Oceans, seas, rivers, and all types of water streams are home to many animals. Most of them haven’t been discovered yet, but the ones we know about are still quite fascinating. There are many types of fish, and we hear about “bass” all the time, but what does a bass look like?
There are a lot of types of bass. Every type looks different, and their appearance relies on multiple factors: which family they come from, where they live, etc. Some of them are rare, and some of them are very common. The most notable one is largemouth which is famous for its prominent jaw.
Fishing is a very important activity that has been around for an extremely long time, and to some people, it isn’t just a hobby. It’s a way of surviving by providing food on the table. Many people still go fishing to have something to eat, and they must know what fish they should look for.
Not knowing how to identify fish can be very dangerous. There is a lot of poisonous fish out there that can seriously harm you or even cause death. Before going fishing, you should
learn about different kinds of fish, especially about the dangerous ones.
This article will explain to you everything you need to know about bass: types of bass, different characteristics, what bait to use for them, and a lot more.
How Do You Identify a Bass?
Bass is a term that a lot of types of fish share. This term is an umbrella term for marine and freshwater fish. Most of those are native to North America and the places which surround it. They are highly valued for sports or culinary purposes.
Although this term is used for many different types of fish, bass fish are usually categorized into three families of Perciformes.
The first family is Serranidae. There are over 400 species of bass in this family, mostly sea bass and groupers. Secondly, we have Moronidae. Although many people find Moronidae as a subfamily of Serranidae, we will categorize them as equals. Moronidae has six species, like striped bass and European bass.
The third family is Centrarchidae, also known as sunfishes. It includes largemouth and smallmouth bass. These fish are very valuable among the fishermen because of their quality and price. There are many other bass, such as channel bass, rock bass, and calico bass.
Bass can be measured up to 31 inches, but there are records of them measuring up to 39 inches.
Temperate water basses are Striped Bass and White Bass, and they belong to the Moronidae family, while Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, Guadalupe Bass, Spotted Bass, and Rock Bass are the Warm Water bass. These types of bass are also called Black Bass.
We’re going to go through a couple of species of bass:
The Australian Bass
The Australian Bass or Macquaria Novemaculeata is a species of bass that lives along the east coast of Australia. It’s a freshwater species, but the breeding occurs in estuarine waters.
They are a migratory species which means they live in the freshwater during the hot season, and they move to estuarine in the winter.
This bass usually weighs around 1.5 pounds and is 7 – 9 inches long. It is considered to be a small to medium size fish with an elongated body. They have medium size mouths and eyes, which can appear red when they are under bright light.
Males are usually smaller than females, and females reach sexual maturity earlier.
Australian bass is the most famous for its role in sport fishing. Since they are very fast, they make fishing more exciting. They eat small insects, shrimp, and small fish. Large bass even eats frogs, lizards, and mice.
The Black Bass
The Black Bass or Centropristis Striata is home to the eastern Gulf of Mexico, Marine, and Florida. It’s a very exclusive type of fish which means it’s very expensive. They can also be found in coastal waters, but in deep waters, too, which can be as far as 130m deep.
They live mostly by the seafloor, around rocks. They can also be found near reefs, jetties, etc.
Even though they are mostly black, they can adjust their color depending on the seafloor. They can become brown, grey, and even indigo. Their skin resembles a fishnet pattern.
What Does Largemouth Bass Look Like?
Largemouth Bass are predators in their ecosystem. They are in the Sunfish family. They become predators when they’re only 2 inches. Their food is zooplankton and insect larvae when small, but adult largemouth eats mostly frogs, small mammals, birds, and smaller bass fish.
It is the largest bass of black bass fish and can get as long as 39 inches. They can weigh up to 22 pounds and live up to 23 years.
Their appearance is mostly known for black blotches, which make a horizontal line going down every flank. Their underside can variate in color from green to white. They have an almost divided dorsal fin. The posterior portion contains 12 to 13 soft rays, and the anterior portion has nine spines.
They attack their prey using their smell, vibrations, sight, and hearing. They usually wait to attack under some cover, and they can fit five sunfish in their mouth at once.
They are apex predators, which means that they don’t get attacked within their habitat when they’re young.
They begin to spawn in the spring, and they can occur in February and in May; you never know. Males are the ones who build the nest. Females can lay from 23 000 to 43 000 eggs at once, and the male guards them.
What Is the Rarest Bass Fish?
Although there are many types of bass fish, there are some that are so rare, most of them are unknown around the world. The best example of a rare bass fish is the Guadalupe Bass.
The Guadalupe Bass or Micropterus Treculii is the official state fish of Texas, and it’s really rare. It is mostly globally unheard of, but it’s very popular in central Texas. It’s native to Edward Plateau in Texas, and it comes from the same family as the smallmouth bass.
Smallmouths are also the biggest threat to Guadalupe because of their high hybridization rate.
There are other names for the Guadalupe bass, such as Guadalupe spotted bass and black bass, but there is an unofficial name for them, too – Guads.
They are mostly green, and they don’t have vertical bars like smallmouths, which makes them noticeable. They are different from the largemouths by not having a protruding jaw, and their color presents lower on the body than in spotted bass.
Guadalupe bass is very precious in sports because it can fight for a long time and go against strong currents.
They are a rare species, and they are facing extinction. Their population is rapidly decreasing because of various reasons such as the degradation of their habitats, reduced streamflow, and hybridization with smallmouths.
They can be found in Texas, Florida, and similar places. They are the most active during the winter months because they prefer cold water. They usually look for cold lakes.
They feed themselves at night when they start to move around their habitat and catch their prey. They feed on water-bound insects, fatheads, and crayfish, but mostly aquatic insects. You can also find them feeding on bees and wasps.
They consume more food during the summer.
Anglers usually catch bass for sport-related activities and not for eating. The meat from the fish is high in protein and low in fats.
What Lure Catches the Biggest Bass?
You’re going fishing for bass and don’t know what kind of bait to get? No worries, we got you!
Bass is very impulsive when it comes to food, and you should use big baits. They are becoming more and more popular, even in places without giant bass.
Using big bait is popular because it relies on the theory that you need to offer a fish something big to be interested in, even when it’s not hungry.
It would help if you tried using big, paddle-tail baits which imitate a large fish like a stocker trout or a hitch.
There are also glide baits. They are quite large and made from hard plastic.
You can also use big bait spoons which have become standard equipment for most anglers. They are used in most competitions of the highest levels.
Conclusion
Bass fish are very diverse. There are so many kinds, and they’re all different. They come from three families.
The most famous are largemouths, and the rarest ones are Guadalupe bass. The best way to catch them is with big baits.
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