The newly hatched largemouth bass feed heavily on tiny crustaceans and other zooplankton until the bass reach 2 inches in length. Then their appetite changes to insects and smaller fish. The adult bass's diet consists mainly of fish, but crayfish, worms, frogs, and insects are important foods in some waters. The bass ranks very highly in the aquatic food chain. A bass 10 inches or longer has very few enemies and will eat almost anything it can swallow. Because of the bass's large mouth and flexible stomach it can eat prey nearly half its own length. They usually grab large prey, then turn the food to swallow it headfirst. So if your using large shiners, frogs, or salamanders you should give the fish ample time before setting the hook. But if your using small bait or small lures you need to set the hook immediately upon the strike, since the bass inhales its smaller food by opening its mouth quickly, sucking water (and the bait) into its mouth. It then expels the water through its gills and at the same instant decides whether it will swallow or expel the food. They can expel the bait just as fast as they inhaled it. As the water temperature warms up, the metabolism of the bass increases and they feed more often. They seldom eat at water temperatures below 50 degrees F. From 50 - 68 degrees, their feeding increases and from 68 - 80 degrees they feed heavily. But when the water temperature rises above 80 degrees their feeding declines. Bass growth depends highly on the length of the "growing" season and their water conditions. They tend to grow much faster in southern lakes than in the colder waters of the northern areas, but they usually live quite as long as their northern counterparts. In the warmer waters of the South a largemouth may reach 10 years while in the colder waters of the North they may live as long as 15 years. The female bass usually lives longer than the male. Reference:www.time4me.com/theme/outdoors/fish/lm3.htm |
Feeding Habits
Bass Fishing Alabama
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