How well do you know largemouth bass? Let’s take a look at 17 fun facts on largemouth bass some of which you may have never heard before. Let’s begin….

17 Fun Facts On Largemouth Bass

Largemouth is not its official name. Yes, you may have heard largemouth bass being referred to as: bucketmouths, LMB, bigmouth bass, largies, toads, hogs, lunkers etc, but its official name is Micropterus Salmoides. I betcha can’t say Micropterus Salmoides three times fast. Yeah, I thought you would agree, largemouth bass is easier to say. Let’s just stick with largemouth.

Member of the sunfish family. Did you know that largies are actually part of the sunfish family? Yes, it is true. And you thought your family was crazy. Imagine trying to explain to your father that you ate your relatives. Pretty crazy!

Awkward family reunion. Speaking of sunfish, according to one study, sunfish make up 40 percent of a largie’s diet. And you thought your family reunion’s were awkward?

What do eat bass eat? Do bass eat rats? Bass will feed on pretty much anything that moves in or on the water. With that being said, some of their favorite treats include: shad, panfish, bluegill, trout, frogs, mice, worms, insects and yes other bass as well. They have even been seen feeding on alligators. Don’t believe me? Check out the video in this post.

How many eggs does a female largemouth lay? A female largie can lay as little as 2000 eggs per pound of her weight and as many as 7000 eggs per pound. The average being, around 4000 eggs per pound. So if she weighs 5 pounds, she could lay anywhere between 10,000 to 35,000 eggs.

No temperature too cold. While most bucketmouths prefer to stay in water that is 80 degrees fahrenheit. They can also be found in temperatures as low as the high 30s to the mid 90s.

Male guards the nest. With most animals after the female lays the eggs, she takes on the responsibility of guarding the eggs. This is not the case with largemouth bass. Post spawn, she will go into deeper waters to recover and probably won’t eat for the next few days. Meanwhile, dad is back at the ranch protecting the nest. Talk about a good stay at home dad.

Bass have an addition sense. Have you ever caught a bass with one eye? Ever wonder how they found you lure? It is because they have an addition sense. We call it their lateral line. This lateral line is a row of pores that runs from its gills to its tail. It helps the fish to detect movements in the water. This sense helps them to identify how big the bait is, in what direction it is moving and how close it is to the prey. All of this can be done before the bass even sees the fish. Pretty cool huh?

Bass grow faster in Florida. Florida’s warm climate not only makes it a great place to go to the beach, but it is also becoming a great place to go bass fishing. We say that because this warmer weather contributes to bass grow faster than they would in other colder states. Seems a little unfair if you ask me, but a great excuse to travel to Florida this winter!

How fast does a largemouth bass grow? Depending on the area and the conditions a largie can grow 4 to 6 inches in the first year or two, 8 to 12 inches in the second to third year and it can take up to 3 years to hit that 16 inch mark. The bottom line is that it takes a long time to grow those trophy fish. Keep in this mind the next time you catch a hog and always treat her with care.

Bass see color. Yes, bass can see in color. It is for that reason that many people feel that red is a good color to have on your fishing lure as it looks like the back side of the gills of a fleeing fish. Do red hooks perform better than normal hooks? That is a hard one to answer, but knowing that LMBs can see in color does show us the importance of choosing the right color.

How long does it take for a largemouth bass to spawn? A female largie will only stay on or near the bed for a day or two even though the spawning season lasts between 60 to 90 days. During this time the female will spawn once, twice or three different times.

How long does it take for largemouth bass eggs to hatch? Depending on the conditions it can take anywhere from 2 to 4 days for the eggs to hatch. After they have hatched they will feed on the yolk sac all while under the watchful care of their father. After a few weeks the father will no longer guard the nest and the fry will be on their own.

You are what you eat. Did you know that largemouth bass can eat a fish that is 60 percent of its own length? And to think that mom would get mad whatever I put too many cookies in my mouth!

What is the world record for largemouth bass? The all time record for largemouth bass was caught by George Perry. He caught his 22 pound 4 ounce fish in Montgomery Lake in Georgia. He has held the record since June 2, 1932.

Can you eat largemouth bass? They might not be as tasty as walleye or crappie, but yes you can eat them.

An awkward courtship. When on the nest the male will bump the female to stimulate her to release the eggs. Talk about a weird and awkward courtship!

Final Thoughts…

There you have it 17 fun facts on largemouth bass. There is no doubt about it that these fish are amazing creatures. Always be sure when catching and releasing this fish to treat them with care so that we will have these beautiful fish for many generations to come.