Lake Ouachita Bass Identification

The Bass of Lake Ouachita

Large Mouth Bass The upper jaw extends beyond back of eye. Dorsal fins not well connected in the middle. It has a smooth tongue. Although rare, toothed patched do occur. Cheek scales same size as rest of body scales	Small Mouth Bass The upper jaw extends to the middle of the eye. It usually has vertical stripes on it's body. Cheek scales much smaller than rest of body scales. Bronze and greenish-brown color No dark horizontal stripe Without rows of dark spots. Tongue usually has rough patch. Dorsal fins connected
Spotted Bass The spotted bass looks similar to the large mouth bass. However, it's jaw does not extend past the eye. It has a spiny dorsal fin that is clearly connected. It has a toothed patch on it's tongue. Cheek scales much smaller than rest of body scales. Green with dark horizontal stripe with rows of dark spots.	Hybrid Bass The hybrid bass has an arched hump that starts near the eye. It has distinct but broken stripes running along it's body. It has two toothed patches on it's tongue.
White Bass The white bass looks similar to the hybrid but has a much less pronounced hump. It's stripes are often faint. It has a single toothed patch on it's tongue.	Striped Bass The striped bass has a slender body with distinct but broken stripes running along the length of it's body. It has two toothed patches on it's tongue. It is the largest of the fresh water bass species in North America

Lake Ouachita is located in Garland and Montgomery Counties, Arkansas,
13 miles west of Hot Springs, Arkansas.