(An Alabama Bass)
The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries – or whatever they call themselves these days – has issued a de facto APB on a species called Alabama bass. The reason? This unique strain of black bass can potentially destroy the largemouth bass fishery in Virginia – and this is big business. Largemouth and smallmouth bass account for millions of dollars in economic terms for Virginians and Alabama bass have the potential to damage both fisheries. Alabama bass are very aggressive and can dominate largemouth, and they interbreed with smallmouth. They have almost eliminated largemouth bass in places like Lake Norman in North Carolina.
For the past several years, since my brother Charlie and his wife Marsha have been inviting us down to their lake house on Lake Norman, we noticed that the bass we caught weren’t quite the same. For one thing, they were darker fish with more distinct lateral splotches. They also fought like tigers – a 12-inch Alabama bass pulled like a 15-inch smallmouth. Alabama bass have a tendency to overpopulate and become stunted. At Lake Norman, they never seem to vary in size – usually 12 or 13 inch fish – and, they have a tooth patch on their tongues.
Virginia wants no part of these ‘Bama bass, and the Game Department is concerned that they are currently a threat in Smith Mountain Lake. If the Alabama strain takes over in Smith Mountain, there would be no more bass tournaments. Who wants to fish all day for five 13-inch bass?
Says the Game Department: “Anglers are reminded that it is illegal to stock fish into a public body of water without an authorization from DWR. Anyone with knowledge of intentional stockings of Alabama or spotted bass should contact DWR law enforcement at 800-237-5712 or WildCrime@dgif.virginia.gov.”
“Anglers who suspect they have captured an Alabama bass should take a picture of the fish, clip off a thumbnail-sized portion of one of the pelvic fins, and store the fin clip dry in an envelope. The pelvic fins are located on the bottom of the fish, just under the head. They should then either contact DWR at fisheries@dwr.virginia.gov or at 804-367-1293.”
The Alabama bass look almost exactly like a spotted bass, but since we have very few of this strain in Virginia, if you catch one it is likely an Alabama Bass. Spotted and Alabama bass have dark, spotted lateral bands, while largemouth bass do not have distinguishable lateral lines. Also, if there is a tooth patch on the tongue, it’s almost certainly an Alabama bass.
Alabama bass represent a serious threat to Virginia’s freshwater fisheries and to our economy.