Smallmouth Bass Identification Guide
Tell this river and lake gamefish apart from largemouth and spotted bass using jaw length and body markings.
Read the full Smallmouth Bass encyclopedia entry →
Key identification features
- Bronze to brown-green body, often with a coppery sheen, marked by 8-15 vertical dark bars rather than a solid stripe
- Red or reddish-orange eyes
- Upper jaw ends near the middle of the eye and does not extend past its rear margin, giving a proportionally smaller mouth
- Two dorsal fins that are joined, with a shallow notch rather than a deep separation
- Robust, slightly compressed body, usually 30-50 cm as an adult
Common look-alikes
- Largemouth bass: has a continuous solid dark stripe along the side and an upper jaw that extends well past the rear edge of the eye
- Spotted bass: shows rows of small dark spots below the lateral line and a small patch of teeth on the tongue, which smallmouth bass lack
- Rock bass: deeper, rounder body with red eyes but a more uniform mottled pattern and no vertical barring
Where you'll see one
Prefers clear, cool rivers, rocky lakeshores, and reservoirs across North America, holding near current breaks, boulders, and gravel bottoms rather than heavy vegetation.
Frequently asked questions
How do I tell a smallmouth bass from a largemouth bass?
Check the jaw and body pattern: smallmouth have a jaw ending near the middle of the eye and vertical bars, while largemouth have a jaw extending past the eye and a solid horizontal stripe.
How do I distinguish smallmouth from spotted bass?
Spotted bass show rows of small dark spots below the lateral line and a rough tooth patch on the tongue, features absent on smallmouth bass.
Smallmouth Bass identified by the community
Recent Smallmouth Bass catches identified with Fish Identifier.
