New PB spotted bass on the Rock. Any ideas on weight

[jdmidwest]

Looks like about a 5+ Kentucky to me.  Looks like the state record was 7 lb 8 oz back in April 1966, so the lake has a record of making big ones.

[dtrs5kprs]

10 hours ago, Jozark said:

Thank you for all the comments I appreciate it. 
Bill I agree the frame of this fish was not like your typical Table Rock spot. It was more like a Alabama spot or largemouth frame. 
But again she had a rough patch on her tongue and also the dorsal fins are connected confirming to me it was a spot.

now I will say I caught her in dirty water and maybe that is why her color is a little different. 

thank you all again for helping me out with the weight I believe I am going to get a replica mount done. Any suggestions on taxidermist that does replicas? 

Joe 
 

 

Might message Huntest. He had a really nice replica made of that giant meanie his grandson caught.

[Champ188]

11 hours ago, dtrs5kprs said:

Might message Huntest. He had a really nice replica made of that giant meanie his grandson caught.

THIS. ^^^

Maybe Nomolites will weigh in. He's a fisheries biologist and an oft-contributing member here. My vote is a LM/K natural hybrid. 

[fishinwrench]

1 hour ago, Champ188 said:

Maybe Nomolites will weigh in. He's a fisheries biologist and an oft-contributing member here.

WHAT ?!?!  😲 

This is disturbing news.   I really like that guy. 🤗 

I bet he'd like to lop my head off with a rusty machete.  🔪

[Jozark]

Thank you Dave I will try to message him. 
 

The fish was released after the picture. I could have place in the live well to get a weight but did not want to take a chance. She was full of eggs and hope she makes more giants. Plus the fish were busting shad really well. My dad, uncle and I had about 30 fish in about an hour and half. What a great day it has been a week and still on my mine. 

[jdmidwest]

11 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

WHAT ?!?!  😲 

This is disturbing news.   I really like that guy. 🤗 

I bet he'd like to lop my head off with a rusty machete.  🔪

Naa, MDC appreciates all feedback.  They just do what they want to anyway.

[Champ188]

17 hours ago, Jozark said:

Thank you Dave I will try to message him. 
 

The fish was released after the picture. I could have place in the live well to get a weight but did not want to take a chance. She was full of eggs and hope she makes more giants. Plus the fish were busting shad really well. My dad, uncle and I had about 30 fish in about an hour and half. What a great day it has been a week and still on my mine. 

Thanks for being thoughtful and letting it go promptly. Need all the new baby fish we can get. 

[Notropis]

After looking at the photo, I agree with Bill and others who call it a largemouth or possibly a hybrid largemouth-spotted. Tongue patches are mostly accurate but I have encountered an occasional largemouth that had them. It does have a little bit of a spotted bass look but the shape and color says largemouth to me. If it is a hybrid, it's pretty rare. I've seen hundreds of hybrid smallmouth and spotted bass in Beaver Lake when we were trying to re-establish smallmouth in Beaver by fingerling stockings out of the Beaver Lake Nursery Pond. Several years after stocking the smallmouth, we started seeing significant numbers of the meanmouth bass in our fish population samples but I can't remember seeing what I thought was a hybrid largemouth-spotted bass. That doesn't mean that they don't exist but if they do they are fairly rare, at least by my observations. I agree with everyone that it's a very nice fish whatever it's genetics are!  

[Jozark]

Thanks Notropis appreciate the information. 
 

 

[fshndoug]

That is a largemouth, not a spot. Nice fish though. How many spots has Babler seen over the side of his boat ?