Breeding and Growth
The breeding habits of the large mouthed bass do not differ materially from those of the small mouthed except that he will take advantage of his habitat and build his nest on the roots of a water plant. Being larger, as a rule, the females lay more eggs, have larger broods, and nesting in warm water, the eggs hatch sooner and the fry grow faster. Another advantage is that the fry do not develop cannibalism until they reach the fingerling stage.
Large mouthed bass average more in weight than the small mouthed of equal age but in Northern waters their maximum weight is but little more. In the South, where the winters are mild and food abundant, the fish do not hibernate and feed the year around and attain great weights. Dr. Henshall has taken these Southern bass up to fourteen pounds on a fly and up to twenty pounds on bait. I have seen a mounted specimen that is said to have weighed twenty-two pounds and he looked it. These extra large fish, however, are nowhere abundant but many are caught in Southern waters up to ten pounds.
