The Dot

[Fried Lemons]

Do you guys think there is anything special about dots on bass? Not black splotches but a small singular dot resembling a mole. I know some who believe they are some kind of genetic marker because a lot of big fish seem to have an identifying dot, Dottie being the most famous one. I also know of a nearby lake record which was caught a few times in the last two years which also had a dot on the chin. Here’s a small one I caught recently for example.

 

[PondProwler9000]

Gang tats, maybe?

[N Florida Mike]

Ive caught a couple fish that had a weird looking spot on the gill flap. It was circular, and solid green, and had a different texture than the rest of the flap. Kind of like a moss growing on the flap…

[Bluebasser86]

Not sure if there's anything special about it, but it's always very noticeable for some reason. I caught my "Dottie", several years ago on a Shine Glide in January.

[garroyo130]

I believe that trophy bass hunter Bill Murphy mentioned something about most of the largest bass all sharing spots as a feature. I may be mistaken though. 

[Pat Brown]

I doubt there is any correlation between size and having or not having these spots.

 

Texas is doing one of the most comprehensive studies on large bass ever through their Sharelunker program and they are dealing with a HUGE sample of the largest bass caught every year and from what I can see - bass with no spots that get giant are plenty common/ probably the norm.

 

I'd wager the spot is just an abnormality like a freckle or scar or something that can help identify a fish but is not inherited or associated with size.