3. Largemouth Bass

Scientific name:  Micropterus salmoides (Micropterus means "small fin"; salmoides means "trout-like" in gameness and food)

Background:  Largemouth bass were originally distributed throughout most of what is now the United States east of the Rockies, with limited populations in southeastern Canada and northeastern Mexico. However, because of its importance as a game species it has now been introduced into many other areas worldwide, including South Africa in as early as the 1920's.

Largemouth bass normally are found in the upper levels of warm water in small lakes, shallow bays of large lakes, and in large, slow rivers. Rarely are they found deeper than 6 m. They prefer areas of soft bottom with stumps or emergent or submergent vegetation, such as water lilies, cattails, and pond weeds. They thrive in South African farm dams and is a favourite stocking fish because of their fast growth and tolerance for high temperatures and moderate turbidity (cloudiness or muddiness of water).

Identification:  Largemouth bass are moderately large, robust fish.  The fish is green-shaded with a broad, continuous dark stripe along each side; belly white to yellowish; dorsal fin almost completely separated between spiny and soft portion. Normally two or tree stripes radiate out from behind the gold-brown eyes. Adults living in clear, weedy water tend to be fairly dark in color with obvious black markings. Those found in muddy water are overall a pale green. Largemouth bass may be distinguished from other black basses in that the upper jaw reaches far beyond the rear margin of the eye.

Size: The average length is around 40 - 60 cm, with a average weight of 1.8 kg.  The SA record is 6 kg.  The world record is 10.1 kg (a fish caught by George Perry in Montgomery Lake, Georgia USA in 1932).

Diet: Largemouth bass are carnivorous and feed on all sorts of animal life. Young fish feed on plankton and insects. Adult fish eat fish, crabs, frogs, aquatic and terrestrial insects, and any unsuspecting small animals that come within striking distance.  They are capable of eating anything up to nearly half their own size by virtue of their very large mouth. They make use of ambush tactics to catch their prey, normally making use of any cover available, i.e. submerged trees and stumps, thick weedbeds, reedbeds, overhanging vegetation, etc.

Breeding: Largemouth bass are nest builders, a trait of members of the sunfish family, to which they belong. Nesting begins in the spring, when the water temperature nears 15 C. The male uses his tail to clear a 60 to 90 cm diameter basin in the bottom of a shallow, sheltered bay. Once the female has laid eggs in the nest (2,000 to 43,000) she is chased away by the male who then guards the precious eggs. The young, called fry, hatch in five to ten days and remain in a school. Male largemouth bass continue to guard their fry for several days after hatching, until the young fish scatter.

Uses:  Makes very good eating.

Fishing for Largemouth Bass:  Largemouth bass will bite on almost anything.  For exciting action bass is hard to beat in fresh water.  On a fly rod, bass are dynamite, with some explosive runs and aerobatics once hooked.