# Fish ID?



## TeamPlaker (Jul 5, 2006)

Time for another exciting episode of name that fish!
Went up to EF with the ultralight after work to try and land a few white bass.. only managed one and a 10 inch smallie.. but... I caught something else that I need some opinions on. I'm scratching my head about this one.
The body shape, head, and the way it fought tells me it was a smallmouth.... but the body markings look like a spotted bass.
Either way, smallmouth, spot, hybrid, or frankstein's monster, it was still a fun fight on the ultralight. Here are a few pics for you to weigh in on... including a close up. Like to hear what the bass guys think... where's Lou at??!


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## The Yeti (Mar 17, 2009)

Naturally occuring hybrid perhaps? I have no idea...


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## fishymcgoo (Jul 20, 2005)

it is a cross between a smallie and a spot. also called a meanmouth bass. i caught one last year and didnt know what it was but i had it identified for sure a "meanmouth". they put up a good fight. nice fish by the way. i fish down at the spillway often. it can be a good hole


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## cantsleep (Jul 25, 2007)

Definately a black crappie.


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## NorthSouthOhioFisherman (May 7, 2007)

Fish ID: :B

Lol looks like a dark largie to me, let my opinion be slaughtered


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## bgrapala (Nov 1, 2008)

I'm with mcgoo on this one. That is one crazy looking fish that's for sure!!! Nice catch Jay!!


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## chadwimc (Jun 27, 2007)

Looks like a spotted bass, see link...

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/species_a_to_z/SpeciesGuideIndex/spottedbass/tabid/6765/Default.aspx


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## cincy-angler (Mar 27, 2007)

whichever it is, it's a pretty nice fish.


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

A typical spotted bass...


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I am certainly no expert but I am going to say a spotted bass. If you happened to feel the surface of the tongue the small teeth would have been the best way to know for sure.


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## creekrock (Oct 28, 2008)

It is a spotted bass, no doubt


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## dobester111 (Jul 17, 2005)

everything i've found on the net makes think spot. it lacks too many smallmouth traits to be a meanmouth. the meanmouth photos all look more like smallmouth. what's the difference with the tooth patches? i haven't paid much attention to them before.


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## TeamPlaker (Jul 5, 2006)

I was kicking myself 5 minutes after I let him go for not checking the patch. He was hooked all up and down so after messing with that I was more concerned with getting a pic and getting him back in the water ASAP, patch check didn't occur to me at the time. 
Definitely was not a largemouth.


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## iteech (Apr 4, 2005)

I haven't seen many of those since moving here from GA back in the 80's. I've caught exactly one in all those years--and this picture is only the second one I've seen. Of course in the south we have our own strange nicknames for all kinds of fish--but I've never heard that fish called anything but a WARMOUTH. It's a big one too. They are so fun to catch, they fight like they weigh three times what they do. If it is this same species (whatever a warmouth is), they are also delicious eating. I've heard other people (here)call them rock bass. But I've found that many fish I called a particular name back in Georgia ISN'T what I called it, so don't mind me...I just kiss them and put them back with my thanks and sincere apologies...


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## Cincyghosthunter (Jun 4, 2008)

Looks like an ex wife, er I mean meanmouth bass from what I've seen of other pics of them.


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

Mushijobah said:


> A typical spotted bass...


See quote.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

iteech said:


> I haven't seen many of those since moving here from GA back in the 80's. I've caught exactly one in all those years--and this picture is only the second one I've seen. Of course in the south we have our own strange nicknames for all kinds of fish--but I've never heard that fish called anything but a WARMOUTH. It's a big one too. They are so fun to catch, they fight like they weigh three times what they do. If it is this same species (whatever a warmouth is), they are also delicious eating. I've heard other people (here)call them rock bass. But I've found that many fish I called a particular name back in Georgia ISN'T what I called it, so don't mind me...I just kiss them and put them back with my thanks and sincere apologies...


There are warmouth all around Ohio as well, and they're also called rockbass by many people. That fish however, is not a warmouth.


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## TeamPlaker (Jul 5, 2006)

Not a Warmouth or Rock Bass, but I love to catch those little dudes on my ultra. Seems we're leaning Spot.... I'll take it, never seen one with those kind of qualities but then I rarely bass fish.


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## bassman1976 (Sep 13, 2006)

its a meanmouth


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## symba (May 23, 2008)

It has the body/shape/mouth of a Smallmouth with the color patterns of a Spotted. As to what it actually is, when does the DNA sample results get back from the lab TeamPlaker? 

Great looking fish. Im glad you got a pic of it.


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## leovpin (Mar 18, 2009)

Here is what I once thought was a really pretty smallie with some crazy markings. After some googleing,there is no doubt it is a meanmouth. It was caught in Findlay.


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## NorthSouthOhioFisherman (May 7, 2007)

leovpin said:


> Here is what I once thought was a really pretty smallie with some crazy markings. After some googleing,there is no doubt it is a meanmouth. It was caught in Findlay.


Lol ya I'm going with spot

As for this fish, what made you think it is meanmouth?


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## leovpin (Mar 18, 2009)

http://www.tnfish.org/PhotoGalleryF...assHybridSmallmouthSpottedNorrisNegus_jpg.htm

Follow the link. The fish looks identical to mine.


