Freshwater · Colorado River
Bass - Spotted
These notes are district-general defaults. Search your lake or stream first — special waters override these rules. Full booklet: 2026 Freshwater Guide. Catch reports: Fish data.
Species group
BASS
Season
Open all year unless a Special Regulation for your water says otherwise. IMPORTANT: If your lake, river, or stream is named in the Alphabetical List of Waters with Special Fishing Regulations (2026 Freshwater Sport Fishing Guide), those special rules override this district default.
Season notes
Verify named lakes/rivers in the 2026 Freshwater Sport Fishing Guide.
Daily bag limit
Statewide black bass baseline is commonly 5 bass / day with a 12-inch minimum unless a Special Regulation for your water says otherwise. IMPORTANT: If your lake, river, or stream is named in the Alphabetical List of Waters with Special Fishing Regulations (2026 Freshwater Sport Fishing Guide), those special rules override this district default.
Minimum size
12-inch minimum is the common statewide black-bass baseline unless your water’s Special Regulation differs.
Gear restrictions
Follow statewide methods/gear rules and any special-water restrictions in the freshwater guide.
Identification
Many anglers who catch a spotted bass mistake it for a largemouth due to the coloration although there are subtle differences. The spotted bass, like all black basses except the largemouth, has scales on the base portion of the second dorsal fin, its first and second dorsal fin are clearly connected, and its upper jaw bone does not extend back to or beyond the rear edge of the eyes. The spotted bass is also often confused with a smallmouth bass or smally for short, but it lacks the vertical bars that are present on the sides of the body of a smallmouth bass. The spotted bass also has small black spots below the lateral line unlike either the large or smallmouth bass. Juveniles often resemble the young of smallmouth bass in having a broad band of orange at the base of the tail, followed by a broad black band and white edge. The spotted bass is known to hybridize with the smallmouth, which sometimes makes identification difficult. Spotted bass can be found deeper than smallmouth bass at depths up to 100 ft.