|
|
Freshwater Fish Species
The black bass family of the sunfish species
Saltwater Fish Species
Spotted Bass Fish Identification, its habitats, characteristics, fishing methods.
The Spotted Bass is one of the strongest fighters that fighting extremely hard. They also highly considered on the dinner table with their white, flaky meat with good flavor, better tasting than largemouth. Pole fishing is still the best and the most exciting method to catch bass. To do well in bass fishing, the best way is to study the creature, where it lives, what environment and water temperatures they prefer, what type of bait or lure better to use.
The Spotted Bass feed on annelid worms, crayfish, crustaceans, frogs, grubs and small fish. It can be caught on all types of artificial baits, from under water spinners and spoons to top water lures. Bass loves rocky shorelines, submerged brush, logs and heavy covers. More knowledge about the Spotted Bass can surely help you to increase your catch. Better knowing and understanding the bass feeding and spawning habits will make you a more successful angler and will help to catch them considerably.
|
Spotted Bass - Micropterus punctulatus, also known as Kentucky bass, Kentucky spotted bass, northern spotted bass, Alabama spotted bass, Wichita spotted bass, black bass, smallmouth bass and spot, is a freshwater fish of
Sunfish family. One of the
Black basses, it is native to the Mississippi River basin, from central Texas through the Florida, from southern Ohio and West Virginia to southeastern Kansas and North Carolina, and south to the Gulf of Mexico. It is common in Georgia, Arkansas and in the eastern Oklahoma. Introduced in southern Africa.
|
Description
A spotted bass will resemble a
Largemouth bass in coloration but will have a smaller mouth, similar to the mouth size of a Smallmouth bass. Spotted Bass have more spots on their bodies than the Largemouth. Their mouth is fairly large and extends to the eye but not further than the rear edge when the mouth is closed, not like largemouth bass (the back of the mouth extends past the eye). Spotted bass also have an uneven patch of small teeth on the center of their tongue while largemouth bass don’t.
Young spotted bass like smallmouth have an orange color in the center of their tail, and juvenile largemouth bass don’t. Spotted bass like a largemouth bass have a black stripe that extends laterally down the side of the body (smallmouth bass have the vertical bars). Spotted and largemouth bass are also lighter colored than smallmouth bass with more of green to olive-green or silvery background color instead of the bronze or brown color of a smallmouth bass. Spotted bass have rows of spots on their lower sides below the dark lateral broad stripe of broken blotches, usually diamond-shaped, along the midline of the body, which are weak or absent on largemouth bass. They have white, mottled belly. The spotted bass has scales on the base portion of the second dorsal fin, not like the largemouth. Their first and second dorsal fins are clearly connected. There are dark markings above the lateral line, and the scales have dark bases that give rise to the linear rows of small spots below the lateral line.
It can reach an age of 7 years, length of 25 in (64 cm), and weights of up to 10lb (4.6 kg). It is noted for the pattern of irregularly-shaped dark spots on its upper body, which give it its common name. The spotted bass has a very distinctive rough wart on the tip of its tongue, making is easy to identify.
Habitat and Habits
Spotted Bass prefers warm mountain small to medium streams and rivers with clear, slow-moving water, with lots of clean gravel and rock bottoms. They do not enter brackish water and rarely found in natural lakes but may locate at reservoirs. The spotted bass feeds on crayfish and aquatic insects, crustaceans, frogs, annelid worms, grubs and small fish like a Bluegill. Young feed on small crustaceans and midge larvae.
Spotted bass seem to be segregated by habitat type from closely related species. They used to be found in waters with more current than largemouth bass, those prefer shallow, heavily vegetated, still, waters. And in warmer, more turbid, and sluggish than for smallmouth bass, those prefer swift flowing rocky waters. In lakes, spotted bass are found in deeper clear water on rocky bottom areas with sharply sloping sides. In Reservoirs they are usually found near steep drop offs next to main lake shorelines.
Spawning
Spawning occurs in the spring between mid-April and mid-June, when water temperatures reach 57 to 74°F (usually 63 to 68°F) on a rocky or gravel areas. They will spawn in deeper, up to 40 feet water than the other black bass species. A large part reaches maturity within a year, length 7 in; spotted bass found in spawning areas are usually 3 to 4 years old. Sexually mature mates clean out and build saucer-shaped nests on a soft, clay bottom or on gravel bars normally near heavy cover like brush or logs. Nest depths may vary widely. Females may lie between 1,100 and 47,000 eggs. The eggs hatch in 4 to 5 days, yielding up to 3,000 fry per nest. Males guard the eggs for up to 4 weeks after they have hatched to ensure that nothing eats the young fry.
After spawning from 5 to 10 days, the male guards the nest and eggs. The female bass usually stays near the nest sometimes swim a short distance for food. After hatching, the fry swim in tight schools like largemouth. As young fish grow their diet shifts from zooplankton to insects, and finally to fish and crayfish.
Fishing Methods are spin-casting, still fishing, Bait-casting and pole fishing. Spotted bass are aggressive and readily strike most lures used for largemouth bass and shoal bass. They are found in a wider range of habitats than shoal bass and largemouth bass, but are most abundant in moderate currents, on the edges of shoals and around snags. Your best bet is to focus on rocky shorelines and coves when fishing for spotted bass. Try to hunt for structure along rocky covers and inlets. If you find submerged brush, logs or heavy cover, you’re going to have a fun, whether you throwing small minnow look-alikes, jigs or streamers.
Strong fighters when caught on light tackle. Popular lures and baits include jigs, crank-baits, spinners, small plastic worms and crayfish. Spotted bass are usually caught much deeper than largemouth and are more inclined to school. They are taken frequently from streams, sharing stringers with green sunfish and smallmouth bass.
Light to ultra-light reels, rods and lines should work fine for spotted bass, which rarely get bigger than 2-3 pounds. Good flies for bass include leeches, nymphs, crayfish and baitfish patterns, or terrestrials or poppers in the evenings when fish become active on the surface. They are great eating quality with white, flaky meat with good flavor, in general considered better eating than largemouth.
Great rods for Spotted bass fishing are:
24ft Telescopic Fishing Pole
21ft Fishing Pole made of 99% Carbon
18ft Telescopic Carbon Pole
12ft Telescopic Fishing Hera Rod
18ft Telescopic Spinning Rod
12ft Telescopic Spinning Rod
12ft Telescopic Casting Light Rod
|
|
|