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## fishymcgoo (Jul 20, 2005)

i caught this fish last year and even posted the same type of thread. i got the mixed responses as well. i emailed this pic to the dnr and it took a while but they emailed me back and said it was a cross of smallie and spotted bass. also known as meanmouths and warmouths. this fish doesnt have the dark markings like the one you caught but i caught it out of cold water.


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## TeamPlaker (Jul 5, 2006)

fishymcgoo said:


> i caught this fish last year and even posted the same type of thread. i got the mixed responses as well. i emailed this pic to the dnr and it took a while but they emailed me back and said it was a cross of smallie and spotted bass. also known as meanmouths and warmouths. this fish doesnt have the dark markings like the one you caught but i caught it out of cold water.


Now the plot thickens... that pic looks almost exactly like the one I caught. I'll have to try passing this one on to the DNR as well... 
Thanks for posting the pic.


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## NorthSouthOhioFisherman (May 7, 2007)

I wasn't saying any of you were wrong

But thanks for the link, don't think I've ever caught one


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## Lunkers (Mar 8, 2007)

Team,I would say Spotted Bass, Kentucky Spot, or nickname I call spots is A Football. Short,Strong and usually pretty round. 99.9% sure that fish had tongue teeth. Although all spots have those patches, some other mixed LM's and Meanmouth's have them as well. The best way to tell is where the Jaw ends in respect to the Eye.

McGoo, I still say you have a meanmouth in your pic.
Leo, I think yours is a smallie. Too much Bronze,Brown and blended coloring on the back and belly. 
Just my opinion, either way all these are nice fish that I pursue exclusively. Lets just agree to say they are all "Black Bass" of one strain or another. Although some of the State fishery agents nationwide do not call these fish Black Bass as I do. 

http://www.tnfish.org/PhotoGalleryF.../pages/BlackBassKeyEastTennesseeNegus_jpg.htm
Has a good explanation of these Black Bass. Thanks Leo for that link. It has great info.
I love these discussions. Without genetic testing, I dont know if you can get fisherman to agree on the size of fish let alone what breed. Thanks for sharing!


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## leovpin (Mar 18, 2009)

I just want to feel important to have caught a rare hybrid! You guys are bursting my bubble 

Anyways, if it a bass, I love catching it. Actually, isn't a bass not really a "bass" but a sunfish like bluegills? "Real bass" are strippers, white bass, etc., right?


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## hoosiertransplant (Apr 20, 2009)

Great fish! I'm no expert but it looks like a really, really dark colored spotted bass to me. This is a lighter colored spot I caught recently on the Ohio. They can be aggressive little toads!


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## TeamPlaker (Jul 5, 2006)

ODNR weighs in, got this email today:

"Jay:
It is possible that the fish is a hybrid between the two species but it is nearly impossible to be 100% certain it is hybrid. Smallmouth and spotted bass are much more closely related to one another than either of them are to largemouth bass and as a result hybrids do occur fairly often. In my opinion that particular fish appears to be a spotted bass, I do not see anything that would cause me to say otherwise. That being said though it is a little difficult to see the head in the picture but all of the marking on the side of the fish and the over all body color look like those of a spotted bass. Both species do vary in coloration and this often depends on the clarity and color of the water they were caught from."

That does it for me, I'm sold. Calling it a spot. At least I can count it as a new PB for Spotted Bass then.


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## fishymcgoo (Jul 20, 2005)

i am going with the dnr on this one. i stand corrected that is definetley a dark colored spotted bass. regardless that is a HUGE spotted bass! nice catch. i havent seen a bass caught down there other than a white bass. i go down there and catch bait you have inspired me to throw a big spinner on next time i am down there and see what happens


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## LMRsmallmouth (Jan 10, 2006)

Plakers fish is a Spot..and a FOOTBALL at that...nice fish jay.

Leovpin-your fish however is a smallie. Not sure who gave you the idea that it was a meanmouth...that is a typical smallie with pretty typical markings. A pretty colored fish but it is a smallie for SURE!

fishymcoo on the other hand, has a strange one. I will vote natural hybrid (or meanmouth if you are calling it that) but i have caught a few similar looking fish and always referred to them as smallies, the only odd thing is the striped stomach section. Definately not a spot though. IMO

....also, (mcoo) if I understand correctly, a meanmouth and warmouth are not the same. A warmouth is a red eye or rockbass if you will.....meanmouth are a supposed smallie/spot hybrid.


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## riverKing (Jan 26, 2007)

ok I made this big reply and the computer kicked me out, so here the short answer.
there is not a single picture of a hybrid shown in this thread, jays fish is a massive spot, the others are a normal spot and a decent smallie, hands down. whomever answered you emails needs to go back to school, fish mis-id's are a major problem in the fisheries world because they dont want to fail everyone by subjecting the many ******** who cant ID a sucker from a chub that want to work for the dnr to a real icthyology program. hybrids are extremely rare, if it wasnt for our hatchery programs planting them everywhere nobody in this state would ever confuse a sauger for anything and there wouldnt be a question of that fishes ID. There is only one sportfish genus that hybrids often occur naturally in(and still not common in "natural" situations) and that is lepomis.

as mushi said
see quote

of course maybe I dont know anything about these crazy fishy things...


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## SConner (Mar 3, 2007)

I think that is a Cowalski... A very rare cross between a coho, a walleye, and a muskie. ONDR had to quit stocking them because they kept drowning.


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## Cincyghosthunter (Jun 4, 2008)

Looks like musky bait


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