Largemouth Bass Facts

Largemouth Bass belongs to the Sunfish family. Its scientific name is Micropterus Salmoides, which officially declares it to be a sunfish. The largemouth bass fish, are variously known as widemouth bass, black bass, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green trout, Oswego bass, southern largemouth and northern largemouth too! (phew!) The multiplicity of names itself tells you a lot about the popularity and abundance of the largemouth bass. (Florida largemouth and Northern largemouth are two differenrt species actually, as we shall see later.) Largemouth bass fishing is a popular activity, throughout United States of America. This article is a compilation of largemouth bass facts which is a popular type of freshwater fish.

Largemouth Bass Facts: Physical Description
Here are some facts about largemouth bass, detailing their physical description, appearance and life span.

• The largemouth bass are olive green in color with a horizontal stripe of dark blotches, along each of their flanks. The green shade varies according to the kind of water they are in, ranging from deep green to pale olive. They obviously have largemouths which gives them their name.
The largemouth bass is the biggest of all the black basses, which grows to a maximum length of 29.5 inch which is about 2.5 feet!
• The heaviest caught largemouth weighed about 24 pounds and 9 ounces, which is about 11.1 kg!
• The distinguishing feature of the largemouth bass is its jaw which is known to extend beyond their eye.
• If a largemouth bass is lucky enough not to be caught, then it can live for about 16 years on an average.
• Biologists have found two species of the largemouth bass, the Florida largemouth and Northern Largemouth. Both species look alike, but the only difference is that Florida largemouth is heavier and grows to a larger size than the Northern largemouth.
• The largemouth bass are perfect predators. They are known for their clarity of vision under water. They can see things in color and observe through about 100 feet of water, provided it is clear.
• They can also hear very well under water, due to the ears inside of their skulls. So, if you are fishing for them, keep the noise down!
• They have a keen sense of smell, which can be used by fisherman, to lure them by using scented baits.

Largemouth Bass Facts: Spawning

• Largemouth bass fish starts spawning by age three and prefers spawning habitats which are at a temperature of 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit. The male builds a nest at the bottom of a habitat by fanning his fins.
• Females deposit as many as 2,000 to 100,000 eggs which hatch in about six days.
• Interestingly, the male largemouth bass protects the eggs and the young ones for some time, till they are ready to leave the nest.

Largemouth Bass Facts: Habitat
The largemouth bass is a freshwater fish. Many rivers and fresh water lakes are populated by the largemouth bass. Interesting facts about their habitat are presented here.

• The largemouth bass were first discovered on the east of the Mississippi river and in the southern parts of the Great Lakes.
• Due to their popularity, stocking programs were established, which spread their habitat all over United States of America, Hawaii.
• The largemouth bass can now be found in southern Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia, Africa and even South America.

Largemouth Bass Facts: Foraging
The rule in the animal world is simple, eat or be eaten! These are some interesting largemouth bass facts about their foraging activities.

• Adult largemouth bass are known to be apex predators in their own habitats. The adult largemouth bass can prey on bluegills, crayfish, snakes, salamanders, water birds, mammals, bats and even baby alligators!
• The baby largemouth bass feeds on bait-fish, insects, shrimps and scuds.
• The largemouth bass can be a formidable predator and using all senses of sight, smell, vibration and hearing, it can pounce on any unwary prey within its reach. It has been known to hold as many as five sunfish in its mouth, at a time!

Largemouth Bass Facts: Fishing
Before you go for largemouth bass fishing, you must know your fish properly and learn to identify it. Here are some largemouth bass facts related to fishing.

• Largemouth bass fishing is best done in spawning beds.
• Ideal spawning beds for the largemouth bass are shallow lakes with temperatures in the range of 64-74 degrees Fahrehnheit.
• The largemouths put on a tough fight even after they are caught. If you have caught one, it will struggle furiously after getting hooked and you must have a good grip on your rod, to haul it in.
• The popular fishing techniques for largemouth bass fishing are doodling, pitching and flipping. The casting of your line in largemouth bass fishing needs to be very accurate. You could cast underhand, overhand or sidearm but it should be in the right area.
• Soft plastic baits and hard baits are usually used in largemouth bass fishing.
• Many anglers release largemouth bass fish after catching them. The largemouth are hardy enough to survive after a catch and release. For more on this read, 'How to catch Largemouth Bass'.

As you can see, this fish is unique in its abilities and that is why, it is very popular among fishing circles, as a prize catch. Hope you found this small collection of largemouth bass facts to be interesting!