http://www.calfishing.com/albums/album11/aaj.jpg

I always catch these fish every spring in the Delta when the stealhead hatch the push into the marina's and eat the babies like crazy. I have never cought any other smallmouth w/ this color pattern and they are all the same. I wonder if there a redeye bass? Anyone have any ideas? This one is just real fat from eating stealhead they are mostly real skinny 10-13"

looks like a smallie to me.

I was thinking it was too but I have not seem any w/ that pattern on them? Guess it is a smallie.

It could be a "Smot" a smallie that bred with a spotted bass. I caught a couple like that at Berryessa and my buddy called it a smot... who knows

I am kinda thinking it is not a regular smallie since I have cought 1000's of them w/ out seeing others w/ this pattern but who knows

Which part of the Delta were you fishing. Let me guess, somewhere on the Mokelumne? Do a google search on Redeye bass, and make sure you click image. The scale pattern below the lateral line is total redeye. I once caught a bunch of redeyes in the Delta, and it took me 3 fish to figure out what was going on. All the size you mentioned. The first one I caught I just brushed it off as a funky looking spotted bass.

Man Urban your good! Not the Mokelumne but real close I know it is good for smallies over there since I have cought them over 4lbs in that area, but these were different. After looking on google I see that redeyes can look more like either a smallie or a spot so I am gonna conclude this is a redeye since I havent cought many others that look like this.

Sounds like Urban nailed it- I didn't know there were redeye up there- there are a couple of creeks in SD that still have them from plants in the 70's, but they are dinks, from what I can gather- I'd still love to claim one!

That is the second biggest one I have cought about 13" mabey 1lb8oz and the biggest mabey 2.5lbs The only time I have cought them is when the stealhead hatch they chase them into the rip rap and if you have any little trout swimbaits there too easy to catch

Here's a red-eye. Looks like a spot. But the bars below the lateral line kind of give it away.



http://www.calfishing.com/albums/album21/edited_5_lb_4_oz_redeye.jpg

Damn, thats a huge redeye. Where did that fish come from. Heh, heh, I know, I know you dont want to tell.

PS: ya gotta work on your photoshop skills, and stop eating them optimums

My photo shop skills are straight out of kindergarten, you are right. Swimbait usually does it for me, but not today. I feel really dumb actually when it comes to that fish. It weighed 5 lb 4 oz, which from what I have read is a world record. Current record weighs 5 lb 2 oz. I thought it was a spotted bass at the time and after that picture I let her breathe at the side of the boat while debating to put her in the livewell or not. She shreaded my thumb and that was the last I ever saw of her.

Yeah, when I first looked at that fish it looked like a spot, but many times its impossible to say for sure what a fish is due to hybridizing and associated backcrossing. I really cant tell what it is, but I did/do know that if its a redeye its a monster. That sucks that it was a potential world record and gave you the slip. Maybe youll get another one that big to bite.

It almost needs a gene testing sample to know for sure. I showed the picture to several people who know spotted and red-eye bass well and they said the bars below the lateral line and the silver moon on top of it's eye made them feel strongly that it was indeed a red-eye. Oh well. There are many other red-eye's that size so maybe I'll get lucky again.

I argee we would proably need to take these fish to a lab to find out for sure. However I belive mine to be either a redeye or a "Smot" lime magmaster said. And I am gonna have to get one of those black scratchie lures taht you cought that bad boy on! Anyhow that is a awsome looking fish!

Hey guy's I have got it figured out! Saturday morning I cought a tagged one and called it in! They are "Hybrids" I was told are LM/smallie and some are Spot/smallie the one in this pic is 2lb9oz and my guess is LM/smallie cross since it has a good sized mouth and basicly a good smallie color w/ LM stripe. Sorry the pic is pretty sorry should have got a better one.

PS second tagged fish in the deta not worth a penny x(

http://www.calfishing.com/gallery/1/abi?full=1

Who told you they were hybrids? And how did they know?

DFG told me and they said some are LM/smallie cross some are spot/smallie cross the one I cought was tagged so now I know forsure they also said there are not any redeye in the delta.

So here I again. Sorry Taylor, I set you up on this one.

A) dont believe a word you hear from DFG, verify it yourself, dont take their word as authoritative. That agencies personel generally are the bottom of the barrell in terms of abilities (although there are some oustanding biologists who work for DFG) B) Its impossible to tell exactly what species make up a hybrid unless you run lab tests on the DNA. I doubt DFG did that, although I could be wrong and would love to see the results if they did run tests C) largemouth/smallmouth hybrids are very rare.

Redeyes are present in the Stanislaus River, including New Melones. However, I doubt this population made it to the Delta. Redeye also have gotten into the Consumnes basin, and this is the population that likely has made its way down into the Mokelumne, maybe as far as Wimpys. Is this considered Delta, I dont know, seems likes its part of the Delta to me.

I cant say what what youre catching Taylor, but what I wrote above has some reliability associated with it. Ok, Im climbing off my stool now, lol.

Urban,

I do belive the tagged one I cought was a hybrid because it had a smallmouth color w/ a black LM line down the side wish I would have got a better pic. Anyhow I am sure this fish was not a smallie, spot or LM next time I catch one I will get another good pic.

Taylor-