A couple of weeks ago the question during the show (and online) was something like: an adult largemouth would prefer which of the following over all others? 1) crawfish 2) shad, 3) frog. Well obviously I waited too long to check the answer on his website and the correct answer has stumped me and a few friends. Does anybody KNOW the answer? Thanks.

Edit: my answer was shad.

I didn't see the show, but guessing as bass typically eat a lot of bait fish and especially here on the potomac (shad), I would go with the shad answer?  Someone will probably come on here and school me though.  I honestly have no clue.  It's just a guess.  But I thought that it really differs as to location, climate, available forage, etc... that Bill Dance, he's a smart dude.

I am going with;

1. Crawfish

2. Shad

3. Frog

Of course this depends on the body of water and water temperature as crawfish are not in all waters and only become active in the mid 50+ degree water.

That is my final answer. 8-)

I have read that a crawfish is a bass's "preferred" meal.

I don't know Mr. Dance's answer but the correct answer would be crawfish.

I don't know Mr. Dance's answer but the correct answer would be crawfish.

Couldn't have put it better.

This is why I love bass.  We both love to eat crawfish.

My favorite food is crawfish, too.  I can eat about 5 to 8 pounds at a time with no problem.

Boiled with some good seasoning along with corn and potatos and onions makes a fantastic meal.

My license plate reads "CRAWFSH" which gets some funny looks from other drivers.

I vote for crawfish.

And so do the jig and Chatterbait manufacturers along with the spinnerbait companies.  And all those tungston and brass manufacturers and rattle companies that want to make a crawfish clicking sound with their products. And the jig trailer companies and plastics manufacturers, too.

My avator shows what a crawfish would look like to a bass as he moves in for a snack.

The correct answser is all of the above - convienence is the deciding factor not type. Unlike the human that asks "what's for dinner", bass ingest the nearest and easiest.

Exactly George!  

Bass Feed efficiently

Maximize food intake (they biggie size it)

Minimize energy output (they get it at the drive through window)

The question was: "an adult largemouth would prefer which of the following over all others?".  A largemouth would never give up a meal in search of another, that is common sense.  But the question is referring to which food the largemouth would attack first, given they were in front of his face.  

Perhaps the direction this question was going in when it was asked was: "With that knowledge, a fisherman would/should chose a xxxxx instead of xxxxx type of bait."

The correct answser is all of the above - convienence is the deciding factor not type. Unlike the human that asks "what's for dinner", bass ingest the nearest and easiest.

I'm sure George has the best answer.

It seems to me baitfish is the staple, crawfish are a treat and frogs an opportunity.

I can't remember who said it but,  they said that a bass will swim through a school of shad to get to a crawfish.  Whether that is meant to be taken literally or not,  it spoke to how much a bass would prefer a crawfish.  It can depend on what is the main forage on a body of water.  All food being available,  I'm going with crawfish.

The correct answser is all of the above - convienence is the deciding factor not type. Unlike the human that asks "what's for dinner", bass ingest the nearest and easiest.

I guess I'm a bass too. LOL.  I go for the nearest and easiest.

But that would have been my answer too.  Not all lakes have crawdads, no do all ponds have shad.

I believe in the easy meal theory.  Least amount of calories burned to catch the meal.

Shad: capable of out maneuvering a bass through out the water column

Frog: by no means a slow swimmer & can escape by going ashore

Crawfish: capable of fast movement but only for short distances & confined to the bottom

Which do you think will be the easiest far a bass to catch?

Feed efficiently (maximize food intake and minimize energy output

All of you are wrong.  The correct answer is E - None of the above.  Studies show that a bass's favorite meal over all others is the Dancin' Eel - Available at all fine retailers.

I think the question was more theoretical not what actually happens in real life.  Obviously a bass isn't going to pass up an easy frog meal because he wants to check out some rocks later in the day for a crayfish meal or he knows a school of shad has been hanging around some offshore structure.

 If you could somehow give a choice of those three to an adult bass, and the options all required the same energy to obtain, provided the same amount of substance/calories, and were all just as readily available which would it be?  I change my answer from shad to crayfish after reading these repies.

I can't remember where, but I read once that in a tank test that Bass would eat a crawfish 9 out of 10 times over shad. I guess that's why one of my rods is dedicated to a jig!

I've read that a crawfish is almost 100% protein and would be the preferred meal of a Bass but I vote for the 5", #222,  Senko ;D

Dan

Shad: capable of out maneuvering a bass through out the water column

Frog: by no means a slow swimmer & can escape by going ashore

Crawfish: capable of fast movement but only for short distances & confined to the bottom

Which do you think will be the easiest far a bass to catch?

I repectfully disagree catt.

the question as I recall it was what do BIG bass prefer.

As I also recall big bass will sit under a school of shad and pick off the wonded ones that are injured can't escape.  Let the youngins do all the work.

a crayfish cought out feeding in the open is easy pickins for any decent sized bass.

I don't care how short the race is, unless the mudbug has a secure hole in the bank or rocks within a few feet he's dead meat.  Ain't no crawdad outrunning any full grown bass.

And oh how a big bassie must love a big ole frog just a laying real still next to lilly pad, waiting on some unsuspecting moth or dragonfly to buzz buy.

Bass are stealthy critters for sure.  If he can get wihin striking distance of juicy ole frog he's going for it

With all due respect to Mr Dance, who after all theese years still has a pretty good tv show i gotta go with George on this one.  You can never have exactly the same condtions for ease of feeding at any given time.  Also water temp, season, lighting condtions etc. will be part of thae bass instinctive calculaion.  My gut tels me bill d. is gonna say shad, but I thing GW's got the real deal.

Avid,

If I remember correctly Bill Dance said crawfish, and sited the previously mentioned tank test as evidence.  

The correct answser is all of the above - convienence is the deciding factor not type. Unlike the human that asks "what's for dinner", bass ingest the nearest and easiest.

I'm sure George has the best answer.

It seems to me baitfish is the staple, crawfish are a treat and frogs an opportunity.

I think that's a good way to put it.  From what I've read, crawfish are the filet minon for bass, all things being equal.  Of course, all things are never equal, so convenience would be the deciding factor.  

I remember reading somewhere that the calories that are required to digest a Crawfish are almost as much as the bass gets from eating the thing.  But that is not to say that bass don't love them.

I remember reading somewhere that the calories that are required to digest a Crawfish are almost as much as the bass gets from eating the thing. But that is not to say that bass don't love them.

Dude crawfish is one of the most protein rich foods a bass can eat & is one of the best food sources for growing big bass.  

Oh I don't doubt it.  I am just saying that I remember reading it somewhere.  I am not trying to put it out there as fact.  Trust me, I know that just because something is written down and published doesn't make it true.  Hell, they even let Michael Moore write books  

Dude crawfish is one of the most protein rich foods a bass can eat & is one of the best food sources for growing big bass.

i can also attest to the universal savoriness of these critters.

delightfully enjoyed by both humans and Klingon's

berldemup croc gadivin nichthanz.....................ummm good