Largemouth BassDescription The largemouth bass is the largest and most popular member of the Centrarchidae family of sunfish and its subgroup known as black bass. Largemouth bass have bodies that are both elongated and thick, providing them with the ability to swim very quickly for short bursts. Their coloring is mostly green, ranging from olive to dark green on the back and greenish yellow on the sides, with a white or cream-colored belly. A series of dark splotches form a horizontal stripe that extends down the length of the sides along the lateral line. In some circumstances, especially very muddy water, the largemouth may lose much of its coloring, appearing almost white or very light green. Two ways to distinguish the largemouth bass from the smallmouth bass is that the largemouth’s upper jaw extends beyond the eye and there is a clear separation between the first and second dorsal fins. Neither is true of the smallmouth bass. Where They Live The ideal temperature for largemouth bass is between 65 and 85 F. The water can be either murky, stained or clear, but they prefer non-flowing waters with abundant vegetation or flooded timber. They almost always seek out cover of some sort, such as lily pads, weeds, bushes, docks, stumps, rocks, or stonewalls, but can survive without cover. In general, largemouth bass are more likely to be found in shallow water than in deep water. However, in waters that lack sufficient cover, they will be found in deep water near drop-offs, channels and rocky bluffs. Largemouth bass are not migratory by nature, preferring to stay in holding positions within a given area for extended periods of time. What They Eat The bulk of the largemouth bass diet consists of other fish such as bluegill, shad, shiners and other minnow species, small catfish, and other sunfish, as well as large invertebrates, crayfish and frogs. In addition to their core diet, they are aggressive and opportunistic predators that may eat whatever creature they can ambush, including ducks, snakes and small turtles. The main limiting factor in prey for largemouth bass is size because they swallow food whole. Largemouth bass mainly hunt by ambush, hiding under cover and waiting for prey to swim close by. Once the prey is decided upon, they advance upon it at startling speed, quickly opening their immense jaws creating a vacuum effect that helps suck in the prey. They will pursue schools of baitfish in open water if there are no ambush opportunities available, or when high or low water temperatures force them into deep water. When They Spawn Largemouth bass spawn in late winter when water temperatures reach around 60 F. They spawn in water usually two to eight feet deep. Males gently nudge females into a saucer-shaped nest. The male makes this nest by placing its lower jaw at the bottom and rotating around a central location. Females deposit between 2,000 to 43,000 eggs and quickly leave the nest. Multiple partners are possible for both genders. .
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