Shoal bass
Encyclopedia
The shoal bass is a species
of freshwater
fish
in the sunfish family
(Centrarchidae
) of order
Perciformes
. One of the black bass
es, it is native to subtropical waters in Florida
and Georgia
. It is also found in Alabama
. Of typical size for a black bass, M. cataractae reaches a maximum recorded length of 61 cm (24 in) and a maximum published weight of 8 pounds and 12 ounces.
Only described for the first time in 1999, the shoal bass remains poorly understood by ichthyologists. The shoal bass is often confused with the redeye bass
, due to its red-tinted eyes.
The red color of eyes associates this species with the redeye and Suwannee bass
at first glance. However, it is more closely related to the spotted bass morphologically. Shoal bass generally are olive green to nearly black along the back. A dusky dark blotch about 50-67 percent of the size of the eye occurs on the back edge of the gill cover. Three diagonal black lines radiate along the side of the head looking like war paint. 10-15 vertical blotches appear along the sides with tiger-stripes often appearing in between.
The belly is creamy or white and wavy lines may appear slightly above the white belly on the sides. The dorsal, caudal and anal fins are dark olive green to grayish black. Pelvic fins may have a cream colored leading edge with dark spots.
The shoal bass has scales
on the base portion of the soft-rayed dorsal fins, clearly connected first and second dorsal fin
s, and an upper jaw bone that does not extend beyond the eyes.
Subspecies - No known subspecies. Until October 1999 this species was considered to have been a subspecies of the redeye bass.
Shoal bass are now a species of special concern.
s where shoals exists. It is also known in the Chattahoochee and Flint river drainages. Shoal bass are closely associated with rock shoals and are uncommon in other habitat
s.
and fry.
Eating Quality - The shoal bass has white, flaky meat and tends to be drier than that of a largemouth.
World Record - 8 pounds, 12 ounces. The fish was caught on October 23, 1977, in the Apalachicola River, Florida. This bass was a shoal bass, but originally reported as the Apalachicola form of redeye bass.
Shoal bass are also popular targets for fly fishers
, who find them easy to access in their preferred river environments. The practice of fly fishing
for shoal bass is becoming more widespread.
The shoal bass fights harder than its cousin the largemouth bass and has more stamina. They prefer moderate to heavy current and will take crawdad patterns with gusto.
Mark Carter caught a really nice shoal bass on the Chattahoochee River on August 19, 2011.
However; this catch was dwarfed by Mike Powers' 5 pound, 5 ounce Shoaly. Caught on the Flint River near Manchester, Georgia.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
in the sunfish family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
(Centrarchidae
Centrarchidae
The sunfishes are a family of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the order Perciformes. The type genus is Centrarchus . The family's 27 species includes many fishes familiar to North Americans, including the rock bass, largemouth bass, bluegill, pumpkinseed, and crappies...
) of order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
Perciformes
Perciformes
The Perciformes, also called the Percomorphi or Acanthopteri, is one of the largest orders of vertebrates, containing about 40% of all bony fish. Perciformes means perch-like. They belong to the class of ray-finned fish and comprise over 7,000 species found in almost all aquatic environments...
. One of the black bass
Black bass
Micropterus , is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is M. dolomieu, the smallmouth bass...
es, it is native to subtropical waters in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. It is also found in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. Of typical size for a black bass, M. cataractae reaches a maximum recorded length of 61 cm (24 in) and a maximum published weight of 8 pounds and 12 ounces.
Only described for the first time in 1999, the shoal bass remains poorly understood by ichthyologists. The shoal bass is often confused with the redeye bass
Redeye bass
The Redeye bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. One of the black basses, it is native to only a few rivers in western South Carolina, southwestern North Carolina, northern middle and eastern Tennessee, southwestern Virginia, and portions of Georgia,...
, due to its red-tinted eyes.
