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Largemouths
can tolerate a wider range of water clarity, fertility and temperature than any
other gamefish. They thrive in waters ranging from desert reservoirs to northern
glacial lakes. You’re likely to find largemouths in any of the following waters:
RESERVOIRS. Most man-made lakes are created to control downstream
flooding or to provide a reliable source of water for municipalities, farming,
power generation and river navigation. As a rule, shallow, warm reservoirs with
plenty of submerged trees, brush and aquatic plants for cover offer better fishing
than deep, cold reservoirs with little cover.
PONDS AND PITS.
Millions of farm ponds have been stocked with largemouth bass, usually in combination
with sunfish. Landowners often obtain the fish from state or federal conservation
agencies. Bass and sunfish are also planted in pits and quarries, once sand-gravel
or mining operations cease and the basins fill with water.
NATURAL
LAKES. Warm, shallow, weedy lakes usually hold more largemouths than deep,
cold, clear lakes with little vegetation. However, shallow, weedy bays of deep,
cold lakes may hold good largemouth bass populations.
RIVERS, STREAMS
AND ESTUARIES. Slow-moving rivers and streams with weeds, brush or fallen
trees for cover often have excellent largemouth populations. Bass also thrive
in the brackish water of estuaries, where fresh water from rivers mixes with salt
water.
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Flatland
Reservoirs produce more and bigger largemouth bass than other reservoir types.
Sometimes called flowages in the North, these waters are normally shallow and
fertile with low to moderate clarity. Most have short creek arms, abundant weeds
and flooded timber and sand or mud bottoms.
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CANYON
RESERVOIRS, found mainly in the West, are formed by damming large river gorges.
Most are very deep and clear with steep walls, sharp-breaking points and long
creek arms. Bottoms consist of rock or sand with few plants. Creek arms may have
some timber and brush.
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COVE
RESERVOIRS, also called hill-land, highland or mountain reservoirs,
are intermediate in depth, fertility and clarity, between canyon and flatland
types. Creek arms are also intermediate in length. Most have some weeds and timber
with sand, rock or clay bottoms.
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STRIP
PITS usually have sheer walls, jagged bottoms, sharp-breaking points and rock
slides. Most have rock or sand bottoms, with clear, infertile water. Strip pits
are generally deep with few weeds.
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FARM
PONDS are shallow and fertile. They have mud or clay bottoms and some submerged
weeds. Brush piles are added occasionally to provide cover for bass and other
gamefish. Runoff keeps most ponds murky.
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EUTROPHIC
LAKES have shallow, fertile water of low to medium clarity. There are extensive
stands of submerged and emergent weeds, commonly extending into mid-lake. The
bottom is mainly mud, often with patches of sand or gravel. In the North, these
lakes may winterkill.
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MESOTROPHIC
LAKES have moderate depth, fertility and clarity. The shallows are often rimmed
with emergent weeds, and submerged weeds may grow to depths of 25 feet. The bottom,
which usually consists of sand, gravel, rock and muck, normally has sandy humps
or rocky reefs.
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STREAMS
with warm water and deep pools make good bass habitat, particularly when there
is an abundance of cover such as weeds and submerged logs, brush or boulders.
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BIG
RIVERS with weedy backwaters, cuts or bays off the main channel make ideal
bass water. Few largemouths are found in the main channel itself because of the
swift current.
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