3. Location
While sometimes mingling in the same waters, bass prefers vastly different habitats from one another. If you don’t want to be inconvenienced by looking at what traits you catch to know what they are, you can just know what habits the bass prefers to guess what you’re going to catch. For example, the spotted bass doesn’t generally appear in natural waters but is commonly found in slow-flowing streams. While at the same time, they also avoid ponds and lakes. These types of bass prefer clear water that doesn’t have much vegetation or mud.
Meanwhile, the largemouth bass acts the opposite, making its habitat on murkier waters. However, largemouth and spotted bass are often found in the same area, so if you find either one, chances are the other is also around. They are found all over the states, but there are specific differences to consider. These bass don’t like cold waters, and they’ll always stick near vegetation or structural landmarks. Because of this, they are mostly found on runoffs, which are great areas to try and catch them.
4. Lifespan
A significant difference between the two bass species is their lifespans. The largemouth bass has a lifespan of about 16 years, while the spotted bass, in comparison, only has six years to live. These differences affect their behaviors, which are most noticeable when being hooked.
5. Behavior
While both come from the same family, they react very differently when being reeled in. This is a good indicator to know what kind of bass you’ve hooked as you’re pulling the line. The spotted bass is shown to dive further in the deeper parts of the water when hooked in a fishing line, which is a behavioral trait they share with smallmouth bass. The spotted bass isn’t big. They only get as large as 10 pounds, so catching one once you’ve hooked them shouldn’t be much of an issue.
The largemouth bass acts the complete opposite when being reeled in from a fishing line; it instead jumps over the water and will consistently do so in an attempt to break free. You can also observe that due to being bigger, largemouth bass aren’t afraid of swimming alone, while you’ll find spotted bass moving with schools of its kind at any time it can.
Both types of bass are equally highly regarded and are great tests for your skills as an angler. You’ll often find yourself catching both in the same fishing trip because they appear in tandem with one another, and with your newfound knowledge, you’ll know which one you’ve caught.
