232 NORTHERN FISHES 



Beyond any question the largemouth bass is one of the most popular 

 game fishes in the central states, not because its fighting ability is 

 superior to that of the smallmouth, but because of its wide distribution 

 in lakes and the larger streams. In Minnesota it is, or was, common in 

 the muddy lakes of the southern and central counties and in sloughs 

 along the Mississippi. However, it is most abundant in the clear- water 

 lakes, particularly around the headwaters of the Mississippi. It occurs 

 also in many small, isolated lakes near the Canadian border, but how it 

 got there no one knows. It is present in several lakes in the Quetico Pro- 

 vincial Park north of the Canadian border. It is found in only a few 

 lakes in Lake and Cook counties, and in most of them it has been 

 introduced. 



In Minnesota fewer largemouth bass than crappies, sunfishes, wall- 

 eyes, and northern pike are caught; but more largemouth bass than 

 smallmouth bass or some species of trout are caught. Probably this sit- 

 uation is not due to any scarcity of bass but to the fact that most 

 anglers do not fish for bass, though they are the favorite fish of a rela- 

 tively few anglers, who sometimes seek them exclusively. Bass fishing 

 requires a special technique. Largemouth usually feed in shallow, weedy 

 waters. At certain times they will rise to a fly. Casting into weed beds 

 wqth frogs, minnows, or plugs forms part of the favorite technique of 

 many bass fishermen. Even after seizing the bait, bass often are not 

 hooked because they will run some distance with it before swallowing it 

 far enough for hooking. Skill is often required to hook and land a bass. 



From a purely epicurean point of view, bass from mud-bottom lakes 

 in some sections of Minnesota and Wisconsin are rather unpalatable, 

 particularly in the early part of the fishing season, before they have 

 been able to throw off the muddy taste acquired from the lake bottom 

 during their partial hibernation. On the other hand, those taken from 

 lakes with sand and gravel bottoms are entirely free from this dis- 

 agreeable muddy flavor. 



The spawning of bass is largely controlled by weather conditions. A 

 sudden drop of but 10 or 12 degrees below the normal temperature for 

 the spawning season, which is 60° to 65° F.. is sufficient to kill the eggs 

 or the newly hatched fry. Reighard (1906) made the same finding in 

 Michigan. In Minnesota bass spawn any time between May and July 

 when the water reaches 60° to 65° F. The prevailing winds at that time 

 are usually from the south, but should there be a sudden shift to the 

 northwest the temperature usually drops abruptly. As a rule spawning 

 areas are found in more or less sheltered bays in waters 2 to 6 feet deep. 

 If such areas happen to be located on the southern or southeastern side 

 of a lake we can usually expect a severe loss of eggs or fry or both, for 

 bass desert their nests in short order when the water reaches 48° F. 

 Turbid waters may also disturb the spawning. A light deposit of silt 



