TAKEOFF
BASS SCIENCE
BASS PERFORMANCE
HOW SPEED AND MANEUVERABILITY FACTOR INTO BASS FORAGING CAPABILITIES
F
or years, there’s been a saying among top anglers that “you
can’t outrun a bass.” It means don’t be afraid to fish quickly,
as the fish will be able to catch up with the lure no matter how
fast you reel it in.
Which got us wondering whether or not the saying is true, and
how other performance characteristics of bass stack up. As it turns
out, scientific research can break it down.
White Muscle vs. Red
28
Before diving into speed, it’s impor-
tant to know why some fish can outper-
form others in terms of power, swift-
ness and endurance. It’s about muscle.
Fish muscle is actually composed of
two different types of tissue. White
muscle makes up the bulk of the mus-
cle tissue in bass and other freshwater
species. It is predominantly used for
short-term bursts of speed, has low
blood flow (which is why it’s white) and
can only provide energy for short dura-
tions of perhaps 10 to 30 seconds. This
is why bass and other freshwater
species tire so quickly when caught.
Fish also have red muscle, which
has high blood flow and is the domi-
nant type in many saltwater species
such as tuna and salmon. Red muscle
is built for endurance, allowing fish to
swim for hours or even days at a time –
sometimes at high speeds. Saltwater
anglers targeting billfish or tuna rou-
tinely fight hooked fish for hours, and
it’s because of those fishes’ abundance
of red muscle.
How Fast is a Bass?
There’s been a large amount of
research on fish speed and maneuver-
ability characteristics. According to most
research, bass are considered middle-of-
the-road performers. They’re not slow,
but they’re not exactly speed demons,
even among other freshwater species.
Reports from a recent study showed
that 5-centimeter (about 2 inches)
largemouth bass were found to be able
to reach burst speeds of close to one
By TJ Maglio
meter per second (2.2 mph) for a few
seconds. This is roughly equivalent with
several other freshwater fish, including
northern pike and bluegills, but slower
than other species such as rainbow
trout. Small fish are used in these stud-
ies because they’re easier to work with
in a laboratory setting, but empirical evi-
dence shows pretty universally that
adults perform better than juveniles, so
top speeds can be even higher.
By my estimates, the fastest speed a
bait can be retrieved with a modern
high-speed baitcaster approaches the
top speed of most bass. However,
based on the latest research it’s still
accurate to say that in most circum-
stances you can’t out-reel a bass.
Cornering Ability
Speed’s not everything in the natural
world. Maneuverability also plays a
huge role in how effective a fish is at
eating or avoiding being eaten. So
where do bass stack up?
In the same study as mentioned pre-
viously, maneuverability was measured
as relative turning radius (turning radius
compared to body length). Again, bass
(this time smallmouth bass) were found
to be generalists. They can turn quickly,
more so than trout, salmon, tuna or
mackerel, but slower than bluegills,
northern pike or angelfish.
How Does Prey Compare?
In the same study, several common
bass prey species were also assessed
for performance. Interestingly, speed
differences were not very distinct
between the species. Bass were able to
burst to around one meter per second,
and the literature shows that species
such as bluegills, yellow perch, fathead
minnows and common shiners are all
very similar in their measured speed
performance.
What this means for bass is that
speed isn’t necessarily their primary
hunting tool. Instead, bass rely on guile,
surprise and their ability to adapt well
to almost any fr eshwater condition.
FLWFISHING.COM I OCTOBER 2017