Here in NC the majority of the bass I catch in the ponds and lakes are a light grey and sort of light green color. A handful of bass have been more white color. I see the pros on TV in some of the lakes like FL and TN and the bass they catch are a rich green color sometimes. Does this have to do more with location, time of year, etc.? Thanks! - Joe :-)

I think it has more to do with water color than anything. Any time I have fished lakes with really dark water, the bass are always a lot darker than normal. Clear water lakes that I have fished tend to have a lot lighter than normal bass. I'm sure some of it has to do with genetics as well(how the designs on the smallmouth are or the stripe on the largemouth).

It's all about exposure to sunlight. Depth, cover and water clarity play a part.

Deep water bass:

Shallow slop bass

They also seem to darken up a bit as summer progresses.

Man jfrancho you nailed it. :-).

There is one other component to this. A few years ago, I was fishing a lake and noticed that I would catch one that was dark and healthy looking and the next one (in the same area, depth, etc.) would look pale and washed out. I asked the DNR guy about this and learned that they were moving fish from another lake that was being refurbished. The ones that were pale were the fish that had been moved and were feeling shocked.

That's interesting. Yes, in my years in tropical fish import and wholesale, that it is very common for fish to "wash out" when moved or otherwise stressed. Probably a VERY unique set of circumstances. Also, shocked or stressed fish probably won't bite lures.

these bass were caught in the same gut 20 yards apart. 1 goldish, 1 spotted up

When I go out in the everglades, they're real dark.

They're usually a lot lighter in the lakes/canals though.

Thanks for the pics guys! Nice looking fish too!!!

They also darken up in the livewell. When we catch early season bass, just coming in form the deeper water, they are very light in color. Let them ride around in the boat all day and they darken up for weigh-in. Bass are so vain

That's interesting. Yes, in my years in tropical fish import and wholesale, that it is very common for fish to "wash out" when moved or otherwise stressed. Probably a VERY unique set of circumstances. Also, shocked or stressed fish probably won't bite lures.

If I were to go off my years keeping fish, I would have to say the color of substrate and surroundings, diet, stress, hormones, and genetics all can play a role in coloration. Never kept a bass in a tank, though.