The
smallmouth bass (
Micropterus dolomieu) is a
species of
freshwater fish in the sunfish
family (
Centrarchidae) of the
order Perciformes. It is the
type species of its genus. One of the
black basses, it is a popular game fish sought by anglers throughout the temperate zones of North America, and has been spread by stock to many cool-water tributaries and lakes in Canada and more so introduced in the United States. It attains a length of up to 27 inches and 12 pounds. The smallmouth bass is native to the upper and middle
Mississippi River basin, the
Saint Lawrence River–
Great Lakes system, and up into the
Hudson Bay basin. Its common names include
smallmouth,
bronzeback,
brown bass,
brownie,
smallie,
bronze bass, and
bareback bass.