**Description:** A powerful predatory fish with a massive mouth and a dark horizontal stripe along the side.
**Size & Weight:** Typically 12–20 inches; can exceed 25 inches and 10 lbs.
**Sexual Dimorphism:** Females are generally larger and live longer than males.
**Behavior:** Ambush predators with a voracious appetite, capable of swallowing prey nearly half their own size, including frogs and ducklings.
**Habitat:** Warmer, shallower coves of the reservoir where weed beds and sunken timber provide cover.