Ever Seen A Bass With Red Eyes 2024
Mud River Matt reply :
Hey guys, I done a search and couldn't find anything on this. So I was fishing earlier this year at my favorite lake in WV. I proceeded to catch a large mouth bass that had red eyes. Straight up red eyes, it was crazy looking, everything about this fish was normal just had red eyes. As far as I know there are only rock bass and large mouth in this lake. I know there are know small mouth. I first thought this was a rock bass, but this was a good size fish, probably around 3 lbs. It also didn't really look like a rock bass, it looked 100 % large mouth, just with red eyes. So I was wondering what was up with this, what may cause it. Thanks for any info. Matt
Kevin22 reply :
Largemouth can have a pigment variation that gives them red eyes. It is pretty rare.
MIbassin reply :
Yep, see em all the time at hamlin lake... They are rock bass/ smallmouth hybrids
MIbassin reply :
Or possibly largemouth/rock bass hybrid but it's more typical with smallmouth, since you said there are no smallmouth I'd say it was a largemouth and Rock bass hybrid
Ratherbfishing reply :
No but I once shot a zebra wearing pajama's. : )
roadwarrior reply :
Kentucky bass (spots) sometimes have red eyes.
Rock bass do not interbreed with largemouth. The
only hybrid is a meanmouth, but they are pretty rare:
http://www.in-fisherman.com/2012/08/24/hybrid-black-bass/
tomustang reply :
Only smallmouth, when they are guarding nests
rbreedi1 reply :
Sounds like a kentucky bass as RW stated.. we catch them quite a bit around here
Stren_g reply :
There is a species of red eye bass native to the coosa river in GA and AL. I caught a few when I was a kid, freaky lookin eyes!
38 Super Fan reply :
No idea on the cause, but I've caught a few Largemouth with red eyes, it seems fairly commonplace for Smallies and Spots to have them.
200racing reply :
how long did you look at him. i fish a pond where the bass get fired up and have orange-ish eye when first caught and will fade back to normal with a little time.
AK-Jax86 reply :
I have never seen a bass with red eyes
Hattrick7 reply :
I love fishing for calico bass being near the Pacific Ocean. I pulled in a shorty (about 12 inches) and as I'm lipping the fish taking the hook out its faced straight towards me and its eyes were red. Maybe the way the sun was hitting the fish I don't know but that sucker looked pretty ticked off. 
jtharris3 reply :
On 7/18/2013 at 4:33 AM, Ratherbfishing said:No but I once shot a zebra wearing pajama's. : )
Why was the zebra wearing pajamas?
Downeaster2010 reply :
We catch smallmouth in Maine with red eyes all the time.
Nice_Bass reply :
Ky bass is all I have seen with red except smallmouth as well.
J Francho reply :
On 7/18/2013 at 4:13 AM, MIbassin said:Yep, see em all the time at hamlin lake... They are rock bass/ smallmouth hybrids
On 7/18/2013 at 4:18 AM, MIbassin said:Or possibly largemouth/rock bass hybrid but it's more typical with smallmouth, since you said there are no smallmouth I'd say it was a largemouth and Rock bass hybrid
Just a quick bit of info, rockies and black bass do not hybridize. Same for crappie. They are too far apart, genetically, though both belong to the sunfish (Centrarchidae) family.
Here's a cool article: http://www.in-fisherman.com/2012/08/24/hybrid-black-bass/
Here's a smallmouth with red eyes:
WRB reply :
Either a Shoal bass or a Redeye bass, both look like LMB.
Tom
MIbassin reply :
thanks for the info! So I guess the ones I catch are just smallmouth with red eyes?On 7/18/2013 at 10:22 PM, J Francho said:Just a quick bit of info, rockies and black bass do not hybridize. Same for crappie. They are too far apart, genetically, though both belong to the sunfish (Centrarchidae) family.
Here's a cool article: http://www.in-fisherman.com/2012/08/24/hybrid-black-bass/
Here's a smallmouth with red eyes:
J Francho reply :
Probably?
Brian Needham reply :
On 7/18/2013 at 9:22 AM, 38 Super Fan said:it seems fairly commonplace for Smallies and Spots to have them.
+1
the redeyed spots always seem meaner
Avalonjohn44 reply :
I don't know if we have Spotted Bass where I am (Winchester VA), but I have caught several LM bass with red eyes (I have checked for tongue teeth, something I've heard Spots have). Most often these bass come from a man made pond that I fish fed by a pretty good size creek. I don't know if it is a SM/LM Hybrid (doubt it) or some sort of local genetic drift.