Description
Until October 1999, this species was variously considered to be a redeye bass or subspecies of the redeye bass. James Williams and George Burgess published the official description of the new species in Volume 42, No. 2 of the "Bulletin of the Florida Museum of Natural History," which was printed on October 8, 1999.The red color of eyes associates this species with the redeye and Suwannee bass
Suwannee bass
The Suwannee bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. One of the black basses, it is native only to the Suwannee and Ochlockonee River drainages in Florida and Georgia....
at first glance. However, it is more closely related to the spotted bass morphologically. Shoal bass generally are olive green to nearly black along the back. A dusky dark blotch about 50-67 percent of the size of the eye occurs on the back edge of the gill cover. Three diagonal black lines radiate along the side of the head looking like war paint. 10-15 vertical blotches appear along the sides with tiger-stripes often appearing in between.
The belly is creamy or white and wavy lines may appear slightly above the white belly on the sides. The dorsal, caudal and anal fins are dark olive green to grayish black. Pelvic fins may have a cream colored leading edge with dark spots.
The shoal bass has scales
Scale (zoology)
In most biological nomenclature, a scale is a small rigid plate that grows out of an animal's skin to provide protection. In lepidopteran species, scales are plates on the surface of the insect wing, and provide coloration...
on the base portion of the soft-rayed dorsal fins, clearly connected first and second dorsal fin
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
s, and an upper jaw bone that does not extend beyond the eyes.
Subspecies - No known subspecies. Until October 1999 this species was considered to have been a subspecies of the redeye bass.
Shoal bass are now a species of special concern.
Range and Habitat
The shoal bass is common in the Apalachicola and Chipola RiverChipola River
The Chipola River is a tributary of the Apalachicola River in Florida. The river crosses Jackson, Calhoun and Gulf counties. The river flows into the Dead Lakes State Recreation Area just before reaching the Apalachicola. The Dead Lakes were formed when the Apalachicola deposited sand bars...
s where shoals exists. It is also known in the Chattahoochee and Flint river drainages. Shoal bass are closely associated with rock shoals and are uncommon in other habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
s.
Spawning Habits
Shoal bass spawn in coarse gravel at the heads of creek pools in April and May, to early June. Prefer spawning temperature of 64 to 73 degrees. Like the largemouth, the male prepares the nest and guards the eggsEgg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
and fry.
Feeding Habits and growth
Shoal bass feed mainly on aquatic insects on the surface. They also feed on larval insects, crayfish and fish. Shoal bass grow much faster than redeye bass.Sporting Quality
A good game fish and a scrappy fighter that can be fun to catch. They can be caught on worms, minnows, or crayfish as well as small spinners and a wide variety of small surface lures. Some have been known to reach more than eight pounds. As a sport fish, specific bag and size limit regulations apply, and you can register a qualifying catch as part of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's "Big Catch" program.Eating Quality - The shoal bass has white, flaky meat and tends to be drier than that of a largemouth.
World Record - 8 pounds, 12 ounces. The fish was caught on October 23, 1977, in the Apalachicola River, Florida. This bass was a shoal bass, but originally reported as the Apalachicola form of redeye bass.
Shoal bass are also popular targets for fly fishers
Fly fishing
Fly fishing is an angling method in which an artificial 'fly' is used to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. Casting a nearly weightless fly or 'lure' requires casting techniques significantly different from other forms of casting...
, who find them easy to access in their preferred river environments. The practice of fly fishing
Fly fishing
Fly fishing is an angling method in which an artificial 'fly' is used to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. Casting a nearly weightless fly or 'lure' requires casting techniques significantly different from other forms of casting...
for shoal bass is becoming more widespread.
The shoal bass fights harder than its cousin the largemouth bass and has more stamina. They prefer moderate to heavy current and will take crawdad patterns with gusto.
Mark Carter caught a really nice shoal bass on the Chattahoochee River on August 19, 2011.
However; this catch was dwarfed by Mike Powers' 5 pound, 5 ounce Shoaly. Caught on the Flint River near Manchester, Georgia.