with my latest post in My outings of what I think is a mean mouth I've been doing alot of research.

I found this link that has bass spicies on it.  The thing I can not find is pictures of differences.  I can find the pics of telling large, spots, and smallies apart but nothing with a mean mouth.  So I'm asking for some help.

I have found this

http://lakework.com/photo_gallery/gallery2/v/fish_species/Bass/?g2_page=2

Meanmouth

Smalljaw:

Raul

Help me out here. I am looking at both pictures and they both look like smallies with one being darker than the other. How do you tell any difference?

The marks are different.

Look at the vertical stripes, between the wide stripes there 's a thin stripe in smalljaw, in the meanmouth that verical stripe is much wider almost like the wide ones.

Look at the spots on the smalljaw 's back, it looks like a donut ( with a hole in the center ) in the meanmouth the spots don 't have that "hole".

Thanks! I will be looking at all my smallies closer now.

Raul,  

I found that pic too but also this one

http://lakework.com/photo_gallery/gallery2/v/fish_species/Bass/MeanmouthBassHybridSMBxSPBcrossNorrisNegus_jpg.jpg.html

which looks exactly like the fish I caught.  I'm still reasearching mean mouths but there isnt much info on them.

Look at the tail in Rauls 1st pic, reminds me of putting a ninja engine in a moped.

So where are they stocking these fish? Is this a state project? Are they warm water tolerant? What size do they grow to? Do they need high oxygen saturation? Are they hardy? Finally has anyone caught them with regularity?

Peter

The first time i noticed the Mean Mouth in the early '90s I was fishing a Tournament in an East Kentucky Mountian Lake named Paintsville Lake.  It was stocked with Large Mouth, Small Mouth, and Kentucky Spotted Bass.  The Spotted Bass cross bred with the Large Mouth and the Smallmouth.  As a result both offspring had a tounge patch of teeth.  I caught some fish that I thought were Smallies but had the tounge patch.  I noticed that the fight harder than a normal Smallie.  I also caught some of the Large Mouth with the patch and the fight was harder than a normal Large Mouth but not equal to a Spot or Smallie of the same size.  I don't think they had been named Meanmouth at the time.

Kelley

So where are they stocking these fish? Is this a state project? Are they warm water tolerant? What size do they grow to? Do they need high oxygen saturation? Are they hardy? Finally has anyone caught them with regularity?

Peter

Cant really answer that,  I cant find hardly any information on these hybrids at all.  The lake I caught it out of has all 3 bass in it.  Its the only place that I've believed to catch one.  I believe that is the same fish my buddy caught friday night.   Same location within 100ft, same coloring, similiar size.  I do really believe this is a meanmouth.  I'm pretty proficient in telling the difference between smallies, largies, and ky's.  It didnt fit any of them.

Also no its not a state project that I've heard of.  Couldnt even find anything on MDC about it.  I believe just a natural phenomenon.

from what i understand, the only way to get a 100% accurate answer is to get genetic proof from a lab.

Well do these hybrids occur naturally? And do they produce viable offspring? Has anyone ever heard of these things producing naturally or is this like a hybrid stripe?

Peter

It's my understanding that they only occur naturally and are VERY rare. I doubt they are able to reproduce.

I always thought a mean mouth was a guy from New Jersey who thinks he's Tony Soprano.

I believe the meanmouth was first developed in the state of Illinois in the mid to late 80's.