The Bass most commonly found in Wood County are the White Bass and the Small Mouth Bass.  These fish usually reach lengths of around one foot.  Both are very popular game fish and enter the Maumee River during the month of May to spawn. During the summer, the White Bass can be found in Lake Erie in large schools. If a school of White Bass encounters a school of minnows, the resulting feeding frenzy can make the water seem to be boiling.

Description:  Size, usually 8 - 15 in.; rod and reel record, 11 lb. 14 oz. Shallow notch in dorsal fin. Black olive, belly dusky silver, no stripe of dark spots on sides. Habitat:  Clear, rocky lakes and rivers Food:  Other fishes Remarks: Male fans out nest in gravelly bottom where up to five females may lay as many as 2000 eggs; male guards eggs and young. Range:  Minnesota to Quebec, south to Arkansas and northern Alabama; widely introduced elsewhere.

Small Mouth Bass Micropterus dolomieui USFWS / Duane Raver

Description:  Size, to 1 ft. and 3 lb. Separate dorsal fins; lower jaw longer than upper. Silvery with 5 - 7 bold stripes on each side; dorsal spines graduated; anal rays, 11-12. Habitat:  Lakes and large rivers Habits:  Usually travel in schools Food:  Small fishes, insects, plankton, crayfish Remarks:  The population of this species fluctuates more widely in numbers than do those of most other fishes. Range:  Southern Minnesota to western New York, south to Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico; widely introduced.   Home Page

White Bass Morone chrysops USFWS / Duane Raver

Created by: Tyler J. Rowland
Last Update: July 17, 2002
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