Largemouth Bass vs Spotted Bass
The check that settles it
Spotted bass has rows of small dark spots below the lateral line and a rough tooth patch on the tongue.
Why this matters beyond curiosity
- Look-alike species often carry different limits. Walleye and sauger, black and white crappie, pike and muskie, blue and channel catfish — each pair can have different sizes, seasons and daily limits in the same water.
- Check it before the fish goes in the livewell. Most of the tests on this site take seconds and are far easier on a fish you are still holding.
- If you cannot tell, release it. That is the answer that is never wrong, and it is the one a warden will not argue with.
- Regulations are set by your state or province and change annually. This site identifies fish; it does not tell you the rules. Check the current regulations for the water you are on.
Largemouth Bass
Black bassMicropterus salmoides
- Markings
- horizontal stripe
- Body
- torpedo
- Typical size
- 1–8 lb
- Regulations
- Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass often have different size limits and slot rules in the same water, and some states count them together while others do not. Check your state regulations before keeping any.
Spotted Bass
Black bassMicropterus punctulatus
- Markings
- horizontal stripe, spots
- Body
- torpedo
- Typical size
- 1–4 lb
- Regulations
- Many states count spotted bass separately or exclude them from black bass limits entirely, and some encourage removal where they compete with native smallmouth. Worth checking specifically.
Confirming a largemouth bass
- Close the mouth: the upper jaw extends past the rear edge of the eye. On a smallmouth it stops at or before the eye.
- The dorsal fin is deeply notched, almost separating into two fins.
- A ragged dark horizontal stripe along the side, not vertical bars.
- No rows of dark spots below the lateral line, which distinguishes it from spotted bass.
Confirming a spotted bass
- Rows of small dark spots below the lateral line — neither of the other black bass has these.
- A rough patch of tiny teeth on the tongue. Run a finger over it; largemouth and smallmouth are smooth.
- Upper jaw ends roughly level with the rear of the eye — between the other two.
- Dorsal fin shallowly notched and continuous.