I am new to fishing, and i have looked at pictures online but can't really seem to tell a difference. Here are some bass from the last time I fished. I just can't tell, but i think they are all smallmouth bass. 

They are both smallmouth.

I feel for you if you started out catching smallmouth before largemouth vs the other way around.

Yep, smallmouth.  If you close the mouth and the jaw line is in front of the eye... smally.  If the jaw line is behind the eye... largemouth and if the eye and the jaw line matchup... it's a spot. 

Thank you very much. It is just hard to tell sometimes. I have been looking through pictures on here, and most of the smallmouth bass are much more brown or tan than the ones i've caught. 

Yep, smallmouth.  If you close the mouth and the jaw line is in front of the eye... smally.  If the jaw line is behind the eye... largemouth and if the eye and the jaw line matchup... it's a spot. 

thank you very much. That is a good tip i didn't know about. 

thank you very much. That is a good tip i didn't know about. 

 

No problem!  You can usually tell by their color and a few other small things but that's the quickest way to know for sure.

So smallmouth are almost always going to be much browner than largies, which are typically a green/grey. Also, the mouth on smallies does not extend past the eye. That helped me when I caught some.

Oh yeah,... And a smallmouth comes to the boat tail up (and by god head DOWN!!) and a largemouth the opposite.. Dead giveaway before you even see 'em..

Bass Slayer is correct - if unsure, check the line up of the jaw bone and the eye.  Less certain, but quicker -- those vertical lines on your fish tell me 'smallmouth' immediately.  Lines and coloring will vary greatly, but if the vertical markings are more pronounced, it is likely a smallmouth.

The green fish have really big mouths that is why they call them largemouths.

 

The brown fish have small mouths that is why they call them smallmouths.

And the spotted bass are by far the prettiest fish of the three.

The coloration on smallmouth are very different than largemouth, the bronze color along with the vertical bars make them look awesome as well as different from their green cousins.

Smallies!

And the spotted bass are by far the prettiest fish of the three.

I don't know about that. A lit up smallmouth with good tiger stripes is about as pretty as they get IMO. Spots are certainly good looking fish too though. 

That second fish is beautiful