So last year in the hot summer days I went to a community pond to see if it was worth fishing. It's not the main pond at the park, you have to take a secluded road to get there, but most locals know about it. I was fishing a blue back chrome lipless crank with an orange belly. I caught about half a dozen and the biggest being 3lb8oz. I fished it a couple more times, but most bass were around 2lbs, having good luck on lipless cranks. So today, around 9 months later I threw a craw crank and caught a 2.5 then a dink, and made a short throw and WHAM I set the hook and figured by the feel it was around 3.5-4. I weighed it. 3lb 9oz and snapped a picture. Then looked at the one from last year. The one today was much whiter, which all I caught today were. So do bass get whiter during colder weather? Here's the pics. It seems like it got longer but skinnier. If it is the same it only gained an ounce..? Notice the markings.

First

Today

Today

Bass will get lighter colored in stained water.

Bass will get lighter colored in stained water.

and colder water. It most likely just moved up from deep, winter haunts where it lost most of it's color. 

It's the same bass. Bass (and other fish) have unique markings that make them individually identifiable.

Coloration is altered by pigments in skin cells that are regulated through the nervous system signaled by surrounding light coming in through the eyes. This allows fish to effectively "mirror" their background and (w/wo hormones) to adjust coloration and markings for social reasons. I've seen some fully blind fish (due to cataracts) -both bass and trout- that were almost black, having no ability to see their surrounds.

 

As Jiggin' mentions, bass become paler in turbid water bc contrast is reduced in the environment around them. Similarly, winter bass are often paler bc they are apt to be away from cover, and vegetation dying back can leave bass more exposed. In fact, you can see this in the backgrounds of your photos. Bass are usually darkest, or more heavily marked in clear water with highly contrasting backgrounds.

 

Fish suspended in open water tend to be pale and often silvery. One pond I used to fish was managed as a swimming pond having virtually no vegetation and very clear water. It's largemouths were the most silvery bass I've still ever seen. They actually wore the "pelagic silver" salmonids gain in open water.

It's the same bass. Bass (and other fish) have unique markings that make them individually identifiable.

Coloration is altered by pigments in skin cells that are regulated through the nervous system signaled by surrounding light coming in through the eyes. This allows fish to effectively "mirror" their background and (w/wo hormones) to adjust coloration and markings for social reasons. I've seen some fully blind fish (due to cataracts) -both bass and trout- that were almost black, having no ability to see their surrounds.

 

As Jiggin' mentions, bass become paler in turbid water bc contrast is reduced in the environment around them. Similarly, winter bass are often paler bc they are apt to be away from cover, and vegetation dying back can leave bass more exposed. In fact, you can see this in the backgrounds of your photos. Bass are usually darkest, or more heavily marked in clear water with highly contrasting backgrounds.

 

Fish suspended in open water tend to be pale and often silvery. One pond I used to fish was managed as a swimming pond having virtually no vegetation and very clear water. It's largemouths were the most silvery bass I've still ever seen. They actually wore the "pelagic silver" salmonids gain in open water.

 

 

Thank you. That crop made it a lot easier to look at the markings. lol and thats awesome to me. Hopefully she puts on some weight now. Its crazy how she got longer and the mouth got bigger. Thanks for the info

I have caught the same bass twice in the same day.  In the Everglades, on L67 at one of the big cuts, I hooked a bass on a zoom fluke.  Shortly after setting the hook the line broke at the knot.  Several hours later I passed threw the same area, and caught the same bass on the opposite side of the big canal.  It still had my Zoom watermelon red fluke and Gama #3 hook hanging from its lip.  I went and bought lotto tickets on the way home.

Yes, during the winter the bass go deeper out of the sunlight and get a silver tint.

 

It is also possible to recatch the same bass a few times.

 

When this happens you name the bass and become personal friends.

Nice coloration.

I love the black and blue color!

Sally it is.

I have caught the same bass twice in the same day.  In the Everglades, on L67 at one of the big cuts, I hooked a bass on a zoom fluke.  Shortly after setting the hook the line broke at the knot.  Several hours later I passed threw the same area, and caught the same bass on the opposite side of the big canal.  It still had my Zoom watermelon red fluke and Gama #3 hook hanging from its lip.  I went and bought lotto tickets on the way home.

I did this with a pickerel. One cast to the pads, strike and then my floor carbon leader was cut in half. Two casts later catch a nice toothy critter, and while he is flopping around in the boat it spits out the hook, the worm, and 1 ft of my Bass Pro Shops XPS fluorocarbon leader.  Glad I got my tackle back