As an angler, knowing what eats bass can help you understand bass behavior and patterns. Bass occupy an important niche in aquatic food chains, both as predator and prey. Their population and size structure in a fishery depends heavily on predation rates and the abundance of forage species.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: bass are preyed upon by a variety of larger fish species, birds, reptiles, and mammals. Their main predators include larger bass, pike, muskies, walleye, catfish, trout, salmon, birds of prey, snakes, alligators, river otters, and mink.
Larger Fish Species
Bass may be aggressive hunters, but they also end up as prey for even larger freshwater fish. Their small size compared to other sport fish make bass vulnerable to being eaten by the giants of lakes and rivers.
Larger Bass
Ironically, one of the biggest threats to bass are other bass. Larger bass varieties like striped bass, white bass, and largemouth bass will readily gobble up their smaller cousins. The smaller the bass, the more vulnerable they are to being swallowed whole by lunker bass.
Northern Pike and Muskies
These ambush predators have a voracious appetite. With their long bodies and large mouths filled with razor sharp teeth, muskies and northern pike strike fear in any smaller fish. Bass wander into the wrong part of the lake and they risk getting snapped up by these freshwater giants.
Walleye
Walleye put up fierce competition with bass when it comes to feeding time. They primarily target the same baitfish and will not hesitate to consume small bass that cross their path. With excellent low light vision, walleye have the advantage when darkness falls across the water.
Catfish
The whiskered bottom dwellers mostly ambush at night, perfectly adapted to find any dead or dying fish that drift their way – including injured or sleeping bass. Channel catfish in particular pose a significant predatory threat, especially to bass nesting sites, as they will voraciously feed on bass eggs given the opportunity.
Birds
Birds of Prey
Birds of prey like bald eagles, ospreys, and herons are major predators of bass. Their excellent eyesight and razor-sharp talons make them effective hunters. Eagles and ospreys will swoop down and snatch unsuspecting bass near the water’s surface.
Wading birds like herons and egrets patiently stalk the shallows, spearing bass with their pointed beaks. In some habitats, birds of prey are responsible for a significant portion of bass mortality.
Wading Birds
Great blue herons, great egrets, and other wading birds feed heavily on bass and other fish species. These birds stand motionless in shallow water waiting for prey to come near. When a bass swims by, they strike quickly, spearing it with their sharp beak.
Their lightning fast reflexes allow them to catch fish swimming at high speeds. According to a study, herons can consume over 1 pound of fish per day on average.
Seabirds
Gulls, terns, cormorants, and other seabirds prey on bass near ocean coasts and the Great Lakes. Species like the double-crested cormorant can dive underwater and swim quickly to catch bass and other fish. Their ability to pursue bass below the surface makes seabirds formidable predators.
Cormorants have been documented consuming up to 1.1 pounds of fish per day. However, other seabird species like seagulls feed more opportunistically on injured or dead fish.
Reptiles
Reptiles such as snakes, alligators, crocodiles, and turtles are known to feed on bass when given the opportunity. These cold-blooded creatures can be formidable predators that bass need to watch out for.
Snakes
Numerous species of snakes prey on small fish like bass as part of their diverse carnivorous diets. These include water snakes, garter snakes, rat snakes, and more. With lightning quick reflexes, snakes that reside near bodies of water where bass spawn can snatch small, young bass to ingest whole.
Notable snake species known to hunt bass include:
- Cottonmouth – These venomous water snakes eat fish, frogs, small mammals and the occasional bird.
- Common watersnake – Considered mild-mannered compared to the cottonmouth, they eat small fish, amphibians and crayfish.
- Plain-bellied water snake – An excellent swimmer and underwater hunter, making fish like small bass vulnerable.
With flexible jaws, bass that are too big to swallow whole may still fall victim to these crafty predators that can dislocate their mandibles to consume larger prey.
Alligators and Crocodiles
As apex aquatic predators and opportunistic feeders, both alligators and crocodiles will readily feast on bass that swim into their territory. With lightning quick lunges and extremely powerful bite forces, they make short work of bass of all sizes.
Alligators tend to be more fish-eaters compared to crocodiles, making bass dinner when the toothy reptiles are able to overtake them from stealthy positions in wait under or near the water’s surface.
Alligator average bite force | 2,125 psi |
Crocodile average bite force | 3,700 psi |
This raw power means that bass stand little chance as prey when these patient hunters are on the prowl. All it takes is one crushing bite to spell doom for even the strongest bass.
Turtles
While not as actively predatory as snakes, gators or crocs, many species of aquatic turtles will eat small fish like juvenile bass when the opportunity arises. These include snapping turtles, softshell turtles and musk turtles.
With bass being a protein-rich meal, turtles use their speedy lunge reactions to grab unsuspecting small or baby bass swimming within reach. Softshells and musk turtles may pose less threat based more on their slow, ambush hunting methods.
However, the common snapping turtle is well known for its willingness to tackle larger prey, having a more varied carnivorous diet. Using their long necks and strong hooked jaws, adult bass are not invulnerable to being eaten by these persistent hunters.
Mammals
River Otters
River otters are semi-aquatic mammals that feed on fish, crustaceans, amphibians and other small aquatic wildlife. They have long, slender bodies and webbed feet adapted for swimming. River otters are native throughout North America and live in freshwater habitats like rivers, streams, marshes and lakes.
They are active predators and hunt primarily by sight and sense of touch. Bass are one of the favorite foods of river otters.
River otters are effective hunters of bass in lakes, rivers and streams. They swim gracefully and stealthily in water, allowing them to get close to bass before attacking. River otters catch bass with their sharp teeth and powerful jaws.
They typically kill bass by biting them behind the head to sever the spinal cord. River otters may also catch stunned or injured bass that swim slowly. After catching a bass, river otters will often consume the nutrient-rich parts like the belly and leave behind remnants.
Their predation can be a significant source of bass mortality in some waters.
Mink
Mink are semi-aquatic members of the weasel family that inhabit wetlands across North America. They have long, slender bodies, short legs, webbed toes and thick fur. Mink prey on a variety of small animals including fish, frogs, crayfish and small mammals.
They are opportunistic predators that sometimes eat bass in lakes, rivers and streams.
Mink hunt bass by swimming and diving underwater to capture prey. They use their sharp teeth and claws to grasp and kill small fish. However, bass are often too large for mink to successfully attack and overpower. Mink are more likely to eat juvenile bass and smaller sunfish species.
Larger adult bass are usually able to avoid predation from mink due to their powerful swimming ability and size. While mink may occasionally eat small or injured bass, they do not represent a major predation threat to most bass populations.
Raccoons
Raccoons are highly adaptable omnivores that inhabit a wide range of habitats, including areas near water sources. They have hand-like front paws useful for grasping prey. Raccoons sometimes prey on bass and other fish species when the opportunity arises near the shoreline of lakes and rivers.
Raccoons hunt fish by wading into shallow water and catching them with their nimble front paws. They feel for fish with their sensitive paws and grab any that they are able to reach. Raccoons eat various fish species depending on availability, including bullheads, perch, sunfish and sometimes bass.
However, bass and other larger fish are often able to evade capture from raccoons due to their size and speed in deeper water. While raccoons may occasionally catch slower juvenile bass in shallows or scavenge dead fish, they rarely heavily impact bass populations.
Conclusion
In summary, bass occupy an important predatory role but are also prey for many larger fish, bird, reptile, and mammal species. Understanding bass predation patterns can help anglers select productive lakes and ponds, key in on prime feeding times, and match the right lures and techniques to mimic vulnerable prey.
Paying attention to the food chain dynamics in your local fishery can lead to more and bigger bass ending up in your boat!