Small or large mouth??

[roadwarriorsvt]

Right here: http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=295576&gonew=1#UNREAD

[Ahnkochee]

I caught a ton of Spotted Bass (Micropterus punctulatus) in Lake Shasta, California, and this bass in this picture looks more like a Spotted Bass to me than a Largemouth Bass but only problem is how did they get to Lake Wilson?
Cris did you take any other pictures of this fish?

[Cris808]

thanks roadwarrior and sorry thats the only picture. i should have taken more! maybe my friend took more i could check tomorrow

[Ca_Bass]

I'd put money down saying it's a largemouth.

Definitely not a smallie and it's unlikely it's a spot as it was caught at lake wilson where there is no reason to believe there are any spots

you'd have to count the dorsal fin spines to be %100 but the lateral markings aren't as pronounced as they usually are on a spot. The old trick people say is to feel back and the tounge for little "teeth" but some largemouth have those as well. Guess you'll never know for sure

[Cris808]

what if i said it wasnt caught in lake wilson???:)

[Ahnkochee]

what if i said it wasnt caught in lake wilson???:)

Then I'd say more likelihood it's a homely smallmouth. I'm not convinced it's a largemouth no matter where it was caught but if not in Lake Wilson then....

[Crash]

what if i said it wasnt caught in lake wilson???:)

So you're saying it wasn't caught at Wilson???

[Ken]

Compare the upper jaw line of these spotted bass pictures with that of this "mystery" fish caught.

Notice how the upper jaw line of the "mystery" fish ends well beyond the rear edge of the eye. In the spotted bass, this line ends before or just at the rear edge of the eye.

The slope of the head of the "mystery" fish is exaggerated by camera angle, basically having the camera pointed upwarded in the picture hides some of the head in that angle.

Let's do a little test. I pulled some pictures of spotted bass, smallmouth bass and largemouth bass from the internet and crop out the head only. Let's see if head slope and jaw structure can tell in these pics based on different camera angle and how the fish was held.

Pic 1 - Spotted, Smallmouth or Largemouth?



Pic 2 - Spotted, Smallmouth or Largemouth?



Pic 3 - Spotted, Smallmouth or Largemouth?



Pic 4 - Spotted, Smallmouth or Largemouth?



Pic 5 - Spotted, Smallmouth or Largemouth?



Pic 6 - Spotted, Smallmouth or Largemouth?



Pic 7 - Spotted, Smallmouth or Largemouth?



Pic 8 - Spotted, Smallmouth or Largemouth?



Also, Largemouth Bass could develop rows of lateral spots on the belly during spawning. Again, let's play this game...

Pic 9 - Spotted or Largemouth?



Pic 10 - Spotted or Largemouth?



Pic 11 - Spotted or Largemouth?



Pic 12 - Spotted or Largemouth?



Pic 13 - Spotted or Largemouth?

[Cris808]

Nope it was not caught in lake wilson lets just say it was me and my friends little secret spot.

[WET]

I might have the same little honey hole ... I always thought i was catching largemouths there but after reading this post I looked back at my pics of LMB in Wilson and compared them, i guess they look a lil different

Hopefully this pic can help solve the mystery

Image on the left is the mystery bass (not caught in wilson) on the right is a Lake Wilson largemouth... gill area looks a little different??

[Ken]

I might have the same little honey hole ... I always thought i was catching largemouths there but after reading this post I looked back at my pics of LMB in Wilson and compared them, i guess they look a lil different

Hopefully this pic can help solve the mystery

Image on the left is the mystery bass (not caught in wilson) on the right is a Lake Wilson largemouth... gill area looks a little different??

Again, with respect to the fish on the left, the upper jaw line extends well beyond the rear of the eye. It's a largemouth bass.

[WET]

yeah i know... im guessing its a different strain

[Ahnkochee]

These two are definitely both largemouth, different yet the same.

[Cris808]

in my opinion my bass looks diffrent then the bass on the left

[Ahnkochee]

in my opinion my bass looks diffrent then the bass on the left

That what I think too, that's why you mentioned it in the first place.