You know what's strange is, growing up bass fishing in West Texas, you almost never saw a fish with the dark splotchy coloring on it. But out here in East Texas, I think probably 1 in 3 fish I catch has some sort of weird pigmentation spot on it.

Here's one caught from last week.

Caught plenty like that in NJ. Some of them had almost as much black as green.

My exact thoughts.

Caught one with a black spot on its head early in a tournament up on Grand, carried it around in the livewell all day and by weigh in the spot was gone. It was our big bass of the day so no way we culled it.

I live on a golf course and there's an individual bass with black spots on her in the course pond behind my house!! I've caught her about 5 times in 3 months and her spots change a little but she's a healthy 3 pounder!

I came here from California and fished bass there all my life. I never saw a fish with those black spots. It may be some sort of fungus that grows on them. It doesn't seem to hurt them. Surly someone has studied this and knows what it is. It may have something to do with the warmer water here in Texas. This has been bugging me since I caught my first one.

It's a Bass Thang

I have caught some in tournaments with black spots and by weigh in time the spots were gone!

I caught the fish in my right hand at Texoma (it scared the pee outta me. Lol). The state fisheries biologist from Oklahoma was at weigh in, so I asked him about it. He said they are birth marks. I'll trust Gene Gilliland's opinion on the matter.

Happykamper sent me a picture a while back of a fish he caught on Hubbard Creek that was solid black. The fish was one solid black spot. Really cool looking. Maybe if he reads this he will post the picture.

Catch them all the time over here in Louisiana with the black markings . Actually saw KVD on tv the other day catch one in Michigan and he said when you see that you are on the mother load of bass . Signs of a healthy fishery . So definitely not limited to Texas .

They are not birth marks. Because they disappear. It is some kind of fungus in the slime coat in my opinion. I have put a big fish with these spots in the livewell and pull her out for the weigh in and the spots were gone.

Thanks to all for the photos. I've never caught one with the large black spots - only small spots. Very interesting post topic.

It's somehow related to cold water or winter. I don't know what causes them but I never see them after late spring or in the summer.