Fish Spotlight: Largemouth Bass

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Photo by Ryan Gold

The Guadalupe Bass is the state fish of Texas, but love it or hate it, the Largemouth Bass is the king of fish in Texas. It dominates as the top target species of fishermen here in the Lone Star State. Conventional or fly fishing, it is the most targeted species. Largemouth Bass often strike with viscous aggression, will fight and fly around, and make for some of the best braggin' rights pictures on Facebook and Instagram.

But what is the Largemouth Bass, and why is it the top-dog in the Texas fishing-sphere?

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Photo courtesy of Mike Schlimgen
Caught on the San Marcos River

Also commonly referred to as Black Bass, Bigmouth Bass, Bucket Mouth, or Lineside, the Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) is the most fished for fish in Texas, by far. Bass fishing in Texas also brings a pretty penny in for the local, state, and federal taxes. According to the 2006 Economic Benefits of Hunting, Fishing, and Wildlife Watching study that was done for Texas Parks and Wildlife, black bass fishing in Texas alone brought in $98,549,162 in taxes for the Federal Government, and another $77,839,762 for state and local governments in Texas. Bass fishing is big bucks.

There are actually two strains of Largemouth Bass in Texas now, and that is a big part of why Texas has become so engulphed in bass fishing. The native Northern strain Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides salmoides) and the introduced Florida strain Largemouth (Micropterus salmoides floridanus.) More on how/why the introduction of Florida strain Largemouth Bass changed Texas later.

Appearance

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Classic color pattern of a Largemouth Bass
Photo courtesy of Riley Henderson (White Rock Creek)

Along with Bluegill, Crappie, and others, the Largemouth Bass is a member of the Sunfish family. The Largemouth Bass is typically a light olive green, becoming lighter (often white) towards the belly of the fish and darker towards the top. It usually has darker blotches forming a "stripe" down each side of the fish. The color and markings of the fish can vary (even within one fish) depending on the clarity of the water, the amount of light, and the water temperature. One of the most distinctive aspects of the fish, and where it gets its name, is the large mouth. When the mouth is closed, the upper jaw of the fish will extend well beyond the rear edge of its eye.

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Jaw on a Largemouth extends past the eye of the fish
Photo courtesy of Matt Bennett (Lower Colorado River)

The average Northern strain Largemouth will typically not grow any larger than 10 pounds, whereas the Florida strain Largemouth can grow upwards of 20 pounds (or more.) This size difference can possibly be attributed to where these two strains evolved. The Florida strain is built to ambush prey in the warmer, shallower, grass filled lakes of South Florida. The native Northern strain Largemouth bass was built to live in cooler, often flowing waters, and to actively chase down their prey in the open.

To tell the two strains apart, unless you have access to DNA testing, the "best" way is to observe the scales of the fish. The Northern strain will have larger scales in comparison to its body size than its Florida strain cousin. If you were to count the scales along the lateral line of the fish, a Northern strain Largemouth will have between 59-65 scales to a Florida strain's 69-73. However, in Texas, many if not most, of the Largemouth Bass you will catch are a some sort of hybrid of the two and the scale counting numbers are skewed.

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Photo courtesy of Marcos Rodriguez

Diet and Behavior

Once a Largemouth bass becomes an active predator (around 2 inches in length) their diet consists mainly of other fish (including other bass), large invertebrates (like crawfish), and pretty much anything that might be swimming around in their waters (like frogs or baby ducks.) Northern strain, being more active predators by nature, will tend to be more aggressive, and therefore more likely to attack your fly. Florida strain Bass, tend to be less aggressive and often "harder" to catch.

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Photo courtesy of Joan Piassick Swartz (Photo credit to Christine Murrell)
Nueces River (Check out Texas Women Fly Fishers)

Largemouth Bass spawn when the waters warm up to around 60 degrees, anywhere from February to Late May in Texas. The males will first build a bed, typically in 2-8 feet of water, but will build them deeper in water that is very clear. Largemouth Bass tend to choose locations for their beds that are quieter and more vegetative than the other native Texas basses. Females will then come and lay between 2,000 and 43,000 eggs on these beds in a season. Often, females will lay eggs on more than one bed, and males will have more than one females eggs on his bed.

