Lacepede, a French ichthyologist, first described the largemouth bass in 1802. He gave the fish the specific name salmoides which means salmonlike or trout-like. The largemouth is still called trout in some of the southern states and black bass or green bass in other regions.

Fish-On! Chapter 6

Largemouth Bass (Micropterus Salmoides)

Lacepede, a French ichthyologist, first described the largemouth bass in 1802. He gave the fish the specific name salmoides which means salmonlike or trout-like. The largemouth is still called trout in some of the southern states and black bass or green bass in other regions.

It may surprise some that both the largemouth and smallmouth bass are members of the sunfish family, along with the crappies, rock bass, and sunfishes. The largemouth shares many of the characteristics of its cousins: a preference for warm, fertile water, nest building, territorial parental care-giving, prolific breeding, and a carnivorous nature. For the epicure, not all bass are as tasty as the other sunfish. Bass from murky waters are rather unpalatable although you can remove some of the muddy flavor by soaking the fish overnight in salt water. Bass from clear-water lakes with sand and gravel bottoms, though, are quite tasty.

The largemouth bass is one of the most adaptable fish in the world. It can be found in all types of lakes, rivers, reservoirs, and ponds, as long as the temperature is around 60° F. (15° C) to 73° F. (23° C). Because of this high degree of adaptability the species has been widely introduced throughout North America. It has become one of the most popular game fishes in many regions not because of its fighting ability, which is quite tremendous, but because it can be so easily found.

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