Bass Assumptions: Bass more more popular than trout?
If there is such thing as a paradox in fishing, bass are part of it. Last Saturday was the opening day of bass fishing season. Yet, unlike the trout season kickoff, which always follows a build-up of anticipation, there鈥檚 scarcely a ripple of excitement for bass.
But, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), more people fish for bass than for trout in Pennsylvania. The USFWS 2011 Pennsylvania Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife Associated Recreation (most recent state report available), concluded that 418,000 Pennsylvania anglers fished for bass that year, while 314,000 fishermen pursued trout (The PA Fish and Boat Commission reports selling 455,000 trout permits in 2011, but the USFWS survey could reflect anglers that bought a permit, but did not fish).
Bass, though abundant and widespread, don鈥檛 generate the same fever as trout. People just seem to quietly go out and fish for them. Maybe that鈥檚 explained by stocking鈥搊r rather the lack of. Bass do their own stocking. Every hour of bass fishing in Pennsylvania and around the country results from natural reproduction. There are no hatchery trucks that dump in loads of na茂ve bass for anglers鈥� enjoyment. Trout just don鈥檛 have the reproductive dynamism of bass, so we anglers have grown accustomed to the spring ritual of trout-stocking, which fuels the fever for trout-fishing.
Bass are also native to Pennsylvania, while two of our most popular trout species are exotic imports from elsewhere鈥搕he rainbow trout originating on the Pacific slope of the Rocky Mountains, and the brown trout a transplant from Europe. Among trout, only brook trout are native here.
Two major bass species swim in Pennsylvania waters 鈥� the largemouth bass and the smallmouth bass. A third bass species, the spotted bass, is so uncommon and occupies such a restricted range in the upper Ohio and Beaver rivers that it is not an important part of angling recreation. Smallmouth bass have been introduced widely around the country, though the upper Ohio basin of Western Pennsylvania remains one of their native strongholds.
All three bass are, technically, part of the sunfish family, related to bluegills and crappies, but all are also lumped into an informal category of fish called the 鈥渂lack bass.鈥� I鈥檝e never encountered an explanation for that generic name, and the only theory I can advance is that when you see a largemouth bass swimming in the water, its tail appears black, and a black stripe extends down the length of the body. That black color is not apparent when you lift the fish from the water, and I don鈥檛 recall ever seeing a smallmouth bass swimming in the water before I caught it. They鈥檙e more mysterious and harder to observe than largemouth bass.
Their habitats differ, too. Largemouth bass prefer warm lakes and ponds, generally free of current, and the fish gravitate toward weedy cover. Smallmouth bass like the cooler flowing water of rivers and streams and are most abundant around rocky ledges and boulders. Considering that description, it鈥檚 understandable that sections of the Youghiogheny River are considered among the finest smallmouth bass fisheries in the state.
The Fish and Boat Commission opens bass season in mid-June because that schedule gives the fish a chance to spawn before becoming anglers鈥� targets.
In the early season, most anglers after largemouth bass cast soft-plastic imitations of salamanders, frogs, or small fish into shallow water near shoreline cover. The fish may have completed spawning, but they tend to linger in shallow water after spawning. Smallmouth fishermen cast imitations of crayfish or minnows into eddies among rocks in the current.
Though fly-fishing is typically associated with trout, bass anglers can enjoy using fly tackle. Casting floating 鈥減oppers,鈥� then twitching the popper to imitate a small frog is an effective and exciting way to catch largemouth bass. 鈥淏igmouth鈥� bass will rise and engulf the popper in an explosive strike.
Most anglers release all bass they catch, which helps to sustain populations. But catch-and-release bass fishing is partly rooted in the puzzling assumption that bass are not a quality fish on the table. That may be true of large, old bass. But if you keep a few mid-size bass (the legal minimum size is 12 inches, and the creel limit is 6 until fall) and fillet them like bluegills, crappies, or other sunfish they are delicious fried in a cornmeal breading or prepared for fish tacos. Especially from smaller ponds, it鈥檚 often necessary to harvest some bass to prevent overpopulation and stunting.
Some popular bass fishing waters around here are Virgin Run Lake, Cross Creek Lake, Cranberry Glade Lake, and the Youghiogheny and Casselman rivers.
Bass fishing seasons and bag limits are somewhat complex and varied in different places. It鈥檚 best to review the regulations for the water you plan to fish on the Fish and Boat Commission鈥檚 webpage before venturing out.
Ben Moyer is a member of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association and the Outdoor Writers Association of America.