Do You Know the Life Expectancy For Largemouth Bass?

Did you know the life expectancy of a largemouth bass is 10 to 15 years?  They live much longer in the wild than captivity.  The longest known lifespan of a wild largemouth was 23 years.

Largemouth bass may spawn 2,000 to 10,000 eggs per pound of body weight, but the survival of newly hatched fry is extremely low.  Life expectancy of “fry” is days, perhaps weeks because large numbers are eaten by predators.  Only five to 10 may survive to reach 10 inches.

Bass prefer temperatures from 77 to 86 degrees.  Water temps in the upper 90’s pose health risks.  In temperatures below 50, they become lethargic and seldom feed. The world record largemouth, 22 pounds, four ounces, was caught in Georgia in 1932.