Rock Bass Tip Videos

  • Bobby's Perfect Frog

    Snag Proof has developed a frog for fishing open water. This frog is weedless and sink proof the only place you are going to see that frog disappear is down the throat of a trophy fish!

  • Live Target Frogs

    Dave Mercer stops by the WFN booth at ICAST 2010 for a snack - I mean to talk about the winner of the Best Soft Plastic Lure, the Live Target Frog (Hollow-body). Mercer offers tips on how to rig up this frog and when to fish it.

  • Fizzing Bass

    When you are fishing for bass in deep water in the fall sometimes they can suffer from extended air bladders. JP offers tips on how to release the pressure using a technique called fizzing.

  • Vicious Fluorocarbon Elite

    John Crews sings the praises of this new fluorocarbon line at ICAST 2010. Crews says the line is so clear that after he spooled his spinning reel he could still see the base of the spool! And at $20 for 200 yards it is a great price.

  • Preventing Line Twists

    JP answers a new anglers questions about swivels. The main purpose for swivels is to prevent line twists and JP offers tips on picking the best type for your style of fishing.

  • Bowman On The Kaenon Sunglasses

    Conway Bowman talks about the most important piece of gear every angler needs when sightfishing and the new technology that puts Kaenon Sunglasses at the top.

  • Knot Tying Tip From JP

    JP answers a viewer's email question about the best knot to tie to join a fluorocarbon leader to a braided main line.

  • TroKar Swimbait TK140

    Shaw Grigsby tells you why the TroKar Swimbait TK140 is the hook for you.

  • Tru-Tungsten Mad Maxx Frog and American Rodsmiths Team Series

    Marty Stone talks about the unique concepts on the Tru-Tungsten Mad Maxx Frog and the innovations on the American Rodsmiths Team Series fishing rods.

Fresh Water

Rock Bass Species Identification

rock bass

Other Names

Rock perch, goggle-eye, red eye, rock sunfish.

Appearance

Rock bass are more closely related to bluegill than other forms of bass, but it's body shape and mouth size is more similar to black bass species like the smallmouth. It is olive-brown or bronze in color along the sides and back and covered sporadically with spots and even lines of black, giving it a striped look at times. The darkness of its color alters, however, based on its surroundings. Rock bass have two connected dorsal fins, with the front half made up of a series of spines. Rock bass also have 5-6 anal fin spines. Perhaps the most striking feature are its eyes, which are quite large and bright red in color.

Maximum Size

Can weigh up to three pounds (1.4 kg) and 14 inches (35 cm).

Geographic Range

Their native range extends from the St. Lawrence River and Great Lakes system through to Saskatchewan in Canada, and southwards down the Mississippi River basin in the United States, going as far south as Missouri and Arkansas.

rock bass

Habitat

Rock bass prefer clear streams and lakes with rocky structure and vegetation. The more cover there is in a lake (especially rock, as their name would suggest), the more chance a rock bass population has to thrive. Rock bass show little signs of being deterred by human activity and so can often be found under docks. Their preference for habitat is shared by smallmouth, and it's common to see both species sharing the same waters.

Life Span

10-12 years.

Food

Aquatic insects primarily, but also small crayfish and minnows. They tend to feed along the bottom.

Reproduction and Spawning

Rock bass typically reach reproductive maturity at three years of age. Male bass build nests over gravel in a slight current, often next to a large rock of some sort. Females can lay up to 10,000 eggs, often sharing the same space with other females. Bass hatch in three to four days, with the adult males guarding the nests in the meanwhile.

Predators

Muskie, pike, walleye, bigger bass.

Information credit: Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

Rock Bass Tips

Jig Your Drifts Away

I have decided to write a series of blogs offering tips on how to fish when Mother Nature is less than agreeable. They are going to topicalized by the four elements - Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire. Today's blog will be about Wind. High winds and choppy waves can wreak havoc on any fishing trip, especially when trying to troll or cast. You'll get blown off course and it's difficult to achieve a

Spring Prep Guide

Preparing for spring is certainly an endeavor in patience and persistence.  There are so many things to remember in the late winter and early spring preparation it is hard to say where to start.  I usually begin with trying to whittle down all the tackle I bought last summer and fall down to a manageable level.  I used to carry 4 hard sided plastic tackle boxed and two soft sided

How to tie a Spider fly!

Sitting at my tying bench I was inspired to tie something a little different.  I came across a spider pattern in one of my books and modified it so that it was easier to tie and was more fishable than the original. Take a curved scud hook (size 12) and place it in your vice. Take 6/0 white tying thread and dress your hook. Take some white deer hair (not bucktail) and tie it on top of

Rock Bass Photo Galleries

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