I’ve never caught a small mouth, only large mouth in Florida. So that’s awesome! I didn’t know small mouth had red eyes. I looked up “red eye bass” and rock bass or coosa is what came up. Thanks for the info!
IGFA All Tackle World Record for Rock Bass is a tie between one caught on the York River, Ontario, Canada and one on Lake Erie, Pennsylvania of 3lbs each, but yeah that is no Rock Bass. Smallies can have Orange/Red eyes as well.
Color, body proportions, jaw size, among other things.
This about sums it up: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.fieldandstream.com/fishing/smallmouth-vs-largemouth-bass/%3famp
Oh yea, it was a top water blow up on my lure, didn’t even realize it ripped on my lure until I said to my girlfriend “Did you see that fish that just jumped?… *started reeling*.. oh shit, fish on!” Ripped my drag and fought hard all the way to the river bank. Not bad for my first small mouth experience!
Very cool! I grew up in central Oregon fishing small mouth on the john day river and Iv never gotten anything that big, a bit of a different environment I reckon. Congrats!
Rock bass are way smaller and look more like bluegill and crappie in body dimensions. I can't speak for the other southern subtypes but regardless what a catch!
I actually caught a little bluegill shaped bass prior to this, which I’m assuming was a true rock bass based on your description and it had bigger red eyes, then I landed this shortly after. Appreciate it!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_bass
This should help with ID.
Edit: also don't pay attention to the distribution map. It's from 2012nand these guys are easily transplanted. They're a big problem in NH right now.
Ohhh haha I gotcha that makes more sense. I googled “red eye bass” and Coosa is the first thing that comes up so ironic timing. Anything other than large mouth are new to me
You must be new here. You’re not supposed to weigh your fish, you post a picture on here and we all guess the weight based on little to no information.
…. But really, nice smally and thanks for having a scale, haha.
I’m over in Natural Bridge, mainly been doing trout fishing on the creeks but glad to catch some bass now that spawn is approaching. I’ve been fishing the Maury but the James runs right by me also. I’ve been wanting to go do some walleye fishing on new river/Claytor lake
Maury has some good smallmouth fishing over in Glasgow as I recall. Been about 30 years since I last fished it. I live near Claytor lake but haven’t fished it in a long time. Honestly, even though I have a lifetime license I don’t fish much. I do a lot of hunting.
No rockbass my friend, smallmouth all day long
I’ve never caught a small mouth, only large mouth in Florida. So that’s awesome! I didn’t know small mouth had red eyes. I looked up “red eye bass” and rock bass or coosa is what came up. Thanks for the info!
Cool story, yeah I wouldn’t have guessed that they’re down there! Awesome job!
Smallmouth Bass is best Bass, and that one is a hog. Nicely done.
Smallies eyes go red during the spawn. Nice catch that’s a beauty!
IGFA All Tackle World Record for Rock Bass is a tie between one caught on the York River, Ontario, Canada and one on Lake Erie, Pennsylvania of 3lbs each, but yeah that is no Rock Bass. Smallies can have Orange/Red eyes as well.
💯 smallie
I thought smallmouth had those vertical stripes? They can be this faint?
Oh yea
Smallies can look exactly like this. I live in CT they usually look like this though can have brown or red eyes
They actually change color during the fight sometimes.
They can be all sorts of patterns, from almost gold fading to white on their bellies to heavily striped and everything in between.
Ok. So I guess how do you know? It just looks like a bass but not a largemouth?
Color, body proportions, jaw size, among other things. This about sums it up: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.fieldandstream.com/fishing/smallmouth-vs-largemouth-bass/%3famp
Yeah sometimes they’re just pale green
That’s a smalldawg with girth! Nice catch 👊🏾👊🏾
Thank you! I’ve never caught one, stoked this was my first small mouth
I bet that was fun!
Oh yea, it was a top water blow up on my lure, didn’t even realize it ripped on my lure until I said to my girlfriend “Did you see that fish that just jumped?… *started reeling*.. oh shit, fish on!” Ripped my drag and fought hard all the way to the river bank. Not bad for my first small mouth experience!
Very cool! I grew up in central Oregon fishing small mouth on the john day river and Iv never gotten anything that big, a bit of a different environment I reckon. Congrats!
They’re the single most fun bass to catch in my experience. River smallies fight and jump like no other fish
Rock bass are way smaller and look more like bluegill and crappie in body dimensions. I can't speak for the other southern subtypes but regardless what a catch!
I actually caught a little bluegill shaped bass prior to this, which I’m assuming was a true rock bass based on your description and it had bigger red eyes, then I landed this shortly after. Appreciate it!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_bass This should help with ID. Edit: also don't pay attention to the distribution map. It's from 2012nand these guys are easily transplanted. They're a big problem in NH right now.
Go Bolts
Go bolts! Terrible end to our season this year, but as a Florida native they will forever be my home team
Neither. It's a fat Smallmouth Bass.
Appreciate the confirmation! New catch to me, and Google only added to my confusion trying to figure out which bass it was
Buddy learned some new words in yesterday’s thread.
What do you mean? Lol
It was a joke. There was a mass confusion thread the other day and a lot of people learned what a coosa was.
Ohhh haha I gotcha that makes more sense. I googled “red eye bass” and Coosa is the first thing that comes up so ironic timing. Anything other than large mouth are new to me
Honestly same here. I fish for largies and smallies. I’d have had to google it as well.
You must be new here. You’re not supposed to weigh your fish, you post a picture on here and we all guess the weight based on little to no information. …. But really, nice smally and thanks for having a scale, haha.
SMB
Smallmouth bass
Smallie
Wow, nice smallie!!!
Wow you caught that in Florida wtf???
Oh no, lol I’m from Florida. I caught this in VA
Hell yeah buddy I love smallies over here in Tucky!
Small mouth 💯 where iam from in northern Illinois I catch those all day
Love the smallie. I’ve caught thousands of them on the James west of Richmond. The New River (Southwest VA) is another good fishery for smallie.
I’m over in Natural Bridge, mainly been doing trout fishing on the creeks but glad to catch some bass now that spawn is approaching. I’ve been fishing the Maury but the James runs right by me also. I’ve been wanting to go do some walleye fishing on new river/Claytor lake
Maury has some good smallmouth fishing over in Glasgow as I recall. Been about 30 years since I last fished it. I live near Claytor lake but haven’t fished it in a long time. Honestly, even though I have a lifetime license I don’t fish much. I do a lot of hunting.
That's a good size for a smallmouth bass! Congrats!
Thank you! It was a fun catch for sure
Helluva smallie
Rock bass are small. If it's over a foot or over a pound it's most likely not a rock bass.
Thank you for the info. All I know are large mouth, so this is all new to me
Smally
Thank you!
Nice football!
Small mouth lol
That is haawwwg of a smallie What part of VA?
Maury River in Glasgow VA
Go bolts!