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Largemouth Bass
Micropterus salmoides
Family: Sunfish family (Centrarchidae)
Other Names: black bass, 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 the U.S. into Mexico; widely introduced; common throughout Wisconsin
Food: small fish, frogs, crayfish, insects, leeches
Reproduction: in May and June 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; male also protects fry until the “brood swarm” disperses
Average Size: 12 to 20 inches, 1 to 5 pounds
Records: State—11 pounds, 3 ounces, Lake Ripley, Jefferson County, 1940; North American—22 pounds, 4 ounces, Montgomery Lake, Georgia, 1932
Notes: Largest member of the sunfish family in Wisconsin. Most popular game fish in the United States, the largemouth is known for strong fights and high leaps. Though it is not highly regarded as table fare in the North, it is commonly eaten in the South. A carnivore, it will devour any live prey that fits into its mouth. Found in thick weedbeds, shallow woody cover and around docks; often feeds near the surface; not commonly located in water deeper than 20 feet.
Similar Species: Smallmouth Bass (pg. 140)
- Largemouth Bass: mouth extends beyond non-red eye
- Smallmouth Bass: mouth does not extend beyond red eye