[macdougallusaf]

So, just got back from an amazing trip from Watauga Res. After many successful trips and catching several bass between 4-6 pounds, probably 25+ bass total, and 10-12 small mouth and a lot of blue gill, we got a called Watauga Joe to get us some lake Trout. We were unsuccessful pulling any into the boat. Hooked three and lost them. Anyways. I showed Watauga Joe the LMB I caught and he was impressed. Then he told me one is a Spotted Bass. Then he told me it's a Trophy Fish, a spotted bass over 17 inches is a Trophy fish. So I was pretty excited and we compared the two and he convinced me it's a spotted bass. But some people I talk to say its a LMB, and not a spotted bass. It's pretty hard for me to tell the difference so I'd like to get some opinions before I keep bragging about getting a 21.5" Trophy Fish. My girlfriend hopes it's not a Spotted Bass so I shut up and quit bragging about catching a Trophy fish. Either way it's a nice catch. Anyways. It has a black spot on the back of its gill and it doesn't look like the jaw extends behind the eyeball. Can I get some help so I can rub it in my girlfriends face!!!

 

[Jackson]

nice largemouth.

 

[wademaster]

Did you notice if it had a tooth patch on it's tongue? In a way I want to say largemouth, and in another way that mouth looks way too small to be a 21.5 largemouth.

 

[Fish_Fiend]

Hybrid. That fish has characteristics of both species visually the only way to know for sure is the tooth patch on the tongue.

Gene - Red》X《 - Asheboro

 

[Jackson]

I fish the watauga regularly and seem to catch lots of these in the Elk river arm of the lake. Never really thought about them being hybrids. Their spots on their sides are not close to as dark as the spotted bass around LKN.

 

[macdougallusaf]

it does have an unusually small mouth to be a LMB. I'm hoping for Spotted. I didn't get a look at the inside of the mouth... He did tear the **** out of my thumb tho. Cut it, instead of the usual scratchy thumb

 

[wademaster]

Hybrid was my initial thought as well.....and I agree with Jackson as to the spots not being as prominent as some....but with age and size some of the usual defining characteristics diminish with some fish....

 

[h2ohhh]

Too bad we can't see if the notch behind the dorsal is deep or shallow. Very tough to tell. And hybrid spot/largemouth are pretty common. That would be my guess based on what I can see.

 

[sky hawk]

nice largemouth.

+1..........

There's nothing definitive that looks like a spot, except MAYBE a smaller than normal mouth. That's really hard to say based on the way you are holding it and wide angle phone camera lenses. If you took a picture with his mouth completely closed, you'd have a better idea, of where it extends to.

A very healthy largemouth will have a smaller than normal mouth, BTW.

 

[TimTurbo92]

either a largemouth or hybrid... isn't full spotted though. but i would consider it largemouth.