Bass Fishing Hacks
Simple Hacks and Tips to Help You Catch More Bass
How much does a largemouth bass grow per year?
The annual growth of a largemouth bass depends upon water temperatures, available forage and competition among other predators. Largemouth bass that live in Southern waters grow faster and bigger more quickly but Northern largemouth bass typically live longer.
A Southern largemouth bass can be about 7 inches long and weigh a half pound after the first year of life in an abundant living environment. That same bass at 15 inches will weigh about 2 pounds and will be about 4 years old at that point.
As a bass grows their length per year will decrease but their weights will continue to climb. For instance, a largemouth bass that is 19 inches long will weigh about 4 pounds. Once this bass grows another inch to 20 inches it will weigh about 5 pounds.
It takes a healthy bass living in warm waters more than 5 years to weigh 5 pounds. It might take a Northern large mouth bass more than 10 years to get up to 5 pounds.
If you ever catch a bass that is 25 inches long, then you just caught a 10 pound bass if it is in good and healthy condition.
The author of this article is a Bass Fishing Charter Guide on the Treasure Coast of Florida. He has been catching bass in the canals, ponds and lakes all over Florida for more than 40 years. In the article below, he will cover more interesting details related to the growth of a largemouth bass.
Let’s get started.
How big can a largemouth bass get?
A largemouth bass can get up to 25 pounds given the optimal conditions. That is of course, a female largemouth bass that can grow to those sizes. Males can only grow to about 8 pounds or so. It is the females that need the extra mass to produce large and healthy eggs during the spawn.
The Florida strain of largemouth bass is the largest of all of the bass hybrids and species of bass. The Florida bass strain has been added to many different freshwater systems all over the Southern parts of the United States to increase the sizes of the bass that are being caught.
The largemouth bass is the state fish of Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and Alabama. That is probably because the largemouth bass is the most popular game fish in all of the United States of America. In the state of Florida, bass fishing accounts for more than 1.4 billion dollars in annual revenue for the state.
I wrote another article on this website all about the eating habits of a largemouth bass. You will be amazed at how much a bass can eat in a day. You can read that article by clicking right here.
How much is the world record largemouth bass worth?
There is a standing prize offered of one million dollars for the next world record bass that is caught. It would most likely be worth a lot more than that in the age of social media. The exposure of such a catch could be worth many millions of dollars when it is all said and done.
There would be tons of sponsorship deals and lots of free bass boats and gear that would probably be given to the person who catches the world record bass. Whatever lure was used to catch the world record would also pay tons of money for such a catch.
What is the largest largemouth bass caught in Florida?
The largest bass ever recorded in Florida was caught back in 1923 by Frederick Friebel. This bass was caught on Big Fish Lake in Pasco County, Florida.
It weighed 20 pounds and 2 ounces. It was weighed on a postal scale and witnessed by bystanders but it did not get documented by a Florida Wildlife Commission officer so it is not officially a Florida State record.
The certified state record of Florida comes from Billy O’Berry. He caught a 17 pound 4 ounce largemouth bass in Polk County back in 1986. This fish is the official State of Florida record fish.
What is the average size of a largemouth bass?
The average size of a largemouth bass that is caught is a pound and a half. Northern largemouth bass are usually smaller than their southern cousins. This is due to the cold water and less available forage for the bass in northern waters.
Many states have introduced the Florida Bass DNA to their lakes and ponds to help the local bass breed themselves bigger. Texas has tons of Florida strain bass at this point and many more states are following their lead.
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