Information & facts

Species Name
Largemouth bass
(Micropterus salmoides)

Common Names
Black bass, brown bass, green bass, widemouth bass, bigmouth, bucketmouth, black trout.

Size Range
Average 12-15 inches. Largemouth bass can grow 17-20+ inches in quality populations. 

Description
Largemouth bass is a member of the sunfish family, though larger than those species considered "panfish".  Together with six other species of bass, they make up the group typically known as the black basses.  Other than the largemouth, the only other member of the black basses in BC is the similar looking smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu.  Largemouth bass are less "flattened" and are longer than other sunfishes.  They usually have a general greenish-black color to them, with a prominent dark horizontal band along their midline, whereas smallmouth bass are more of a brownish-green color with subdued dark vertical bands.  Also, with their mouth closed, the maxillary (upper lip) of the largemouth bass extends fully past their eye, whereas in a smallmouth bass, it will reach only the middle of the eye.

Where to fish for Largemouth bass
Many of the lowland lakes and ponds across BC have been planted with bass at some point during the past 100 years, both legally and illegally. Of course there are some lakes and ponds in BC that are well known quality bass waters.

How to fish for Largemouth Bass

Largemouth Bass are commonly found in shallower waters closer to shore in shallow weedy lakes, backwater areas of medium and large rivers, ponds, canals, and reservoirs . They are most commonly found associated with heavy growth of vegetation, soft bottoms, and various cover such as stumps, trees, water lilies, and cattails. The Largemouth Bass can tolerate a wide range of water temperature but is most active in water that is 65F to 80F. Most Largemouth Bass caught by anglers are under 2 pounds, but Largemouth up to 5 pounds are not uncommon. Largemouth bass are fighters when hooked and will often become airborne in their effort to throw the hook.

For Largemouth a 6 to 7 foot medium to medium-heavy graphite rod with a matched anti-Reverse bait casting reel spooled with 6 to 8 lb test if the Largemouth Bass are at the edge of the weeds or structure. If the Largemouth are in heavy weeds or cover spool your reel with 8 to 12 Lb test, this will help getting them out of the weeds without breaking your line.

Largemouth Bass fishing consists of many types of lures and soft plastics. These are top water baits, spinner baits, and soft plastic lures. Largemouth Bass are opportunistic feeders with a wide variety in their diet. This means that they will also take a wide variety of baits and lures. Some of the better producers are soft body lures such as worms, grubs, frogs, minnows, flipping tubes, or crayfish. These soft lures can also come scented. Spinner baits are also top producers these include such lures as Booyah's Bassinator Spinnerbaits, the Strike King Bottom Dweller Spinnerbait, Sworming Hornet's Fish Head Spin Jigs, Enticer Pro Rattling Jig, Stacey's Flip'n Jig, and the Strike King Bleeding Bait Spinnerbaits. Topwater lures include the Xcalibur Xz2 Zell Pop Hardbaits, Arbogast Jitterbugs, Heddon Lucky 13, Rapala Skitter Prop, and the Luhr Jensen Nip-I-Diddee Classic Lures. When retrieving your lures mix it up until you find what is working. A method of fast retrieval or fast and jerky can usually entice a bite. If these don't work then try a medium retrieval with a short pause every 3 to 4 cranks of the reel.

Bass Fishing Tips, Tricks and Tactics

Below are some of the best tips to help you when fishing for Largemouth Bass. I hope that you’ll find them to be both useful and effective.

• Know the Habits of Bass – The type of weather dictates where bass may or may not be. When the sun is out and shinning bright bass will look for shelter. When it’s cloudy out and there is little or no sun bass come out of their protective shelter. This means when it’s sunny out you’ll want to fish near areas where bass might go for shelter, so keep your lure or live bait close to possible areas that bass might use for shelter.

• Try Using Buzzbait – If you follow any of the major bass tournaments then you’ll know that buzzbait is popular, and many pros use Booyah Buzz. The secret to its success is that it creates a loud buzzing noise that attracts bass from faraway distances.

• Fishing for Bass at the Right Time of Day – The best time to fish for bass is the first few early hours of the morning or the last few hours going into the evening. Bass will feed during the afternoon time if it happens to be a cloudy day or if the water is muddy. It’s recommend that you try to get to your favorite fishing hole about an hour before sunup or an hour before sunset.

• Fish for Bass During the Pre-Spawn – The holy grail of bass fishing is during the largemouth pre-spawn. The pre-spawn starts in spring around the time when the water temperature gets to be between 55 to 65 degrees. This is when both male and female bass move to the shallow areas, start aggressively feeding and looking for the best place to nest. Fisherman during this period can actually locate bass right from shore, that’s how close they get. This is the best time to get a trophy bass, but remember to catch and release female bass so they can complete their spawn and continue the cycle of life for bass.

• Examine a Caught Bass for Local Tips – The next time you catch a bass take a peek inside of its mouth. When a bass is fighting you it will sometimes throw up whatever contents are in it’s stomach. This is a great way to see what bass are feeding on in the local area and try to mimic the look with a lure that can mimic it. In some cases if you like to use live bait you can try and catch what they’re actually feeding on and use that as bait.

• Always Keep an Eye on the Line – Every so often it’s a good idea to examine the line right above the lure you’re using. It’s common for it to get frayed due to it coming into contact with rocks, gravel, branches, stumps, etc. Nothing is worse than losing a monster bass due to your line breaking!

• Size Doesn’t Matter – The size of your lure doesn’t dictate the size of the bass you’ll catch. Remember, a largemouth bass will strike prey that is 25% to 50% of its length. So even large lures can catch small bass. If you’re not having success then try a smaller lure such as the Strike King Spinnerbait.

• Try Some Live Bait – While many anglers don’t like using live bait it can be a great way to produce a nice bass when lures aren’t producing. Shiners have the best luck, especially when you hook them through both lips or just behind the top dorsal fin. Worms, crayfish and even frogs are great artificial bait alternatives. Use a slip bobber so you can adjust the depth of your bait without having to sacrifice casting ability.

Bass Fishing Resources

• 101 Bass Fishing Tips – This book is an amazing guide that will take your skills to the next level.
• Largemouth Bass – Wikipedia – Learn more about largemouth bass on Wikipedia.
• B.A.S.S Master – This is the largest and most successful organization of anglers dedicated to conversation and bass fishing.