04-06-2004, 02:41 PM
by Ken Schultz of Field and Stream
![[Image: fotw_flb.jpg]](http://i.timeinc.net/fieldstream/images_small/fotw_flb.jpg)
BASS, FLORIDA LARGEMOUTH Micropterus salmoides floridanus
The Florida largemouth bass, also known as Florida bass, is a subspecies of the largemouth bass, which in turn is often called a northern largemouth. This fish occurs naturally in Florida. Mixtures of it and northern largemouth, called intergrades, since they are neither pure Florida nor pure northern strains, occur from northern Florida to Maryland.
Florida bass grow to trophy size more readily than northern largemouth bass, and have been stocked in many states, including California, which has produced near-world record 22-pounders from transplanted stocks, and Texas, which has completely transformed its big bass potential as a result of stocking this fish. Numerous lakes in Mexico also have this strain, and have produced very large specimens.
Like northern largemouths, the Florida largemouth bass thrives in relatively fertile bodies of water, primarily being found in reservoirs, lakes, ponds, and large slow rivers with quiet backwaters. In all of these environments it is one of the top predators, with a wide-ranging diet, and a species that seeks numerous forms of weed, rock, or wooden cover which it can use for ambushing prey.
It is not actually a bass – as are the various members of the temperate bass family of fishes, which include striped bass and white bass – but a large sunfish, related to such other popular sunfishes as the bluegill and crappie.
The Florida largemouth bass has an elongate and robust shape compared to other members of the sunfish family. It has a distinctively large mouth compared to other family members, with the end of the maxillary (jaw) falling below or beyond the rear margin of the eye; the dorsal fin has a deep notch separating the spiny and soft rays; and the tail is broad and slightly forked.
Although coloration varies greatly and is especially dependent on biological factors and host environments, the Florida largemouth bass generally has a light green to light brown hue on the back and upper sides, white lower sides and belly, and a broad stripe of diamond-shaped blotches along the midline of the body.
There are patches of dark scales above and below the lateral stripe, three dark bars on the sides of the head, and a complete lateral line. There are no scales on the base portion of the soft-rayed second dorsal fin of the largemouth bass, which is unlike other black basses. There is also no tooth patch on the
, which helps distinguish it from the spotted bass. Coloration can range from pale green or nearly silvery to extremely dark and near black on the upper sides and back, and the lateral line, stripe, and other markings may be indistinct, all depending upon the clarity and color of the water; the most distinctively marked fish tend to come from the clearest waters.
The maximum size attainable for Florida largemouth bass may be 25 pounds, but this is uncertain, and less than two dozen largemouth bass in the 20-pound class are known to have been caught, with the largest being the all-tackle world record of 22 pounds 4 ounces, caught from Montgomery Lake, Georgia, in 1932. It is unknown whether that fish was actually a Florida largemouth bass or a northern largemouth, as the fish was never preserved. Most of the giant modern-day bass (18 pounds and over) are Florida largemouths, and nearly all of these have come from California lakes.
With respect to habitat, food, behavior, and most other matters, the Florida largemouth bears close resemblance to the northern largemouth bass.
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BASS, FLORIDA LARGEMOUTH Micropterus salmoides floridanus
The Florida largemouth bass, also known as Florida bass, is a subspecies of the largemouth bass, which in turn is often called a northern largemouth. This fish occurs naturally in Florida. Mixtures of it and northern largemouth, called intergrades, since they are neither pure Florida nor pure northern strains, occur from northern Florida to Maryland.
Florida bass grow to trophy size more readily than northern largemouth bass, and have been stocked in many states, including California, which has produced near-world record 22-pounders from transplanted stocks, and Texas, which has completely transformed its big bass potential as a result of stocking this fish. Numerous lakes in Mexico also have this strain, and have produced very large specimens.
Like northern largemouths, the Florida largemouth bass thrives in relatively fertile bodies of water, primarily being found in reservoirs, lakes, ponds, and large slow rivers with quiet backwaters. In all of these environments it is one of the top predators, with a wide-ranging diet, and a species that seeks numerous forms of weed, rock, or wooden cover which it can use for ambushing prey.
It is not actually a bass – as are the various members of the temperate bass family of fishes, which include striped bass and white bass – but a large sunfish, related to such other popular sunfishes as the bluegill and crappie.
The Florida largemouth bass has an elongate and robust shape compared to other members of the sunfish family. It has a distinctively large mouth compared to other family members, with the end of the maxillary (jaw) falling below or beyond the rear margin of the eye; the dorsal fin has a deep notch separating the spiny and soft rays; and the tail is broad and slightly forked.
Although coloration varies greatly and is especially dependent on biological factors and host environments, the Florida largemouth bass generally has a light green to light brown hue on the back and upper sides, white lower sides and belly, and a broad stripe of diamond-shaped blotches along the midline of the body.
There are patches of dark scales above and below the lateral stripe, three dark bars on the sides of the head, and a complete lateral line. There are no scales on the base portion of the soft-rayed second dorsal fin of the largemouth bass, which is unlike other black basses. There is also no tooth patch on the
, which helps distinguish it from the spotted bass. Coloration can range from pale green or nearly silvery to extremely dark and near black on the upper sides and back, and the lateral line, stripe, and other markings may be indistinct, all depending upon the clarity and color of the water; the most distinctively marked fish tend to come from the clearest waters. The maximum size attainable for Florida largemouth bass may be 25 pounds, but this is uncertain, and less than two dozen largemouth bass in the 20-pound class are known to have been caught, with the largest being the all-tackle world record of 22 pounds 4 ounces, caught from Montgomery Lake, Georgia, in 1932. It is unknown whether that fish was actually a Florida largemouth bass or a northern largemouth, as the fish was never preserved. Most of the giant modern-day bass (18 pounds and over) are Florida largemouths, and nearly all of these have come from California lakes.
With respect to habitat, food, behavior, and most other matters, the Florida largemouth bears close resemblance to the northern largemouth bass.
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![[Image: LargemouthBass.jpg]](http://floridafisheries.com/images/LargemouthBass.jpg)
with smallmouth and spotted bass, it is easily distinguishable because the upper jaw extends beyond the rear edge of the eye. Also, its first and second dorsal fins are almost separated by an obvious deep dip, and there are no scales on the soft-rayed second dorsal fin or on the anal fin.