2 different fish, same stocked 2 acre pond, likely same age fish judging by size. Why does one have such a defined lateral line and the other doesn’t???

 

 

 

 

Lateral line may not be the right term, I mean the side markings

Thats not the lateral line , its just blotches .

The lateral isn't coloration it's a line of pore scales that all bass have. Both the bass in the photo show a distinct lateral line that start about 25% down from the dorsal fin even with the eye and ends up at the center of the base of the tail. It looks like a thin darker line very visible in the photos.

Each lateral line scale has a hole in it with a nerve exposed to pick up vibrations in the water.

Tom

I’m referring to the side markings. Why so distinct on some fish and not others?

Why do some people have blue eyes and others have brown?

 

Just genetics.  If you wanted to theorize, the more distinct coloration may be from strains of bass who live shallow and use it to break up their profile.  The lighter coloration from bass who are more open water where darker spots would make them stand out.

 

I am only guessing, so dont take it as gospel

The same reason I don't look like Brad Pitt. Every individual is different

Because bass can change color.  Somewhat.  Ever caught a deep bass and it's got dark markings and then caught a shallow bass and it's almost silver?  I've caught bass that have changed color in the livewell.  They'll also change color depending on what they are eating and if it's spawning time.  So........There's a lot of variables that go into the color.  

Title is about lateral line. As noted coloration varies depending on water clarity, depth of light, water chemistry and stress levels. the 2 bass in the photos attached appear to be caught from the same body of water their coloration is very similar except the darker markings typical of LMB. I would attribute the difference between the 2 bass as stress levels or cover affecting depth of light for the differences.

If you put both bass in the same livewell for a few hours they will look the same.

Tom

On 5/6/2019 at 8:17 AM, TOXIC said:

Because bass can change color.  Somewhat.  Ever caught a deep bass and it's got dark markings and then caught a shallow bass and it's almost silver?  I've caught bass that have changed color in the livewell.  They'll also change color depending on what they are eating and if it's spawning time.  So........There's a lot of variables that go into the color.  

Absolutely true.

If a bass is exposed to sun and is up shallow especially if they are around grass they will be a dark green almost black color with a defined black longitudal line. If the water is muddy or bass are deep they will mostly look silver or light colored with minimal countershading. The sun is what causes thier pigments to expand and look darker. On the contrary they contract with lowlight. They blend into thier surroundings to survive as fry and hunt efficiently as mature adults. 

On 5/5/2019 at 7:44 PM, wasabi_VA said:

2 different fish, same stocked 2 acre pond, likely same age fish judging by size. Why does one have such a defined lateral line and the other doesn’t???

 

 

 

 

Lateral line may not be the right term, I mean the side markings

They both have very defined lateral lines, the THIN dark line starting about 1/4 down the body, almost even to the eye. The side blotches are often determined by where the fish lives ( shallow, deep, shallow in grass, shallow under thick slop ). Hope that helps!

Chuck Darwin.

 

Natural variation occurs among the individuals of any population of organisms

There is this one pond I go to and the water is alway a tanic color, and the bass I catch out of there are always a bronze color similar to a small mouth. Another lake that gets a really bad algae bloom, the bass I catch out of there at that time are always pale. Another lake around the same time all the bass I catch out of there have your typical LMB green and dark markings along there sides. This is usually at summer time. Pretty sure if I go out now they'll all be pretty pasty.