Part of a group known as the black basses, including the smallmouth and spotted basses, the largemouth grows the biggest. Common in farm ponds, the largemouth likes shallow, murky water and usually associates with structure such as weeds or submerged timber. Some of the newer reservoirs and smaller lakes with standing timber also provide good largemouth fishing. Of the black basses, the largemouth is the only one with a mouth that extends behind the eye. The world record weighed 22 pounds, 4 ounces. The Kansas record is 11 pounds, 12 ounces.

Also known as the Kentucky bass, the spotted is native to eastern Kansas streams, mainly those that flow over limestone bottoms in the Flint Hills. It resembles the largemouth in coloration, with a more pronounced horizontal blotching and spots along the belly. The spotted bass acts more like a smallmouth when caught, fighting remarkably hard. The mouth extends to just below the eye. The Kansas record weighed 4 pounds, 7 ounces, and the world record is 10 pounds, 4 ounces.