Josh Smith Posted July 13, 2016 Posted July 13, 2016 Hi Guys, Not sure where to put this. I was smallmouth fishing but hooked on to this: What is this critter? The coloration's wrong for a smallie but it's not a largemouth; there aren't supposed to be any largemouth in this section of the Wabash, and its mouth was too small, anyway. It only weighed 12oz. Spotted bass? If so, it's my first. Thoughts? Thank you. Regards, Josh Quote
FordsnFishin Posted July 13, 2016 Posted July 13, 2016 I think you are correct on the spotted bass Quote
Super User WRB Posted July 13, 2016 Super User Posted July 13, 2016 If you held the dorsal up we could see if it's connected or closed the mouth we tell where the jaw ends. Spotted bass are named for a black spot at the base of the tail, no spot. I would say it's a largemouth bass without any evidence to indicate otherwise. Tom 4 Quote
Josh Smith Posted July 13, 2016 Author Posted July 13, 2016 5 minutes ago, WRB said: If you held the dorsal upwe could see if it's connected or closed the mouth we tell where the jaw ends. Spotted bass are named for a black spot at the base of the tail, no spot. I would say it's a largemouth bass without any evidence to indicate otherwise. Tom I was going to, but the bass had already been out of the water too long. I've never in my life seen a largemouth with a mouth that small, though. Before I looked at the coloration I thought it was a smallie. Regards, Josh Quote
OCdockskipper Posted July 13, 2016 Posted July 13, 2016 Your thumb is blocking its mouth, so i can't see how far the jaw extends. If pressed, I would say that is a largemouth, for spots typically have smaller heads in addition to the smaller mouths & different pigment on the lower body. There are also regional types of bass in rivers like the Guadalupe bass in Texas or red-eye bass in Alabama. Does Indiana have something like that?. Quote
Josh Smith Posted July 13, 2016 Author Posted July 13, 2016 Here's another pic, not sure it helps: Quote
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted July 13, 2016 Global Moderator Posted July 13, 2016 It's a largemouth. Nothing about that fish suggest a spotted bass. Little largemouth just have little mouths. Spots look way different and even feel rougher than a largemouth. 5 Quote
BiteFiend Posted July 13, 2016 Posted July 13, 2016 Another vote for a largemouth. I have seen many dink largemouth with a smaller head like that. It's almost like the head doesn't keep up with the growth rate of the body. 2 Quote
tstraub Posted July 13, 2016 Posted July 13, 2016 I'm no expert but it looks like a young largemouth to me. I've never seen a largemouth in the Wabash but I have caught them at the Mississinewa spillway a fish would only have to swim a few miles to enter the Wabash from there so I can't imagine that there are no largemouth in the Wabash just far less largemouth than smallmouth. 1 Quote
Super User Jar11591 Posted July 13, 2016 Super User Posted July 13, 2016 Definitely just a largemouth. 1 Quote
Derekbass02 Posted July 13, 2016 Posted July 13, 2016 Before reading the other post I also thought it was a largemouth. 1 Quote
Josh Smith Posted July 13, 2016 Author Posted July 13, 2016 Thanks guys. No spotted for me, I guess, but that's OK. Largemouth being in this section of the river -- where I've only seen smallies, drum, gar, and walleye before -- could be a very good thing. Largemouth should be able to compete more favorably with gar, I think. Regards, Josh Quote
Super User Gundog Posted July 13, 2016 Super User Posted July 13, 2016 Largemouth or Bigfoot, not sure which but its either or. Might be a Yeti too but I still think its a largemouth. If it smells like a skunk then its a Bigfeet but if not its a largemouth. Quote
Brewter Beans Posted July 13, 2016 Posted July 13, 2016 If the jaw is past the eye it is a largemouth if not spotted Quote
blckshirt98 Posted July 13, 2016 Posted July 13, 2016 Yup, largemouth, I've caught more small largemouth than anything and some of the dinks have small mouths. Quote
Super User *Hootie Posted July 13, 2016 Super User Posted July 13, 2016 2 hours ago, Fisher-O-men said: Micropterus salmoides You don't have to call him names just because you don't know what kind of bass it is. Hootie 1 Quote
iiTzChunky Posted July 14, 2016 Posted July 14, 2016 I'm new to fishing but I've been catching a lot of juvenile LMB and it just looks like a young LMB to me. Quote
BadContrakt Posted July 14, 2016 Posted July 14, 2016 Just a squeaker LMB! Hey that's a good thing. Don't be embarrassed. It means you don't often catch small bass! Quote
NEBasser101 Posted July 14, 2016 Posted July 14, 2016 That looks like a small largemouth. Did it have a rough spot on the tongue? If you layed it down on the ground, we might have enough evidence to prove that its a spot. Quote
Super User everythingthatswims Posted July 19, 2016 Super User Posted July 19, 2016 On 7/12/2016 at 10:56 PM, Josh Smith said: I was going to, but the bass had already been out of the water too long. I've never in my life seen a largemouth with a mouth that small, though. Before I looked at the coloration I thought it was a smallie. Regards, Josh River largemouth almost always seem to have small mouths relative to their body Quote
paleus Posted July 19, 2016 Posted July 19, 2016 Looks like a spot to me. Cheek scales are smaller than body scales and looks like jaw does not extend past the eye. Quote
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