Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Other bass species

We talk so much about LMB and SMB. I'd be interested in hearing if anyone is using other bass species like Redeye, Spotted, Guadalupe, Shoal or Suwannee. Do any of these species have any potential as a sort of southern SMB?

I have often wondered about spot bass my self..

Norm, I'm no expert on these but believe most are running water fish; mostly found in rivers. I once set a lake record with a 3 pound spotted bass. I don't think they grow as big or do well competing with LMB. Although all but one Texas lake are dammed rivers, you don't hear much about them and are seldom caught.

I asked about spotted bass on here once and the only response was from Greg Grimes. He said that they have a high metabolism and eat a lot.
They are thick in the Brazos River (Texas) and easy to catch. Norm, you might like them a lot in your pond. I don't know.

Looking at various field guides, it appears that SMB have divided into all of these other species. Could someone comment on this? If so, then it appears that people in the south could have a SMB type of fishery. Many of comments by Dave Willis about SMB might apply.

As we learn more about managing our lakes thru Pond Boss, some people might want to try something other than LMB/bluegill. Spotted bass seem to have the most potential. All of this can certainly be done, it is just a matter of figuring out how to do it. Any ideas?

Norm - I have quite a bit of information on these species of bass: Spotted, Redeye, Shoal, Suwannee and Guadalupe. Too much information to include here; maybe it could be incorporated into an article for PB magazine.

The Redeye, Shoal, Suwannee & Guadalupe basses are mostly found naturally to occur in streams and some may have even more specific habitat requirements.

Each of these bass have been determined to be a separate species with unique scientific names. Note that as of 1995 the Shoal bass did not have a scientific name but was determined by C.Hubbs (MI) and J.Ramsey (AL) to be a unique species and commonly called Chipola bass. It may have a scientific name by 2004.

I was very interested in stocking the Suwannee bass into a pond with yellow perch. The Suwannee seemed like a very good predator to combine with yellow perch since it did not get very large; usu 1.5 -2.5 lbs (max 3,lbs 9oz) and thus it would only be able to prey only on the smaller perch. This fish primarily occurs in south eastern US, BUT Zetts fish Hatchery in north central PA was raising them and selling fingerlings; he claimed they were great acrobats. When I was ready to stock them that year, they quit raising them. Darn, Darn. They would NOT respond to my request for a list of buyers of fingerlings so I could maybe contact them and get few juvenile fish from a pondowner with an existing northern population.

Redeye bass also occur primarily in SE US and also stay small 13"-14" and 1- 1.5 lbs but record was 3 lbs. Redeyes thrive in Lakes Hartwell (GA) Keowee & Jocassee (SC). No one raises or grows them that I know of.

Shoal bass are very similar to redeye bass, but it gets up to 6 and 8 lbs.

Guadalupe bass are native to south central and south TX. It stays small and the record is 3 lbs 11 oz. Guadalupe bass readily hybridizes with SMB and many areas of TX have genetic mixes of the two fish. TX Parks and Wildlife Dept supposedly maintains strains of pure Guadalupe bass.

Bill, thank you for your reply. I personally would love to read an article about these species in PB. Is this true, the SMB type of fish has divided into all of these different species?

Has anyone used spotted bass in a lake? It seems like we have many experienced pondmeisters here. This might be a whole new and fun type of fishery to develop.

Norm - Originally back in the 1800's the redeye, shoal, Guadalupe and Suwannee may have been considered subspecies of SMB, but I am not positive of this. I do know the following:

Spotted bass was for years considered by ichthyologists (fish researchers) as a hybrid or type of smallmouth. But in 1931 Hubbs (UnivMI) named it a separate species Micropterus pseudaplites which he later changed to M.punctulatus. Hubbs initially gave it a common name of Kentucky Bass and in the later name change decided a better common name was spotted bass (puctulated has Latin roots of "with spots"). Spotted bass in 1940 was divided into three subspecies, northern spotted, Alabama spotted, and Wichita spotted bass. Its range is intermediate between LMB and SMB. It is native to areas farther south than SMB and not as far north as SMB & LMB. Ohio Rv drainage is about as far north as it occurs naturally. They prefer areas similar to SMB and tend to avoid mud bottom and dense vegetation.

Redeye bass was named a true species of Micropterus coosae in 1940.
Shoal bass was originaly considered a subspecies of redeye bass. But in 1973 it was considered a unique species and tenatively called Chipola bass and in 1999 it was officially named Micropterus cataractae.

Suwannee bass was speciated as Micropterus notius in 1941.

Guadalupe bass was considered a subspecies of spotted bass. Then in 1953 it was decided that it was a unique species (Micropterus treculi) because the two did not interbreed where the two were found together in TX.