Read an Excerpt
Largemouth Bass
Micropterus salmoides
Family: Sunfish family (Centrarchidae)
Other Names: green bass, green trout, slough bass
Description: dark green back, greenish sides often with dark lateral band; belly white to gray; large, forward-facing mouth; lower jaw extends to rear margin of eye
Habitat: shallow, fertile, weedy lakes and river backwaters; weedy bays and extensive weedbeds of larger lakes
Range: southern Canada through central U.S. into Mexico; widely introduced; warmwater fisheries in Colorado
Food: small fish, frogs, crayfish, insects, leeches
Reproduction: matures at 3 to 5 years of age; spawns when water temperatures reach 60 degrees, male builds nest in 2 to 8 feet of water, usually on firm bottom in weedy cover; female deposits 2,000 to 40,000 eggs, which the male fans and guards; eggs hatch in about 3 to 4 days; male protects fry until the “brood swarm” disperses
Average Size: 12 to 20 inches, 1 to 5 pounds
Records: State—11 pounds, 6 ounces, Echo Canyon Reservoir, 1997; North American—22 pounds, 4 ounces, Montgomery Lake, Georgia, 1932
Notes: The Largemouth Bass was introduced to Colorado in 1878. From the time it begins feeding, 5 to 8 days after hatching, it is an aggressive predator. Young bass eat tiny creatures such as copepods, waterfleas and insect larvae. Before the end of the first growing season, fish are added to the menu. Biologists estimate a bass must eat 4 pounds of forage to produce 1 pound of body weight. Largemouths are typically uncommon in depths greater than 20 feet, but clear-water western reservoirs can provide exceptions.
Similar Species: Smallmouth Bass (pg. 138), Spotted Bass (pg. 140)
- Largemouth Bass: mouth extends well beyond non-red eye
- Smallmouth Bass: mouth does not extend beyond red eye
- Spotted Bass: jaw does not extend much beyond eye
