Fish Id

Only thing I'm sure of is ... Fried with hush puppies and coleslaw it would make a great meal!

They are quite rare. I don't plan on ever keeping another one that we catch.
I think that due to spots, largemouth, and shoal bass the Oconee River from below Sinclair and down is the only place you're likely to catch a pure one. I'd think they are getting to be extremely rare in the Ocmulgee and don't hear much about them from down in the Altamaha. Maybe they prefer the conditions around the fall line area? I'm sure Shoal Bandit can correct me on all this.

I can't believe the "Redhorse Sucker" has gotten so much attention and protection on the Oconee River and not this fine little bass species.

The Altamaha Bass is one of, if not the rarest species of black bass. There's a few 'catchable' populations left but the distribution of this fish is extremely limited. Altamaha Bass have not been described by science (yet) but UGA biologists are working on a species description. For now they are informally recognized as a separate species.

The current regulations were made when all upland species of black bass were considered 'redeye bass' so Altamaha Bass are not protected. The limit is 10 per day, no size limit. That will most likely change at some point in the future so for now it's up to the individual to do what they think is right.

BTW these are true Redeye Bass which are only native to the Coosa River drainage:

61BelAir said:

They are quite rare. I don't plan on ever keeping another one that we catch.
I think that due to spots, largemouth, and shoal bass the Oconee River from below Sinclair and down is the only place you're likely to catch a pure one.

Click to expand...

I believe the purest will be on the upper Oconee River. Whatever flows out of lake Oconee and Sinclair is likely to mix downstream.

That is a beautiful fish.