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yellow bass
yellow bass (Morone mississippiensi)
Illinois Status: common, native
Photo © Konrad P. Schmidt, University of Minnesota
Features and Behaviors
FEATURES
The yellow bass has a blue-gray back and striped, yellow sides. The dark stripes appear to break and are not in continuous lines on the lower body. A spine is present on the gill cover. The average size for this fish is 12 inches in length and one pound in weight. It may live for about six years.
BEHAVIORS
The yellow bass lives in pools and backwaters of rivers and lakes. Spawning occurs April through May. Eggs are deposited over gravel and will hatch in four to six days. The yellow bass lives in schools in midwater or near the surface. Adults eat fishes, including their own young.
Illinois Range
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Moronidae
Habitats
Aquatic
lakes, ponds and reservoirs; rivers and streams
