Utah's Game Fish: Largemouth Bass

Description

The largemouth's coloration is dependent on its environment. In clear lakes, the largemouth is brightly colored — dark green on the sides flowing to a light or silvery color on the belly. There is a dark band along the side, running from nose to tail, of irregular dark patches. In lakes, where the water is muddier, the colors are less vivid. As the names imply, the mouth of the largemouth is larger than that of the smallmouth and extends farther back. The largemouth is also referred to as the black bass, green bass, bigmouth bass, oswego bass and green trout.

Characteristics

The largemouth was, for years, the best known of the warm-water fish. Now it shares the distinction with the smallmouth. It is the largest member of the sunfish family, which includes smallmouth, bluegill and crappie. In addition to being a good meal, the largemouth is also a game fighter when hooked. Originally, the largemouth was found on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, in the Mississippi Valley and into Florida. Now it is found in every state except Alaska, and even in Mexico. The largemouth was introduced to Utah in 1890. In the 1930s it was popular both as a game fish and for commercial purposes. After the 1930s, its popularity started to fall. It bounced back in the early days of Lake Powell when it was not uncommon to catch more than 100 fish in a day. Most of the largemouth in Utah range from 1 to 3 pounds, but it's not uncommon to catch a fish weighing up to 5 or 6 pounds. The world record is 22 pounds, 4 ounces. The Utah record is 10 pounds, 2 ounces and was caught in Lake Powell in 1974. During the spring spawn, it is the male fish that builds the nests and protects the eggs. Like the smallmouth, the largemouth is an aggressive fish noted for acrobatic maneuvers when hooked.

Location

Largemouth bass prefer warmer water and relate more to woody cover and thick aquatic plants than smallmouth bass. Largemouth do very well in weedy, pond-type lakes and in new reservoirs where there is typically flooded timber and brush. Most of Utah's largemouth fisheries are lower to midelevation reservoirs such as Lake Powell, Gunlock, Sand Hollow, Quail Creek, Deer Creek, Mantua, Red Fleet, Steinaker, Hyrum and Pineview. Pond-type fisheries such as Pelican Lake, Cottonwood and Huntington North often are easier to fish, especially for wading anglers, and provide reliable, year-round action. Most of Utah's community fisheries have largemouth bass populations.

Bait/lures