I havent fished for awhile. weekend before Thanksgiving was my last trip out.  holidays demanded my attention at work and home.  

 

this past weekend, I took a chance and roadtripped to Shasta Lake.  Solo.  I booked a very very lackluster hotel room so I could fish Sunday as well.   I have hooked Spotted bass before, but I really paid attention this time.  the toothy mouths, the great colors, and the fight..that spunkiness.  my first bite I thought it was a "good one!".  nope..13" fish.  they all fight like crazy fish.  you pull them from the water and they flare gills, and get rigid and curve their bodies.  if one falls into the bottom of my kayak, it is like trying to catch a greased chicken.

 

I got into the numbers, but no biggies..I want one now.  

Did you throw any 5” paddle tail swim baits? We’re getting 3-5# fish on them

The OP lives in NorCal with world class Spotted Bass fishing. 
Hollow body swimbaits were created by Bruce at Basstrix with his paddle tail.

The closest Spot lake to the OP is Berryessa and not far from Bullards Bar.

Tom

10 hours ago, WRB said:

The OP lives in NorCal with world class Spotted Bass fishing. 
Hollow body swimbaits were created by Bruce at Basstrix with his paddle tail.

The closest Spot lake to the OP is Berryessa and not far from Bullards Bar.

Tom

Lake Berryessa? Are you the Zodiac?

I’ve fished for spots in their native range on the Alabama River/mobile basin for 25 yrs every summer, they are as mean as they come. When they grab a buzzbait in water willow, it makes you wish you were connected to the vessel for safety purposes 

I love catching spots, but they don't get very big here. Our state record is 4.44, and it's stood for over 50 years. I've never seen a picture of it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was actually a largemouth, since spotted bass were first found in Kansas just 10 years before that record was caught, they weren't in very many lakes here (still aren't), and the first ones would have just been reaching full potential at that point. I've had a couple that were getting close to the state record. My biggest one just nibbled a buzzbait like one of the hundreds of sunfish had done that morning, almost didn't even lean on it. 

I would also like to catch a big spot.  Table Rock lake has tens of thousands of them, however, the size rarely exceeds 3#.  Our state record is 7#.   I have never even had a 4# spot.

I’ve caught 3&1/2 or 4 lbs Kentucky strain but the coosa strain get up close to 7 lbs here. I believe the coosa strain (now reclassified as Alabama bass) is what exists in Northern California and reaches over 10 lbs. 

 

fun fact: when I type the decimal form of 3 and a half, the website makes it all asterisks 

3 hours ago, Jig Man said:

I would also like to catch a big spot.  Table Rock lake has tens of thousands of them, however, the size rarely exceeds 3#.  Our state record is 7#.   I have never even had a 4# spot.

I've had one I'm sure would have been over 4 . I it was on a shaky head the first week in April 6 or 7 years ago. A gravel flat up by Baxter. My buddy and I took pictures of it and I had planned on getting a replica. But I never have.

 

At one time there were 3 Spotted Bass species; Northern/Kentucky, Southern/Alabama and Kansas/Wichita now extinct. 
California stocked Northern Spotted Bass in 1939 at Friant dam/Lake Millerton central CA.

Southern Spotted Bass introduced on lake Perris 1974, SoCal. Perris produced  the 1st CA world record Spot 9 lbs 5 oz. The Spots have vanished at Perris.

Current world record is 11 lbs 5 oz from Bullards Bar, 2015.

Pine Flat, Don Pedro and New Melonie’s produced record Spots.

Tom

 

we got a bunch in the lakes I'm at but none that have proven very big. Id say the biggest I've caught has been 2.5, maybe creeping up on 3. They fight good and hit hard so they are fun to catch, especially when you get a school of them wound up.

Our state record is just shy of 6.5lbs. 

It’s a good looking fish for sure.  My acquaintance is hammering them at Oroville but that’s yet another 3.5 hour drive.  Grrr. 
 

 

My pb Alabama is 4-12 but I lipped a 6-2 for my partner years ago, caught on a jerkbait.  Mine was caught on a blue and chrome Sammy.  

1 hour ago, Darth-Baiter said:

It’s a good looking fish for sure.  My acquaintance is hammering them at Oroville but that’s yet another 3.5 hour drive.  Grrr. 
 

 

But that pic is a largemouth…….

Classic Spotted Bass.

Tom

🤦🏻. Been here before…….

On 1/7/2025 at 12:31 PM, WRB said:

At one time there were 3 Spotted Bass species; Northern/Kentucky, Southern/Alabama and Kansas/Wichita now extinct. 
California stocked Northern Spotted Bass in 1939 at Friant dam/Lake Millerton central CA.

Southern Spotted Bass introduced on lake Perris 1974, SoCal. Perris produced  the 1st CA world record Spot 9 lbs 5 oz. The Spots have vanished at Perris.

Current world record is 11 lbs 5 oz from Bullards Bar, 2015.

Pine Flat, Don Pedro and New Melonie’s produced record Spots.

Tom

 

And every Alabama Bass in California today can trace its lineage to the original fish that were taken from Smith Lake north of Birmingham, AL.