Bass (fish)

This article is about the fish bass. For other uses, see Bass.

Striped bass (Morone saxatilis)

Bass ( /ˈbæs/) is a name shared by many different species of popular gamefish. The term encompasses both freshwater and marine species. All belong to the large order Perciformes, or perch-like fishes, and in fact the word bass comes from Middle English bars, meaning "perch."

Types of basses

• The temperate basses, such as the striped bass (Morone saxatilis) and white bass (M. chrysops), belong to the family Moronidae.
• The black basses, such as the largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), smallmouth bass (M. dolomieu), spotted bass (M. punctulatus), and Guadalupe bass (M. treculii), belong to the sunfish family, Centrarchidae.

Other species known as basses

Many species are also known as basses, including:

• The Australian bass, Macquaria novemaculeata, is a member of the temperate perch family, Percichthyidae.
• The black sea bass, Centropristis striata, is a member of the sea bass and sea grouper family, Serranidae.
• The giant sea bass Stereolepis gigas, also known as the black sea bass, is a member of the wreckfish family, Polyprionidae.
• The Chilean sea bass, Dissostichus eleginoides, more commonly known as the Patagonian toothfish, is a member of the cod icefish family, Nototheniidae.
• The European seabass, Dicentrarchus labrax, is a member of the temperate bass family, Moronidae.
• The "lanternbellies" or "temperate ocean-basses" - the family Acropomatidae.

Bass are built to probe and forage around logs, rocks, and other forms of protective cover.

Basic Environmental Needs

The water may be clear, stained, murky, warm, cool, shallow, deep, cover-free, or infested with jungle-like swamp growth and chances are excellent that the bass will get along just fine.

Water temperature affects bass every minute of their lives, and it does likewise to those bent on catching them. The slightest change in water temperature can necessitate entirely different areas and methods to catch bass.

Bass are cold-blooded creatures with their body temperatures governed by those of the surrounding water. The largemouth seems most comfortable when the water is between 65 and 75 degrees F. As the water chills, their metabolism starts to slow down and in cold water bass are very sluggish. They require much more oxygen, less food, and their digestive rate is very slow. This reduced feeding need is observed when the water temperature drops after a weather cold front has moved into an area - and the catching of fish slows down appreciably. The opposite is observed when fishing action picks up after a weather warm front moves in.

Bass become uncomfortable when the water temperatures rise above 80 degrees F. At those times the oxygen content of the water drops as the oxygen also becomes heated, expands, and releases itself from the water. The bass require much more oxygen than is present in such warm water and will usually move to seek this oxygen above all other considerations; because they need to breathe to live. That's when the bass will be found along shaded or windy shorelines where wave action pumps oxygen into the water, where an oxygenated spring enters a lake, or among aquatic plants which produce oxygen.

Feeding Habits of the Largemouth Bass

New hatched largemouth bass feed mostly on tiny crustaceans and plankton until the bass is about 2 inches in length. Then the appetite migrates towards insects and other smaller fish. The adult bass's main diet is made up of mostly fish, but also eats crayfish, worms, frogs, and insects.

Spawning Habits

The bass begins spawning in the spring, when the inshore water temperatures reach approx. 60 degrees F. The typical area for spawning to occur is located in shallow bays, channels and other areas protected from winds. The female will lay from 2000 to 7000 eggs per pound of her body weigh. She will deposit her eggs in either one nest or in several. Putting them in several is one way to prevent losing an entire litter to one mishap. Once the eggs are set, the male watches the nest(s) and will cease eating until the eggs hatch.

Bass Sensory Organs

Bass have six senses: They have the common hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch, but they also have a sensory organ called a lateral line. This line is a series of sensitive nerve endings that extends from the gill to the tail on both sides of the fish. This line detects underwater vibrations that are minor or major.

Shark Lateral line (Lateral line)

The sight of most bass is 30 feet or more in clear water. Due to the habitat of most bass they can only see somewhere between 5 and 10 feet. They can also see out of the water. In shallow water, fish can detect color, especially the color Red. In most deeper waters however colors appear as different shades of gray. The eye of a bass can absorb more light than the human eye. This allows them to see in low light situations.

The Bass can of smell through nostrils or nares on their snouts. The nare are short passages in which water is inhaled and and exhaled without entering the throat. Using this water can detect scents in the water.

The Bass use their sense of touch to determine whether to spit out or swallow an object.

The taste organs are not vital to the bass as much as it is to other species, due to the fact that they have few taste cells in there mouths