16 Types of Bass Ranked by Size 

Let’s talk about bass sizes! Bass are among the most popular targets for anglers, but many don’t realize just how many different bass species exist. There are hundreds of different types of bass. The fish belong to the order Perciformes, which means “perch-like” fish. The word “bass” is derived from the Middle English word “bars,” meaning “perch.” Some of the most popular bass species among anglers are the black basses. These fish are not true basses, though. Instead, they belong to the sunfish family Centrarchidae. Then, there are the temperate basses, also known as the true basses. There are also sea basses.

While we can’t cover the hundreds of different basses, we can examine some of the more common species that anglers will encounter. Here’s a look at 16 different bass species, including black, temperate, and sea basses. We’ve ranked them by size, so anglers can know what to expect when they set the hook.

Black Basses

Black Bass Notes

Largemouth bass are the largest of the black basses and are also the most popular freshwater game fish in the world. There are two subspecies of largemouth bass: the northern largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides salmoides) and the Florida largemouth bass (M. salmoides floridanus). Both average about the same size, but under the right conditions, the Florida largemouth has the potential to grow significantly larger than the northern largemouth.

Invasive Largemouths

While anglers dearly love largemouth bass, they have also become a destructive invasive species in some parts of the world. These fish are now found in every U.S. state except Alaska. In some places, such as Lake Tahoe, the bass are invasive and harmful to the natural fish population. Largemouth bass have also been transported to Central and South America, Europe, a number of African nations, and Asian nations such as China and Japan. The fish is an especially big problem in Japan. Efforts are ongoing to eradicate the largemouth bass because of the damage being done to native Japanese fish. Ironically, a fish caught in a lake northeast of Kyoto, Japan, tied the world largemouth bass record. While largemouth bass are invasive and destructive in Japan, they are also thriving.

Scientists recently discovered a new black bass species. The Choctaw bass (Micropterus haiaka) was not found until 2013. This bass is native to the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama.

The rock bass is not technically a black bass, but it is also a member of the sunfish family. An average rock bass weighs about one pound. The world record is three pounds. The rock bass’ native range runs from Quebec in the north to Florida in the south.

State Fish

The largemouth bass is the state fish of Georgia and Mississippi, and the state freshwater fish of Alabama and Florida. The spotted bass is the state fish of Kentucky. The smallmouth bass is the state sportfish of Tennessee. The Guadalupe bass is the state freshwater fish of Texas.

Temperate (True) Basses

Temperate Bass Notes

While striped bass live most of their lives in the ocean, they have also been stocked in landlocked freshwater lakes. These landlocked fish don’t grow quite as large as those who have ocean access, but they can still reach prodigious sizes. The world record for a landlocked striper is 69 pounds, 9 ounces.

Striped bass and white bass can hybridize. Though it does occur naturally on occasion, the hybrid fish are often produced and stocked by fishery management agencies. Hybrid striped bass are sometimes known as wipers, combining white and striped bass names. These fish typically grow from two to five pounds. A trophy hybrid striped bass is generally considered to be over ten pounds.

State Fish

The white bass is the state fish of Oklahoma. The striped bass is the state fish of Maryland, Rhode Island, and South Carolina. It is also the state saltwater (marine) fish of New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia.

Sea Bass

Sea Bass Notes

Sea bass classification is difficult. These fish, along with others, carry the “bass” name, but they can be very different from one another. For example, the giant sea bass is actually a wreckfish. It is a member of the family Polyprionidae, not the sea bass family Serranidae. It is also the biggest fish in the world to carry the “bass” name. Sadly, the giant sea bass is listed as a critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The black sea bass is considered one of the best-tasting fish in all of the world’s oceans.

The white sea bass is the largest of a group of fish known as croakers. These fish are so named because of the croaking noise they make by hitting the abdominal muscle against the swim bladder. 

Summary of 16 Types of Bass

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