Spotted Bass
Spotted Bass (Micropterus punctulatus) is a freshwater species. The first thing to check: rows of distinct dark spots run in lines below the lateral line, forming faint horizontal stripes on the belly. The look-alike to rule out is Largemouth Bass: the tongue patch and the spot rows below the lateral line are decisive; the largemouth also has a jaw that runs past the eye and a deeper notch between the dorsals.
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| Scientific name | Micropterus punctulatus |
|---|---|
| Also called | Kentucky bass, spot |
| Water | Freshwater |
| Group | Black bass |
| Temperature | Most active between 60 and 75 °F. Tolerates current and moderate turbidity better than a largemouth. |
How to identify a Spotted Bass
- Rows of distinct dark spots run in lines below the lateral line, forming faint horizontal stripes on the belly.
- A rough patch of small teeth sits on the tongue — run a thumb over it. Largemouth and smallmouth have a smooth tongue.
- The upper jaw ends level with the back of the eye, between the smallmouth's and the largemouth's.
If you would rather not work through a key on a wet deck, photograph the fish and let the app name it — you get the common and the scientific name back, and the record is filed before you release.
Fish it is mistaken for
| Species | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| Largemouth Bass | The tongue patch and the spot rows below the lateral line are decisive; the largemouth also has a jaw that runs past the eye and a deeper notch between the dorsals. |
| Smallmouth Bass | A smallmouth is bronze with vertical bars and has no tongue tooth patch. |
Side-by-side comparisons
Read the full entry for Largemouth Bass and Smallmouth Bass.
Where it lives
Rivers and clear highland reservoirs of the Ohio and Mississippi drainages and the Gulf states. Sits in more current than a largemouth and over steeper, rockier structure — bluff walls, channel swings and long tapering points.
Temperature
Most active between 60 and 75 °F. Tolerates current and moderate turbidity better than a largemouth.
The conditions that matter
Spotted bass suspend more than the other black bass, so they track bait vertically through the water column with temperature. Reservoir fish key on generation schedules and moving water; a barometric drop before a front brings suspended fish shallower.
Global Fishing League records 18 weather and water readings against every catch automatically — tide stage, barometric pressure, water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, swell, current, moon phase and more, taken at your GPS position at the moment you log the fish. Over a season that turns a hunch about spotted bass into a pattern you can read.
See every reading recorded with a catch, or the guides to what each reading means.
Size limits, bag limits and seasons
Size limits, bag limits, slot limits and seasons are set by your state wildlife agency — and for many offshore and migratory species by federal regulators — and on many waters they differ from the statewide rule. They also change between seasons. Check the current regulations for the exact water you are fishing before you keep a fish — we do not republish limits here, because a number that is a season out of date is worse than no number.
What the app does do is make your side of it accurate: every catch carries a length measured from the photograph, a GPS position and a timestamp, exportable if you ever need to show your work for a tournament or a record claim. It is also what a Global Fishing League entry is built from — a record that verifies itself, without publishing where you caught the fish.