Largemouth Bass
Other names: Black bass, green trout, bigmouth bass, lineside bass
Largemouth bass are
members of the sunfish family, and are usually green with dark
blotches that form a horizontal stripe along the middle of the fish on
either side. The underside ranges in color from light green to almost
white. The dorsal fin is almost divided, with the anterior portion
containing 9 spines and the posterior portion containing 12-13 soft
rays. Largemouth bass may be distinguished from other black basses in
that the upper jaw reaches far beyond the rear margin of the eye.
The largemouth bass
is a very popular gamefish. Anglers who were asked to "name the fish
you prefer to catch in freshwater" chose largemouth bass three to one
over striped bass, and four to one over white bass. While the Texas
state record fish weighed 18.18 pounds, catches in Florida,
where it is the State Freshwater Fish, often exceed 20 pounds. |
Channel Cats
Other names: Willow
cat, forked-tail cat, fiddler, spotted cat, lady cat
Channel catfish are easily distinguished from all
others cats, except blue catfish, by their deeply forked tail fin.
Unlike flathead catfish, the upper jaw projects beyond the lower jaw.
Coloration is olive-brown to slate-blue on the back and sides, shading
to silvery-white on the belly. Typically, numerous small, black spots
are present, but may be obscured in large adults. Channel cats may be
captured on a wide variety of baits including liver, worms,
grasshoppers, shrimp, chicken, cheese and stinkbait, among others.Channel catfish in
excess of 36 pounds have been landed in Texas waters. The North
American record stands at 58 pounds. |
Bluegill
Other names: Bream, brim, perch, sunfish, sunperch
The bluegill occurs in a large variety of habitats including pools,
overflow ponds, swamps, and man-made impoundments. They often occur in
small loose schools that have up to 20 to 30 individuals in them. They
are generally small to medium-sized fish. Bluegill typically weigh
about 12 ounces and are about 9.5 inches long. They mainly eat
aquatic insects and insect larvae; in addition, they eat smaller fish,
crayfish, and snails. Bluegills provide plenty of fight, pound for
pound.
Plain garden
worms are the favorite bait for bluegills, but they can be caught on a
number of different types of lures. The fly fisher can have fun with
poppers, especially in spring and early summer, when nests are
concentrated in shallow water. |
