Spotted Bass

[erasmus]

Went upstream to avoid the Easter weekend gang at the Kissee Mills park today. Got a beauty bass up on Devil's Teatable banks. Se was about 1.5 pounds. Question, is it common for spotted bass to come out of the water with just the black stripe on it's center and then develop spots?

[PowersiteProwler]

Be cautious of the spots, if they are heaviest around the belly area that could be a sign of a type of worm that infests that particular area of the fish. It's generally best to not keep or especially eat any fish you suspect of having worms. I've seen it in whites, largemouth, Small Mouth (most frequently)and even in Walleye. It's not a huge problem, but something too keep in mind given what you described.