What is Black Bass Fishing?

If you live in the USA you probably already know the answer but might not recognize the black adjective. The black basses are a group of fish including Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass. It also includes lesser-known species such as Spotted, Suwannee, Redeye, and Shoal Bass. The genus for the black basses is Micropterus. In the USA black bass fishing is just generally known more simply as bass fishing.

Why is a distinction needed for black bass, isn't bass just good enough? There are a lot of different fish around the world known as bass. This includes but is not limited to Striped Bass, White Bass, Yellow Bass, Black Sea Bass, Peacock Bass, Rock Bass, and White Seabass. Calling them black bass lets people know you are talking about the specific genus of bass native to the USA.

Since the black basses typically have large mouths for their size, anglers can use varied but often large tackle to specifically target bass. While it is possible to use smaller, more finesse lures to catch bass that will also catch other species, lots of people like using the dedicated big lures. If you are going bass fishing in the USA with these types of lures, you can expect to mostly catch black bass with little bycatch.

In terms of variety, the best place to fish for black bass is in the Southern United States. But if you don't happen to live in the South, no need to worry. Black Bass (largemouth and smallmouth in particular) are stocked all across the United States. Fishing for black bass can be done in a large variety of waters: small creeks, tidal fresh rivers, small ponds, huge lakes, swamps, and most other waters.

Freshwater Fishing