Leaping Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides): North America's Haggling, Hearty, Hurtling Freshwater Fish

People may or may not appreciate being known for having big mouths. The phrase may refer to a facial feature which is overdeveloped, with pleasing or unpleasing consequences. Or the phrase may warn others that the person in question cannot be counted on for discretion or entrusted with secrets.

But regardless of their human preferences, people can have different standards when it comes to fishes. Having a big mouth is one example of human inconsistency. It almost always represents a compliment in terms of fish.

In short, a big-mouthed fish is one which tends to be more cooperative about being baited and caught.

What is the common name for the largemouth bass? Largemouth bass is the common name which people in their daily routines are most likely to use in referring to the largemouth bass. The fish in question numbers among the biggest and mightiest of black basses, in terms of mouth and overall size. In fact, the common name refers to the fish’s body shape and weight as well as to the vast amounts of prey which the fish attempts to ingest.

Depending upon the locale, the largemouth bass can be designated by other common names. The list of alternative common names includes the following:

· American black bass;

· Bigmouth, bigmouth bass;

· Black bass;

· Bucket mouth;

· Florida bass;

· Florida largemouth;

· Green bass;

· Green trout;

· Largemouth black bass;

· Lineside, lineside bass, linesides;

· Northern largemouth bass;

· Oswego bass;

· Potter’s fish;

· Southern largemouth;

· Widemouth bass.

What is the scientific name for the largemouth bass? Bernard Germain Étienne de Laville-sur-Illon, comte de Lacépède (December 26, 1756-October 6, 1825), was born in Agen, Guienne, southwestern France. He was educated by his father, Jean-Joseph Médard, comte de La Ville, particularly in musical composition and performance as well as in natural history and physics. He was offered positions at the Jardin du Roi (“Garden of the King”) in 1785 and at the successor Jardin des Plantes (“Garden of the Plants”) in 1792. He was persuaded to enter politics, which he did as a member of the Assemblée nationale legislative (“Legislative Assembly”) in 1791-1792 and then of the Sénat (“Senate”) in 1799. During his political career, he wrote Histoire naturelle des poissons (“Natural history of the fishes”), which garnered him the reputation as a leading ichthyologist and served as the basis for his scientific classification of a South Carolina specimen of the largemouth bass in 1802.

In his description, Monsieur Lacépède noted:

"A great number of this species is found in all the rivers of Carolina; it is called trout, or truite. It is caught with bait; it is attracted to minnows. They reach a length of six or seven decimeters [23.6 or 25.7 inches]; their flesh is firm, and has a very agreeable taste."

"On trouve un très grand nombre d'individus de cette espèce dans toutes les rivières de la Caroline; on leur donne le nom de trout ou truite. On les prend à l'hameçon; on les attire par le moyen de morceaux de cyprin. Ils parviennent à la longueur de six ou sept décimètres; leur chair est ferme, et d'un goût très-agréable." (Tome V, 718)

What is the home of the largemouth bass? The largemouth bass is native to the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence and Mississippi River basins as well as to the watery drainages into the Gulf of Mexico and the southern Atlantic Ocean. From its native range, it is a widely transplanted fish. It therefore may be both a native and an introduced fish depending upon the area in question. For example, the largemouth bass may be considered native to the Big Sandy and Tennessee drainages, but introduced into the Atlantic and New River drainages, in regard to Virginia.

Within its native and introduced ranges, the largemouth bass appreciates the prevalence of the following conditions within its watery habitats:

· Calm, quiet, slow or still waters such as in the quieter pools of fast-flowing streams;

· Clear, warm water whose temperatures range between 62 and 75 °F (16.66 and 23.88 °C);

· Creeks as well as small lakes and ponds in northerly locations;

· Farm ponds of higher water quality;

· Lakes and reservoirs;

· Periodic cover of aquatic grasses, boat docks, rocky ledges, submerged objects such as rocks and timber, and undercut banks.

The largemouth bass tends to be intolerant of the low visibility which characterizes stained, turbid or weed-ridden waters. But it will tolerate the slight acidity which obtains in marshes and swamps, up to a known pH of 4.0, which nevertheless may be hostile to successful spawning. It also will tolerate the slight salinity which prevails in estuaries, up to a known maximum of 12.9%.

How do you know that it is a largemouth bass?

