Ever heard about fishes which can make you earn money? It seems pretty interesting, but where are these golden fishes found, and how do they look like? Not to worry, this article will completely change your perspective of fishes as only a part of a meal to the source of income which can buy you sumptuous meals.
These fishes are commonly known as Largemouth bass and are found in the freshwater lakes and rivers in your country, and sooner or later, you may be finding them making headlines. So, let’s find out more about these fishes:
Table of Contents
1. Native Range And Origin
Largemouth bass, precisely known as largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides, are generally known to have their origin mostly in the United States, where they are most likely to be found in Texas’s rivers and great lakes. They are also known to have an existence in southeastern Canada and Mexico.
We can observe that the largemouth bass have distribution in the colder regions where the water temperature suits them.
The largemouth bass can be easily found in the North of America as these fishes are addicted to the freshwater and see suitable conditions there.
Therefore, largemouth bass is commonly known as ‘freshwater fishes.’ The largemouth bass finds their suitable habitats in the northern regions’ lakes and rivers, which suit their living.
As compared to other fish species, the largemouth bass prefers to inhabit clear, vegetated lakes, ponds, swamps, and other lakes or rivers. Thus, finding a largemouth bass can be extremely easy under freshwater rivers, and lakes and fishers usually find them there.
Even in the freshwater source, these fishes are often breaching upon the rivers’ surface, making it easy to airlift them by the anglers by using preys. The anglers find it easy to capture a bass fish than even catching a tuna or a carp.
The size of the female largemouth bass is said to be larger than that of male bass fishes of the same age. As a result, female bass fishes have a higher price as compared to their male counterparts.
So, the female fish is the larger fish whose specimen the anglers sought to release quite often.
Photo by Jeff Vanderspank on Unsplash
2. Other Species In The Family
The bass is not a lone survivor in the family, and many other genus species are members of this group. The bass family is commonly known to have different species based on their color, size, shape, etc.
The most common species of bass are as follows:
1. BLACK BASS:
For most people, black bass is the only bass to exist for fishing.
Photo by Brian Yurasits on Unsplash
These are the commonly found black bass in areas of North America and Canada.
2. SMALLMOUTH BASS:
The smallmouth bass fishes have similar features and resemble the same as the largemouth bass, but their smallmouths distinguish them. They are as extravagant and sharp as their large counterparts.
Photo by michal dziekonski on Unsplash
Apart from these, there are other species of the bass family, which include the spotted bass, white bass, yellow bass, striped bass, etc. So, the bass family is not only famous for one or two of its members, but all members in themselves are star products for the fishing community.
3. Features Of The Largemouth Bass
Describing a largemouth bass is quite difficult due to its different body structure and size.
Fishers define it as a greenish sort of fish forming short points protruding of horizontal stripes with a series of dark blotches.
The largemouth bass’s physical features redefine it as a ” Zebra of the fish world,” with its horizontal stripes being the main source of attraction.
Moving towards its upper jaw, which extends beyond the orbit’s rear margin, clearly suggests its mouth is quite large, thereby completely does justice to the name.
4. Average Life Of Bass
The largemouth bass has an average life better than that of an ordinary fish. It is said to have a life expectancy of 10-16 years.
Hence, you can have the joy of watching or capturing the bass during its 16 years lifetime, as after that, it may be difficult to find one.
5. How Do They Feed Themselves?
Largemouth Bass are carnivorous freshwater fishes that consume small baitfish, insect larvae, small shrimps, and scuds. We already know, most of the large fishes might have such prey as their food but what sets the largemouth bass apart from the other fishes is how they capture their prey.
Having a largemouth enables them to work in a four-bar linkage system with three degrees of freedom. However, it doesn’t sound straightforward. It is not as complicated to understand and can be compared easily to the peddling of a bicycle by humans where the feet move in a four-bar linkage system.
Similarly, when they smell their prey, largemouth bass uses this system of four-bar linkage and gulp the small fishes quite easily with no extra effort.
It feels quite interesting to describe and relate the consumption of the largemouth bass as it is somewhat to how humans also consume their meals, the difference being that fishes do it underwater.
Adult largemouth bass has a large diet, and they feed on fish, crayfish and frogs, and other small aquatic animals.
Their gulping capacity seems to be as large as a never-ending galaxy, which can include in itself a large number of stars, planets, and other planetary systems.
Similarly, the adult bass having a largemouth can insert in itself as many fishes as it wants and even then may feel hungry. That’s the capacity of their consumption.
To watch the complete science behind the eating process of the largemouth bass, you need to see this How Largemouth Bass Suck In Their Prey.
6. Behavioral Capacity Of The Largemouth Bass
The largemouth bass is quite social and interactive at their young age and forms networking schools to communicate.
On the other hand, the adult largemouth bass is quite peaceful and silent and is preferably found in rivers and lakes.