Crappiebasser reply :
Down here you can find spots, smallies, coosa and shoal bass with red eyes.
cbass12 reply :
Not sure if the eyes were totally red or orange, but I caught a largemouth in Kansas this spring that appeared to have red eyes. It came out of a lake with largemouth, smallmouth, and spots but I don't think it was a hybrid. The picture is about halfway down the page.
http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/41660-for-us-kc-area-guys-fishing-reports/page-118
duckmaster55 reply :
Thats pretty cool, ive never seen that either, i know smallies and rockys can have red eyes but never largemouths
PABASS reply :
A fellow fisherman noted when he catches LMB during spawn especially when males are guarding nest the eyes are red. I typically do not bed fish but the ones we caught this year all had red eyes in different bodies of water while they were on beds.
dmhoggy reply :
we have redeyed bass here in east tn. i caught three little ones in a creek today.
basshole8190 reply :
Spotted bass, smallmouth, red eye, and shoal bass all have the possibilty for red eyes. Never saw a largemouth with red eyes. Seen em very yellow but never red
BLuRRnAWAY reply :
Those are rock bass. You can tell the difference by the top spiked and their eyes.
a1712 reply :
Caught one this winter that had blood red eyes, looked like a demon. Never caught one with those eyes before. Brian.
Al Wolbach reply :
I caught bass here in East Tennessee during a tournament that had red eyes. It was not 12 inches long so I could not keep the fish for weigh-in but it was a heavy fish. Was much heavier than a normal largemouth of that length. Looked like a football with fins. A wildlife officer called it a Red Eyed Bass and told me they were rare and normally caught in streams or large creeks.
RanndomUndead reply :
Never seen red eyes, but i have seen red "rings" on the eyes
Senko lover reply :
My bass have started to have orange eyes, and I was wondering about it. Thanks for whoever bumped this thread.
RSM789 reply :
On 7/18/2013 at 4:33 AM, Ratherbfishing said:No but I once shot a zebra wearing pajama's. : )
The line is "I once shot a zebra wearing my pajama's".
That way the punchline "How that zebra got into my pajama's, I'll never know" makes sense.
RSM789 reply :
Any chance that bass was caught in Colorado or Washington?
If so, it may be a subspecies known as the "Pothead Bass". They are fond of Doritos.
RoLo reply :
Redeye Bass are a separate species of bass with bright red eyes.
Redeye bass are indigenous to the Coosa River system in Georgia.
Rock bass also have red eyes, which are not true bass,
but then again, largemouth & smallmouth are not true bass either.
Roger
Montanaro reply :
A lot of southern wv lakes have spots
atcoha reply :
a lot of the spots I catch in the creek have red eyes.
boostr reply :
I have red eye shad...
desmobob reply :
On an outing on the lower Metawee River in NY several years ago, my buddy and I caught a few smallmouths that had red eyes and a different look to their barring. You can't see the red eye in this photo, but the fish had red eyes like a Rock Bass....
They looked a little different than the usual smallies we caught there, and I remember wondering if they might be some kind of hybrid. Guess not....
Tight lines,
Bob
BassnChris reply :
On 7/18/2013 at 2:42 PM, jtharris3 said:Why was the zebra wearing pajamas?
Probably around bed time!
kingmotorboat reply :
We catch kentucky red eye bass all the time. Calcasieu river is full of them
Paul Roberts reply :
Beyond the more red-eyed species (Red-Eye and Spotted), both LM and SM have eye color ranging from dark brown to olive green to orange-red. There appears to be red pigments in all bass eyes but it is often obscured in LM and SM. Eye colors, like body colors, can change chameleon-like. In general, bass eyes in deep shade tend to be dark, those in bright lighting -often shallower- being lighter in color.
I've seen almost entirely bright orange-red eyes in largemouths but they seem to be more common in smallmouth. Likely eye color plays a social role as they can, at times, contrast noticeably from body color. It seems that I see bright red eyes in largemouth most commonly on bed-tending males, but I've seen them at other times too, and I believe, in LM's, that it's mostly been in small ones of 12" or less.
I haven't seen any mention of eye color in bass in fish research so far. There is one account I read stating that male bass get red eyes when on the spawning bed. I have the idea that this is more likely early in the spawn -maybe used as an attractant to females or signaling aggression to other males. Dunno whether this would stand up to scrutiny however.
Robert Riley reply :
I caught this in a subdivision pond in central Illinois, never seen anything quite like it.
Paul Roberts reply :
On 4/16/2015 at 11:39 AM, Robert Riley said:I caught this in a subdivision pond in central Illinois, never seen anything quite like it.
Bright skies and shallow water, perhaps? That one looks like a pre/peri-spawn female. (BTW: Go easy on those jaws. They make their livings with those!)
Ozark_Basser reply :
I've caught a lot of smallmouth out of streams with red eyes. It always seems like I catch them the most in spring or fall when the water is cooler?
Jtrout reply :
Caught a bass last weekend at a little river by my house caught a 2 lb lg mouth it had red eyes! It also had a lot of black discoloration along its back and his mouth looked like it was kinda smaller then I usually catch that size!
