meanmouth or just a dark spot?

[Seth]

I caught this on the Gravois arm of LoZ this morning. At first I thought it was a smallmouth, but noticed the faint markings that kentuckies usually have.

[Mitch f]

I'm calling mean mouth, or hybrid to be more right ?

[Seth]

Does it have to be mostly kentucky to be considered a meanmouth or how does that work? This looks like it had more smallmouth in it than kentucky, but I've never heard of smallmouth being caught on the Gravois I know they can be caught up the Niangua arms, but that's a long ways off.

[Quillback]

I'd say Mean, based on the pic.

You can do a Google search and find some reading on them, not a lot of info out there however.

My question about them is can they successfully spawn?  Most hybrid fish are sterile.

[Mitch f]

I think they must be able to spawn, Ive seen varying degrees of hybrid in the Meramec. BTW Seth, As Al has stated, the term meanmouth was actually a cross between a LMB and a Smallie.

[Seth]

I didn't realize that about the largemouth/smallmouth cross. Everything I've ever really heard about them refers to a spot/smally cross. The largemouth/smallmouth meanmouth must be quite a bit rarer.

[Quillback]

LM/SM hybrid is pretty rare.  Maybe has something to do with when and where the different species spawn.

[Al Agnew]

Again...the original meanmouth was a laboratory cross between a largemouth and a smallmouth.  Those two species apparently NEVER hybridize in the wild, and I believe the lab crosses were sterile.  It was called a meanmouth because it was abnormally aggressive.  Smallmouth X spotted hybrids are fairly common in the wild, especially in areas were the spotted bass are invasive but also in places where both naturally occur.  And they are fertile hybrids which can back cross with either species.

[Guest]

They do occasionally hybridize in the wild but normally in clear mountain impoundments.  Here's a pic of one from lake havasu.