By Joseph Ferry

Whether you are an avid fisherman, fish from time to time, or rarely fish at all, the odds are that you have caught, or at least seen, a bass. Living in central Virginia, bass are the most plentiful fish to target, aside from panfish such as bluegill and crappie. The attraction to bass fishing over panfish, however, is that while it is relatively simple to find and catch them, they can grow considerably large and put up a hard fight once they realize they have been hooked. The most common species of bass in Virginia are largemouth and smallmouth, but others, such as rock bass, spotted bass, and striped bass, can also be caught, depending on where you are fishing. 

Largemouth bass are the most common member of the bass family in Virginia, as they can be found in almost any pond, lake, or river you come across. From larger lakes such as Claytor Lake and Kerr Reservoir, to local ponds, including the University of Richmond pond, to the James River and the South Anna River, it is never difficult to find a population of largemouth. 

When targeting largemouth, they are easily distinguishable by their green, slender profile and the black line across their midsection, called the lateral line. This lateral line is crucial to the largemouth bass, because it allows them to sense vibrations around them in the water, since their eyesight is sometimes poor, especially in dark or stained water. 

Photo credit: Jack Ferry.

In addition to being more common than smallmouth, largemouth are also, on average, larger. Depending on the size and conditions of a watershed, the best bass could be a pound, or it could be 15. However, most ponds, rivers, or lakes will have bass of all sizes. They range from fingerlings to eight-pounders, but it is much harder to find a body of water with bass above eight pounds. Because bass rarely get to or exceed eight pounds, this size is the common benchmark for a trophy largemouth, as 24 inches and eight pounds is the standard for a “citation” fish. 

A 25-inch largemouth, estimated at over 10 lbs. Photo credit: Joseph Ferry.

Because of largemouth bass’ prevalence and size, they are incredibly popular among anglers and many fishermen’s favorite species. Matthew Rowe (‘21) believes that “Largemouths tend to be bigger, more impressive, and more picturesque,” making them the superior species to target. He is not alone in this ideology, as many who enjoy fishing would rather spend their time going for larger fish such as largemouth. 

Smallmouth bass are harder to find in Virginia than largemouth because they are rarely in lakes and almost never in ponds. Instead, smallmouth are most commonly found in rivers such as the James, the New River, and other watersheds with rocky bottoms. There are definitely smallmouth to be caught in the James in areas in and around Richmond, but the best smallmouth fishing on the James is further up towards the mountains. Local spots like the Z dam, however, can at times be surprisingly productive for catching smallmouth, considering how close they are. The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources has a magnificent article detailing where local spots for smallmouth can be found. Because it is harder to find smallmouth, fishermen tend to target them less frequently. Smallmouth can be distinguished by the red eyes and brownish gold color that make them a beautiful fish to catch.

Smallmouth as a species are relatively smaller than largemouth, with trophy “citation” size being 20 inches, or five pounds. Although smallmouths are smaller, they are more aggressive and fight harder once hooked. These tendencies make them a favorite among many anglers who seek to enjoy the fight over the size of the fish that they catch. Match contributor Carter Stokes (‘21) exemplifies this mindset. He believes that “Smallmouth are better (than largemouth) hands down,… pound for pound.” 

Photo credit: Bo Morano.

Whether you enjoy smallmouth, largemouth, a mixture of the two, or rarely fish for either, it is important to note fishing for either species can be a totally different experience. A major reason why anglers enjoy targeting smallmouth is that this often entails being on the river, which affords more opportunities for enjoyment than in ponds or lakes. Especially on a hot day, it is always refreshing to jump into a clean and cool river or wade across sections to get to a better fishing hole, as opposed to jumping into a pond that can be hot and muddy. In addition, because of smallmouth’s aggressive nature, their strikes on lures are ferocious, and they will hit top water lures in almost any situation, unlike largemouth, who rarely feed on top if it is not early morning or evening. Top water is a very enjoyable way to catch any fish, largemouth or smallmouth, but the possibility of catching fish on the surface all day attracts many anglers to target smallmouth. 

Whether you choose to target largemouth or smallmouth in your fishing endeavors, you are bound to enjoy nature and catch fish. Personally, I enjoy smallmouth fishing over largemouth when I have the opportunity. There are not many things I would rather do over going out on the river fishing for smallmouth, but because of how accessible many largemouth fisheries are, I tend to target them far more often. If you are targeting smallmouth for the love of the river and their aggressive fights, or targeting largemouth for their size and abundance, it is impossible to make the wrong decision.