ask a bIoLoGIst
a.
by Dr. Steven Cooke
Q.
BASS RANGES
When gauged across the knowledge we have on
home ranges of many fish species, the best
answer to that question is “small.”
Bass generally have much smaller home
ranges than many other fish species,
including other freshwater fishes such as
trout, walleyes and northern pike.
Largemouth bass in particular have
some of the smallest home ranges
known for fish of their size. If the condi-
tions are right, a largemouth bass might
spend its entire summer within several
meters of a single log, dock or grass bed.
Smallmouth bass generally have larger
home ranges than largemouths, but they
are still relative “home bodies.”
That’s not to say bass don’t move.
Largemouths and smallmouths might move long
distances seasonally, and we’ve documented groups of
bass moving many miles from their summer ranges to winter-
ing locations across many different bodies of water. This isn’t
necessarily the same thing as a “home range” though,
How big
are bass
home
ranges?
Meet Our Expert
Dr. Steven Cooke is an
associate professor and
Canada research chair of
environmental science
and biology at Carleton
University.
20
because once set up in their wintering areas, bass com-
monly aggregate in very precise locations for the
duration of winter.
From a regional perspective, there has
also been research suggesting that the far-
ther north one goes in the bass range,
individual home ranges become even
smaller and more concentrated, at
least during the winter. We’ve located
wintering holes in Canada in which
hundreds and even thousands of bass
packed tightly into tiny areas to wait
out the cold season.
Unfortunately, the reasons for this
are little known, but there are likely
many micro factors involved, including
oxygen level, temperature, food abundance
and even possibly genetics.
Regarding home ranges, and wintering holes in
particular, bass often use the same ones each winter, and
some have been in use far longer than we’ve been in place to
study them.
TJ Maglio produces the Ask a Biologist department. If you
have a question you’d like to have answered by a fisheries
expert, please email it to TJ at [email protected].
fishing tip: Finding a major wintering hole is
like striking gold, since the fish return each
season. Yet, it’s not only a good find for win-
ter fishing success. Use it as a starting point
for the spring transition toward spawning
areas by locating the nearest mid-depth
structure or cover between the wintering
hole and shallow flats. These are areas where
bass will move during the prespawn. Now
look ahead toward the shallows to areas with
the proper spawning substrate and you can
connect the dots once the weather breaks
and spring arrives.
fLWfIshInG.com I december 2016