Thee Invasive Alabama Bass

Red_Alert

Red_Alert

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Are they worth the hysterics?

I spent about 10 minutes on due diligence and I'm not seeing it. It's a native North American fish. It's not like an Asian Carp or other aquatic, animal, bird, or insect species brought here from overseas.

I've no problem with NC making it a 'No limitations to keep' rule on them, but how many amateur recreational fishers are gonna be able to tell the difference between the Alabama Bass and a Spotted Bass? Or any other bass for that matter, as those other bass species do have number and size restrictions?

Bass are an aggressive species. I have crappie, yellow perch, and bluegill in my pond. I also stocked largemouth bass in there to control those other species because crappie will for sure overrun a pond and stunt their growth without having a predator.
Bass is not a great eating fish, but I do let people keep them if they want. I have the keepers slotted for proper control of them.

They didn't make a case that it was affecting other bass species, Just that it was spreading. To add to that, the other NC bass species are likely to be equally aggressive and would keep the Alabama Bass under control, no?


 
Red_Alert said:
Are they worth the hysterics?

I spent about 10 minutes on due diligence and I'm not seeing it. It's a native North American fish. It's not like an Asian Carp or other aquatic, animal, bird, or insect species brought here from overseas.

I've no problem with NC making it a 'No limitations to keep' rule on them, but how many amateur recreational fishers are gonna be able to tell the difference between the Alabama Bass and a Spotted Bass? Or any other bass for that matter, as those other bass species do have number and size restrictions?

Bass are an aggressive species. I have crappie, yellow perch, and bluegill in my pond. I also stocked largemouth bass in there to control those other species because crappie will for sure overrun a pond and stunt their growth without having a predator.
Bass is not a great eating fish, but I do let people keep them if they want. I have the keepers slotted for proper control of them.

They didn't make a case that it was affecting other bass species, Just that it was spreading. To add to that, the other NC bass species are likely to be equally aggressive and would keep the Alabama Bass under control, no?


Click to expand...
Ok, so I spent the last 5 minutes googling these things. And I still can't quite figure out the main different between an Alabama bass and a spotted bass (which is native); other than genetically there are enough differences to call them a different species? I'm not sure what the main concern is or truly how you're supposed to catch one and differentiate it from a spotted bass.
ID-AB-WEB.jpg

ID-SPBFORWEB.jpg


Like....WTF is anyone supposed to do here? This is the actual NC government website too:
 
MAIZEandBLUE09 said:
Ok, so I spent the last 5 minutes googling these things. And I still can't quite figure out the main different between an Alabama bass and a spotted bass (which is native); other than genetically there are enough differences to call them a different species? I'm not sure what the main concern is or truly how you're supposed to catch one and differentiate it from a spotted bass.
ID-AB-WEB.jpg

ID-SPBFORWEB.jpg


Like....WTF is anyone supposed to do here? This is the actual NC government website too:
Click to expand...

Just the horizontal band in front of the tail. How much time do you want to spend staring at a fish to determine whether to throw it back?

"HeY Fred, iS tHaT a SpLoTcHy HoRiZoNtaL bAnD? WeLL i'M NoT SuRe"

Calling it 'Invasive' is a stretch. 'Dominant' maybe.

Their own website says this......
"True Spotted Bass are native to the mountain drainages of southwestern North Carolina and have been introduced into the Cape Fear River basin, W. Kerr Scott Reservoir, and the Yadkin River above High Rock Lake."

Well didn't you idiots just make the Spotted Bass "invasive" in those other waterways? :headscratch:
 
Red_Alert said:
Just the horizontal band in front of the tail. How much time do you want to spend staring at a fish to determine whether to throw it back?

"HeY Fred, iS tHaT a SpLoTcHy HoRiZoNtaL bAnD? WeLL i'M NoT SuRe"

Calling it 'Invasive' is a stretch. 'Dominant' maybe.

Their own website says this......
"True Spotted Bass are native to the mountain drainages of southwestern North Carolina and have been introduced into the Cape Fear River basin, W. Kerr Scott Reservoir, and the Yadkin River above High Rock Lake."

Well didn't you idiots just make the Spotted Bass "invasive" in those other waterways? :headscratch:
Click to expand...
I lived in NC for two years and we fished on the Cape Fear River and caught what they call Strippers but it was mandatory catch and release but if you took photos and sent them measurements they would send you a certificate.

The NC guys would get super excited when we caught one and didn’t have the heart to tell them it’s just a large mouth bass and they were always skinny.

In Alabama we put kids on ponds with crickets to catch small brim then they would hook the brim by the tail with a tribble hook and put them back out alive attached to a bobber. If you timed it right when the bass where feeding it wouldn’t take long and they would nail anywhere to a lb to 3 lb large mouth.

Those NC guys would spend hours trying to hook one and I never understood why but the beer was cold and we were on the water.
 
MAIZEandBLUE09 said:
Ok, so I spent the last 5 minutes googling these things. And I still can't quite figure out the main different between an Alabama bass and a spotted bass (which is native); other than genetically there are enough differences to call them a different species? I'm not sure what the main concern is or truly how you're supposed to catch one and differentiate it from a spotted bass.
ID-AB-WEB.jpg

ID-SPBFORWEB.jpg


Like....WTF is anyone supposed to do here? This is the actual NC government website too:
Click to expand...


Aabama Bass are larger, have less of a tail fin fork and the eyes are smaller and less prominent
 
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