Bass With Red Eyes.

[CMorg]

A guy I worked with today showed me this rather small creek , but deep ( acording to him ) anyway he said he took his kids there to fish for bluegill , and he had a pole with him that had a topwater lure on it. He threw it out without thinking he would catch something. He claims that he was catching bass with red eyes in the 2 - 3 lb. range , and they were smashing topwater lures. I am going to guess that would be a spotted bass maybe ? Anyway , Im gonna fish that creek once the weather warms up a bit... any advice ? It has some decent current...

[skeeter944]

I think that they would be either spotted bass or maybe redeye bass. If you do catch one,take some pics,and feel the tongue to see if it has a tongue patch,if it does,it is definitly a spot.

[flbassman]

I'm thinking that one of their bass buddies managed to secure a keg, and they all had a nice little post-game Colts party...

I honestly have no idea. Around here, we have some red-eyed subspecies, but I thought that was only a florida thing...

[Super Fluke]

Mayby it's a smally

[adamchasejones]

We call those rock bass or "red-eyes" in ky. But they normally dont hit topwater. Smallies maybe??

[adamchasejones]

But Not Way 2-3lb!!!!!!!!!!!

[Super Fluke]

Originally Posted by adamchasejones

But Not Way 2-3lb!!!!!!!!!!!

About what the smallies???????

[flamez]

i caught a bass with redeyes off a rockpoint years ago down here havnt seen anymore

[Rodman_Rob]

Originally Posted by flbassman

I'm thinking that one of their bass buddies managed to secure a keg, and they all had a nice little post-game Colts party...

I honestly have no idea. Around here, we have some red-eyed subspecies, but I thought that was only a florida thing...

lol, I was gonna say demon bass but after seeing his location, I think you're probably right.

spotted bass have red eyes.

[WTL]

Redeye Bass (Micropterus coosae) do not live in southern Indiana. Their range includes Alabama, Georgia, Tinursea and South Carolina. The most obvious and distinct feature is actually white along the bottom of the tail fins, it is very noticable.

[HOG Ranger]

In the Northern IL and Southern Wisconsin it is very common to catch Rock Bass that have red eyes. They can get in the 2 to 3 pound range depending on the lake or pond.

[mymomisbecky]

but for someone who doesnt know what a rock bass is, he likely wouldnt think it was a bass. they look more like a wider panfish than a full fledged bass.
Depends on the water clarity , turbidity etc, smallies can definately have red eyes, ive caught many many of them.
my guess is they were smallies

[pig n jig]

Our smallmouth bass have red, or orange colored eyes alot of times.I don't know why and everyone I have asked doesn't either ? P N J

[mymomisbecky]

they adapt their eyes to their conditions... in darker stained waters they generally are not red, or colored., when you get to rocky bottom streams, that generally have clear water, they are more likely to be red. it has to have something to do with water clarity i think. its consistent whereever I see smallies

[jooleyen]

Hog ranger beat me to it. I live in wisconsin, and if you throw some live bait out in the fox river or pretty much any lake, you'll catch some nice rock bass. They have red eyes.

[Bassinkid]

those are rock bass. its what i have in michigan. we get 2-3 lb one but those are the big ones.

[CMorg]

The size of the fish could be wrong...alot of people stretch the truth. I do believe he knows what a bass is , so I am sure it was a bass. I asked if he was sure it wasnt brown , thinking maybe smallmouth , but he said no , it was like a largemouth bass. I am not sure what they are , but I am going to go there once the 9" of ice melts off our waterways.....

[CMorg]

Yeah , I think its prolly a spotted bass.
http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/fish/fishng/fhident.htm

[lizardsrule]

Quit pouring JD down there gullets, and there eyes will turn back to normal.lol

Lizard

[skeeter944]

rotflmao liz! we have a couple streams that are very poluted,but they are so toxic,there arent any bass or anyother creatures whatsoever.

[3dkicker]

Redeye, Warmouth, Rock Bass, Largemouth, Spot, and Smallie. Print these out and take them to your friend and have him identify which one he caught.

[WTL]

3d, I can go ahead and say it aint a redeye. Again, its too far north, their range ends 250 miles south of Indiana. They do inhabit small streams, but its a rare fish even in its range. You have to have super clean, cool water. A lot of times redeye streams only have redeye in the upper stretches and are dominated by spots in the lower stretches. The best redeye stream I know of isin the middle of the sticks and is about 10 feet wide at widest.

Any species of black bass can have redeyes. I think sometimes it indicates stress, like when they are spawning or something.

[brushhog]

caught a few smallies with reddish eyes last year. Not as red as the picture posted- maybe I have a a picture I'll look!

[Fish2win]

There is a species of Bass that is indigeunous to the mountain streams here called a red eye. They are very kin to the Kentucky spotted bass. They have blood red eyes. Here at Norris there are 2 or 3 strains of spotts that all have red eyes. We are not talking reddish we are talking blood red . That pic of that little bass with red eyes above looks very much like the red eye that are prevelent in the small creeks and rivers in the Smokey Mountain area. Fish2win

[ROBZILLA]

http://www.ncwildlife.org/pg03_Fishi.../Rock_bass.htm

HERE YOU GO WE HAVE THEM UP HERE IN CANADA AS WELL.