Largemouth Bass
Micropterus salmoides
The most-fished species on earth and the engine of a multi-billion-dollar industry. The record has stood, tied, since 1932 — the most stubborn number in angling.
Also known as: Bucketmouth · Green trout · LMB
World record
Manabu Kurita · Lake Biwa, Japan · 2009
Overview
- Scientific name
- Micropterus salmoides
- Family
- Centrarchidae
- Max length
- 3' 2"
- Typical length
- 15.7"
- Max weight
- 24 lb 4 oz
- Depth range
- 0–20 m
- Conservation status
- Least concern
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Fight
- Table quality
How to catch it
Soft plastics on structure, topwater at dawn, jigs in cold water. Spring pre-spawn on a warming shoreline is the classic window.
How big does it get?
What turns up on an ordinary day, and what a very good one looks like. Almost nobody catches a maximum-size fish — this is the honest spread.
1.8 m angler
Character
What this fish is actually like to catch.
Where it lives
Its band in the water column, against the ocean's real depth zones.
When to fish for it
Relative catch activity through the year, northern hemisphere.
Distribution
Trophy Score of all :n logged catches of this species. A score means nothing until you can see the population behind it.
Top catches on FishRankings
The heaviest of this species recorded by our community.
Nobody has logged one yet. Claim the top spot.
Log a catch4 Related species
| Species | Species | Worth | Max length | World record | Depth zone | Fight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spotted Bass Micropterus punctulatus | 177 | 25.2" | 10 lb 4 oz | Freshwater Freshwater | ||
| Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu | 158 | 27.2" | 11 lb 15 oz | Freshwater Freshwater | ||
| Redear Sunfish Lepomis microlophus | 154 | 16.9" | 5 lb 8 oz | Seabed Freshwater | ||
| White Crappie Pomoxis annularis | 128 | 20.9" | 5 lb 3 oz | Freshwater Freshwater |
"Worth" is what a catch of that species is worth before any of your own skill counts — higher means harder to find and harder to beat.