Dr Roger Munro explains how understanding the behaviour of bass will boost your chances of catching this spring
Bass are such intriguing creatures that many anglers are in complete awe and become euphoric whenever they catch one; which has been the case throughout history: the oldest references to this species date as far back as classical texts around 50AD. European bass are found in the north-east Atlantic Ocean from Morocco to Scotland and Norway, in the Black Sea and in the Mediterranean Sea. Significant northward expansion has been recently reported along the Norwegian coast and in the Baltic Sea, related directly to climate change.
There are two genetically distinct populations of wild European bass. The first is found in the north-east Atlantic Ocean, and the second is in the western Mediterranean Sea. The two populations are separated by a relatively narrow distance in a region known as the Almeria-Oran oceanographic front, located east of the Gibraltar Strait. Despite being a voracious feeder it is a slow-growing species and takes around seven years to reach adulthood. Average lifespan in captivity is 15 years but the oldest recorded wild bass was aged 28. The average weight of an adult European bass is 5.5lb but they can reach weights of around 26lb. Adult bass are commonly found at around 50cm (20 inches) in length with the largest recorded being 103cm (41 inches).
At an early age they form shoals which vary from a few dozen individuals to many thousands and they remain in distinct groups for several years at a time. The number of fish in a group diminishes as the fish grow larger so that fully grown, large fish tend to go solo.
MIGRATION
European bass are highly mobile fish. In the British Isles there is seasonal migration between inshore northern summer feeding grounds and offshore winter southern spawning areas. The bass are loyal to their summer habitats and although it was first thought that they had no fidelity to their wintering areas, recent research has shown that they do indeed show fidelity to their wintering areas as well. Their reproductive migrations start when they are four-years-old.
Between October and December they move to their offshore spawning areas seeking water warmer that 9° Celsius. The falling sea temperatures below 10° around the British Isles induces this migration. In April / May they migrate back to the feeding grounds. Recent and highly significant evidence indicates that European bass are a partial migratory species since individuals exhibit either long-distance migrations or are resident.
Indeed, English Channel bass comprise a mixture of
