I'm fairly new to catching white and hybrid bass and was wondering the easiest way to tell the difference? I'd like to take some home for dinner, but I want to make sure I'm not keeping hybrids that are too small thinking they are whites.

This might help. The hardest to tell is when the hybrids are small (under 15"). When in doubt, throw them back! The whites have a single tooth patch and the hybrids & striper have a distinct double tooth patch. The tooth patches are difficult sometimes when the fish are small... It will become easier to tell as you catch more fish, HAHAHAHAH!

https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_lf_t3200_086.pdf

God Bless!

Another good link!

http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/7536395/hybrid_vs_sandbass_white_bass

Thanks for the help. Trying to stay legal.

When the fish are in the 10 to 15 inch range it can be very difficult to tell them apart. The tooth patch can often be disfigured to be unlike any of the diagrams TPWD puts out. I look at the fish overall and look to see if there is more than one dark line extending to the tail above the lateral line. As the hybrid matures the dark lines extending to the tail get more defined and the tooth patch does too. Hybrids from Lake Somerville have a blueish tint while whitebass tend towards the yellowish/green side. Lake Somerville also has many large whitebass that have hybrid characteristics which indicates hybrids spawning back with whitebass. The lake has been stocked with hybrids since the 70's and it is likely that a small percentage of cross-back spawning occurs every spring. If you compare Somerville whitebass with whitebass from Granger lake (without the hybrid influence) you will notice more than just a difference in size. Granger has what I would consider more "pure whitebass" and individual fish vary little from any other fish in size, shape or color.

my two cents is that if the tooth patch isn't clear i make the argument that if there is only one clear line extending to the tail then its a sand bass

i agree with others that they are breeding (although folks at Athens TP&W fishery swear they can't)- caught a 15 inch fish on Cedar Creek the other day that flat out had characteristics of both ...

as an attorney i can't see any fine holding up to a legal challenge given the clear problems all of us are having ...

It is confusing

I'm glad it's not just me.

If I'm not sure I'd throw it back to be on a safe side. I can pretty much distinguish the difference.