The largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides, occurs naturally in eastern North America, but has been introduced throughout the remainder of the continent. Bass is any of several percoid, or perchlike, fish. They are spiny-finned with generalized, laterally compressed bodies. They usually have slightly forked tail fins. The largemouth bass is one of the most popular of all game fish. The angling record for the species is 22.3 pounds (10 kg).