Name: Largemouth Bass (Micropterus Salmoides)
AKA: Bucket Mouth, Swamp Donkey, Hog, Ditch Pickle, Largey
Range: Lower 48 States in the US, Mexico, and Southern Canada
Found In: Warmwater Rivers, Ponds, and Lakes
If you are an angler on the North American Continent, at some point or another you have thrown some casts in search of Largemouth Bass! These fish are found just about everywhere and absolutely love to devour anything in their path. So let’s get to know this big green eating machine, and learn how to catch ’em!
Five Facts You Never Knew About Largemouth:
Bass Need to Eat…A Lot!
Largemouth bass needs to consume 10 pounds of forage to gain 1 pound of weight. So if a bass eats 1,000 1-inch bluegills, it will only grow one pound. Now think how much bait a 10-pounder eats.
How Long Does a Largemouth Live?
According to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, Largemouth Bass live up to 16 years on average. Although the Florida Bass strain grows faster, the Northern region Bass strain tends to live much longer.
Are Largemouth Bass Technically a Sunfish?
Believe it or not, Largemouth Bass are a part of the Sunfish Family. Largemouth Bass are a member of the “Black Bass” family, which is also a member of the Sunfish family. It may sound confusing, but if you keep hooking into bluegill after bluegill, don’t be upset, you are technically catching a fish with shared genes of a gamefish.
Bass Learn from their Mistakes
Bass are very intelligent creatures. Some may argue that they may be the most intelligent freshwater game fish to target. Just like humans, Largemouth Bass tend to avoid making the same mistake twice. If you cast the fly of your choice, you better make it count. Odds are the fish won’t be interested if you make a mistake. Largemouth will even avoid flies if they resemble the same fly or lure they have been caught on before. Try new Bass patterns every month when you subscribe to a Warmwater Postfly box!
Bass Have a Sixth Sense
Bass are an incredible species. They have adapted to rule the waters they swim in. One of the reasons they are at the top of the food chain is the sixth sense they have. Bass has a “lateral line” sense that helps them detect threats and prey. The lateral line holds pores that are filled with water and nerve endings. The lateral line sense allows the bass to detect extremely low-frequency vibrations. The detected vibrations will be precisely interpreted as to what is creating them. These frequency patterns elicit flight or fight response patterns.
How to fish for them:
Spring: Fish shallow spawning beds with crayfish or bluegill patterns. At this time of year, the bass are getting ready to spawn and become highly territorial, by using intrusive patterns you can entice an aggressive eat! You can also cast larger baitfish patterns such as the Postfly FF shad.
Summer: When grassy slop starts to cover your lakes and ponds, it’s time to start throwing my favorite largemouth bass pattern… the frog. Use the Postfly Frog popper to initiate aggressive strikes. Target shaded areas and secluded lilypad patches or weed beds.
Fall: The transition from summer to fall activates the metabolism of the largemouth bass. Once the cold fronts come in and the leaves begin to change, it is time to use large streamer patterns. The Postfly Slumpbuster is a deadly fly this time of year.
Want to start chasing Largemouth Bass on the fly rod? Pick up a Postfly Warmwater Subscription and hit the water!
https://postflybox.com/blog/2018/10/18/invest-in-what-you-love-equity-crowdfunding-and-why-were-doing-it/
https://postflybox.com/blog/2018/07/02/fly-fishing-lone-star-state/
https://postflybox.com/blog/2017/04/12/the-5-bass-flies-you-should-carry-at-all-times/
https://postflybox.com/blog/2016/07/25/how-to-catch-bass-on-the-fly-with-topwater-poppers/
I’m from New England and always fished for trout and salmon. Yes , I know there is bass there but I like trout fishing. I fly fish 99% of the time. I live in Virginia now and this is Bass country so they say. The trout are farther from me then the bass. The way it gets so hot here the water gets too hot for trout. I guess I better learn to fly fish for bass. I hope this site gives me the tips and info I need to become a successful bluegill fisherman, I mean bass.