Canadian Largemouth Bass
Fishing in Canada for largemouth bass is possibly one of the most rewarding and exciting locations an avid bass angler can get to in order to experience their sport. If you are just starting out with this popular new hobby, you may not even be familiar with this coveted species or how to begin bass fishing.
The distinguishing markings of the largemouth bass are usually first attributed to the lower jaw as it looks as if it extends past the eye of the fish into the head. Its coloring is usually a darker shade of green on its back with a belly and sides that are silvery with dark stripes covering its entire body. The belly of the largemouth bass can also sometimes be nearly white or lighter green in color. Their dorsal fins appear as if they are divided in two.
Typically, largemouth bass are somewhat small fish but can reach as much as 20 pounds. You can find them in the waters of the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence, the Red River (Hudson Bay), Mississippi River basins, and in Atlantic drainages from Florida to North Carolina as well as Mexico. The water types they like to linger in are rather diverse as you can find them in freshwater as well as brackish waters, which are a mix of both saltwater and freshwater.
They prefer slow moving rivers that are rather large over smaller streams with softer beds and usually like to live in clearer waters. When bass fishing, you can find younger fish congregating in schools but once they reach adulthood, they are solitary creatures. Many times a group of bass will collect into a smaller area, however they will not interact. Largemouth bass tend to seek out areas with ample cover such as rock ledges, logs, vegetation, wreckage and other structures that might be found in the water.
These fish are carnivores that like to prey on sunfish, minnows, insects, frogs, gizzard shad, and the occasional snake. Mature bass are considered the very top predatory animal in their ecosystem. The fry typically prey on insect larvae and zooplankton. Once they are around two inches in length is when they will fully become actual predators.
The largemouth bass is an extremely popular species for sport fishermen as they are incredible fighters once they are hooked with lighter spinning tackle. The most common methods used to catch these fish are fly-fishing, bottom fishing, and bait casting. The best baits to use when looking to hook one of these beauties are live minnows, worms or nightcrawlers.