Fish of Wisconsin Field Guide (Fish Identification Guides) - Softcover

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Dave Bosanko was born in Kansas and studied engineering before following his love of nature to degrees in biology and chemistry from Emporia State University. He spent thirty years as staff biologist at two of the University of Minnesota’s field stations. Though his training was in mammal physiology, Dave worked on a wide range of research projects ranging from fish, bird, and mammal population studies to experiments with biodiversity and prairie restoration. An avid fisherman and naturalist, he has long enjoyed applying the fruits of his extensive field research to patterning fish location and behavior, and observing how these fascinating species interact with one another in the underwater web of life.

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Largemouth Bass
Micropterus salmoides

Family: Sunfish family (Centrarchidae)

Other Names: black bass, green bass, green trout, slough bass

Description: dark green back, greenish sides often with dark lateral band; belly white to gray; large, forward-facing mouth; lower jaw extends to rear margin of eye

Habitat: shallow, fertile, weedy lakes and river backwaters; weedy bays and extensive weedbeds of larger lakes

Range: southern Canada through the U.S. into Mexico; widely introduced; common throughout Wisconsin

Food: small fish, frogs, crayfish, insects, leeches

Reproduction: in May and June when water temperatures reach 60 degrees, male builds nest in 2 to 8 feet of water, usually on firm bottom in weedy cover; female deposits 2,000 to 40,000 eggs, which the male fans and guards; male also protects fry until the “brood swarm” disperses

Average Size: 12 to 20 inches, 1 to 5 pounds

Records: State―11 pounds, 3 ounces, Lake Ripley, Jefferson County, 1940; North American―22 pounds, 4 ounces, Montgomery Lake, Georgia, 1932

Notes: Largest member of the sunfish family in Wisconsin. Most popular game fish in the United States, the largemouth is known for strong fights and high leaps. Though it is not highly regarded as table fare in the North, it is commonly eaten in the South. A carnivore, it will devour any live prey that fits into its mouth. Found in thick weedbeds, shallow woody cover and around docks; often feeds near the surface; not commonly located in water deeper than 20 feet.

Similar Species: Smallmouth Bass (pg. 140)

• Largemouth Bass: mouth extends beyond non-red eye
• Smallmouth Bass: mouth does not extend beyond red eye