Category:Rock Bass

Rock Bass
Rock bass, also known as rock perch or goggle-eye, are native to the Saint Lawrence River and Great Lakes waterways, the upper and middle Mississippi River basin in North America, from Quebec to Saskatchewan in the north, down to Missouri and Arkansas, and throughout the eastern United States from New York through Kentucky and Tennessee to the northern portions of Alabama and Georgia in the south. This fish prefers clear, rocky, and vegetated stream pools and lake margins.

Rock bass have a chameleon-like trait and can change color to match their surroundings, which helps them to thrive in their wide range of habitats. This type of sunfish or pan fish (it is not really a bass) is typically 6-8 inches long, weighing less than 1 pound, with a world record of 3 lbs. 10 oz.

Rock bass are carnivorous; their diet consists of smaller fish, insects, and crustaceans. Adult rock bass feed most heavily in the morning and evening hours. Young rock bass become prey for larger predatory fish, such as large basses, northern pike, and muskies. They usually compete with smallmouth bass for food.

Rock bass are fairly easy to catch with a variety of bait and from a variety of locations. Rock bass strike bait hard and put up a good fight, but tire easily.

Name:Rock Bass Average length: 6-8 inches Average weight: 4-8 oz. World record:  3 lbs. 10 oz. (17 inches) Life span: 10 years if not caught Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Perciformes Family: Centrarchidae Genus: Ambloplites Species: A. rupestris

Binomial name: Ambloplites rupestris

Other names it goes by: rock perch, goggle-eye, northern rock bass, rock sunfish, redeye or 	redeye bass (in Canada)

Where they live: in freshwater in Saint Lawrence seaway and Great Lakes waterways, upper and middle Mississippi River basin from Quebec to Saskatchewan in the north down to Missouri and Arkansas in the south, as far east as New York to Kentucky and Tennessee and in northern Alabama and Georgia. They are found in clear, rocky (where their name comes from), vegetated stream pools and lake margins, near breakwaters and rock-lined shorelines.

What they eat: They eat small fish (including their own young, yellow perch, and minnows), aquatic insects, crayfish, other invertebrates and crustaceans

How it can be identified: -red eyes -brassy (golden), brown to olive color flanks with dark spot on each scale behind the gills, - can change to silver or blackish shades rapidly (chameleon characteristic) -dark spots on scales form rows of dots -has six spines in anal fin (most sunfish have three) -two dorsal fins with spinous and soft-rayed portions united (other fish have this separated) -large mouth -usually 10 inches in length or less and less than 1 lb. in weight -silvery white underside

Life Cycle: -rock bass move to very shallow water 60°-70°F -using fins to fan debris, males build circular nest 8-10 inches in diameter -females come to the nest for an hour or less and leave -males guard the eggs -rock bass hatch in 3-4 days and come up out of the nest after about a week -babies stay in shallow, highly vegetated areas until they are about ¼ year old -they semi-hibernate in the winter when they move to deeper water