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I need to know what to look for in the identification of the spotted bass.
John,
At first glance at pic 3, I also thought the fish was a LMB. Now that Snipe pointed it out, I see it is a Spot.
I'm no Spot expert for sure but I believe the back of the jaw lines up pretty much with the eye on a Spot (similar to SMB) while the back of the jaw on LMB extends a good bit behind the eye.