The adult bass is quite silent and self confined and remains solitary, not interacting with one another. The adult bass keeping things to themselves is soundless who keeps themselves busy with the tranquil sounds of the rivers and lakes’ freshwater sources.
The fishermen find them to be quite peaceful as they do not convey strong signals of their existence underwater, and it becomes difficult for them to find their prey.
Whereas the young bass being quite jolly and full of enthusiasm, are easily located and preyed upon.
7. Leisure Sport Fishing
Leisure sport fishing has come as a quite innovative concept from countries like the United States, Canada, Mexico, France, and other European countries.
But what does leisure sportfishing means is interesting to find out.
Leisure sport fishing means and includes all such fishing activities done solely to enjoy and follow lavish intent. It is distinctive from all such fishery activities, which are done for a living or subsistence and is done mainly for the purpose of relaxation and amusement.
A. LARGEMOUTH BASS FISHING
Similar to other leisure sport fishing, largemouth bass fishing has become one of the prevalent sports fishing in the United States. The leisure sports fishing industry has constantly been rising, with its operations becoming popular in other countries.
The impact of largemouth bass fishing can be seen in the form of fishing competitions being held under an international organization.
Largemouth bass fishing, which was earlier done for amusement, has now become a global sport.
Largemouth bass fishing has reached different countries like Japan, Korea, China, Mexico, and several competitions are being held there.
This has not only benefited the country but has become a source of income for fishers.
Developing into a competitive sport, largemouth bass fishing has truly been recognized, whereby the IGFA is formulating different rules and regulations governing the sport. The sport’s ever-growing competitive nature has led to the shift of the largemouth bass from its native place to other countries. Its natural habitat is destructed and harms its growth.
Thereby, the International federations allow such competitions only where the natural environment, social and economic environment, and other conditions are fulfilled so as to protect the bass fishes not to fall prey under the name of competitive fishing.
B. LARGEMOUTH COMPETITIVE FISHING: HOW IT WORKS
Largemouth bass fishing competitions are simple and easy to play as it involves fishing either from the land or from the boats.
a. The teams get one point each for catching a fish, which is based on the weight of the fish.
b. The teams get bonus points for the spears used by them to catch the largemouth bass, which means that a team using a weaker spear gets more points for the same fish.
c. Thus, as the players catch the largemouth bass fishes, their points tally keep increasing, and the team with the most points scored is declared the winner. It seems quite interesting. Thus any of you who loves fishing can give it a try, and maybe you evolve as a national sports fishing winner!
B. 1) LARGEMOUTH BASS FISHING: A RAPID GROWING INDUSTRY
The increase in largemouth bass fishing sport has provided benefits to the fishers and has also significantly improved the economy.
Apart from these significant contributions are being made towards increasing the Government’s income through large sums of money being coming from imports.
The imports of the largemouth bass and its restoration to the other countries have surely become one of the newest income sources which can be added to the economy. Not only this, but sport fishing has become another major source of income for the Government.
It includes income generated from these sports and the investment made by the organizers, brands, foreign Governments, and International Institutions. Therefore, it would be correct to say that the Government’s attitude towards such leisure largemouth bass fishing has been positive, which has led to the growth of the fishing industry, making it a billion-dollar industry.
The largemouth bass fishing has made significant contributions towards the growth of other industries, which are:
- In the gear manufacturing industry,
- In the spear manufacturing industry,
- Rift industry,
- Boat industry
- Net producing industries
- and all such industries which produce fishing equipment.
Thereby it would be correct to say that largemouth bass fishing has been a source of revival for these industries.
8. Places To Fish For In Canada
Living in Canada and being a fishery lover, here are some places where you can find the largemouth bass easily, and you can catch them as soon as possible. These lakes and freshwater sources are said to have a common habitation of the largemouth bass, and it could so happen that you may find one the next time you go fishing
Though you might be knowing these places but could not find the largemouth bass mainly due to lack of knowledge.
But the next time you go out there, it shall be with full confidence of finding one of the bass fishes.
Some such hidden gems of rivers in Canada are:
- Lake Ontario
- Rondeau Bay
- Lake Simcoe
- Bay of Quinte
- Lake Erie
- Ottawa River
Thus, these ever-famous rivers and lakes are well known for having a large variety of largemouth bass. There may be other sources as well where you may find these fishes but don’t forget to help your friends and relatives by enriching their knowledge about these fishes and rivers.
You may enjoy the benefits of largemouth bass fishing without even having to search more places to find them or wasting your time fishing in different sorts of rivers where you may not even find a single tuna fish also.
Found this article to be interesting, you can also get to know more about these lakes and rivers and the largemouth bass, for that read the article Rideau Canal: 15 Unknown & Epic Facts.
It would not be difficult to conclude that largemouth bass has played an important role in the ecosystem, thereby balancing the food chain. Still, its economic benefits have made it the golden fish of the ecosystem.