Ever seen a bass like this?

[HunterStrait]

Smallmouth.

[DoubleJ]

Pretty cool looking.  Might consider a mount?

[h20hunter]

Never...I've caught thousands of largemouth growing up and my share of smallmouth but never seen one like that. Did you keep it? Freeze and provide to WDFW to see whats up?

[Woodchuck]

 

[HUNT-HARD]

Used to catch them like that in the deeper water of the Columbia River all the time. I always figured they were just darker from living in the deeper water.

[baker5150]

Hanford Bass?

How many eyes did it have?  Could it talk?

[erk444]

Could be melanistic?

[HunterStrait]

Pretty cool looking.  Might consider a mount?

I got the length and the girth of the fish, and plenty of pictures.

[WapitiTalk1]

Hanford Bass?  How many eyes did it have?  Could it talk? 

 

[JimmyHoffa]

looks like it wants to be a sea bass

[bassquatch]

Used to catch them like that in the deeper water of the Columbia River all the time. I always figured they were just darker from living in the deeper water.

Bass (small and largemouth) tend to darken up in shallow water and lighten up in the deeper stuff.

That's a crazy looking bass for sure! 

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

Bass (small and largemouth) tend to darken up in shallow water and lighten up in the deeper stuff.

?
I have seen it the other way, lighten up in shallow water to blend in better, fish in shadows, or deeper water will be darker.
Natural color change is part of their natural ability as a predator.
If you put both of them in your live well for long enough, they would come out looking the same (other than size)

[bassquatch]

Bass (small and largemouth) tend to darken up in shallow water and lighten up in the deeper stuff.

?
I have seen it the other way, lighten up in shallow water to blend in better, fish in shadows, or deeper water will be darker.
Natural color change is part of their natural ability as a predator.
If you put both of them in your live well for long enough, they would come out looking the same (other than size)

Water clarity plays a big part as well.

[ATM green head machine]

some how an old black bass?    just a guess though

[MountainWalk]

 Caught lots of small mouth from i-90bridge to Seward park on lake Washington that would show dark blotches and darker coloration.  Mostly 8-15ft of water. Nothing wrong with that fish.  Glad you tossed him back. Smallmouth grow sooo much slower than the rest of the fish around them. And the egg nest are super vulnerable to the dog chase the stick thing.  Think small mouth are my fave. Lord I usta hammer them. Ten fish day was common.