Bass (pronounced /'baes/) is a name shared by many different species of popular gamefish. The term encompasses both freshwater and marine species, many of which are native to North America and surrounding waters. All belong to the large order Perciformes, or perch-like fishes, and in fact the word bass comes from Middle English bars, meaning "perch."

These are some of the best known species of bass:

• The temperate basses, such as the striped bass (Morone saxatilis) and white bass (M. chrysops), belonging to the family Moronidae.
  
  
• The black basses, such as the largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), smallmouth bass (M. dolomieu), spotted bass (M. punctulatus), and Guadalupe bass (M. treculii), belonging to the sunfish family, Centrarchidae.