Fishing Firsts

[Chief Grey Bear]

There are three strains of "Goggle eye" recognized in Missouri. The Northern Rock Bass inhabits the northern Ozarks streams and the tributaries of the middle Mississippi River and just a small area of SW Missouri.

The Ozark Bass is found in the Ozark region of Southwest Missouri and, according to the MDC, nowhere else in the world. It is known to be in only a few counties along the southern border and north of the White River Pomme de Terre and Sac river basins.

The Shadow Bass is centered in the southeastern Ozarks from the Spring River to the White in Arkansas. It can also be found in the Bootheel region of Missouri. I am not really familiar with its dristibution in Arkansas but I would believe that some can be found there in the northeastern part of the state before the waters flatten out and slow down.

Now for identification. The Northern Rock bass Color, as well as the other two, can vary but is generally dark brown to bronze. It will have a distinct pattern of dark spots arranged in parallel lines along their sides. The Ozark Bass has dark blotches in an irregular freckled pattern. Such as the pic above. For the Shadow Bass, it displays broad dark blotches arranged in a vertical pattern.

I am gonna have to head east one of these days so I can catch a Shadow bass. Doing that I will have caught all strains of native bass to Missouri.

[Chief Grey Bear]

One thing I forgot to add, The Nothern will have the bright red eye also. They also have the bigger eye that bugs out and thus gave it its nickname goggle eye. The Ozark has a smaller eye and not near as brightly colored. It is more of a dull red.

[ness]

Cewl. I learnt me something today.

[KCRIVERRAT]

Thanks Chief... don't know where I came up with four species.

[Buzz]

It was great meeting you Andy. I really enjoyed the day fishing and cutting up.

I was a little worried about the weather, but it didn't seem to bother the fishing at all. I love lite tackle fishing on the smaller streams and am glad we had such a good day.

We will definitely do some more fishing. And I'm gonna teach you the fine art of jig fishing too.

[KCRIVERRAT]

Jeez.. biggest Northern Rock Bass was from the Big Piney. 17"... 2lbs. 12 ounces! No wonder MDC made that stretch of the Piney a trophy goggleye area. I've caught a couple close to 9 inches, but 17? Wow!

[eric1978]

The Ozark Bass is found in the Ozark region of Southwest Missouri and, according to the MDC, nowhere else in the world. It is known to be in only a few counties along the southern border and north of the White River Pomme de Terre and Sac river basins.

Guess that explains why I've never caught one. I would have thought I hooked a can of Busch.

[Al Agnew]

Chief and others...according to my sources, the fish you caught was a shadow bass, not an Ozark bass. According to both "Fishes of the Central United States", by Tomelleri and Eberle, and "Freshwater Fishes", one of the Peterson Field Guides, Ozark bass are limited to the White River system, so wouldn't be in Shoal Creek. "Freshwater Fishes" says that shadow bass ARE found in the Arkansas river system, which would include Shoal Creek. "Fishes of the Central United States" says that shadow bass are common in the Ouachita drainage, but says nothing about them OR shadow bass in Shoal Creek except to say that rock bass in NE Oklahoma in the same drainage are probably introduced hybrids of shadow bass and northern rock bass--apparently shadow bass can hybridize with the northern rock bass, but neither species hybridizes with Ozark bass.

In addition to all that, the fish in your photo is identical with the shadow bass I catch on the St. Francis and Black River in my part of the Ozarks, and looks nothing like the Ozark bass I have caught on the Buffalo and Kings River. The key diagnostic characteristic of Ozark bass is that their small dark spots are scattered, not in rows on each scale as the fish in your photo is. I've also never seen one that was that heavily blotched, but the "camo pattern" is very characteristic of shadow bass. So judging from the photo as well as my sources, I'm pretty sure your fish is a shadow bass.

By the way...there ARE four species of rock bass (Ambloplites). The fourth, which is not found in the Ozarks but in the eastern U.S., is the Roanoke bass. The Ozarks is the only region that has three species.

I'm going to go ahead and post this, but I'll try to find good photos on Google of the various species.

Edit: If you Google Images "Ozark bass", the second and third images in the first row of the first page are very typical of Ozark bass I've caught in the White River system, scattered black spots with never more than three or so in a row, and lots of black spots on their backs. The fifth picture in the first row shows one that has a lot more of the big blotches than any I've seen, but the scattered dark spots are still characteristic.

The photos on the web of shadow bass show a lot more variation, but in all of them the big blotches are very obvious. Take a look and judge for yourself.

[Wayne SW/MO]

The key diagnostic characteristic of Ozark bass is that their small dark spots are scattered, not in rows on each scale as the fish in your photo is.

This is the fish that my Fishes Of Missouri identifies as an Ozark bass. They are common in War Eagle, the Kings, Beaver and Bryant as expected, given the White basin is there home.

I have never, that I remember, caught one out of TR, but I have caught Goggle Eye, not sure which strain.

I believe the Warmouth is similar to the Rock Basses, but native to to slow water in the far Southeast.

[Chief Grey Bear]

When I first started chasing the different strains a couple of years ago, my only source, the MDC stated that there were no shadow bass on this side of the state. Only Ozark and Northern. And there started the confusion. I was looking for the difference in the speckles. It was when I started trying to compare the blotches that I started confusing myself. If you will recall I PM'ed you a couple of years ago with some questions about this but you were in Montana away from your sources.

Anyway, instead of following my instinct, I lead myself astray. I began to confuse the blotches with the speckles. I was finding these shadow bass but only head waters of some of the creeks. Down lower all I would find was the northern. What I was thinking was that I was finding Ozark or another yet unknown strain outside of the White River water shed. I had begun documenting my findings an was making a list. Thanks for pointing that out.

The great thing now is, I don't have to go looking for the Shadow Bass. I have now caught all strains of bass native to Missouri. And the really cool thing is I can do it and not travel more than about 30 miles! Actually I can do it all in one county!

I think I can. That county may be missing one strain. Ahhhhhh, I smell a new challenge!