Freshwater Bass Fishing
The freshwater fish bass spends most of their time in rivers and lakes where there is plentiful of fresh water. They have the tendency to congregate in rather mossy and sheltered areas in order to prey on smaller fish like minnows. The best time of the year to fish for freshwater bass is during May, June and July by using jigs, crayfish, spinner baits and minnows.
Both artificial and natural lures will certainly attract bass but one may be more attractive to smallmouth bass as opposed to largemouth bass. Early in the morning and late into the night are the ideal times to catch this type of bass because they have the tendency to take shelter from the light of the sun during daytime. They are considerably more active during cooler climates when the sun does not shine that bright.
Largemouth Bass
It can be recognized by its lower jaw that extends the back edges of the eye. It has a dark green pattern above with silvery sides and belly as well as a dark stripe across its entire body. It can reach a considerable weight of about 20 pounds. The largemouth bass can be found in Great Lakes, Red River, St. Lawrence as well as the Mississippi River basins.
Smallmouth Bass
It has a green, brown or bronze appearance with dark vertical bands in comparison to the horizontal bands along its sides. There are 13 – 15 soft rays in the dorsal fin and the most ideal way to identify them from the largemouth bass is the position of the maxillary. When the smallmouth’s mouth is closed, the maxillary will reach but not obviously extend beyond the eye, and the upper jaw never extends beyond the eye. They are between 8 and 15 inches long and have a normal weight of about three pounds.
Rock Bass
It is not per say a species of bass but due to the fact that it belongs to the sunfish family and mainly because it can be found in rocky habitats, it is usually associated with bass. They have a very deep and laterally compressed body. Their eyes are usually red, orange or something in between. They are less colorful in comparison with the bluegill but have the ability to change its color quite fast in order to match its surroundings. They are from 6 to 8 inches long and weigh less than a pound.
Striped Bass
It is a silvery fish that has continuous stripes alongside of its body and it is compressed with dorsal fins that are very good separated. The caudal fin is black, blue or olive green. As far as their size is concerned, they can grow as long as 60 inches. They can be found on the Atlantic Coast as well as some lakes and freshwater reservoirs.
Spotted Bass
They have rows of dark spots on the lower sides and their coloration is similar to that of the Guadalupe bass but in comparison to the Guadalupe, the coloration does not extend as low on the body. They can be found in areas that have bigger populations of largemouth bass and they have the tendency to populate areas that are turbid and warm. They can exceed 5, 5 pounds in weigh.
Guadalupe Bass
It is generally green in color and can be distinguished from other similar species that live in Texas by the fact that it does not have vertical bars like the smallmouth and the jaw does not extend beyond the eyes like the one on the largemouth bass. They usually can be found in flowing waters in comparison with the largemouth bass that prefers quieter waters. Fish exceeding 3, 5 pounds have been caught by fishermen.
White Bass
The dorsal fin of the white bass is clearly double and separated into spiny and soft-rayed portions. They are silvery shading from black or dark-gray on the back-white on their belly. They are native to central US, west of Appalachians and here we include the Great Lakes and also the river systems in Mississippi and Ohio River valleys.
Yellow Bass
The belly of this type of bass might have a yellow color pattern which is why this bass was named like this. In comparison to other temperate types of bass, the two lowermost stripes are distinctively broken just posterior to the middle. In addition, the second and third anal spines are approximately equal in length. Their average weight is just half a pound. They can be found in Texas, Oklahoma and Mississippi.
Peacock Bass
There are 15 distinct species of peacock bass – the biggest one is the speckled peacock bass and can grow up to three feet and four inches in length. The smallest one is the royal peacock bass, measuring only one foot and 10 inches. The quality of the meat is quite good – the flesh is white and quite sweet when cooked.
Shoal Bass
The color of their eyes is red and their color pattern is olive green to nearly black along the back. The belly of the shoal is creamy or even white and sometimes wavy lines may appear just above the white belly on the sides. Until October 1999 this species was considered to have been a subspecies of the redeye bass. They can be found in Chipola River and Apalachicola.
Suwannee Bass Fishing
It is a heavy-bodied bass seldom that exceeds 12 inches long. The most distinctive aspect of this type of bass is its bright turquoise, blue coloring on the cheeks, breast, and ventral parts. The upper jaw of the Suwannee does not extend beyond the eye. They can be found only in Suwannee and Ochlocknee River systems of Georgia and Florida.
As you can see, there are several species of freshwater bass, all of them recognized for the quality of the meat as well as their ability to put up a fight when chased by the fishermen. Many of them are quite similar in appearance but with a few hours of study you can easily spot a Guadalupe bass from a Smallmouth bass.