MYSTERIES OF THE BASS
MYSTERIES OF THE BASS
No doubt bass are an amazing species of fish. The size, the color, the fight that you get when you try reeling them in. If you like fishing you would love catching these beauties. However, I bet there are things about bass that even the hard core bass man didn't know. Check out theses facts and see which ones you knew.
MUSTER THE FLATHEAD CATFISH ( THE POLICE OF THE FISH WORLD)
"Yes, Officer Flat Cat, I did see what happened," said Mrs Black Crappie. "I was swimming along minding my own business when Mr Bass came swimming up beside Mrs. Bass. They swam side by side for a couple minutes and then WHAM!!! Mr. Bass bumped right into Mrs. Bass. It was plan and simple domestic violence." Mrs. Black Crappie wrung her fins and swam back in forth.
NO that is not the case. Male bass do bump female bass, but, its not fighting. They bump the females to stimulate the release of eggs and hurry spawning along. Its definately bizarre but, hey whaterever gets the job done.
PAGING ALL STURGEONS. ALL STURGEONS PLEASE REPORT TO THE SPAWNING BEDS.
"The labor rooms are all full, Dr. Sturgeon. The larger girls are lined up to spawn. Its a mass spawning Dr. What do we do?" Dr. Sturgeon looked at the spawning beds. Everyone was full of large female bass. The smaller ones waiting for their time to arrive. He rubbed his fin over his eyes. Calm down Nurse Shark we have to be ready for mass spawning.
No surgeons necessary but it is true that the larger bass spawn first. No body knows why but the larger Mrs. Bass is the early in the season she spawns. Whether its a metabolic phenomena or just because they are on top of the totem pole the big girls spawn first. So if you wanna catch a big fish the earlier in spawning season the larger fish on are on the beds.
STEPPING UP SECURITY AT THE SPAWNING BEDS.
Now we all know that moms do the protecting, kiss the booboos and wipe away the tears. That's just what mom's do, right. Not in the world of bass. Once the female spawns she goes off to fish yoga or shopping day at the fin shop while dad steps in and protects the nest. That is why you can usually see male and female bass on the spawning beds because usually the female is laying the last of her eggs and dad had taken up guard duties. Good job dad!!!
BRINGING IN THE WHIPPERSNAPPERS
The bigger fish caught are usually younger fish. Nobody knows why thats just what research shows.
COME ON HONEY PLEASE CHECK THE TEMPERATURE.
While bass prefer the warm and comfortable temperature of the low 80's, they can function in a wide range of temperatures. They do move from the depths to the shallows and back again depending on the time of year and the temperatures of the water. It is a proven fact that they can don their little fin covers and scarves and function in the frigid 30 degree waters as well as putting on their bikinis and chillaxing in the balmy 90 degree waters too. Bass is truly resilient and adaptable. They prove that by showing how well they can handle changing water temperatures.
FOOL ME ONCE SHAME ON YOU, FOOL ME TWICE GO AHEAD AND EAT ME!!
Bass graduate at the top of class in learning from mistakes. These are intelligent creatures, and in my opinion, arguably the smartest of any common game fish. The first try to catch a bass on a specific lure or bait chose is your best chance. Swimming at the head of the school, if he manages to escape your clutches by breaking your line, getting off the hook or whatever wily way he gives you the slip, the smart bass will take note of the near death experience and use the close call as a reminder to avoid similar lures or baits in the future. Seems like more anglers should learn from this mentality as well.
DID YOU KNOW BASS WERE THE PSYCHICS OF THE FISH WORLD?
Bass have a sixth sense. No wonder they are so smart. They can predict the future. "I see dead people!!!" No way!!! Not that sixth sense, but they actually have the sixth sense that helps them to defend themselves from aquatic attackers. NO NOT JAWS!!! This sense is called the lateral line. The lateral line is made possible by a row of pores filled with nreve ending and water. They essentially allow a bass to detect extremely low vibrations in the water around them and to interpret precisely what they mean. The bass learn to connect different frequency patterns with different types of predators or prey. That means that different wave lengths illict either the fight or flight response. Other fish also have the lateral line but the bass sure do get alot of use out of it. Lots of fishers call this sight feeders. Its the lateral line that allows the bass to dine in the dark.
WHERE IS THE BASS?
If you wanna catch a big bass go to Florida. The habitat in Florida all the state's native largemouth to grow faster and live longer than the northern largemouth. MOM THAT'S NOT FAIR. No little fry it isn't but that makes Florida bass fishing a must for every angler.
RED, RED LINE YOU REALLY CATCH MY MIND.
While scientists know that bass can see color, if you wanna make a better catch use red. Bass can see red better so, therefore, they are drawn to the color.
DON'T BLINK!!!!!!!!!!
Bass do not avoid bright sunlight. That is a myth. Nobody knows why it was started. Maybe an angler having a bad day or for the plain old fact that bass have no eyelids. That's right, NO EYELIDS. The bright sunlight doesn't bother a bass. It is true that that bass cannot adjust their eyes to sunlight. These fish really need to see an optometrist. Because along with no eyelids they also have the remarkable feature of having fixed irises. That means consciously or subconsciously they can't block or filter light before it reaches their retina. The light still doesn't hurt their eyes because they get a little more bizarre. The amazing bass have a unique system of dark pigments around the photorecptors that dulls the harshness of the sunlight.
Well folks that is some interesting and bizarre facts about the Largemouth Bass. They truly are an amazing fish. Whether your an angler or just a nerd I hope you go out and enjoy this fish.
Barbara Young
