All of my replies are towards largemouth bass but may also apply to smallmouth bass.
1: What is the average life expectancy of both a Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass?
In northern waters up to 15 years and in southern waters around 10.
They also grow faster in the south than in the north.
Females live longer than males.
2: What do Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass do in the winter for food sources when the bodies of water they frequent in some states are frozen solid?
Same thing they do in the summer, only slower. Their metabolism slows and they don't eat as much.
If the water freezes solid they will die. Also even if just the surface freezes and the body of water is small enough, especially if there is rotting vegetation in the water, all the oxygen in the water will be used and the fish will die. It's called "winter kill".
3: What can a person do to help a Largemouth and Smallmouth Basses habitat in which they live in, are there things you can do maybe cheaply to make em say spawn more or improve their overall health that arent very costly or time consuming?
Uh, Good question. I'm not real sure as far as spawning more. As for health, you can provide them with some type of cover. Sunken christmas trees, old tires bolted together, railroad ties piled together to form a "crib shelter", concrete blocks piled together, I hear the like gutted out cars, buses, farm equipment....etc.
4: Do Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass have predators (wether it be birds or other problem fish) that can ruin their numbers in a given body of water?
Not really after they get over about 10 inches. Granted a snapping turtle or muskie may get one every now and then, but it is generally not a real threat. Carp can sometimes be a problem as they can root up the bottom of the lake and make the water dirty, which can create a lot of problem for everything that lives in that body of water. Again that is rare.
Disease would be the biggest threat I can think of.
5: If yes to the question above do you have any recommendations or solutions on getting rid of these problematic things?
Kill the turtles and make some soup! ;D
6: Do you know something about Bass in general that people might be suprised to know, if so what?
Bass will relate to anything different. In a study bass where placed in a plain, all white tank. They swam around aimlessly. A board was placed over one edge and all the bass stayed under the shade of the board. The board was removed and rocks where placed on one side of the tank. The bass immediately where attracted to the rocks and hovered over them. The rocks where removed and a black stripe was placed in the tank. Even though it provided no cover, the bass still hovered near the stripe.
In another study bass had their eyes covered and where placed in a tank with minnows. Within a few hours the bass had eaten all the minnows. Showing that the bass would use their lateral line to hunt and not even need their eyes.
Pretty cool, huh?
7: How long can you keep a Bass out of water before doing damage to the fish itself.
I'm not sure if there is a certain time. Get them back in the water as soon as you can.
Make sure you handle them with wet hands and try not to let them touch anything like the ground or the deck of a boat. It washes of their slime coat which protects fish from disease and abrasions.
If you ever catch a big fish, over maybe 8-10 pounds, try to support it from under it's tail when you pick it up. Just lipping a large bass can break it's jaw.
Do you think all Bass should be released back? If yes or no are there certain circumstances aside from legal that would effect your decision?
I release all of the bass I catch (I'm a nice guy, though. I even release the ones I haven't caught! ) but I don't have any problems in the waters I fish. One of the problem's I can think of would be a small body of water that is overpopulated with bass. In that case it is wise to remove a few so there is less fish fighting for food and lets a few get big.
Hope this helps.
