Largemouth Bass
The green-colored largemouth bass, also referred to as “bigmouth” bass, “bucketmouth” bass or “Florida” bass, is found across a large swath of the United States, from New England to California. This species does not thrive above the 42nd parallel and prefers warmer, still waters such as lakes, ponds, and reservoirs, but does inhabit the slowest waters of warm rivers. The Florida subspecies is the heaviest. Most anglers catch largemouths from 4lb up to 10lb.
The green-colored largemouth bass, also referred to as “bigmouth” bass, “bucketmouth” bass or “Florida” bass, is found across a large swath of the United States, from New England to California. This species does not thrive above the 42nd parallel and prefers warmer, still waters such as lakes, ponds, and reservoirs, but does inhabit the slowest waters of warm rivers. The Florida subspecies is the heaviest. Most anglers catch largemouths from 4lb up to 10lb.
Largemouth Bass Body Markings
Largemouth Bass Habitat
Largemouth Bass Characteristics
- Most largemouth bass have a lateral stripe of black splotches down their lateral line and black patches on their cheeks.
- The corner of a large mouth’s jaw extends past the back of its eye socket, a key identifying feature.
- Largemouth bass tends to have bulkier heads and shoulders and a more rotund gut than smallmouth bass.
- Largemouth bass have a visibly more shallow separation between their first and second dorsal fins than do smallmouth bass.
Largemouth Bass Habitat
- Largemouth bass prefer thick cover in lakes or ponds, an essential part of their ambush method of predation
- Forge fish and smaller gamefish comprise most of largemouth’s diet, but bass eat a wide variety of live prey.
- Largemouth bass can tolerate temperatures from about 35 degrees Fahrenheit up to 90 degrees, but prefer 65 to 85 degrees.
- Spawning can begin in late winter in places where the water warms to 60 degrees, but usually occurs in mid to late spring.
Largemouth Bass Characteristics
- Largemouths can tolerate a lot of turbidity in the water in which they live, and in some places even inhabit brackish waters.
- In optimal conditions, with a significant amount of forage fish, largemouths can grow rapidly.
- As table fare, largemouth fillets are very good, flaky white meat when taken from fish that lived in clear waters.