Bass rely much on sight, they can see up to 30 feet or more in clear water and 5-10 feet in visibility impaired water. Bass eyes absorb more light than human eyes giving them better eyesight than humans, and can also see with less light. Bass can see colors especially red. Bass can also see above the surface of the water but they see out of the water blurry, with many reflections.
Bass hear with internal ears located inside their skull. They can hear sounds below and above the water, and their hearing is quite well.
A bass's sense of taste is not as well developed as its sense of sight. They have few taste cells in their mouths, so they have a bad sense of taste. Bass don't need to rely on their sense of taste like other fish.
Bass smell, mostly with nares or nostrils that are on the top of their snout, they can also smell with their tail. They can smell minute scents in the water but don't rely too much on this sense, and they use smell to detect their food at a distance, their predators, and probably thier companions.
Bass do not have many touch nerves in their mouth. They use these few touch receptors to decide whether to swallow or spit out a food, they often swallow artificial baits, by mistake.
The lateral line is a row of nerves which pick up underwater vibrations of movement in the water, and on the surface, like an echo-sounder for long distance touch sensations. A bass uses it when searching for food, because they can follow the vibrations to their food, and can detect the size of their prey.
Trout - picture
Bass - picture
Pickerel - picture
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