Day 7 of #Fishmas is all about that bass - the smallmouth bass, that is! One of the most popular sport fish species in the #GreatLakes (and beyond), the Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu) - also known by anglers as the bronzeback or brownie - never misses a beat 🎶 #25DaysofFishmas - ThreadSky

drkatfish.bsky.social • 92 days ago

Day 7 of #Fishmas is all about that bass - the smallmouth bass, that is!

One of the most popular sport fish species in the #GreatLakes (and beyond), the Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu) - also known by anglers as the bronzeback or brownie - never misses a beat 🎶 #25DaysofFishmas

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drkatfish.bsky.social•92 days ago

Smallmouth bass is part of the sunfish family (Centrarchidae), which includes smaller cousins like bluegill and crappie.

Smallmouths are considered black basses (Micropterus), a group that also includes other species popular with anglers like largemouth bass and spotted bass #25DaysofFishmas

drkatfish.bsky.social•92 days ago

Smallmouth bass are native to the central part of North America including the St. Lawrence- #GreatLakes and Mississippi River basins. Because of their popularity as sportfish, they’ve been introduced widely across the country and the world, including to Asia, Europe, and Africa #25DaysofFishmas

drkatfish.bsky.social•92 days ago

Small vs. large: smallmouth bass can be distinguished from their largemouth cousins by - wait for it - their mouth!

The hinge of the smallmouth’s upper jaw extends only to about the middle of the eye, while it goes past in the eye in the largemouth #25DaysofFishmas

drkatfish.bsky.social•92 days ago

While smallmouth and largemouth bass can often live in the same waterbodies, smallmouths tend to occupy different habitats than largemouths. Smallmouth bass prefer clear, cooler waters with some current, while largemouth bass can be found in murkier, slower-moving waters #25DaysofFishmas

drkatfish.bsky.social•92 days ago

Smallmouth bass spawn in spring, usually when the water temp reaches ~60°F/15°C. Males build nests by using their fins to fan out circular depressions in the sand/gravel. They then guard the nest and can get very territorial, even taking on humans who venture a bit too close #25DaysofFishmas

drkatfish.bsky.social•92 days ago

When invasive round goby came to the #GreatLakes, smallmouth bass took quite a liking to them, with gobies becoming the dominant prey of smallmouths in Lake Erie. In fact, round goby is consumed more by smallmouth bass than by any other Lake Erie fish species #25DaysofFishmas https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2015.12.005

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