Understanding What Bass Eat - Forage

Some suggest bass will eat anything that is alive or was alive and can fit in their mouths, while others suggest bass target specific forage based on local conditions. Those that subscribe to bass targeting specific forage often refer to lure selection “matching the hatch”. This section looks at common bass forage.

Why is Understanding What Bass Eat Important?

It is important to understand what bass eat to:

  • Find Forage to Find Bass: Bass target forage and as such if you find the forage you find the bass. 
  • Select the Right Lure: Selecting the best lure including color and size based on mimicking the look of the specific forage, once again, often referred to as “matching the hatch”. 
Understand What Bass Eat - Forage
  • Small Fish – Bait Fish: Bass eat small fish often called baitfish (or bait fish). Common species of bass fish forage are:
    • Shad: Shad are commonly targeted by bass during their spawn and when shad are schooling deep(offshore). Common shad species include: Threadfin Shad, Hickory Shad, American Shad, Alewife, Gizzard Shad and Blueback Shad.
    • Minnows: Minnows, also called shiners, chub, are targeted by bass when shallow and when schooling deep(offshore). Common minnow species are: Silver Shiner, Pearl or Northern Dace, Golden Shiner, Central Stoneroller, other include: Bluntnose, Fathead, Bigeye Chub, Bigmouth Shiner, Bridle Shiner, Cutlip Minnow, Eastern Blacknose Dace, Emerald Shiner, Fallfish, Fathead Minnow, Hornyhead Chub, Lake Chub, Longnose Dace, Mimic Shiner, Pugnose Shiner, Redside Dace, Tonguetied Minnow
    • Sunfish: Common sunfish include: Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Green Sunfish, Redear Sunfish, Longear Sunfish, Redbreast Sunfish, Warmouth, Orangespotted Sunfish, Dollar Sunfish, Banded Sunfish and Redspotted Sunfish.
    • Regional Fish Forage:
      • Perch: Also called perch, lake perch, striped perch, preacher is native to the upper Midwest and Canada.
      • Blueback Herring: Also known as river herring native to the Atlantic Coast waters and introduced to other mostly eastern waters. They are often confused with the shad species Alewifes.
      • Smelt: including Rainbow Smelt, Freshwater Smelt, are found mostly in northeastern United States and Canada.
      • Gobies: or round goby, native to central Eurasia, were introduced into the North American Great Lakes by way of ballast water transfer in cargo ships.
      • Juvenile Fish: Bass will eat any juvenile fish including bass, catfish, suckers, pickerel, Sturgeon, lake trout, muskellunge, salmon, rock bass.
  • Crawfish: Also known as crayfish, crawdads are freshwater crustaceans commonly found across North America.
  • Frogs: Common species being the American Bullfrog, Green Frog, Northern Leopard Frog, Southern Leopard Frog and Pickerel Frog.
  • Worms: Aquatic worms are generally small with the larger species being the Sludge Worm and California Blackworm. Earthworms do not live in water but look and behave similar to aquatic worms. Earthworms can be part of the runoff after a heavy rain as earthworms surface from the land otherwise they will drown.
  • Insects: Particularly common are nymphs, the immature stage before insects reach the adult stage. Also, any insect that lands on the water, dead or alive.
  • Leeches: Segmented parasitic or predatory worms with flattened bodies found all across North America.
  • Other Forage: Bass will eat lizards, snakes, birds, salamanders, freshwater shrimp.
Additional Considerations
  • Bait fish Location: There are a few factors including in low lure visibility scenarios baitfish are shallow and high lure visibility deep(offshore). As the water warms in the summer the baitfish go shallow but once it is warm go deep(offshore).
  • Forage Size: Some suggest that bass will eat, or attempt to eat, forage that is up to 1/2 their own size. In other words, bass will try to engulf large forage. Some suggest “targeting large fish need large lures” but this is not necessarily a common perspective. 
It's About the ALLURE™

Surface Contact Lures
Lures that commonly mimic frogs, wounded baitfish, insects and other small animals stuck on the surface

Minimal Contact Lures
Many lures mimic swimming baitfish.

Cover Contact Lures
Many lures mimic swimming baitfish in thick cover.

Bottom Contact Lures
Lures mimic forage on or near the bottom including crayfish, worms, leeches, insect larvae and dead or dying baitfish.

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