THE BASS - Dicentrarchus labrax
The bass with its two dorsal fins, the front one being pointed, its grey back, silver sides, white under belly and large eyes and mouth, make this a striking looking fish and is prized by many anglers, and the sole goal of some anglers.
The bass is a predator, and with its large mouth hunts and feeds on crabs, fish and shell fish, and in summer feeds on one of its favourite foods the sand eel, after a storm bass will move in close to shore patrolling the surf for food, they also feed very close in to the shore under the cover of dark.
The bass prefer warmer waters and are mainly found around the southern waters of England, Ireland and Wales.they are found in all sorts of habitats from rocky out crops, to a river estuary, the sandy surf or the cover of a deep sea wreck.
Bass spawn between May and June, with the female laying her eggs in batches rather than all at once. They are laid in the shallower waters, then in about six days depending on water temperatures, the eggs hatch and the fry then feeding on plankton and other small organisms, head for shelter in estuaries and harbours, while young the bass shoal up in schools and thus small bass have been given the nickname schoolies (school bass).
Bass are slow growing and take up to six years to reach sexual maturity, so they are prone to over fishing, thus the M.A.F.F introduced a minimum catch size of 36cm (14ins) to help stop over fishing, bass grow up to about 20lb (9kg) in weight but a specimen is about 7lb(3.2kg) and a double figured bass is a fish of a life time and if you can, always let them go to fight another day your sport depends on it.
