Large/Small mouth bass cross breed

[bowhunterforever]

Do you guys think that Large mouth and small mouth can cross breed? Like can a male small mouth fertlize a female Large mouths eggs or vise versa? Just curious what some of your thoughts were on this topic?I Thanks

[BLKBEARKLR]

Have not heard of it, but it could be possible. I have caught some pretty cool smallies with markings that looked like a largemouth more than smallmouth markings.

Joe

[wastickslinger]

I have fished a lot of lakes with both and I have never seen it. Those smallmouth are really terrritorial. I dont think they cross. Just my though though

[Black Plague]

I think people would do it if it were feesable...I guess actually they kind of did that once didn't they...anyone heard of the mean-mouth bass?...I think it was a cross between the two...I don't know what happened to them...just not popular...? maybe..??....also, I was wondering if they could make a sterile version of largemouth...like they have done with triploids...them things grow fast...I think it would be kind of cool to have some bass that grew to larger sizes...heck even perch or bluegill or anything....just my  .... ...I also think that they might spawn at slightly different times and in different locations as well...which might be one reason it happens so rarely in the wild...

[coonhound]

I think people would do it if it were feesable...I guess actually they kind of did that once didn't they...anyone heard of the mean-mouth bass?...I think it was a cross between the two...I don't know what happened to them...just not popular...? maybe..??....also, I was wondering if they could make a sterile version of largemouth...like they have done with triploids...them things grow fast...I think it would be kind of cool to have some bass that grew to larger sizes...heck even perch or bluegill or anything....just my  .... ...I also think that they might spawn at slightly different times and in different locations as well...which might be one reason it happens so rarely in the wild...

I heard about the Mean Mouth cross several years ago, I heard it was a sterile cross between the two.  Probably too expensive to continue and I don't really see the point when we've got a great self sustaining populations of both Smallies and Largemouth.

[yelp]

Here is a pic of a hybrid..many fisherman back east thought spotted bass were a hybrid of the two?  Mean mouth was another name for the hybrid.  Here is a pic of one caught back east on May10th.

[FrankDown]

The florida or southern strain of largemouth grow faster and larger than the other largemouths.  Most of the impoundments int eh southwest stock the florida strain.  They grow fast too, naturally I think most places get like 6 or 8 months growing wehreas is the SW they get all year growing.  In south Ga the growth rate for bream (bluegill) is like 4 inches a year, so extend that for bass.  I havent read anything about the growth rate of the southern strain in the SW though.

Fishing in the midwest there was several kinds of bas sbut I never heard that they were hybrids.  Largemouths, smallies, rock, and redeye, and a couple others.  I never heard of the hybrid thing before though.