Math homework with variables

Question

One day,many people were fishing for trout and bass on a lake. In all,they caught 42 fish. They caught 39 more trout than bass. How many bass did they catch

Answer 1

Set up equationas T+B = 42 where T=B+39. B+B+39=42 so answer is Bass =1.5,

Check answer: Trout= 40.5 + Bass 1.5 adds up to 42.