Head:

Large mouth;

Olive cheek bars;

Protruding lower jaw;

Tongue lacking teeth;

Body:

Belly deep and near white;

Dark olive or even black horizontally striped patterning along sides;

Dull to olive green top and upper sides with brassy to green sheen and dark olive mottling;

Lateral line running from the gill covers to the base of the tail and used to detect pressure change from movement and vibration;

Lower sides off white;

Mature body length of 16 to 24 inches (40 to 60 centimeters), with a known maximum of 29.5 inches (75 centimeters);

Mature body weight of 3 pounds (1.36 kilograms) in cooler waters and 10 to 20 pounds (4.54 to 9.07 kilograms) in warmer, with a known maximum of 26 pounds 1 ounce (11.4 kilograms);

Stocky build;

Fins, Rays, Spines:

Anal fin off white with 10 to 12 rays and 2 to 3 spines;

Deeply notched dorsal (Latin: dorsālis, “of or relating to the back”) fin pale to medium olive with olive brown mottling, 11 to 14 rays and 9 to 11 spines;

Moderately forked caudal (Latin: caudālis, “of or relating to the tail of an animal”) fin pale to medium olive with olive brown mottling;

Rounded pectoral (Latin: pectorālis, “of or relating to the breast”) fin pale orange olive with 13 to 17 rays.

What does the largemouth bass eat? The largemouth bass can be an aggressive, impetuous, voracious feeder. It often is described as capable of running down anything that moves. It will use its finely developed senses of hearing, sight and smell as well as its heightened detection of pressure changes and vibrations to capture multiple prey.

The fry can survive only through the yolk sac to which it is attached when it hatches. The young largemouth bass eats copepods, plankton (Greek: πλαγκτός, planktos, “errant” and therefore “drifter”), and waterfleas. The juvenile feeds on scuds as well as small aquatic and land insects, fish and shrimp.

In shallower waters, the adult largemouth bass focuses its predatory attentions and energies on aquatic and land insects, baby alligators, bats, crayfish, ducklings and small water birds, frogs, moles and other small mammals, newts, salamanders, snails, and snakes as well as smaller fish such as the bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus). In deeper waters, the adult preys on the young of other fish, such as the cisco (Coregonus spp), golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas), pike (Esox spp), shad (Alosa spp), striped bass (Morone saxatilis), walleye (Sander vitreus), white bass (Morone chrysops), and yellow perch (Perca flavescens).

What eats the largemouth bass? Everything that moves in the water can attempt to take a bite out of a young largemouth bass. Predators can be amphibians such as the eastern newt (Notophthalmus viridescens). Or they can include birds such as the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus), great blue heron (Ardea Herodias), and ring-billed gull (Larus delawarensis). Predatory fish include the American eel (Anguilla rostrata). Predatory insects may be the green darner (Anax junius) and the large diving beetle (Dytiscus fasciventris, D. harrissi, D. marginalis, D. verticalis). Predatory reptiles may include the common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) and the northern water snake (Nerodia sipedon).

Nothing other than the predatory human usually eats the adult largemouth bass, which is the apex or top-level predator of its food chain. The adult largemouth bass nevertheless may be host to the bass tapeworm (Proteocephalus amblopolitis), black spot (Uvulifer ambloplitis), and yellow grub (Clinostomum marginatum). No harm may result to the adult largemouth bass except in the case of black spot. A severe reaction to the previously mentioned flatworm may yield countless black cysts all over the fish's body as well as a bulging of the eyes. Appearances to the contrary, black spot will not affect the edibility or contaminate the flesh of any largemouth bass so infected.

What is the spawning time for the largemouth bass? The largemouth bass breeds when springtime water temperatures range between 60.8 and 64.4 °F (16 and 18 °C). Spawning ends when water temperatures go above 75.2 °F (24 °C). It therefore may begin as early as February or as late as May, in Texas. In Virginia, it will run from May to June, possibly into July.

The male largemouth bass builds the nest in an area about 2 to 3 feet (0.61 to 0.91 meters) in diameter, with a known maximum of 7 to 10 feet (2.13 to 3.05 meters). He clears the water bottom by fanning his fins. He may carry out his nest-building on covered or open substrates in the backwaters and pools of streams or along the shores of ponds and reservoirs. He will look for depths of 0.98 to 1.97 feet (0.3 to 0.6 meters) in Virginia and of 2 to 8 feet (0.61 to 2.44 meters) in Texas, with a known maximum depth of 26.90 feet (8.2 meters).

The female can produce about 4,000 eggs per pound (2.2 kilogram) of body weight. The male chases her away once her one-time, typical laying of 2,000 to 43,000 yellow or orange eggs is over. He defends the eggs, which measure about 0.06 to 0.07 inches (1.4 to 1.8 millimeters) in diameter. The eggs hatch in about 5 to 10 days. The male keeps up guard duty until the newly hatched fry can feed independently and move out from the nest, generally in about 3 to 4 weeks.

Sexual maturity depends upon location. For example, the largemouth bass is sexually mature 1 year after hatching in more southerly locations. In contrast, it is sexually mature in 3 to 4 years further north.

The largemouth bass may live 8 to 10 years in Virginia. It may live as long as 16 years in Texas.

Texas hatchery for largemouth bass: Through rearing fingerlings at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center (TFFC), the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department produces annually over 7.5 million bass for stocking in Texas reservoirs. Housing one of five state fish hatcheries, TFFC primarily focuses on largemouth bass, producing 3 to 4 million Florida largemouth bass fingerlings annually.

