Metro

Bass season opens statewide in Pennsylvania next weekend at midnight on Saturday, June 14.

The daily limit for bass is six fish 12 inches or larger. When bass season gets underway, all species of gamefish will once again be in season for Pennsylvania anglers. While plenty of fishermen will be out for bass next Saturday, the bass opener won’t draw the hordes of anglers that the first day of trout season typically does.

Bass aren’t stocked by the thousands in so many waterways around the state like trout are. Bass also tend to be somewhat difficult to catch for many casual anglers compared to stocked trout.

Our region is certainly trout country, and we are blessed with an abundance of trout water for both wild and stocked fish. But we also have plenty of places to fish for bass from smaller lakes and ponds to the bigger impoundments like Sayers Lake and Raystown Lake to the Juniata River and its Raystown Branch.

We also have several lakes in our region governed by the special regulations of the Big Bass Program.

On these waters, the minimum size for bass is increased to 15 inches and the daily limit is reduced to four fish.

Some of the local waters in the Big Bass Program include Canoe Creek Lake in Canoe Creek State Park in Blair County; Shawnee Lake in Shawnee State Park in Beford County; Beaverdam Run Reservoir, Duman Dam, Hinckston Run Reservoir and Wilmore Dam, all in Cambria County; and Colyer Lake in Centre County.

When it comes to bass season, however, the real stars of the show are the largemouth and smallmouth bass.

I know some hardcore trout fans might bristle at this next fact, but nationwide the largemouth bass ranks as our most popular freshwater game fish, and it’s not even close. Largemouths are now found in all the lower 48 states and southern Canada, and they have been transplanted well into Mexico, Central America and most other continents as well.

That’s because largemouths are so popular with anglers, and they do well in a wide range of habitats, from small farm ponds to the largest man-made reservoirs.

Smallmouth bass were originally native to the eastern half of the United States and southeastern Canada from Manitoba and Quebec and south to Tennessee and eastern Oklahoma. Smallmouths have also been introduced into almost every other state but are not as widespread as the largemouth.

Smallmouth bass are not as adaptable as their largemouth cousins, preferring lakes with mostly clear water and gravel, rocks and other hard bottom structure. Smallmouths, of course, thrive in rivers, while largemouths aren’t fond of river currents. In Pennsylvania, all our major river systems are well known for their excellent smallmouth fisheries. Surprisingly, however, smallmouth bass were only native to the Allegheny and Ohio River watersheds and were introduced to the Susquehanna, Juniata and Delaware rivers during the late nineteenth century.

A big reason bass tend to be so popular with anglers is they are strong fighters when hooked and they can reach a respectable average size in most waters where they are found. The world record largemouth weighed 22 pounds 4 ounces and was caught from Montgomery Lake in Georgia in 1932.

That record was tied in 2009 by a monster bass taken in Lake Biwa in Japan. The Pennsylvania state record largemouth bass weighed 11 pounds, 3 ounces and was caught from Birch Run Reservoir in Adams County in 1983.

The world record smallmouth bass came from Dale Hollow Lake in Tennessee in 1955 and tipped the scales at 11 pounds 15 ounces. Pennsylvania’s record smallmouth weighed 8 pounds 8 ounces and was caught from Scotts Run Lake in Berks County in 1997.

Largemouths generally like hanging around or hiding in some type of cover such as weeds or sunken trees. They usually prefer to ambush their prey with a short, quick burst of speed rather than chase their next meal for any distance.

Smallmouths will relate to structure lie rock pies or ledges but seem comfortable in open water where they can hunt and chase down baitfish or other food sources.

Largemouths are usually easier to catch on overcast days, while smallmouths, especially river smallmouths, often bite well on sunny days. Neither species seems to like windy days as wind seems to scatter the fish making the more difficult to find.

Both species of bass are highly adapted predators. They will prey on virtually any creature they can swallow and happens to be found in, on or around the water they inhabit.

This extremely varied diet means bass are likely to attack a wide variety of lures, a trait that endears these fish to both fishermen and tackle companies.

For well over a century, anglers have eagerly sought a steady diet of new lures to tempt their favorite fish. And the lure makers have always been eager to satisfy that demand.

Probably more lures have been produced specifically to catch largemouth bass than every other species combined. And as long as we anglers keep buying them, it’s a sure bet the tackle manufacturers will keep turning them out.