Why are Bass called "Black Bass"?

[Matt Fly]

Ever wonder where the term "Black Bass came from?

The fry of smallmouth turn "coal black" after a few days of hatching.

Even though the fry of Largemouth do not turn black or other species, the term stuck for all bass (genus Micropterus).

Just some trivia.

Matt.

[senile1]

That's interesting.  I just assumed it was because the Black bass have the darker colorings while the White Bass are lighter colored.  Like White crappie and black crappie.

[Lightninrod]

Some of the old-timers down here call them "green trout" .

Dan

[George Welcome]

Common Names - black bass, Florida bass, Florida (or southern) largemouth, green bass, bigmouth, bucketmouth, linesides, Oswego bass and green trout.

This is my understanding for the term "black" bass: A series of black splotches extend laterally along its side, forming a horizontal line to its tail.

[KU_Bassmaster.]

Thought is was because they look "black" in the water. (Their backs)

[Guest avid]

This is a great straight line.  Unfortunately the many punch lines would be innapropriate and offensive.  Funny, but definitly racist.  Someday we may all be able to laugh at ourselves and each other without tragic consequences.  Unfortunatley that day isn't here yet.

[Murray]

i just call them "#&$# YES!" or "%$%*(#$% NO!"

[K_Mac]

This is a great straight line. Unfortunately the many punch lines would be innapropriate and offensive. Funny, but definitly racist. Someday we may all be able to laugh at ourselves and each other without tragic consequences. Unfortunatley that day isn't here yet.

I almost responded a couple of times, but was afraid to offend. I couldn't agree more with you. There are some funny posibilities though.

[Panamoka_Bassin]

There was a time in the not too distant past when if I heard the term "black bass" I would immediately think sea bass (They're actually named Black Sea Bass).  If you've ever seen Chillean Sea Bass on a menu, this is a very similar strain (ala LMB vs. SMB).

Nowadays, though, any time I hear bass, I think freshwater first and salt water last.  I finally got my priorities straight

[Poor Richard]

   Oh man, we have opened a can of plastic worms this time!  

1.  When I lived on the Gulf Coast, I discovered that the green trout cohabit the estuarian rivers with speckled trout and white trout, more commonly called weakfish.  Anyway, green is closer than black to their actual color.  By the way, when "green trout" attain five pounds, they migrate out to salt water, take up residence on the reefs and become giant "black groupers."  Oh, well.  

2.   :  But why aren't you worried more about "micropterus"?  Probably, the "small fin" tag comes from the specimens that first showed up in Europe, badly preserved or not preserved at all (p.u.).  These specimens would have been skins, and the name was given by people looking at bad drawings.

(Tomelleri & Eberle, p. 169).  And "salmoides"?  Well, "salmo" in the root suggest "jumper," and I guess I can buy that!  But you can't compare a lusty bass to a wimpy troutoid.

3.  When the first platypus arrived at the British Museum from Australia, early in the 19th century, scientists there examined it very closely and publicly declared it to be a fake, even though they could not discover how it had been sewn together.  

So you just never know.  You can't see under the water until you know what's there.

Poor Richard says, "a fish in the hand is worth two under the bush and is a lot more slippery, too."

 

[George Welcome]

Funny how names come down the pike: Black sea bass are really bass. Largemouth bass are not bass.

[Panamoka_Bassin]

Funny how names come down the pike: Black sea bass are really bass. Largemouth bass are not bass.

Okay, so why do they call them bass?  I would think there's got to be some kind of similarity between the two... I know I can see it with Stripers and Large Mouth...

[George Welcome]

The largemouth bass is the largest member of the sunfish family.

The striped bass is a member of the temperate bass family, which includes white perch and white bass.

[Other.]

Thought is was because they look "black" in the water. (Their backs)

I think that is correct, In the water there backs look black.

[Guest avid]

Funny how names come down the pike: Black sea bass are really bass. Largemouth bass are not bass.

NOw thats funny George.  Names come down the PIKE?

subtle, clever.....Puns are the highest form of humour.  

[Captain Cali]

So is a Smallmouth Bass a "Bass"? Or are they also a member of the Sunfish family?

[Rattletrap]

Good question Cali, but I don't have the answer this time. If I had not taken a break I would have a set of "Been Posting A Long Time" stars. At onetime we had the same number of posts. :'(

[Matt Fly]

I have always assumed that Black bass got the name from the dark color dis-colorations or lateral line also.    

I got that info from the state Hatchery at Athens Tx while viewing sharelunkers a few years ago.    I recently ran across an old Field and Stream Magazine that stated the same.

Been trying to google some info but haven't had any luck on such info.

Matt.

[roadwarrior]

General description: http://www.floridaconservation.org/Fishing/Fishes/bass.html

Smallmouth: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallmouth_bass

All of these bass are members of the sunfish family. Oddly, even though spotted bass look more like a largemouth, they are more closely related to the smallmouth bass.

[Poor Richard]

    So the baseball player, while playing his bass guitar, thought he might go

bass fishing.  He called his friend, the bass in a barbershop quartet, and following their base instincts for finding bass, went out and caught several nice . . . walleyed pike!

And how many fish in the world's rivers, lakes, and seas are called perch?