Fat Largemouth, spotted bass or hybrid???

[p-funk]

A friend and I were looking at pics of some of the fish we caught this year and we got to talking about this particular one.  He think he is some sort of hybrid or something because of how small the mouth was on this thing.  The fish was 17" long and weighed just shy of 4lbs.  I just say it's a small mouthed largemouth.  It is the only fish we caught like this all year long.  Anyone else seen any like this?

Fish caught in a small pond, less than an acre in size.  Muddy water.

 

Same fish I believe caught a week later.

 

[GobbleDog]

Your fish needs a bath.

[p-funk]

Thanks for the observation. : ;D  That's what happens when you are fishiing from the bank and have to pull it up through grass and weeds to get to you.  

[KU_Bassmaster.]

That bass has some real potential.  Just looks like a healthy largemouth to me.

[GobbleDog]

The body looks like a largemouth, but you're right, it does seem to have a pretty small mouth.  It doesn't really look like a smallmouth bass though... I don't know.

On a side note, my folks live on a lake in north Florida where most of the bass are INCREDIBLY small. Seriously, if you catch 30 bass in a weekened, 25 of them will be less than 10 inches. A friend once told me he thought it was a different strand of Largemouth, but couldn't identify it.

[roadwarrior]

The size of the mouth just varies a lot. This fish looks like a healthy largemouth to me, too.

[5bass]

Largemouth

[Bass Hammer]

LM

[Cajun1977]

looks like a goodtime to me

[flechero]

I guess I'll be the odd man out. I think it is a spotted bass (based on the oddly flat shape of the upper half of body and the jaw clearly does not extend beyond the point of the eye) and I also think they 2 different fish in the pictures.

Bass in the muddy water are typically pale and/or have much less contrast. Assuming they have been in muddy water for any length of time.

I'm no expert on spotted bass but we catch LM, SM and spots in Belton lake with regularity... I'd call it a spot.

I think reelmech is one of our experts on spots, maybe he'll chime in here.

[p-funk]

I think/thought they were different fish as well. My buddy thinks they are the same fish. I have never caught a spot so I have nothing to base it off of. You are right on the color of the bass.  All bass caught out of this pond had the pale color to them because the water is muddy pretty much all the time.  I just threw it back thinking it was a LM. I just remember thinking how small the mouth was compared to the body. I really have no idea.

[phisher_d]

I don't really know what a spotted bass looks like, but I'll agree with flechero that the jaw definitely doesn't go past the eye like it would on a normal largemouth.

[p-funk]

Fat spot for comparison???

[phisher_d]

Lookin' at that picture, I'd say it's a spot.  Just my opinion

[KU_Bassmaster.]

The more I look at that pic, the more I am puzzled.  The body shape of a smallmouth.  The coloring of a largemouth.  And from what I can tell, the jaw line of a spot.  Wish you had a picture of it's tounge.  Then you could really tell if it was a spot.  

If it was classified as a spot, I believe that would have broken your state record.  The current is 3 lbs. 10 oz.

The coloring is what I am having a hard time with.  Usually with spots the lateral line is extremely vivid.  You can hardly make it out in the one in the picture, but that jawline says spot.

I think I am changing my vote to spot.  The new unofficial Virginia state record. ;D

[Bass Hammer]

I don't think it's a spot.

Look at how much space there is between the spiney dorsal fin and the soft dorsal.

Even though they are layed down the spacing looks too big to me.

[p-funk]

The more I look at that pic, the more I am puzzled. The body shape of a smallmouth. The coloring of a largemouth. And from what I can tell, the jaw line of a spot. Wish you had a picture of it's tounge. Then you could really tell if it was a spot.

If it was classified as a spot, I believe that would have broken your state record. The current is 3 lbs. 10 oz.

The coloring is what I am having a hard time with. Usually with spots the lateral line is extremely vivid. You can hardly make it out in the one in the picture, but that jawline says spot.

I think I am changing my vote to spot. The new unofficial Virginia state record. ;D

Yeah, that's really why I'm curious because I saw the state record for a spot when looking at the VA Game website looking for info or pics for a spot.  

[abelfisher]

I believe it is a spotted bass.  Can't get away from the fact the mouth doesnt  go behind the eye.  Also, I copied the following from www.conservation.state.mo.us /conmag/1998/03/20.htm

(see #3 below)

1. Check for horizontal stripe and length of jaw

Largemouth and spotted bass both have a dark horizontal line on each side of their bodies. Smallmouth bass lack this horizontal line, but may have vertical bars instead. The back edge of the jaw of largemouth bass extends beyond the back of their eyes, unlike the jaw of a spotted bass.

2. Check for a tongue patch

Spotted bass (and most smallmouth bass) have a rough patch on their tongues. Largemouth bass usually do not. If it doesn't have a tongue patch it has to be a largemouth.

3. Check the size of the scales behind the eye

The scales right behind the eyes of largemouth bass are nearly as large as those behind the gill openings. On spotted bass, the scales right behind the eyes are much smaller than the ones behind the gills. triangle

[p-funk]

Here's a pick of the dorsal fins if it helps.

[abelfisher]

Do you have a closeup of the head to right behind the gills?  We could check that against # 3 in my previous post.

[p-funk]

Top pic is of the fish.  Bottom pic is of an approx 2lb largemouth.

[phisher_d]

The coloring is what I am having a hard time with. Usually with spots the lateral line is extremely vivid. You can hardly make it out in the one in the picture, but that jawline says spot.

Maybe like someone said before the muddy water made the fish's coloring less vivid and more pale.

[abelfisher]

Using #3 from my previous post (info from the St. of Missouri Conservation)  the scales behind the eyes are smaller than the scales behind the gills.  That, and the fact that the mouth does not extend behind the eyes, I still say it is a spotted bass.  

[Chris]

At first glance I would say spot. I will say that if a bass is active and feeds a lot it will out grow its mouth. If you have a large bass with a small mouth and it is not a spot it is a young bass with a large body. If you watch any of the fishing shows that are on Ray Scotts pond most of the bass they catch are gorilla bass and are shaped the same. (They say its Florida bass but they are not that is why they clipped a fin.) They eat so much and grow so fast that they out grow their mouth. Sometimes if you catch a young bass and from poor handling mess up the fish's mouth the mouth will grow at a slower rate. If it is a mix of a spot and a largemouth then sometimes the patch of teeth on the tongue is hard to distinguish. I catch many in a river by me that is a mix like that and it also has what they call mean mouth that are a cross of a spot and smallmouth. Sometimes they are hard to figure out. If it is a farm pond and you don't have water nearby like a river or a stocked lake with spots in it I would doubt its a spot.  The dark pigments on the belly area and the jaw line says its a spot but without handling the fish myself I don't know.

[KenDammit28]

the dark lines on the belly just scream spot, but the problem is that the second dorsal fin on a spot has scales at the base, and its hard to tell without actually being next to the fish.  

I think the scaling of the head though, combined with the dark markings, give it away as a spot..but whatever kinda bass it is, its a very nice catch and I'd love to have it hook onto the end of my line.