A few Shoal/Rock bass pics

[Lance]

Down here we call em shoal bass. I htink up North yall refer to em as rockys or rock bass. Either way they're my favorite fish to hunt. so tuff, so agressive, and just so beautiful. They're like the perfect small mouth large mouth combination.

Spent today drifting along with my feet dangling in 55 degree clear water pitchin lil 4" soft plastics on a 6' light actioned rod. Thought some of yall might could use the pics as reference. .







I threw this last pic in to show I wasn't the only thing fishin today. I wish I could have gotten closer before he bolted with his meal... cuz that lil stream cat had some neat colors on him

[John C]

Nice fish and awesome colors wish you had more of them!.

Here is what we call a rock bass, aka goggle eye.
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/resources/usfws/rockbass.jpg/medium.jpg

[Lance]

Thats what we call "Goggle eyes!" LOL!!

I got a few more pics. These were just the ones that showed color the best. I refuse to take my good camera down that river as it's responsible for the demise of 3 of my cameras already. So I use a cheapy and sometimes the pics show it. I should be heading back down the river again this weekend so I'll try and get some more pics.

[Jknuth]

Schoal bass and Rock bass are different species.

Rock bass are from the Genus Ambloplites and Shoal bass are from Micropterus
Same as a largemouth or smallmouth,

AWESOME PICS!!! Love the colors and the snake chomping the Bullhead is great.

Shoalies are only found in Alabama, Florida and Georgia.
The bullhead looks like a Spotted bullhead.

Were you fishing the Apalachicola system??

I cant wait to fish there next month.
Thanks for posting!

[John C]

That shoal bass looks like a crossbreed of a smallmouth and a spotted bass.

[Lance]

From what I have read "shoal bass are "our" native species. They've been in this river for like...... ever. Spots just started showing up coming up from Lanier several years back. Now the stinkin things are starting to take over. And yea John ya right. Thats what they remind me of as well. colored like a largemouth (sorta) aggresive like a large mouth, plenty of stamina and fight like a smallie. They like the perfect combination. The lower hooch below Lanier is supposed ot be real good shoalie fishing as well. But I gots no bidness being below Atlanta (God I hate driving through that place. And to get me to go below Atlanta?? I'm usually gone hunting.

Josh,

No I'm fishing the upper chatahoochie river system ABOVE lake Lanier. I'm way up in the north east section of Georgia.. You ever come up this way holler at me... Most folks around here know my motto. If it's hot and I'm not working? I'm fishing. If it's cold and I'm not working? I'm hunting.

These fish have been stocked in the Ohio river system as well and they call the rockbass up there as slang from what I gather. Like John when most folks say rock bass I think Goggle eye. Which is closer kin to a warmouth than an actual Bass. I had a SOLID 3&1/2 pound female come in and kill a little 8" spot I was landing this afternoon. I reckon I swam him too close to her bed. My largest Shoal Bass was just  a shade under 5#s and to my knowledge still swimming around in the river..

We sometimes get big stripers up the river from Lanier (they come looking for rainbows) Ya aint Lived til ya standing knee deep in clear running water thinking the biggest thing in the water is you and the one pound spot yer trying to land only to have a 15# striper show up from no where and promplty remove him from your possesion. I usually hook up with 3 or 4, 10 pound plus stripers a summer. But considering if I'm not using a flyrod in the river I'm using a 6' medium light rod and 8# test?? Just because I'm hooking up with em doesn't mean I'm landing them!

I fish this river from the head waters above Helen where she's 10yds wide and knee deep at best for trout all the way down to Lula where she's 80yds wide and 20' deep for bass.

[Jknuth]

Oh Cool, Ive never fished the Chattahoochee system.
Ive heard its very nice.

I had no idea they had stocked Shoalies anywhere else.
I dont understand the logic of the bass stockings?
There are plenty of Native bass on the eastern coast to fish for.
When ever they introduce the other bass species they do so much damage. Ive heard the Smallmouth have done so much damage to the guadalupe bass in texas. They are having trouble finding a pure guadalupe now.

I agree with Atlanta. I HATE driving that area. Ill be doing it in a few weeks and am NOT looking forward to it.

That Bullhead really looks like a spotted bullhead (Ameiurus serracanthus)



They are in that system, but are more common to the south. Beautiful little fish. I caught one in florida years back. I am hoping to find more this summer.

[Lance]

Yea it definately looks like a spotted bullhead. Thats what most of em look like in the river. It's got channel cat in it as well.

And I agree with the stockings a swell. Lake Chatuge used ot be apremere small mouth fishery. Until they stocked spots. Now you can't find a small mouth in chatuge and the spots are starting to out comptete the largemouth as well.

I worry about their impact on the shoal bass in the river as well.

You drop a night crawler  in a slow pool in the hooch and you'll catch more bull heads and horny heads (red horse suckers) Than you care to catch!

[classic tails]

SUPER PICS -TY.   Damn I hate snakes.