Bass

Largemouth Bass

Virginia State Record

Largemouth Bass  16 lbs 4 oz  Connor Lake  04-16-85  Richard Tate

 

Average Growth Rate of Largemouth Bass

 

Florida largemouth bass are visually indistinguishable from native bass (although they may be distinguished by genetic testing procedures). Both are usually green with dark blotches that form a horizontal stripe along the middle of the fish on either side. The underside ranges in color from light green to almost white. The dorsal fin is almost divided with the anterior portion containing 9 spines, and the posterior portion containing 12-13 soft rays. Largemouth bass may be distinguished from other black basses in that the upper jaw reaches far beyond the rear margin of the eye.

 Largemouth bass prefer to nest in quiet, more vegetated water than other black bass, but will use any substrate besides soft mud, including submerged logs. Nests are usually built in two to eight feet of water. Once the female has laid eggs in the nest (2,000 to 43,000) she is chased away by the male who then guards the precious eggs. The young, called fry, hatch in five to ten days and remain in a school. Male largemouth bass continue to guard their fry for several days after hatching. Fry feed primarily on zooplankton and insect larvae. At about two inches in length they become active predators. Adults feed almost exclusively on other fish and large invertebrates such as crayfish.

Rocky areas often hold bass more in cooler weather. The rocks above the water level get heat from the sun and this heating effect is carried over to the rocks below the surface and can  increase water temperature near them. Bass will also feed in rocky and graveled areas. Rocks also provide structure that bass may cling to. Try using jigs, spinner baits, crank baits or plastic worms.

Manmade structure like boat docks and brush piles are great places to find bass. These kinds of manmade structures attract baitfish which in turn attract feeding bass. Try using spinner baits, crank baits, plastic worms and jigs around these kinds of structures

Plants & Weeds that grow in the water should be high on your priority list of places to fish for bass. Water plants filter and oxygenate the water. This type of cover also provides shade and good places for bass to ambush their prey. (Hopefully your lure). Try using top water poppers, spinner baits, buzz baits, and plastic worms or jerk baits.

Tree stumps, fallen logs, standing timber and bushes make excellent cover for bass. Wooden cover and structure will hold bass in any season and at any depth you find it. Jigs, spinner baits, plastic worms, crank baits and Carolyna rigs are good producers around wooden structure.

 

 

 

Smallmouth Bass
 

 

Virginia State Record

Smallmouth Bass  7 lbs 7 oz  New River  11-22-86  John Justice

Description:
Smallmouth bass are most often bronze to brownish green in color, with dark vertical bars on the sides. In contrast to the Largemouth bass, the upper jaw does not extend beyond rear margin of eye. Eye is  reddish in color. Shallow notch in dorsal fin. Soft dorsal fin has 13 to 15 rays. Length: 12 to 22 inches. Weight 8 ounces to 7 pounds.

Location and Habitat:
They prefer rocky habitats in streams and lakes with clear waters.

Food:
Shad and crayfish are consumed in lakes; and crayfish and minnows in streams. In streams, smallmouth can be very aggressive when hellgrammites and terrestrial insects are available.

Angling:
Effective lures for smallmouth, are those that resemble minnows, plastic worms and streamer flies. Live baits include minnows, hellgrammites and crayfish.

 

Striped Bass

Virginia State Record

Striped Bass  53 lbs 7 oz  Leesville Reservoir  03-16-00  James B. Davis

 

 

The striped bass is the largest member of the sea bass family, often called “temperate” or “true” bass to distinguish them from species such as largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass which are actually members of the sunfish family Centrarchidae. Although Morone is of unknown derivation, saxatilis is Latin meaning “dwelling among rocks”. As with other true basses the dorsal fin is clearly separated into spiny and soft-rayed portions. Striped bass are silvery, shading to olive-green on the back and white on the belly, with seven or eight uninterrupted horizontal stripes on each side of the body. Younger fish may resemble white bass Morone chrysops. However, striped bass have two distinct tooth patches on the back of the tongue, whereas white bass have one tooth patch. Similarly, striped bass have two sharp points on each gill cover, and white bass have one. Additionally, the second spine on the anal fin is about half the length of the third spine in striped bass, and about two-thirds the length of the third spine in white bass.

The striped bass is anadromous, native to a variety of habitats including shores, bays, and estuaries. In coastal populations individuals may ascend streams and travel as much as 100 miles inland to spawn. There are land-locked populations that complete their entire life cycle in freshwater. These generally, ascend tributaries of the lakes or reservoirs where they spend their lives. Spawning begins in the spring when water temperatures approach 60 °F. Typically, one female is accompanied by several males during the actually spawning act. Running water is necessary to keep eggs in motion until hatching. In general, 50 miles or more of stream is required for successful hatches. Striped bass “stripers” may reach a size of 10 to 12 inches during the first year. Males are generally mature in two years, and females in three to four. Adults are primarily piscivorous feeding predominantly on members of the herring family such as gizzard shad, threadfin shad (alewife, and glut herring are often found in their stomachs in the northern states)..