Gray Bass

[Troublehook]

I have been wanting to ask this for a while. Has anyone heard of a largemouth bass having a gray back instead of green? I caught one a couple of weeks ago, and I am 100% positive it was a LMB, and 100% positive it was gray(No green on his body anywhere.) Did I catch a worlds first? It looked pretty healthy, so I don't think it was sick.

[Tippman]

I bet you didn't get a picture did you?

[prov1900]

I have seen them in all kinds of colors, depending on the water clarity. Have you ever seen pics of an albino walleye? Or albino pike? Maybe something like that going on in your fish?

[polarsusd81]

I have caught bass that seemed gray from a couple different bodies of water. I have caught them in really muddy water in the winter in Arkansas and I have also caught them in super clear water of a gravel pit in late fall in Minnesota. From what I have seen, it may have to do with the water turning colder, and the only reason I say that is because all that I have caught were taken from cold water, 45 degrees or less. I don't have any other evidence to back that up though.

Tom

[Deitz Dittrich]

A bass caught out of stained water that has been deep will often be quite white or grey in color.

[stmichael]

OLD AGE??

[TurnUpTheFishing]

Does anyone know why this is color change occurs? Is it the sun? Just like people who stay out of the sun they get pale? It seems like alot the fish I catch in the shallow slop and really dark green, black and yellowish color, while the deep fish on the same lake are really pale.

[Wayne Ek]

Deitz I thought that we decided that a "gray" bass was any bass caught by someone who qualifies for AARP. All my bass are gray. Wow Deitz... that could be the title to your next song " Winters on the way, All my bass are gray" What do you think buddy

[Deitz Dittrich]

Totally Agape.. Love it!!!

Turn- fish use their color to help camoflauge themselves... I have had fish even change color in the livewell all day. Smallmouth are expecially good at this. Often times they change color while you are reeling them in even!

[musky hunter]

I caught a couple of smallmouth this summer during the heavy spring runoff of the St. Louis River. They looked almost albino. Apparently their coloration is highly dependent on ambient light penetrating enough to influence their colors. After the water receded I never caught another albino colored bass. Can't say if the largemouth you caught is influenced similarly or not, but gray isn't too far off white. Is the lake getting muddy during turnover?

[Troublehook]

Yep I got A picture. I even have him at home now. I was fishing for aquarium fish (which I found was legal for kids my age), and thats when I caught him. I just left that part out earlyer.

[Troublehook]

I am surprized by the amount of people who have seen discolored bass. Thanks for the info everyone.

[Tn hillbilly]

I relocated here from Tennessee in April; I had only seen gray bass that I caught in the waters in the South. After landing my first "green" bass in Tonka - I had to inspect it to see why it had turned green.

I supppose it depends on the waters from which they come; the southern waters I fished didn't have any grass, weeds, etc., just rocks, stumps, and wood cover.

The states of TN and NC also do not have a "bass season" and the fishing is great.

TN Hillbilly

[TurnUpTheFishing]

Troublehook, that is one neat looking bass. I think it is different than what many of us may have commented on (well at least in my case). The bass Ive seen have a been very dull color, your fish looks somewhat silver (no green) but still has a very prominent lateral line/spots.

[Troublehook]

Yeah, though the starnge thing is today he looked very dull like you are explaining. I hope he isn't sick. Maybe he changed colors like some of you have explained, or I suppose it could be a difference in lighting. Anyways, your right, he is a cool bass, and its fun to watch him eat the crappie minnows that I feed him.

[DEADhead]

the sunfish in my tank change colors all the time depending on how much light gets into the tank. As long as you keep giving that bass plenty of fresh clean water, you should do ok.

[Troublehook]

Ok good to know. He has his darker shades back. I think it was the lighting.

[MN-FishGuy]

Many organisms can change color to adapt to their surroundings. So it basically depends on their habitat (if its a very weedy lake or mainly mud or gravel). They do this for survival (natural selection), if they blend in with their surroundings they are more likely to avoid predation and become a better predator, they can sneak up on prey or prey might not even notice them. This is why some bass you see are really green and have great colors, and some are duller looking and not as bright. This is more than likely why your bass was the color that it was.