Gotfishyfingers? reply :
Red eyed bass are common in FL.
Thundercleez reply :
LM can not breed with SM or Spots. Spots and SM can hybridize. Spots and SM can have red eyes.
Bluebasser86 reply :
I've got examples of all 3 bass with red eyes right here.
http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/157632-bass-with-red-eyes/
LxVE Bassin reply :
Caught this largemouth in Indianapolis, IN in pond that is filled by a nearby creek win it overflows. She had red eyes.
soflabasser reply :
Have caught plenty of largemouth bass with orange-red eyes in South Florida.Peacock bass often have eyes with a bright red color(peacock are not a true bass,but largemouth bass are not true bass either).
geo g reply :
On 7/18/2013 at 10:22 PM, J Francho said:
Just a quick bit of info, rockies and black bass do not hybridize. Same for crappie. They are too far apart, genetically, though both belong to the sunfish (Centrarchidae) family.
Here's a cool article: http://www.in-fisherman.com/2012/08/24/hybrid-black-bass/
Here's a smallmouth with red eyes:
Great article, I continually learn new facts about bass and fishing almost every week. Thanks for posting that!
Burke reply :
After thinking about this , thoughts appeared in my head reflecting my youth days.
If those largemouth bass who have red eyes which are rare. It should be renamed to "Largemouth/Smallie Stoner Eyes Bass"
Nitro 882 reply :
Check out "Suwannee Bass".
CTBassin860 reply :
Never.But one time I caught a cross eyed bass with those dragon eye contacts.
OCdockskipper reply :
I caught this one this past Thursday in Texas in the Blanco River, right below a small waterfall. The eye is more orange than red. I am not sure if this is a Guadalupe bass or a spotted bass, it seems like the characteristics of those two species is very similar. In any case, tough little fish, fought really hard for his size.
I still can't figure out why half my pictures come out upside down here... If a mod can flip this 90 degrees for me, I would appreciate it.
dwh4784 reply :
A lot of the river smallies I catch have red eyes.
Garret88 reply :
Caught in northern-ish MI
NYWayfarer reply :
Largemouth from a pond in NY
Smallmouth from the Hudson River NY
both with red eyes
clh121787 reply :
I've probably caught a dozen small mouth bass in my life and I think they all had red eyes. Countless large mouth I can remember one with red eyes. She was a beautiful fish. And had almost an iridescent green golden glow to her. Unlike the other fish we caught around that same day
Matt McB reply :
Check out this largemouth stoner. %100 black bass. Caught in San Antonio lake. 
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 7/17/2019 at 3:28 AM, Matt McB said:Check out this largemouth stoner. %100 black bass. Caught in San Antonio lake.
FWIW, all of the fish we call "bass", are black bass. There's 9 different species of black bass in North America.
AlTheFisherman313 reply :
Never seen it on a LMB
on a SMB or a rock bass I see it frequently.
maybe a genetic/environmental influence?
Moondance3020 reply :
Did it look like this? I caught this bass today in MN.
Koz reply :
Oddly enough, every red eyed bass I have ever caught weighed exactly 4.20 pounds.
(I don't partake in that activity, but I just couldn't resist the snarky comment).
bazzelite19 reply :
Lol usually these means they are actually spawning or about to spawn. I see this commonly march and April in the midwest. Their eyes turn red to attract mates i believe. Kind of like bluegills will get more vibrantly colored as they spawn. Again, for the purpose of drawing in mates. Just like a bass gets darker in the sun hanging around shallow grass and lighter in muddy water or during winter down deeper thier eyes can change color just the same. I believe that process is called pigmentation. Bass are like chameleons in many ways in that they can change color to thier surroundings to hunt and survive as fry. They have many adaptations. Just like countershading, most fish are light on bottom and darker on top. Looking from below they blend into the lighy sky. From above, the darker topside blends with the bottom.
kayaking_kev reply :
I was going through some of my videos and came across this fish and it made me remember this thread.
River Smallie in early Spring, a lot of them and the Rock Bass have the red rings around their eyes. I don't really see it later in the season, so I always assumed it had something to do with spawning.
TnRiver46 reply :
On 1/28/2020 at 10:40 AM, kayaking_kev said:I was going through some of my videos and came across this fish and it made me remember this thread.
River Smallie in early Spring, a lot of them and the Rock Bass have the red rings around their eyes. I don't really see it later in the season, so I always assumed it had something to do with spawning.
I got one Sunday, 47 degree water . Then a largemouth moments later with somewhat red eyes
kayaking_kev reply :
On 1/30/2020 at 6:49 AM, TnRiver46 said:I got one Sunday, 47 degree water
I dunno, maybe a cold water thing, but I don't really know.
