Bass are fish found in North America. The best-known are the black bass: the largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, which belong to the sunfish family and live in fresh water. They eat fish, crayfish and insects, and the father guards the nest. Some ocean fish, like striped bass and black sea bass, share the name.
bass fish quick facts
- Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass belong to the sunfish family.
- The largemouth bass is North America’s most popular game fish.
- A male bass sweeps out a nest and guards the eggs and babies.
- The world-record largemouth bass weighed 10.1 kg (22 lb 4 oz).
- Most black sea bass start life as females and change into males.
What is a bass?
“Bass” is a name given to several different kinds of fish. The best-known in North America are the black bass: the largemouth bass, the smallmouth bass and the spotted bass.
The Missouri Department of Conservation and Florida Fish and Wildlife say black bass are members of the sunfish family. They live in fresh water, in lakes, ponds, rivers and streams.
Some ocean fish are called bass too, such as the striped bass and the black sea bass. NOAA Fisheries says they share the name but are not black bass. You can also read a short introduction in Britannica Kids.
| Bass | Where it lives | Usual length |
|---|---|---|
| Largemouth bass | warm, still lakes and ponds | 25 to 50 cm (10 to 20 in) |
| Smallmouth bass | cool, clear, rocky streams | 25 to 50 cm (10 to 20 in) |
| Spotted bass | warmer flowing water | 25 to 43 cm (10 to 17 in) |
| Striped bass | the ocean and rivers | up to 1.5 m (5 ft) |
| Black sea bass | reefs and wrecks in the ocean | up to 60 cm (2 ft) |
The largemouth bass
The largemouth bass is the most famous bass of all. Florida Fish and Wildlife says it is the best-known and most popular game fish in North America. A game fish is one that people like to catch for sport.
The Missouri Department of Conservation says a largemouth bass has a long, streamlined body. It is green on top and white on its lower sides and belly, with a dark stripe along each side.
There is an easy way to tell a largemouth apart from other bass. Florida Fish and Wildlife says its upper jaw reaches past the back edge of its eye. Its two back fins are separated by a deep dip.
Largemouth bass are usually 25 to 50 cm (10 to 20 inches) long and weigh about 0.2 to 2 kg (half a pound to 4½ pounds). In Missouri, they can reach about 61 cm (24 inches) and 6.8 kg (15 pounds).
The Florida bass
Scientists have recently found that one kind of largemouth is really its own species. Florida Fish and Wildlife says that, after genetic research at Yale University, the Florida bass is now counted as a separate species.
It looks just like a largemouth, so Florida’s fishing rules treat them as one. Florida bass live in Florida and in parts of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. The Florida largemouth bass is Florida’s official state freshwater fish.
The smallmouth bass
The smallmouth bass is greenish-brown, with faint dark bars on its sides. The Missouri Department of Conservation says its upper jaw only reaches to the back of its eye, and its two back fins are joined together.
Smallmouth bass are usually 25 to 50 cm (10 to 20 inches) long and weigh up to about 1.8 kg (4 pounds). The biggest reach about 56 cm (22 inches) and 2.7 kg (6 pounds).
The spotted bass
The spotted bass gets its name from the rows of dark spots on its lower sides, which make dark stripes. The Missouri Department of Conservation says it also has a rough patch of teeth on its tongue.
Young spotted bass have a black spot at the base of their tail. Spotted bass are usually 25 to 43 cm (10 to 17 inches) long, and reach about 51 cm (20 inches).
Where do bass live?
Each kind of bass likes a different home. The Missouri Department of Conservation says largemouth bass like warm, fairly clear, still water, such as lakes, ponds, reservoirs, quiet river backwaters and pools in streams.
Largemouth bass often hide around underwater plants and logs, waiting for food. But Florida Fish and Wildlife says groups of bass, called schools, also swim in open water in the middle of lakes. The Missouri Department of Conservation says largemouth bass are most active at dawn and dusk.
Smallmouth bass prefer cool, clear streams with clean rocky or gravelly bottoms. They like to stay near shallow, fast-flowing stretches called riffles, but out of the strongest current.
Spotted bass like flowing water that is warmer and a little muddier than smallmouth water. In large lakes called reservoirs, they swim deeper than other black bass.
What do bass eat?
Bass are hungry hunters. The Missouri Department of Conservation says largemouth bass eat fish, crayfish and large insects. Sometimes they even eat frogs, mice or snakes that fall into the water.
Baby bass start small. Florida Fish and Wildlife says they first eat zooplankton, tiny animals that drift in the water, and begin eating small fish once they are about 2.5 cm (1 inch) long.
Spotted bass hide and ambush their prey, sucking it into their big mouths. They eat crayfish, fish and young water insects. Bass are important predators in their ecosystems, helping to keep the numbers of other animals in balance.
Nests and baby bass
Black bass lay their eggs in spring. Florida Fish and Wildlife says the male sweeps out a nest on the bottom, called a bed, and guards the eggs and the babies, called fry.
The Missouri Department of Conservation says a smallmouth bass nest is a saucer-shaped dip swept clean of mud. It holds about 2,500 eggs on average, and they hatch in just two to three days. The fry stay at the nest for about 12 more days before they swim off.
