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Largemouth perch (bass) is a fish of the centrarch family, perch-like order. As with some other “native” fish of the “New World”, there is some naming confusion. The word bass is English and translates as perch. But there is one peculiarity here. Americans most often use the word bass for largemouth bass or trout bass, as well as similar fish of the black perch genus. The same now applies to Russian fishermen. This is primarily due to the fact that the largemouth bass is successfully settled in many regions of the world, where it becomes an excellent object of fishing for amateur anglers, as well as during various competitions.
This species is characterized by a dense, somewhat elongated downed body. The height of the body in the ratio of length is 1/3. With age, the body of the fish becomes higher. The body, compressed from the sides, as well as part of the head, is covered with medium-sized scales. The upper part of the body is dark, olive green in color. The head is large, the line of the mouth extends far beyond the posterior border of the eyes. The eyes are large, predatory. On the head oblique, dark stripes. There are black or dark spots on the sides of the body, forming a stripe along the entire body. Older individuals are darker in color. The lower jaw is longer than the upper. The dorsal fin is divided by a notch. Relatively small anterior part has 9-10 spiny rays. The back of the fin is soft, with one hard ray. The anal fin also has spiny rays. The powerful caudal peduncle is clearly defined, with a notched fin. Largemouth bass are the largest of the black bass, with females being larger than males. Sizes can reach a length of up to 75 cm and a weight of more than 11 kg.
Bass is a resident of stagnant or slow-flowing, shallow water bodies. An important feature is its thermophilicity, which creates the main problems with breeding in the waters of Russia. It is an ambush predator. Prefers to be in thickets of vegetation or in burrowed places. The main range of depths is up to 6 m. It often uses uneven terrain of the coast, caves or burrows for ambushes. In this case, the fish primarily relies on visual orientation. The predator has no particular food preferences. Large individuals can even attack waterfowl. Often the prey of these predators are various amphibians, crustaceans and small mammals. They grow very quickly, especially females succeed in size. In reservoirs where vegetation is poorly represented, it leads a more active lifestyle, while it is quite aggressive and can squeeze out other species.
Fishing methods
Bass is a kind of “brand” in the world of sport fishing. Along with Novy Svet, in regions where largemouth bass farming has been successful, it has become an important target for commercial fishing. Among anglers-athletes, specialized competitions for catching this fish are held. The “trendsetters” are North Americans; an entire industry works for this type of fishing. Now this direction in sports fishing has captured the whole world. Commercial breeding for “bass fishing” is actively developing in southern Europe, North Africa. Bass fishing has completely occupied Japan. The Russian bass league has existed for quite a long time. The main type of fishing for largemouth bass is fishing for artificial lures using spinning and casting rods. Currently, sports and amateur bass fly fishing is actively developing. Largemouth bass, like other active predators, respond well to natural baits. To do this, you can use live bait, frogs, large worms and more.
Catching fish on a spinning rod
The American Sports Bass League has greatly influenced the style of fishing and the choice of gear by amateur spinners. The widespread use of light multiplier reels for this type of fishing has become a powerful impetus for the creation of a large number of casting gear. As a result, multiplier reels have now been created, with which you can cast the lightest baits. Bass fishing tactics in traditional waters do not require ultra-long casts; rather, accuracy and high sensitivity of gear are important. On this basis, the choice of gear for catching this fish is built. Most often, these are not long rods of a fast action, giving the opportunity for a clear hooking and quick hauling out of overgrown areas of the reservoir. But this recommendation is not always suitable for fishing on artificial reservoirs in Africa and southern Europe, where bass are actively bred for commercial purposes.
The water area, as well as the coastline of such reservoirs, is quite deserted, so the use of longer, more powerful rods is quite appropriate here. In any case, using ultra-light slow action blanks is not the best choice for bass fishing. The use of multiplier reels requires some skill and is not always justified for beginners. Moreover, with a little skill, the use of inertial-free coils more familiar to Europeans does not create any problems when catching bass. Multiplier reels are more demanding in the preparation of gear and in the choice of lures. However, the casting itself requires additional training. Otherwise, fishing in a distant reservoir during the “precious” time of a short vacation can turn into an endless unraveling of “beards” and the search for the optimal weight of lures for casting. From the standpoint of the best sensitivity of the tackle, the most correct solution would be to use braided lines that create maximum contact with the fish at the time of the bite. The use of fluorocarbon lines, as well as other monofilament, as the main winding of the reel is also quite justified. Recently, fluorocarbon has become the most popular choice among sportsmen and recreational anglers as leaders or as a shock leader. It is worth noting that the bass is often very picky about the selection of lures, the depth of the wiring, and so on. This requires certain knowledge of the conditions of the reservoir and the life rhythms of the object of fishing.
Fly fishing
No less interesting is catching bass on fly fishing gear. Taking into account the fact that the main habitat of this fish is the coastal or shallow part of the reservoir, fishing can be carried out both from the shore and from boats. Fishing mostly takes place on large imitations of various animals, including surface lures. More often used one-handed rods, starting from the 6th grade. Well-known cord manufacturers make a whole series of specialized products. The main difference between such models is a short head, but at present a large arsenal of cords and shooting heads fit this type. Among the most popular and easily mastered cords are the “Ambush Triangle Taper” or “Triangle Taper Bass” from the manufacturer Royal Wulff.
Baits
A huge number of baits are used to catch bass. As already mentioned, the fish are quite aggressive and voracious. She hunts in all layers of water. When fishing, a variety of wiring techniques are used. Therefore, it is possible to use almost all possible arsenal of lures of modern spinning and fly fishing. Depending on the conditions of the reservoir, spinningists can have various spinners, spinner baits, bulk lures: bladed and bladeless, silicone imitations, and so on. Basses can be perfectly caught using natural, live baits and using even the simplest float or live bait equipment. For fly anglers, the choice of lures comes down to large, floating and sinking imitations. It should not be forgotten here that half of the success is the correct tactics and wiring technique, with the expectation that in most cases the largemouth bass relies on vision in choosing a victim. When choosing a specific bait, first of all, it is worth figuring out in which layer of water an active predator is located.
Places of fishing and habitat
The natural habitat of the largemouth bass are various water bodies of North America: from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi basin and so on. Artificially settled in many reservoirs around the world. For Europeans, the most interesting are the reservoirs of Spain and Portugal. Russian fishermen are actively developing the “bass” reservoirs of Cyprus. Largemouth bass are actively bred in Croatia. Residents of the eastern regions of Russia should not forget about the popularity of bass in Japan. There were attempts to acclimatize this species in Russian reservoirs. Similar experiments were carried out on reservoirs near Moscow and in the south of the country. Currently, insignificant populations have been preserved in the Kuban River, on the Don and on Lake Abrau (Krasnodar Territory) and so on. Puberty occurs within 3-5 years.
Spawning
Spawning occurs in spring and summer, starting in March. The fish nest in small holes in sandy or rocky ground, often among aquatic vegetation. Accompanied by mating games, females can lay eggs in several nests at once. Males guard the clutch, and then flocks of juveniles for about a month. The fry grow very quickly, already at a body length of 5-7 cm from the larvae of various invertebrates they switch to feeding on fish.