Largemouth vs Smallmouth Bass

When fishing for Largemouth or Smallmouth Bass the techniques and baits are the same, however the area to focus on in the lake will vary.

The Differences Between The Largemouth & Smallmouth

The most distinctive characteristic is the mouth/jaw. With the mouth of the Bass closed the largemouth’s jaw will extend beyond the eyes where the Smallmouth’s jaw stops approximately at the eye midpoint. Then there is the coloration; the black-bass or largemouth will have a dark greenish back, lighter greenish sides with a black bar running from gill to tail and then transitioning from a yellowish to white bottom. The Smallmouth has a brown head with some light blue and green, the back is brown, the sides are yellowish and brown with bars running down from the dorsal fin to the belly and transitioning to a white/Ivory or silver bottom. As the Smallmouth gets to the size of 6 lbs or more the belly will be vary scared from working the rocks for crabs and have a silver color.

Bass Habitat

Largemouth will prefer the weed-lines and lily pads with their main source of food being fish prey and then crabs. Where the Smallmouth will be in your rocky bottom areas and chasing crabs.

The Smallmouth Bass

The color of this fish will vary and in some cases you will not notice the vertical bars. Fish colors depend on the water clarity, temperatures, and food sources.

The Largemouth Bass

The color of this fish remains very consistent throughout the US.

Side By Side Comparisons

Here I have the two fish side by side so you can see the jaw and color differences. The second picture also has a Walleye as the top fish. The video will be much easier to see.