I've only seen spotted bass in pictures and they look really similar if not the same as largemouth. They even have that lateral line. What difference is there between them?

From the few spots I've caught, the easiest way to tell is the tongue....It's rough like bass 'teeth'.

 

The mouth is also smaller on spots and while they look similar, the pattern on a spot is recognizable as different from a LM once you've seen a few in person.  

Yep, check the tongue. It usually has a spot on it too.

Alright thanks guys!

Believe the jaw doesn't extend past the eye either when it's closed unlike the LM's do.

The tooth patch on the tongue isn´t enough to differentiate a LMB from a Spottie, all spotties have it, many LMBs have it too. There´s one 100% certain way to differentiate them, the corner of the mouth in spotties doesn´t extend beyond the eye.

There are 2 species of spotted bass; southern or Alabama river spots and northern or Kentucky spots, their range over laps. Spotted bass, like smallmouth have the dorsal fins connected, largemouth the dorsal fin is separated. Teeth on the tongue is a patch of teeth, the jaw is or nearly below posterior margin of the pupil, jaw extends beyond the eye on largemouth.

Guadalupe bass are very close cousins of spotted bass with the same physical characteristics. Size separates Alabama spotted bass, the grow 2 times bigger than northern spots.

Tom

Got it! Going fishing tomorrow in a place mixed with spotted and largemouth. Thanks!