Page 32 - Lady Bass Digital Magazine Stelly Special Ed 2022

Bass Tidbits

Here are a few interesting tidbits about bass that we hope you will find not only informative, but helpful on an
upcoming outing.

First, there is a misconception that bass are at their biggest in the spring. Reality is that they are at their biggest
in the summer! The world record largemouth was caught in June and the world record smallmouth was caught
in July. Additionally, each year more bass are probably caught in farm ponds than any other single type of hab-
itat. Big is a relative term and depends on where in the country you are fishing. There are only eight states in
the US, where there have never been a ten-pound bass recorded. These states
are Alaska, Hawaii, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, West
Virginia, and Wyoming. When it comes to records, the 20 biggest bass in the
United States, were caught in the following states. California with 16, Florida
with 3 and 1 in Georgia. The official weights of these bass range from 19.118
lbs. to 22.25 lbs. The World Record is 22.31 lbs and was caught in Japan in
2009! We have all heard that everything is bigger in Texas so I bet you are
surprised to see that none of the top 20 come from Texas. There are big bass
in Texas, just none that have made that top 20 record book.

It is also important to note that the bigger the bass, the faster they can swim! The top cruising speed of most
bass can be calculated at a rate of seven miles per hour for each foot of length. That is faster than most people
walk!

Have you ever wondered why more small bass are caught than big bass? Small bass are prone to reacting
strongly to movement, whereas big bass have learned from experiences to require more positive cues before
hitting your lure. Big bass will feed at night, but because they are sight feeders, they are more effective during
the daylight hours. Additionally, big bass will use experience to pass up on meals because they are harder to
catch. The largemouth bass can catch and digest any food source that will fit the width of their mouth. It should
be no surprise that the number one predator of bass is us as humans.

Are you an angler who fishes river systems? Well, you are in luck. Bass that live in river sys-
tems tend to live longer than bass that live in lakes, because of a more moderate tempera-
ture (lows and highs) during the year.

How many true freshwater bass are there in America? If you guessed three, you are correct, but I’m not sure
you will be correct on the species. You probably guessed the largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass. The
only true members of the bass family are the white, the stripe and the yellow bass! I know, you are probably
thinking that is not correct. Partly because in your mind you are thinking about the most fished for species
which is the largemouth bass. The largemouth also happens to be the worlds largest sunfish! It is probably the
most introduced species of fish in the world, having been introduced in Canada, Mexico, Central and South
America, Cuba, Japan, Hawaii, and even Africa. There are only seven bass in the sunfish family. The Large-
mouth, Smallmouth, Spot, Redeye, Shoal, Suwanee, and the Guadalupe.

Do you know which lives longer…male or female bass? If you guessed the female that is correct. According
to Phys.org, “With largemouth bass, after the female lays her eggs, it’s up to the male to protect them. They do
so by fanning the eggs and driving away threats. Those that do a better job of it, tend to have more offspring
survive. But this new researcher suggests, the same aggressive behavior that some bass exhibit when protecting

32 Lady Bass Anglers Association Bass Tidbits