What Bass Need to Survive

Bass fishing is the fastest growing outdoor recreational activity in the United States. On reason for this is that Largemouth bass is a very challenging fish to catch. They can be overpowering to land once hooked. They go on short, powerful runs and escape to fish cover like submerged trees or weeds quickly because they usually lurk about nearby for protection. They strike the bait aggressively and fight hard. They jump out of the water and also tail walk on the water in the battle. It can take years to become a good largemouth bass fisherman. It takes gaining enough knowledge about the fish, getting inside their head so you know what they are thinking and how they are going to act.

Start building your knowledge of the habits of bass by thinking about the three things they need to survive: Oxygen, Food and Cover. Bass need a lot of oxygen which is found more in cooler water. Oxygen makes them more active. It’s not only that there is more oxygen in cooler water it’s that they need less oxygen in cooler water. As the water temperature goes up bass need more oxygen, they consume oxygen faster and the warmer the water the less oxygen it holds.

The main food sources for bass are crayfish and shad but they will eat insects and other things too. The favorite food of largemouth bass is threadfin shad which are soft rayed fish whose fins aren’t spiny and therefore easy for the bass to swallow. When bass are young, say under 8 inches, they will eat mostly insects. After this they eat mostly crayfish and other fish. Bass eat just about anything even other bass. The one thing they don’t eat is plants and vegetation. They may suck in their food so they may swallow pieces of plant that get sucked in when they grab a minnow but don’t feed on plants.

Bass love fish cover and use it for a number of reasons. They hide in it to ambush their prey. They also use it for shade to get out of the sun and to hunt for smaller fish like minnows that tend to congregate in fish cover. Natural fish cover includes rocks, submerged trees, stumps, logs and weeds. Man made fish covers are used also as fish attractors in many lakes and ponds. Downed trees in shallow water with a contoured bottom with a drop in depth are favorite spots for bass.