Bass with no markings.

[pickerelpiney]

Recently caught a bass in a shallow abandoned quarry lake and it had no markings on it at all. Size was about 16 inches long and was a lightgreen silvery color throughout. Ever seen this before? the lake is clear bright blue with no cover , all sand banks, all sand bottom.

            PS- please look at my other post in the "other fishes" forum. i need an answer!

[RoLo]

Yes, many times, but almost always in perennially murky water.

Roger

[JiggaMan512]

Hey RoLo.

Ive noticed that bass with no markings (obvious lateral spots)  were all caught in murky to very-murky water. why is that?

[roadwarrior]

Bass from murky water and deep water are often pale.

[what]

yah ive seen this before its like peacock bass the murkier the water the briter the colors

[pickerelpiney]

Hey RoLo.

Ive noticed that bass with no markings (obvious lateral spots) were all caught in murky to very-murky water. why is that?

this one had no latera spots or line either.

[RoLo]

Hey RoLo.

Ive noticed that bass with no markings (obvious lateral spots) were all caught in murky to very-murky water. why is that?

I really don't know.

Perhaps full pigmentation requires maximal sunlight.

Lending to that theory, the most gorgeous bass I've caught all come from crystal-clear water,

where the white is whiter and the dark colors are darker.

Roger

[THEbassmaster]

maybe bass bland into their surrounding a little like chameleons since you said no cover and sand bottom so it can get its food. just a thought.

aaron

[FIN-S-R]

Im going to guess that it is a pH deal. Since you caught the fish out of an old mine site, the "stuff" that was exposed during the mining of rock out of the area is almost certainly got a higher concentration of basic cations (chemisrty term) available for binding H+ and subsequently cause the h2o in the area to be basic, or "soft". now this is just anacdotal speculation, but too I have noticed that as you guys have mentioned that fish in muddy water are less distinctly marked. Muddy water generally has Higher salt content and a subsequent higher pH due to the introduction of negatively charged soil particles into the system. The soil or salts from the soil bind all of the "free" H+ floating around in the water and it has a lower pH. Maybe its just mother natures way of helping the fish as was mentioned "chaemelionize " themselves, and this particular situation is an exception to the rule?

[Minuteman]

Im going to guess that it is a pH deal. Since you caught the fish out of an old mine site, the "stuff" that was exposed during the mining of rock out of the area is almost certainly got a higher concentration of basic cations (chemisrty term) available for binding H+ and subsequently cause the h2o in the area to be basic, or "soft". now this is just anacdotal speculation, but too I have noticed that as you guys have mentioned that fish in muddy water are less distinctly marked. Muddy water generally has Higher salt content and a subsequent higher pH due to the introduction of negatively charged soil particles into the system. The soil or salts from the soil bind all of the "free" H+ floating around in the water and it has a lower pH. Maybe its just mother natures way of helping the fish as was mentioned "chaemelionize " themselves, and this particular situation is an exception to the rule?

See, it's that simple.  :-?

[Guest the_muddy_man]

They are STEALTH BASS they cant show up on fish finders

[Chris]

maybe bass bland into their surrounding a little like chameleons since you said no cover and sand bottom so it can get its food. just a thought.

aaron

What he said

[KenDammit28]

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1156268153/16#16

good post about coloring of largemouth

[scott000]

in cloudy water i caught a foot long all green bass

[Chris]

When you held that fish out of the water did it change colors or showed its markings if not stick it in the livewell for a while then look. Deep fish are pail, fish from muddy water are pail, and if the bass is in an environment that is like sand or clay they tend to be pail also. A bass tries to blend in to the surroundings and if everything around it is light the bass doesn't want to stick out like a sore thumb and tends to try to blend in. I have caught bass even in shallow areas with a sand bottom that where real light more of a light green color without any other markings. When you drop that bass in your livewell they change their colors because the surroundings changed. Most of the time they are not quick to change back but they do. You will notice that other fish in that lake seem to be light also.

[Fish Chris]

Well, I was waiting to see if anybody would touch on this....

Yes, bass are certainly affected by the conditions, and / or clarity of the water they come from.

However, depending on the fishes mood, and what it had going on, prior to, and just after you hooked it, bass can, and often do, change there coloration within minutes. I have caught many very colorful, marked up bass (probably in an agressive mood, thinking, I'm fixing to nail that trout !) but minutes after they realize, "Hey that sucked.... that trout wasn't real.... and it had a hook in it" ! .....you will often see those markings go pale. I have also caught fish which after being kept in a live well for a bit, got so dark overall, that there patterns disapeered too.

Most fish can change there colors to varying degrees. Bass are no exception.

Peace,

Fish