Life is risky for baby fish. The Missouri Department of Conservation says one mile of an Ozark stream can produce as many as 80,000 smallmouth fry, but fewer than 100 of them may still be alive by September.
Largemouth bass eggs hatch in three to four days. The young grow to just over 2.5 cm (1 inch) in their first month, and to more than 13 cm (5 inches) by the end of their first year.
How long do bass live?
The Missouri Department of Conservation says largemouth bass can live 10 to 15 years, smallmouth bass about 10 to 12 years, and spotted bass about 6 years.
Bass of the ocean
Striped bass: NOAA Fisheries says striped bass can grow up to 1.5 m (5 feet) long and 35 kg (77 pounds). They live in the ocean but swim up rivers into fresh water to lay their eggs. They live along the east coast of North America, from Canada to Florida, and along the Gulf coast.
Striped bass can live up to 30 years. NOAA Fisheries says young striped bass spend two to four years in river mouths, called estuaries, before heading out to sea. Adults eat fish, crabs and squid.
Black sea bass: NOAA Fisheries says black sea bass grow slowly, up to about 60 cm (2 feet) and 4 kg (9 pounds). They live around reefs, shipwrecks and oyster beds along the US east coast.
Black sea bass have an amazing life story. NOAA Fisheries says most of them start life as females and change into males as they grow. A female can release 30,000 to 500,000 eggs in a season.
The record-breaking bass
The biggest largemouth bass ever caught weighed 10.1 kg (22 pounds 4 ounces). The Georgia Historical Society says George W. Perry caught it on 2 June 1932, in Montgomery Lake, Georgia.
The fish was 82.6 cm (32½ inches) long. Perry was fishing for food for his family during the hard times of the Great Depression. For his record catch, he won $75 worth of goods in a fishing contest.
His famous fish helped make the largemouth bass the official state fish of Georgia, the Georgia Historical Society says.
The record was matched in 2009. Bassmaster reports that Manabu Kurita caught a largemouth in Lake Biwa, Japan, that tied Perry’s record. Under the rules, a new record fish has to beat the old one by at least 2 ounces, so the two now share the record.
Going fishing
Fishing for bass is a popular way to enjoy the outdoors. Always go with an adult, wear a life jacket near deep water, and follow your local fishing rules.
Many people practise catch and release, gently letting fish go so they can grow bigger and have babies. Bassmaster has tips for teaching kids to fish.
Quick guide: which bass is it?
Here is a quick way to tell the three black bass apart, using the clues from the Missouri Department of Conservation and Florida Fish and Wildlife.
Largemouth: look at the mouth. If the upper jaw reaches past the back of the eye, and the two back fins have a deep dip between them, it is a largemouth.
Smallmouth: if the upper jaw stops at the back of the eye, the back fins are joined, and the fish is greenish-brown with faint bars, it is a smallmouth.
Spotted: if there are rows of dark spots forming stripes along the lower sides, it is probably a spotted bass.
Three things people get wrong
Not all bass are the same kind of fish. The name is shared by several different fish.
Not all bass live in fresh water. Striped bass and black sea bass live in the ocean.
It is the father bass that guards the nest. The male looks after the eggs and fry.
Did you know? One mile of an Ozark stream can produce 80,000 baby smallmouth bass, but fewer than 100 may survive to September.
Try it
Look at pictures of a largemouth and a smallmouth bass. Can you spot the difference in how far the jaw reaches past the eye?
Knowledge check
Which parent guards bass eggs?
Show answer
The father.
How can you tell a largemouth bass?
Show answer
Its upper jaw reaches past the back of its eye.
Frequently asked questions
What is a bass fish?
Bass is a name for several fish. The best-known are the black bass, the largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, which live in fresh water.
What do bass eat?
Bass eat fish, crayfish and large insects. Largemouth bass sometimes eat frogs, mice or snakes. Baby bass eat tiny drifting animals called zooplankton.
Where do bass live?
Largemouth bass like warm, still lakes and ponds. Smallmouth bass like cool, clear, rocky streams. Spotted bass like warmer, flowing water.
How big do bass get?
Most black bass are 25 to 50 cm long. The world-record largemouth, caught in Georgia in 1932, weighed 10.1 kg (22 lb 4 oz).
How long do bass live?
Largemouth bass can live 10 to 15 years, smallmouth bass about 10 to 12 years, and spotted bass about 6 years.
Do bass live in the ocean?
Black bass live in fresh water, but ocean fish like the striped bass and black sea bass share the name. Striped bass swim up rivers to spawn.
Sources
- Missouri Department of Conservation: largemouth bass — looks, size, habitat, diet, eggs and lifespan; its spotted bass page was also used
- Missouri Department of Conservation: smallmouth bass — looks, size, habitat, nests, fry and lifespan
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: largemouth bass — identification, habitat, diet and nesting; its Florida bass and records pages were also used
- NOAA Fisheries: Atlantic striped bass — size, lifespan, range, migration and diet
- NOAA Fisheries: black sea bass — size, habitat, diet, changing from female to male and eggs
- Georgia Historical Society: world record bass — George Perry’s 1932 world-record largemouth
