You can come across lots of largemouth on any given day, but it can take some time to catch your personal best. If you want a better grip on your favorite game, check out these five interesting facts about largemouth bass.
They Eat Their Own
Because they belong to the black bass species, largemouth bass are technically a part of the sunfish family. However, up to 40% of the largemouth diet is made of other sunfish—mainly bluegill—which means these fish like to feed on their kind. Other fish, insects, and animals that largemouth enjoy feeding on include:
- Trout
- Panfish
- Shad
- Mice
- Worms
- Mussels
- Frogs
They Invade Certain Areas
If you’ve ever found largemouth bass less of a challenge to catch, it might be because there’s more to go around. In the U.S., you can find largemouth bass in 48 of the 50 states. And in some countries, there are so many largemouth that certain governments consider them to be an invasive species.
They Have a Big Reputation
The largemouth is the freshwater state fish of Alabama and Florida, and it’s the official state fish of both Georgia and Mississippi. Beyond having a big regional reputation, largemouth are just plain large. Largemouth bass are the biggest of the black bass species. Living an average of 10 to 16 years, the heaviest recorded one came in at 29.5 inches and 25 pounds.
They Have a Sixth Sense
Largemouth bass don’t usually find your bait by looking. In fact, they sense movement in the water by using an extra sensory system. Their mechanosensory lateral line system uses detectors to understand the flow of water. Although you can find this sixth sense in each fish species, scientists believe that cave-dwelling, night hunting, and largemouth fish are some of the only ones that use it as a main hunting tool.
They Grow Bigger in Florida
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Florida bass are “genetically different,” which lets them grow far longer and heavier than largemouth in northern states. For anyone hoping to land a largemouth of record-breaking proportions, a fish camp in Florida is the best place to bait.
If you’re on the lookout for a largemouth bass, take a trip to Grape Hammock Fish Camp, a Central Florida destination for campers, boaters, and casters. Featuring a newly renovated general store filled with ice, bait, and boat gas, Grape Hammock offers open access to some of Florida’s largest fish.