Fish Explorer Logo
Florida
Florida Fishing FishExplorer.com
Florida Fishing  
Login Usr:Psd:
No account? Register now...
 
spacer spacer
spacer

Florida Fish Species

Alligator Gar
American Eel
American Shad
Atlantic Croaker
Atlantic Sharpnose Shark
Black Bullhead
Black Crappie
Black Drum
Blue Catfish
Blue Tilapia
Bluegill
Bowfin
Brown Bullhead
Brown Hoplo
Chain Pickerel
Channel Catfish
Clown Knifefish
Common Carp
Flathead Catfish
Flier
Florida Gar
Gizzard Shad
Golden Shiner
Goldfish
Grass Carp
Green Sunfish
Hybrid Striped Bass(wiper/palmetto)
Inland Silverside
Ladyfish
Lake Chubsucker
Largemouth Bass
Longnose Gar
Longnose Sucker
Mayan Cichlid
Mozambique Tilapia
Oscar
Peacock Bass
Red Drum
Redbreast Sunfish
Redear Sunfish
Redfin Pickerel
Redspotted Sunfish
Shoal Bass
Spotted Bass
Spotted Sunfish
Spotted Tilapia
Striped Bass
Striped Mullet
Suckermouth Catfish
Sunfish (Bream)
Suwannee Bass
Threadfin Shad
Warmouth
White Bass
White Catfish
Yellow Bullhead

Lakes with Spotted Bass on FishExplorer
Spotted Bass
Most bass are sexually maturity within one to two year.  However, spotted bass found in spawning areas are typically three years or older. Preferred spawning sites are rock and gravel where the males build nest once the water temperatures are in 57-74°F range.  Egg numbers vary from a 1,000 to over 40,000.  As with other black bass males guard the nest for several weeks.
 
Fry have a diet of zooplankton that shift to insects then to fish and crayfish and the bass matures.
Fish can comprise as much as 50% of spotted bass’s diet, but typically consume about one-half as much fish as largemouth. Spotted bass seem to occupy habitat between the preferences of largemouth and smallmouth bass, taking up residence in more current than largemouth bass, yet too warm, turbid, and sluggish for smallmouth bass.  Spots can be found around aquatic vegetation, submerged logs, and rock.

Spotted Bass are also know as Kentucky Spotted Bass, or simply Spots. This black bass is native to the Mississippi River basin and the Gulf States, from central Texas through Northern Florida. This smaller cousin of the largemouth is often mistaken for it.  The spotted bass is a slender fish with black blotches along the middle of the body; with age, these join to form an irregular band.
While spots are similar in coloring, their mouth is smaller and the lower jaw does not extend past the often reddish eye. While Kentucky Spotted Bass grow to 25 inches and weights of 10 lb, their typical size is in the 12 to 17 inch range. They are known to live seven years or more.

Spotted Bass in Florida

The following is courtesy of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission:
 
Appearance:  Spotted bass are similar to largemouth bass, but unlike the largemouth, the spotted bass has scales on the base portion of the second dorsal fin; their first and second dorsal fins are clearly connected, and its upper jaw does not extend past the eye.
 
Habitat: They prefer small to medium streams and rivers with clear, slow-moving water, and gravel or rock bottoms. Seldom found in natural lakes, and they do not enter brackish water.
 
Behavior:  Grow slower than largemouth bass and do not attain as large a size as other black bass.
Most Recent Spotted Bass Forum Posts
No posts found.
Spotted Bass Articles, Blogs, & Podcasts
Blog: High School Fishing 06.02.14 by Josh Cundiff
Blog: Bass Flies Tying Demo Staturday, October 5 10.03.13 by David Coulson
Blog: Boomerang Tool Co. Grip 11.07.12 by Joshua Christensen
Blog: Grateful For The Opportunity 05.19.12 by Ryan Wood
Blog: Latest Article - Fishing Realistic Crawfish 04.07.12 by David Coulson
Article: The Overlooked Realistic Crawfish 04.04.12 by Joshua Christensen
Recent Florida Spotted Bass Photos by Fish Explorer Members
No Photos Found.
Submit your photo...
 
×

Info