The most prominent characteristic of this fish is the feature that it is named for, a large mouth. The world record largemouth was caught right here in Georgia and weighed 22 lbs. The largemouth bass is a large fish that can reach up to 38 inches and weigh over 20 pounds. There are exceptions to this, as some times they will hold in open water, especially in impoundments, where there is abundant shad or other open water baitfish populations. These fish are ambush predators and will generally relate to some sort of structure (stumps, logs, vegetation, docks, and other debris) where it will lie in wait for an easy meal to pass nearby. They are known for their aggressiveness and their willingness to eat most anything. The largemouth bass is probably the most sought after game fish in the country. Lure choices will be similar to that of a largemouth, but you may need to downsize your lures and be prepared to fish a little deeper. You can find them along rocky banks, drop-offs, and humps in the lake. Spotted bass are more abundant on the lower portions of Lake Lanier. The spotted bass has a dorsal fin that is clearly connected, while the largemouth appears to have two separate fins. The easiest characteristics to distinguish between the largemouth and the spotted bass are the size of the mouth and the appearance of the dorsal fin. The mouth of the spotted bass extends beyond the middle of the eye but not beyond the eye like the largemouth’s. Factors such as the water clarity and depth that the fish has been living in can affect coloration making this a harder identification tool. The most noticeable difference is the addition of rows of black spots on the lower half of the side of the body. The coloration of spotted bass s is very similar to that of the largemouth. 5 oz, but the average will be just a couple of pounds. The Georgia state record spotted bass came from Lake Lanier and weighed 8 lbs. Spotted bass are considerably smaller, reaching a maximum of about 24 inches in length. Another difference between the spotted and the largemouth bass is their size. They also will inhabit much deeper water than most largemouths. They will often hold in areas that have some sort of definition, like larger rocks or dropoffs, but they normally do not use the cover like a largemouth would. Where largemouth are structure-oriented fish, spotted bass do not generally rely on cover. Although the fish are similar in appearance and nature their choice of habitat separates the species. The spotted bass is a species that is often confused by anglers with its larger cousin the largemouth bass. These baits then need to be chosen for the specific situation and depth that the fish are holding at. Lures should be chosen that imitate shad or other baitfish such as crankbaits, large spinners, bucktails, large topwaters, and large 6” to 8” stickbaits. These fish do not generally relate to structure so the best key is finding the food source. A variation on the summer pattern will be on overcast days, early morning, or late evening when they may be found in shallower water. In late summer when the water temp reaches its highest level the fish will stay deep usually just above the thermocline, which is about 35 feet deep. As the water warms into the mid fifties through the seventies they can be caught in shallower areas and on the surface. In very cold water they will stay a little deeper where the temperature will fluctuate less. If you locate a school of shad it is likely that larger predatory fish will be nearby. One of the main preys of these fish is the shad species that are found in the lake. Where you will find these fish in Lake Lanier will depend on a few factors. The fins are usually clear to gray-green, but large adults have a white pelvic fin and the anal fin has a white edge. The dorsal fins are completely separate, and it has 3 anal spines with the second noticeably shorter than the third. They have anywhere from 6-9 dark gray unbroken stripes on silvery white sides, which is distinctive from its relative the white bass that has broken stripes. The Georgia state record striped bass is 63 lbs Lake Lanier’s record is currently 47 lbs. Striped bass are large fish that can reach a maximum length of 79 inches and weigh more than 50 lbs. Stripers are strong fish and are known for their fighting ability and are a favorite game fish for many. Their success in the freshwater environment has led to their stocking in many impoundments across the country. Some of these fish became landlocked due to the damming of rivers, which resulted in them becoming completely freshwater. During the spawning season they travel far up rivers to spawn. These fish are anadramous and spend most of their life in salt water. The striped bass is a large open water predatory fish that can often be found in schools.
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