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Pro Staff Question - How Can You Tell A Florida Bass From Any Other Bass
Charles "The Bass Doctor" Stuart's Answer
Florida strain bass have lateral lines that are often darker than the regular variety and the bodies tend to be more "football shaped".
They also fight like a smallmouth!
These bass were introduced in Texan and other southern states to strengthen weaker bass populations.
Due to the warmer climate of the south, these bass will often breed twice in a year unlike the nothern bass who breed only in April/May.
Tight Lines!
Charles "The Bass Doctor" Stuart
BassonHook Pro Staff
Dennis "The Fishin Professor" Bryant's Answer
You've asked a question that even some of our better, northern states' conservation officers have trouble answering without using a reference book picture or a scale-sample to use as an aid.
Suffice it to say that the differences are really minimal and are hard to distinguish.
Lets see if I can provide you with some defined differences based on my experience catching them.
Some Of The Differences Between A Florida State Bass And Its Cousins
A "Florida Strain" Largemouth Bass generally has very well defined and much darker, vertical & horizontal lateral lines, than its' northern cousins.
Their pectoral & anterior dorsal fins are also more nearly vertically aligned and somewhat larger than the northern strain Largemouth Bass, whose pectorals are most generally located just forward of the anterior dorsal fin.
Their normal water-temperature tolerances, generally limits their natural range to the southern and extreme southwestern tier of states, without the aid of a year-round natural or man-made warm-water supply.
The successful natural and human-aided hybridizing of the original Florida Strain Largemouth Bass has led to many of our now commonly accepted Largemouth Bass sub-species (Suwanee, Spotted, etc.).
Making it even harder yet for most lay persons to easily distinguish the differences between them at a quick glance.
Florida Bass Grow Much Larger Than Bass From The North
Finally, because of the extended growing period in their natural ranges' warmer climate, they generally grow much larger and very much quicker than any of their cousins from the north.
A "good-sized" Largemouth Bass caught in Florida or California can easily exceed 16 to 18 pounds.
A "HUGE" "OLD" Northern Largemouth Bass may be up in the 10 to 12 pound range.
North, South, East or West, one thing about them all does remain the same.
They are an awful lot of fun to catch and just fishing for them can (for some of us anyway) become an lifelong addiction.
Just have fun catching them!
Good Fishin'!
Dennis Bryant
The Fishin' Professor!
Leo Watson's Answer
This is a great question.
There is not a lot of difference between the two.
The Florida strain bass is thicker through the tail and has more girth than our normal large mouth bass.
The coloration is the same.
Most people would not be able to tell the difference.
The Florida Strain grows larger because of the warmer environment it lives in although its feeding behaviour is basically the same as its northern cousins.
As always if you have any more questions just forward them through this fine web site.
Thank you,
Leo Watson
