Florida strain bass, do they look different?

[TriStateBassin106]

Hey BR, 

 

Do Florida strain bass have different physical features than northern strain? I'm kinda new to the whole florida bass topic since I'm from the north but it seems like they have a different pattern and "taller" dorsal fins, can any of the florida guys on here back me up on this? Most bass from Florida I see being caught on here look something like this.

 

It's almost like they look more "prehistoric" lol

 

[RoLo]

 

Florida-strain bass are reportedly larger, and wear a perennial look of indifference

that seems to say: "Don't bother me, I'm not interested".

 

Roger

[TriStateBassin106]

2 minutes ago, RoLo said:

 

Florida-strain are reportedly larger,

and wear a smug look that says: "Don't bother me, I'm not interested".

 

Roger

What about the physical differences 

[WRB]

Northern and Florida strain LMB look the same visually until you examine them closely.

The easiest way to determine the difference is counting the lateral line pore scales.

Pore scales have visual holes for the nerve endings along the lateral line.  

Northern LMB have 58 to 68 pore scales. Florida LMB have 69 to 73 pore scales.

If the bass weighs over 16 lbs it's a FLMB!

Tom

[RoLo]

 

In the past, the count of lateral-line scales was used, where Florida-strain 'typically' have 70-73.

Today though, there's such an admixture of genes that intergrade bass have totally muddied

the picture. Unless you're dealing with a teener (13 lbs up), the distinction between

Florida & northern strain is dubious.

 

At any rate, I have a hunch that rather than count lateral-line scales,

most anglers would elect to stay in the dark   

 

Roger

[BrianMDTX]

Aren’t there a lot of NYC-area bass that migrate to Florida every winter? ?

[WRB]

3 minutes ago, BrianMDTX said:

Aren’t there a lot of NYC-area bass that migrate to Florida every winter? ?

No those are snowbirds.

Tom

[TnRiver46]

If you’re counting 70 scales, might as well fillet it 

[RoLo]

3 minutes ago, WRB said:

No those are snowbirds.

Tom

 

Exactly!  And we're not talking about juncos here ?

 

[soflabasser]

Florida largemouth bass grow larger and have a more beautiful coloration than a Northern largemouth bass. You can count the lateral line scales but it might not be accurate. Best way to know is to send a fin tissue sample to a Fishery Biologist of the state you caught the bass in.

[frogflogger]

In my mind they are longer bodied - when I first fished Florida I noticed that and to my surprise they fought like the very devil.

I see those Ca. blimps from stocker trout feeding and am amazed at how they can fill out.

[TriStateBassin106]

7 hours ago, soflabasser said:

Florida largemouth bass grow larger and have a more beautiful coloration than a Northern largemouth bass. You can count the lateral line scales but it might not be accurate. Best way to know is to send a fin tissue sample to a Fishery Biologist of the state you caught the bass in.

That's what I was thinking! I think the beautiful coloring has something to do with the water quality or the type of grass/structure they're in. You would never catch a Northern Bass that looks like that, unless you're fishing deep murky water the northern bass always have that black line present and vibrant, it seems like with Florida bass the line is more blotchy and sometimes faded. 

[RoLo]

 

I believe that water transparency has the greatest influence on fish coloration, more than bass strain.

Sunlight is the only source of dark pigmentation, and fish in clear water tend to be the most colorful.

In a muddy river or murky lake with limited sunlight, bass tend to have

a washed-out, silvery appearance. I've seen this in FL, GA, NJ & ON.

 

Roger

 

 

[soflabasser]

9 hours ago, TriStateBassin106 said:

That's what I was thinking! I think the beautiful coloring has something to do with the water quality or the type of grass/structure they're in. You would never catch a Northern Bass that looks like that, unless you're fishing deep murky water the northern bass always have that black line present and vibrant, it seems like with Florida bass the line is more blotchy and sometimes faded. 

All the Northern largemouth bass I caught seem to have a much duller coloration compared to the Florida largemouth bass I catch, especially when compared to some Florida largemouth bass I caught in deep clear lakes of South Florida. I have caught Florida largemouth bass that where golden colored, with very light bellies and the patterns on the sides that where much more vibrant on these bass than bass from low visibility waters. There are pictures online of Florida largemouth bass from deep clear waters of South Florida but those pictures do not compare to seeing how truly beautiful these bass are in person. 

