You'll find that on Lake Minnewawa in Aitkin County.

The northeast basin is where you will find the rice providing the outstanding cover for the largemouths. Use floating lures in the pockets and weedless spoons to dig out some big bass from this slop.

The central basin is where you find the deepest water in the lake, and anywhere you find a bed of cabbage with a little coontail mixed in, you're going to get into the largemouths.

The game plan most bass anglers find productive on Minnewawa is to hit the rice during the low-light periods in the morning and evening, and then work the cabbage/coontail in the middle of the day.

For more information, visit www.mcgregormn.com.

COTTON LAKE
There are some big largemouth bass in Becker County's Cotton Lake, and they love the edge of the deep weedline. This is a perfect lake for anglers who have mastered the art of presenting deep-diving crankbaits.

The southwest corner of Cotton is shallow and the vegetation tapers out into 18 feet of water before losing its grip on the bottom entirely at about 20 feet. Position the boat in 12 feet of water, tie on a crankbait that runs down to 16 feet and cast it out into the deepest water -- and then crank it back fast. You want the lure to be coming out of the deeper water and heading right at that wall of weeds. As the lure begins to turn up, it should be right at that hard edge of the vegetation where the big largemouths are lying, and those lunkers will hit it every time.

The bass in Cotton group together tightly, so where you catch one, you will catch more. If the lure is digging into the weeds, move out a few more feet into deeper water. If the lure doesn't brush some weeds when it turns to come up, you're out too far. The shallow flat in the northeast corner is also great for largemouths.

For more information, go to www.visitdetropitlakes.com.

GULL LAKE
Gull Lake has become a regular stop for regional bass fishing tournament circuits. There are plenty of resorts on the lake, plus Gull's close proximity to Brainerd gives you additional lodging and eating options. Then there are the loads of lunker largemouths to be caught.

If you like to explore the far reaches of a fishery, you will appreciate all the nooks and crannies Gull offers. On the south end in Steamboat Bay and Wilson Bay, there are shallow fingers off the main basins that provide bass habitat in the form of cabbage beds and deep coontail. It's a spinnerbaiter's paradise.

If you want to explore the northern reaches of this productive body of water, you can navigate the channels leading into Upper Gull Lake and Roy Lake, where bass cover is dense and it looks like anywhere you toss a topwater is a high-potential spot.

The smaller basins on the north end of Gull are high-percentage locations for largemouths, but bass anglers know this, and these spots do get fishing pressure.