Seeing Spots: Tough-Fighting Bass Shouldn't Be Overlooked
By: John N. Felsher
Spotted bass like this one often hit jigging spoons that resemble small shad or other baitfish. (John N. Felsher photo)
Ferocious, hard-fighting spotted bass typically go almost overlooked by many anglers who only catch these aggressive predators by accident when seeking largemouth, smallmouth bass or other fish. However, these vicious fish can challenge the best tackle.
Sometimes called Kentucky spotted bass, the species ranges throughout the eastern United States in the Mississippi and Ohio river drainages from the Great Lakes states to the Gulf Coast.
A subspecies, the Alabama spotted bass flourishes in some Alabama river systems. Another subspecies, Choctaw bass inhabits rivers in southeastern Alabama and the Florida panhandle. Some spots from Alabama stocked into southern California lakes reached double-digit status.
“We now recognize the spotted bass as the Alabama bass in the Mobile River drainage lakes and rivers,” advised Michael P. Holley, an Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources fisheries biologist. “I consider a really big spotted bass to be about six pounds. A 4-pounder is still considered big and bass this size show up more frequently in angler catches. Pound for pound, in my opinion, Alabama bass fight harder than any other species of black bass including smallmouth bass.”
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