The smallmouth bass is an introduced species in Wyoming. Smallmouth bass preferred habitat is cool, clear rivers and large cool, clear lakes. Strip-mine ponds are also an important habitat in northeastern Wyoming. Smallmouth spawn in the early summer when water temperatures approach sixty degrees Fahrenheit. Spawning takes place in streams or lakes over nest constructed by the male on rubble, gravel, or sand bottoms. The male guards the nest and newly hatched fry. Food of young smallmouth is plankton and aquatic insects. Larger smallmouth feed primarily on crayfish along rocky shorelines.
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