Saltwater Bass Fishing

Nowadays there are quite a few varieties of saltwater bass; many of them look very much alike which is why in the following, we will offer a brief presentation of the most important types of saltwater bass, a presentation regarding their physical aspect. Similar with the species that live in freshwater, both natural and artificial lures will attract the saltwater bass but it greatly depends on the type of fish, lure used, luck, time of the day and so on. There are no certain fishing methods an angler chooses; the fisherman has to “feel” the bass in order to attempt a successful lure of the fish.

Black Bass

The black bass is a species of freshwater fish that belong to the sunfish family of the Perciformes family. They are distributed through a wide area east of the Rocky Mountains in North America, from Hudson Bay to Mexico’s northeastern area. Some populations can be found in California. As far as the aspect of the black bass is concerned, the fish has a dull-green color pattern along with some dark sides. The vast majority of these fish reach a length of 16 to 24 inches, about 40 to 60 centimeters.

Regarding their nesting habits, the male black bass builds a “bed” in which the female bass will deposit the eggs and later on will eventually fertilize them. After that, the male black bass will continue protecting these eggs until they disperse from their mother’s nest.

Kelp Bass

Some refer to the kelp bass as the Calico Bass which frequently leads to the misconception with the freshwater fishes that belong to the Pomoxis genus. The kelp/calico bass is in fact a marine fish that can be found NE part of the Pacific Ocean, from Baja California, Mexico up to Washington, USA. This type of bass prefers shallow waters but they can be seen in waters that are even more than 165 feet deep.

Their average size is quite respectable, reaching a whopping 28 ½ inches. They are known for being quite slow growers but their lifespan is quite considerable, making them able to reach the age of 34 years. Their diet usually consists of plankton (when found in galore), squid, crustaceans as well as other smaller fish. Regarding their spawning method, it occurs from May until late August and after 1-2 days the pelagic eggs will hatch into larvae and after approximately one month, they transform into juveniles.

Rock Bass

The rock sea bass is known for being one of the smallest basses in the world, reaching a maximum length of only 10 inches. The rock’s coat color is in most cases olive-brown but there has been spotted a couple of rock basses that had a bronze coating. This type of bass has a fully scalped nape and a purplish lower jaw tip. It can be easily distinguished among other types of bass with the help of its dark black blotche, located on the middle of the dorsal-fin base.

They have a rather large mouth and eyes which have a red pattern with tiny rows of chocolate-colored squares along its sides of its greenish to brownish small body. As far as their spawning habits are concerned, it occurs over male rock bass constructed as well as guarded nests. The eggs usually hatch in 3 to 4 days and after that, the male rock bass will continue to protect the youngsters as long as they will not leave the nesting area. Usually within a few days, they scatter which means that the protection ends. They peak at 3-5 years and are not considered to be extinct.

Goliath Grouper

The goliath grouper is the biggest member of the sea bass family and has a large and stocky body which measures half as wide as it is long. The head of this bass is broad with small-sized eyes and rounded tail fins and pectoral fins. They have a dull green, grey or even dark yellow to brown color pattern. On the head, fins and body, they have small dark spots. The smaller fish are more decorative, with 3-4 faint vertical bars along their sides.

They can be found in the eastern part of the Atlantic Ocean, from Senegal to Congo, as well as in regions belonging to Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, Peru and Gulf of California. They prefer shallow waters, rock or coral bottoms and inshore waters with mud. Spawning occurs from July through September and breeding sites contain of more than 100 individuals. The fertilized eggs are scattered in the water column of the ocean and develop into kite-shaped larvae with long dorsal fin spines and pelvic fin spines.