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Largemouth bass
Micropterus salmoides
Bill Byrne, MA
Division
of Fisheries and Wildlife
Habitat requirements and life history:
The largemouth bass (4.7-38.2 inches), was introduced to Massachusetts
from New York and others in the 19th century and is probably
the state's most common gamefish. The largemouth bass is also
the largest sunfish. It prefers mud, or sand-bottomed ponds,
lakes and slow-moving rivers with lots of aquatic vegetation
and overhead cover. The largemouth bass eats fishes, frogs,
snakes, small ducklings and almost anything alive that will
fit into their mouths. They spawn in May. The males excavate
big, platter-like nests in shallow water near shore and entice
females to lay their eggs. The males fertilize, guard and
fan the eggs until they hatch. (Sources:
Freshwater Fishes of the Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland,
& Delaware, Massachusetts Wildlife, No. 2, 2000, Special Fishing
Issue and AMC Guide to Freshwater Fishing in New England)
Total length:
10 - 16 inches (larger individuals fairly common).
Pollution tolerance (US EPA): Intermediate
tolerance
Classification:
Macrohabitat generalist
Number of fish found during 1954 &
2001 Fish Surveys*
| Location |
No. of Fish 1954 |
No. of Fish 2001 |
| Assabet River |
7 |
153 |
| Assabet Brook |
|
5 |
| Cold Harbor Brook |
|
3 |
| Elizabeth Brook |
|
1 |
| Forth Meadow Brook |
|
2 |
| Nashoba Brook |
4 |
|
| North Brook |
|
1 |
| Spencer Brook |
1 |
|
| UNT Assabet River |
|
1 |
| Total |
12 |
166 |
*Sources:
Schlotterbeck, L.C. and W.A. Tompkins, 1954. "A
Fisheries Investigation of the Merrimack and Ipswich River Drainages."
Bureau of Wildlife Research and Management, Massachusetts Division
of Fisheries and Game.
DFW, 2001. Assabet Watershed Fish Survey. MA Department of Fisheries
and Wildlife, Westborough, MA.
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