[WRB]

So many myths regarding coloration. LMB can change coloration based on stress levels, water clarity, water chemistry and light condition. Bass change to vibration green when near the spawn, very dark green when living under heavy weed mats, very light coloration in high alkaline water, darker in high acidic water, lighter when in deep water,etc, etc. 

It not unusual to catch a bass with faded coloration, put in the livewell and it turns brighter colors with blotches due to stress levels. 

The FLMB in our lakes tend to have coral color pectoral fin high lights, NLMB cream pectoral fin high lights. Pure Florida strain have high pore scale counts near 73, intergrade on the lower end near 69. After over 50 years of Northern-Florida F1 intergrades the scale counts are rarelyless then 68.

Lay the bass flat on a wet towel and it takes about 45 seconds to count pore scales, easy to see.

Tom

[CrankFate]

I can’t tell the difference by strain. The first decent bass I ever caught was northern. And it was fat like it was a southern bass, but it was dark brown to black, with no green or patterns at all, which is how I always think of northern bass. As far as differences by strain go, it looks to me like in small lakes and ponds, which is where 99% of my fishing has been, the bass become their own strain from lake to lake. 

[Jleebesaw]

On 6/9/2020 at 7:56 PM, WRB said:

So many myths regarding coloration. LMB can change coloration based on stress levels, water clarity, water chemistry and light condition. Bass change to vibration green when near the spawn, very dark green when living under heavy weed mats, very light coloration in high alkaline water, darker in high acidic water, lighter when in deep water,etc, etc. 

It not unusual to catch a bass with faded coloration, put in the livewell and it turns brighter colors with blotches due to stress levels. 

The FLMB in our lakes tend to have coral color pectoral fin high lights, NLMB cream pectoral fin high lights. Pure Florida strain have high pore scale counts near 73, intergrade on the lower end near 69. After over 50 years of Northern-Florida F1 intergrades the scale counts are rarelyless then 68.

Lay the bass flat on a wet towel and it takes about 45 seconds to count pore scales, easy to see.

Tom

100% correct about the colors. Its even more apparent with smallmouths. If you put one in a livewell for 15minutes the color change is remarkable. I know guys who hold bass hostage for awhile before taking pics just for that reason. 

 

As far as the florida/northern deal, i can say that the LM ive caught in florida looked just like the ones ive caught here in new york or in michigan, maine, vermont, or new hampshire. As far as the lateral line goes, ive caught fish in the same lake on the same day and seen one with a thicker solid line and another with a mottled line. I wouldnt try to claim a fish is a florida strain based on color. I never counted the pore scales when in florida because i had never heard of florida strain bass before getting on this forum.

[Captain Phil]

All the bass I catch these days are Florida strain.  Bass coloration in Florida varies considerably.  I can tell where a bass was caught by looking at it.  Clear water back country fish are dark green with black eyes.  Open water fish tend to look washed out, even off white at times.  The darkest fish come from lakes with lots of cypress trees. Those bass are almost black. 

 

Years ago we had a national tournament in Clermont Florida.  It was not one of Ray Scott's tournaments, it was the American Bass Fishing organization.  At the time, Jack and Johnny Adams were two of the best bass anglers in Florida.  Johnny was the only angler to turn down an invitation to the first Bassmaster Classic.

 

When the fish came to the scales, one angler's fish looked different than the rest.  Jack noticed the difference and protested saying the fish did not come from that lake.  This uncovered a cheating scandal that brought down the whole organization.  

 

Open Water Florida Bass

 

 

Back County Florida Bass

 

 

[Alex from GA]

I live on a large pond in central FL and the bass I catch are black, hardly any green at all.  The ones I catch other places are green.  Personally I can't tell the difference in the northern bass I catch at home in GA against the Florida bass I catch here in FL. 

[soflabasser]

Looking at bass from online pictures is very different compared to catching them yourself and seeing the difference in person. The 100% pure strain Florida largemouth bass I catch in some deep clear lakes in South Florida have a much more beautiful coloration than any largemouth bass I have caught in the rest of Florida or any of the several states I have caught bass in. The only black bass that could complete in appearance are some redeye bass species I have caught and even then I prefer the look of the largemouth bass I catch from some deep clear lakes in the South Florida area. As I said before the best way to identify a Florida largemouth bass versus a Northern largemouth bass is to send a fin tissue sample to your States Fisheries Biologist.