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Smallmouth Bass
Micropterus dolomieu
Photo credit: John Scarola
Life history and habitat
requirements: The smallmouth bass are said to have
been introduced to Massachusetts as game fish, brought to
Flax Pond in Wareham by Samuel Tisdale in 1856. The population
spread rapidly, competing with the native brook trout populations
for cold-water habitat in larger streams. Largemouth bass,
introduced some 40 years later, out-competed the smallmouth
in most areas. Smallmouth bass prefer clear, cool lakes and
larger streams, avoiding muddy and sluggish waters. Spawning
occurs in late-spring. Like most sunfish, the male builds
a rock-lined nest in waters from 2 to 20 ft deep and spawns
with several females. Smallmouth diet is varied including
aquatic inveratbrates, small fish, and crayfish.
Total Length:
8-13 inches (largest recorded in Massachusetts 8.1 pounds)
Pollution tolerance (US EPA):
intermediate tollerance
Classification:
Macrohabitat generalist
Number of fish found during 1954 & 2001
Fish Surveys*
| Location |
No. of Fish 1954 |
No. of Fish 2001 |
| Assabet River |
13 |
|
| Nashoba Brook |
32 |
|
| North Brook |
1 |
|
| Spencer Brook |
3
|
|
| Stirrup Brook |
1 |
|
| Total |
50 |
0 |
*Data 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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