Dark smallie

[Quillback]

Caught this one yesterday, another smallmouth color variation.  Seems like no two are the same.

 

 

[Nick Adams]

Nice fish! Beautiful

[snagged in outlet 3]

Darkest smallies I’ve ever seen!   Nice!

[Al Agnew]

That same fish could be very light in five minutes.  They have an ability to drastically change from light to dark, including almost all black, as well as change color and fade or make prominent their markings.  Today I hooked a little one that looked entirely black in the water.

I even did a series of scientific illustrations of some of the color phases in smallmouth.  Here is my rendition of a nearly black one, done from a photo I took of one.

[Quillback]

Great work Al!