What is the use for the largemouth bass? Culture, fishing and food are the most visible uses of the largemouth bass.

In terms of culture, the largemouth bass is the state fish of Alabama (1975), Georgia (1970), and Mississippi (1974). In Florida (2007), the largemouth bass, as the freshwater fish, shares official status with the Atlantic saltfish (Istiophorus albicans), which is the state salt water fish. As Tennessee’s sport fish (1988), it shares official status with the channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), which is the state commercial fish.

In terms of fishing, the largemouth bass fights strongly against being caught. But the following guidelines may be helpful in the pursuit of the battling, fighting, pugnacious largemouth bass:

Times:

Early morning, late evening;

Places:

Deeper waters in larger water bodies, shallower in smaller;

Shallow waters during weather of warm days and mild nights;

Methods:

Heavy rods, leaders, poppers;

Live bait, such as crayfish, crickets, frogs, golden shiners, leeches, minnows, night crawlers;

Lures, such as crank and spinner baits, jigs, plastic worms, top water plugs;

Subsurface and surface fishing.

In terms of food, the flesh is considered edible, firm and tasty. It offers a healthy offering of 104 calories, with just 2.6% fat and 18.8% protein, with each 4 ounce (0.11 kilogram) uncooked serving. It tastes best when the largemouth bass is kept cool after the catch and during the transport. It will cooperate with being packed into an ice chest or strung by the mouth and lowered into cool water.

What does the future hold for the largemouth bass? The largemouth bass has a tentative reputation as the first fish to be raised by European settlers in culture ponds in North America. But it was not raised to be bred for sport, game or even cuisine. Instead, it was raised to be summarily dispatched and turned into fertilizer for rice fields near Charleston, South Carolina.

Nowadays, nobody breeds or catches the largemouth bass for commercial or homemade fertilizer-making. The largemouth bass instead finds an important role to play through the gusto with which it fights being caught. In fact, its fast-striking and high-jumping stunts often may earn it a life or death choice: catch and release or transport and eat. Either way, the largemouth bass has a 50% chance of being the catcher’s next meal and a 0% chance of being somebody’s lawn fertilizer.

Them’s good odds.

My special thanks for talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the Internet; as well to Stessily for original artwork included below.

My special thanks to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. Department of Agriculture for the professionalism which is evinced in the high-caliber data and images which they make available in print and on the internet.

My special thanks also to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Texas State University-San Marcos, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, and Fairfax County Public Schools of Northern Virginia for the high caliber of their online resources.

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Gooch, Bob. Virginia Fishing Guide. Revised Edition. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1992.

Hart, David. Flyfisher’s Guide to Virginia Including West Virginia’s Best Fly Fishing Waters. Belgrade, MT: Wilderness Adventures Press, Inc., 2006.

Hassan-Williams, Carla, and Timothy H. Bonner. "Micropterus salmoides largemouth bass." Texas State University-San Marcos Department of Biology: Texas Freshwater Fishes. http://www.bio.txstate.edu/~tbonner/ txfishes/micropterus%20salmoides.htm (Last accessed November 19, 2011)

Henshall, James Alexander. Book of the Black Bass Comprising its Complete Scientific and Life History Together with a Practical Treatise on Angling and Fly Fishing and a Full Description of Tools, Tackle and Implements. Cincinnati: Robert Clarke & Co., 1889.

Holbrook, John Edwards. Ichthyology of South Carolina. Charleston, SC: John Russell, 1855.

Jenkins, Robert E. and Noel M. Burkhead. Freshwater Fishes of Virginia. Bethesda, MD: American Fisheries Society, 1994.

Lacépède, Bernard-Germain-Étienne de. Histoire Naturelle des Poissons par le Citoyen La Cépède. Tome Quatrième. Paris: Plassan, l’an X de la République (1802).

"Largemouth Bass, Micropterus salmoides." EFISH: The Virtual Aquarium of The Department of Fisheries & Wildlife of Virginia Tech. http://cnre.vt.edu/efish/families/ largemouth.html (Last accessed November 19, 2011)

“Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides).” Fairfax County Public Schools Study of Northern Virginia Ecology: Organism Menu: Fish. http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/largemouth_bass.htm (Last accessed November 19, 2011)

"Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides." Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission (PFBC) Gallery of Pennsylvania Fishes Chapter 22: Sunfishes, Family Centrarchidae. http://www.fish.state.pa.us/pafish/fishhtms/chap22.htm (Last accessed November 19, 2011)

“Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides). “ Texas Parks & Wildlife. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/lmb/ (Last accessed November 19, 2011)

Rohde, Fred C., Rudolf G. Arndt, David G. Lindquist, and James F. Parnell. Freshwater Fishes of the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. Chapel Hill and London: The University of North Carolina Press, 1994.

Copyright Saturday, November 19, 2011 by Derdriu