There is a group of fishes called the centrarchidae family. It includes all of the sunfish, crappie, and black bass. The fish I will primarily cover are the black bass, but I will go over the others.
There are three species of black bass which are relevant to a Kansas fishing blog- Largemouth, Smallmouth, and Spotted bass.
The largemouth bass is one of the most well known sportfish in the world. It has been introduced to many areas- such as Japan. Largemouth- believe it or not- actually have large mouths! So large that when they close their mouths, their lip goes past their eyes.
note the strongly green coloration and horizontal bar of dark blotches on this largemouth.
The largemouth has several features that help distinguish it from the smallmouth and spotted bass.
Largemouths have two dorsal fins (spiny and soft-rayed) which are only partially connected. They have a horizontal bar running down below their lateral line. Actually, the least reliable method of distinguishing the black basses is the most common- checking their mouths. I have caught many largemouths that had mouths the size of a smallmouth because the mouth only extends past the eye if the mouth is perfectly closed and undamaged.
The largemouth is an ambush predator, and it relies greatly on it's eyesight to help it catch prey. You will rarely find a largemouth in a moving body of water as they like to stake out their own territory in deep waters among weeds and rocks. They tend to be more tolerant of murky and muddy water than the other black basses. Needless to say, the largemouth is a voracious carnivore, feeding on fish, crayfish, frogs, birds, mice, and sometimes even other largmouths-which will barely fit in their mouths! Because of their aggressive and territorial behavior, they will accept a massive assortment of lures and baits. This list includes but is not limited to: swimbaits, minnowbaits, crankbaits, buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, bass jigs, grubs, plastic worms, salamanders, and crayfish, spoons, poppers, stickbaits, prop-baits, live minnows, frogs, and ye olde faithful worms. With this kind of aggression, the largmouth is an apex predator in most ponds and lakes in Kansas.
the only fish that can eat full-grown largemouth are flathead catfish and pike/muske.
The spotted bass is like a little brother to the largemouth. It has a smaller mouth and the dorsal fins are well joined. Spotted bass do not cope well with warm and murky water, so they are rare around Manhattan. Other than that, the spotted bass is just like the largemouth. It will ambush it's prey from an established territory, and it puts up an amazing fight. The spotted bass gets very little publicity as it only grows to a few pounds and is more picky than the largemouth and smallmouth.
The spotted bass has a darker/browner overall coloration than the largemouth.
you can also see the stronger bar coloration and joined dorsal fins.
The smallmouth bass is one of the most fished for species in the Midwest. It is easier to tell apart from the other two black bass because it never has a horizontal bar, and usually has vertical barring. Smallmouths have entirely different behavior from the other black bass. They travel in schools and cover ground when they hunt, unlike their ambush counterparts. I know very little about smallmouths, mostly because you can count the number of "smallies" that I have caught on one hand. They don't inhabit any nearby areas except for Pott 2, Milford lake, and wildcat creek. I hate Pott 2 and never go to Milford, and fishing at wildcat creek is like taking a shot in the dark-you never get anything. I have only caught one decent-sized smallmouth in recorded history (when I started my logbook). It was an accidental catch at Rocky Ford while I was fishing for wiper. If ever I catch a smallmouth or spotted bass, it just makes my day, that shows how rare they are for me.
The next fish I will include are the crappie. They are well known for their tasty meat, and for their seasonal spawning runs. If you fish at just the right time you can get fish every cast during the spawning time.
Their are two species of crappie that live in Kansas, white and black. Black crappie were introduced to Kansas for a myriad of reasons, but mainly because they taste good. Black crappie will put up a descent fight if you hook one. I am sorry, but there is little good that I can say about white crappie. They come from a family of fish known for their intense fights and strong, stocky bodies. But that doesn't stop them from being the absolute worst fighters in the universe. I quite literally think I have a weed every single time I hook into one of these stupid fish. I do believe I can confidently say that an eight inch largemouth will put up a better fight than a world record white crappie. The recreational value is actually in the negative with these fish, especially with a catch-and-release person like me. I literally feel drained after catching one of these fish.
The last fish are the sunfish. They really live up to their name, as many of these fish would make excellent aquarium fish if they weren't so aggressive or picky. These fish fight with more passion for their size than most other fish can. The sunfish are many-a-anglers first fish when they are young, including me. They are sometimes referred to as panfish because of their deep, thin bodies.
This is a longear sunfish. I wanted to put him in my aquarium, but I forgot my bucket.
With all these awesome fish piled into one family. I see no possibility that there isn't an awesome God that created them all and placed them all here for our enjoyment.
Who knew there was so much to learn about fishing?? :)
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