Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Largemouth Bass
By: Tom Berg
Most fishermen (and fisherwomen) are very familiar with the Largemouth Bass. This common fish goes by many names: black bass, green bass, largie, bigmouth bass, bucketmouth bass, and often just plain bass. It inhabits most lakes and many ponds throughout the US, and can also be found in streams and rivers regardless of their size.
Although the coloration of largemouth bass can vary widely depending on what types of habitat they live near, they are typically green or olive green with a splotchy black line running down the side of their body from their gill to their tail. On most fish this line is clear and well-defined, but sometimes it is nearly absent. Fish living in areas with thick weed growth or dark bottoms usually have the darkest lines.
One of the most obvious characteristics of the largemouth bass is, of course, its large mouth. Their oversized mouth helps them catch and eat large prey, like other fish, frogs, worms, crayfish, and a variety of aquatic and terrestrial insects. Sometimes especially large bass will even catch and eat small birds, snakes, mice and turtles. Largemouth bass frequently seek out areas with underwater weeds where they can conceal themselves and wait to ambush unsuspecting prey.
Anglers enjoy targeting and catching largemouth bass, because these fish are often eager to bite and put up a good fight on light tackle. Once hooked, bass frequently leap out of the water and shake their head in an attempt to throw the hook and get free. They also grow to a very respectable size, with many bass in the reaching 4 pounds and some growing much larger.
Even though most largemouth bass are caught during the spring and summer months, they can also be caught through the ice during the wintertime. Live bait like nightcrawlers, minnows, or shiners are very productive, but using artificial lures can often result in even better catches.
Don’t forget to practice catch and release to keep the bass populations healthy!
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