Meanmouth?

[BassinAssassin171]

anybody heard of a meanmouth before?  Is it a smallie/spotted hybrid or something?

[spinnerbaitalways]

Yep, we have them on pickwick and kentucky lakes. They look like a smallmouth and have a toungue patch . Bad lil dudes !

[the captain]

Do they fight like smallies?? cuz where i live we got smallies and u cant beat that fight lb for lb

[BassinAssassin171]

I hear they fight like crazy

[Siebert Outdoors]

They fight harder then a smallie

[Captain Rhino]

Here is what one looks like, just to be a bit more specific:

[roadwarrior]

There is a lot of confusion regarding the hybrid meanmouth. The fish is actually the result of crossbreeding between a largemouth and smallmouth. The few I have caught on the Tennessee River were small and mostly black with subtle markings on the head.

http://www.fishin.com/articles/meanmouth.htm

8-)

[SuskyDude]

Here is what one looks like, just to be a bit more specific:

Looks like a pure smallie to me. What makes it a hybrid? The mouth seems a bit to big, but barely reaches the eye.....

[Raul]

Here is what one looks like, just to be a bit more specific:

The mouth seems a bit too big, but barely reaches the eye.....

You got it !

[Captain Rhino]

Here is what one looks like, just to be a bit more specific:

Looks like a pure smallie to me. What makes it a hybrid? The mouth seems a bit to big, but barely reaches the eye.....

Exactly, these are a mixture between a smallmouth and spotted bass. They are rare hybrids that are difficult to ID and look very much like a smallmouth bass. Like you said and Raul responded, the most prominent feature is an oversized mouth.

[roadwarrior]

...these are a mixture between a smallmouth and spotted bass.

That is a commonly held belief, but in fact meanmouth are a

smallmouth/ largemouth hybrid.

http://www.fishin.com/articles/meanmouth.htm

8-)

[Pencil Pusher]

From the article RW linked:

"Although the smallmouth bass / spotted bass hybrid is not the original mean-mouth bass, it has acquired this name over time."

[Mobydick]

Do they fight like smallies?? cuz where i live we got smallies and u cant beat that fight lb for lb

Captain....we caught a few, next time your down, i'll show you the pics. I compared pics for half an hour, and found 2 different patterns, one is a reg. smallie, the other is definetly a meanmouth. I just thought they were really aggressive smallies! ;D

[JigNBig]

spots give them the fight...not the smallmouth  

[thetr20one]

Funny I just asked about these bad boys on another thread and came here and saw this  thread. Cool fish!!!

[KYntucky Warmouth]

I read in Kentucky Afield that they were termed "meanmouth" because they were being studied at a hatchery and would repeatedly bite the ankles and legs of when wading the waters

[Alabamalunker]

I read in Kentucky Afield that they were termed "meanmouth" because they were being studied at a hatchery and would repeatedly bite the ankles and legs of when wading the waters

I may have to call BS on that one!! :-?

[fishinfiend]

That is a beautiful fish. I wonder how they fight.

[KYntucky Warmouth]

I read in Kentucky Afield that they were termed "meanmouth" because they were being studied at a hatchery and would repeatedly bite the ankles and legs of when wading the waters

I may have to call BS on that one!! :-?

That's just what I read

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/InNews/meanmouth2004.html

This picture was with the KY Afield article

[Big Tom]

Ricky, how did you find that???  I have looked a few times before and I never could find an digital copy of that article.