The male will feverously guard his nest, and after the eggs hatch, he will guard his fry for a few days. This puts enormous amounts of stress on the male bass, and sometimes, especially if he was in poor condition prior to the spawn, the male bass can die.

Photo courtesy Jordan Noe

Distribution

The Largemouth bass can be found in freshwaters throughout Texas. The native range of the Northern Largemouth consists of most of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, into Southeastern Canada and Northeastern Mexico, including most of what is now Texas.

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Orange = native range of the Largemouth Bass;
Red = Introduction of Largemouth Bass in contiguous US
Map from USGS

The native range of the Florida Largemouth is restricted to the Southern portion of Florida.

Orange = native range of the Largemouth Bass;
Red = Introduction of Largemouth Bass in contiguous US
Map from USGS

Why Stock Florida Strain Bass?

If the Florida strain Largemouth Bass is not from Texas, is harder to catch, and we already had our own native Largemouth, then why did the State of Texas start stocking the Florida Bass? The simplest answer is the size of the fish. As stated earlier, the Florida strain can grow upwards of 20 pounds, whereas the native Northern strain typically maxes out at about 10 pounds. The Florida strain also grows to larger size faster. And size equals money.

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Photo courtesy of Grant Powell

In 1972, under the eye of Texas Parks and Wildlife's Chief of Fisheries Bob Kemp, Florida strain Largemouth were first stocked in Texas. As the success of these fish was observed, TPWD continued to stock Florida strain Largemouth in Texas. The next year, in 1973, TPWD stocked more Florida strain Largemouth than Northern strain Largemouth for the first time and they never looked back. As the Florida strain populations grew and established themselves in the waters of Texas (many of them now dammed up and often resembling the waters of South Florida), the size of the Largemouth Bass in Texas also grew. A quick glance at the top 50 Largemouth Bass in Texas' history shows NOT ONE fish caught prior to the stocking of Florida Bass. The earliest caught fish on that list was in 1981, nine years after the first stocking for Florida Bass. Florida strain genetics definitely changed bass fishing in Texas.

Recently, TPWD has stocked Florida strain Largemouth Bass almost exclusively. In 2019, 9,556,837 Florida strain Bass were stocked by TPWD, compared to 402,648 Northern strain Bass (which is actually high compared to most years.) And why not (I guess)? With big fish comes big recognition, big tournaments, and big money. Money that can go back into conservation efforts in Texas.

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Photo courtesy of Chris Fowler

The stocking of Florida strain Largemouth Bass in the reservoirs in Texas is not without consequence though. A study in 2013 of non-stocked Largemouth Bass streams in Texas by biologists at Baylor University showed that stocking reservoirs with Florida strain Largemouth Bass can alter the streams that are connected to them. DNA was collected from bass at different sampling locations, and tested from the presence of Florida strain Bass. This Florida strain DNA was present at all the sampling locations, and many of these locations were more than 50 miles upstream from the closest stocking of Florida strain Largemouth Bass.

In some places, mostly private ponds and tanks, a crossbreed of both strains has been stocked. Known as F1 (first generation hybrid), these fish present the "beneficial" qualities of both strains of Largemouth Bass. They are larger in size, like the Florida strain, and more aggressive/catchable, like the Northern strain. However, the second, third, and so on, generations of these fish (known as F2, F3, etc.) increasingly lose these "beneficial" genes and the "unbeneficial" genes of each start to become more prevalent. They lose their size and aggression.

Example of an F1 bass caught in a private pond
Photo courtesy of Ryan Clarke (Fatties on the Fly)

It is unclear what kind of impact, if any, that Florida strain Bass will have on the waters of Texas in the long term. We really just do not know yet. What we do know is that the introduction of Florida strain DNA into the waters of Texas has certainly increased the size of bass in the state.

Fly fishing for Largemouth Bass in Texas is definitely worth a try. It can be frustrating at times, but extremely enjoyable when you hook up and land one.