TnRiver46 reply :
On 1/30/2020 at 6:55 AM, kayaking_kev said:I dunno, maybe a cold water thing, but I don't really know.
Me either
A-Jay reply :
Caught my fair share of Red Eyed Brown bass ~
A-Jay
kayaking_kev reply :
On 1/30/2020 at 7:03 AM, A-Jay said:
Caught my fair share of Red Eyed Brown bass ~
A-Jay
OMG! What beautiful fish! Them things could probably eat my PB Smallie.
Boomstick reply :
A lot of rock bass and even smallmouth bass have red eyes but I don't think I ever saw a largemouth with red eyes.
soflabasser reply :
On 3/29/2017 at 8:35 AM, Nitro 882 said:Check out "Suwannee Bass".
I caught a couple of them since I my made my last post in this subject, they are one of my favorite black bass species to fish for. At this point in time I have caught most black bass species that have been identified and I would say the Suwannee bass has some of the reddest eyes I have seen on a black bass. They fight hard for their size and live in beautiful places so they are a fish worth catching if you enjoy bass fishing.
TnRiver46 reply :
On 2/2/2020 at 11:27 AM, Boomstick said:A lot of rock bass and even smallmouth bass have red eyes but I don't think I ever saw a largemouth with red eyes.
I caught yet another this weekend. It seems almost every large mouth I’ve caught recently has red eyes
WRB reply :
There is a Redeye bass specie
Tom
TnRiver46 reply :
On 2/5/2020 at 1:02 AM, WRB said:There is a Redeye bass specie
Tom
There sure is but I’ve never caught one
WRB reply :
On 1/28/2020 at 10:40 AM, kayaking_kev said:I was going through some of my videos and came across this fish and it made me remember this thread.
River Smallie in early Spring, a lot of them and the Rock Bass have the red rings around their eyes. I don't really see it later in the season, so I always assumed it had something to do with spawning.
This is a Redeye bass!
Tom
Scott F reply :
I didn't have to look hard to find a picture of a red eye bass, but it looks like for me, red eyes were very common in spring, but I couldn't find a red eye in summer or fall pictures. Red eyes may just happen during the spawn. At least that's what I'm seeing.
TnRiver46 reply :
On 2/5/2020 at 3:05 AM, WRB said:This is a Redeye bass!
Tom
I'm submitting my vote as smallmouth bass on that one. Red-eye bass are mainly found in coosa river watershed (micropterus coosae) and I think @kayaking_kev fishes up North, several hundred miles from a red-eye bass
On 2/5/2020 at 3:43 AM, Scott F said:I didn't have to look hard to find a picture of a red eye bass, but it looks like for me, red eyes were very common in spring, but I couldn't find a red eye in summer or fall pictures. Red eyes may just happen during the spawn. At least that's what I'm seeing.
Every SMB and LMB I've caught in the last few weeks has had red eyes and they sure aren't spawning or even pre spawn. 47 degree water and the fish are 25-40 feet deep
kayaking_kev reply :
On 2/5/2020 at 5:23 AM, TnRiver46 said:I'm submitting my vote as smallmouth bass on that one. Red-eye bass are mainly found in coosa river watershed (micropterus coosae) and I think @kayaking_kev fishes up North, several hundred miles from a red-eye bass
Yes, that was caught in Ohio on a River that runs into the Maumee River, which runs into Lake Erie. I fish a couple of them connected to the Maumee and they are full of smallmouth and rock bass, and some largemouth. I caught 34 bass on one three mile trip this past season and then the very next trip on a different 3 mile section I caught 41. They don't get very fat, but fight like hell. I've caught several over 18" and my PB is only 3.1 lbs., but the rock bass are huge.
TnRiver46 reply :
On 2/5/2020 at 6:23 AM, kayaking_kev said:Yes, that was caught in Ohio on a River that runs into the Maumee River, which runs into Lake Erie. I fish a couple of them connected to the Maumee and they are full of smallmouth and rock bass, and some largemouth. I caught 34 bass on one three mile trip this past season and then the very next trip on a different 3 mile section I caught 41. They don't get very fat, but fight like hell. I've caught several over 18" and my PB is only 3.1 lbs., but the rock bass are huge.
Small world, my girlfriend is from the maumee river valley, not far from hamler
soflabasser reply :
For those who have not caught a Coosa redeye bass you can go to the Conasauga River in Tennessee since it is a good place to fish for them. Should be an easy fish to catch if you live in Tennessee. You can also catch Coosa redeye bass in Georgia and Alabama.
kayaking_kev reply :
On 2/5/2020 at 7:02 AM, TnRiver46 said:Small world, my girlfriend is from the maumee river valley, not far from hamler
My wife's parents live in Lenoir City right on the river, not far from you.
RealtreeByGod reply :
Lighting's not great, but the eyes look reddish here
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