Largemouth Bass
The largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) is a popular variety of fish in the sunfish group. It is also known as wide mouth bass, big mouth, black bass, bucket mouth, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, Oswego bass, and southern largemouth. The largemouth bass is commonly found in the fresh water area of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee. They can also be found in just about any body of water that you could look at and that includes lakes, reservoirs, streams, estuaries and even ponds.
A fine picture of this Bass with its cataeristic large mouth
The Largemouth Bass or big black bass is one of the most extremely aimed sport fishes in the United States, United Kingdom and even in some countries wherein fishing is truly popular. The method is to attract fish with live and simulated bait. This sport is pretty relaxing but exciting. Everyone is capable of doing it, not only grown up men and women but teenagers and kids as well.
The largemouth Bass is more active and lively when the water intensity goes up. They are more adapted to warm waters of 80-82 degree F, and are not often found deeper than 20 feet. These kind of fish are more dynamic, energetic and vibrant in moderate water than the Smallmouth Bass, but at elevated temperatures they turn out to be less vigorous. This means that it is ideal to do largemouth fishing in the late spring to summer months but you can also do it even in the winter as they stay reasonably active throughout the season.
This species chooses paling waters with no conspicuous current and do not endure too much turbidity. During colder seasons largemouth is not bountiful compared to the warmer spring and summer months wherein the water temperatures are rising and the baitfish are also very abundant. From spring to the summer months the fishermen have a better chance of catching more largemouth fish due to the conditions.
Detailed drawing of the Big Mouth / Largemouth Bass
Both the largemouth and smallmouth Bass have similarities in their physical appearance.
The largemouth can be distinguished by its extended upper jaw which when the mouth is closed, extends well past the eye. The body is oblong and somewhat compressed and stout. The back color is olive to dark green and spotted, the sides are greenish yellow with a dark mid-lateral stripe and it has greenish gold head. This species is the largest of the black Basses with a recorded overall length of (38 in/97 cm), and a maximum recorded weight of 25 pounds (11.3 kg). The average life span is about 16 years and this creature can live for as long as 23 years.
full-size mouth. The adult largemouth swallow tiny fish, crawdad (crayfish), frogs, snakes, salamander, and even small water birds, mammals and baby alligators that they can find.
In larger lakes and reservoirs, fully developed Bass occupy deeper water than younger fish, and change to a diet consisting almost entirely of little species like shad, trout, ciscoes, shiners, and sunfish. Prey items can be as huge as 25 to 35% of the Bass’s body measurement. In weedy waters, Bass grow more slowly due to difficulties in getting hold of its prey. A reduced amount of weed cover permits Bass to easily come across and grab hold of its prey, but this consists of more open-water baitfish.
