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AMAZING FISH STORY!!!
i decided today to target Rock Bass for a Master Angler Patch this would require a length of 11" . Earlier this morning i released a rock bass of just over 9" with a bobber and worm. I came back home and looked at the DNR Master Angler database and saw that Wixom Lake was one of the top producers of trophy sized rock bass. Now i caught one earlier this year that measured approx 11.5" but did not have a scale with me and i thought at the time the master angler minimum was 12". i measured that fish up against my fishing rod with a picture and scaled it at at between 11" and 12" approx. This fished was released immediately and i missed out on that Master Angler oppurtunity. i caught this fish on a 5" green pumpkin/red flake jacks worm and have caught alot of jumbo rock bass on this while smallmouth bass fishing.
Now today i decided to continue that effert where i caught the previous rock bass. Mind you that i am now targeting these fish for a trophy and not accidentally catching these while fishing for another species. WHAM !!! first cast under the bridge a 11" er. Had a nice scale handy for the picture and measured just a notch over! What are the odds!!
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Albums: 2014 FISHING WIXOM LAKE
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We have the red eyes also in Michigan and Ohio and I even caught a few in Indiana.
Here is a Roanoke Bass - a close relative of the the Rock Bass. It is found in only four river drainages in Virginia and NC. This one I caught is from the Nottoway River in VA:
Here is how I tell them all apart:
Warmouth: Brown splotches with creamy colored areas on body, only 3 anal spines. Usually has orange-like eyes.
Rock Bass: Usually a light yellowish or light yellow-olive color, dark square-spots on sides , 6 anal spines, usually has red eyes, dark outline on anal fin
Roanoke Bass: same as Rock Bass, but with no dark outline on anal fin
The Rock Bass and Roanoke bass color shades can vary a little depending on their habitat.
Warmouth colorization usually doesn't vary unless you catch one out of a blackwater system, in which case it will be nearly black, like this one (Suwannee River, GA):
Great fish Ken
Rock Bass have red eyes. Don't know about warmouth.
Lordy, Lordy,....I have caught a lot of the ole goggle eyes but never one that big.
Also I might want to add they love rocky rivers here in Ohio and Mich it's use to be nothing to catch 100 or more a day.
I find in our area of Michigan if you find weeds you'll find rockbass and waremouths and they aren't shy about deep weeds and wood in the weeds is a bid plus.
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