Green smallmouth bass?

[ole matty]

I was fishing whitefish chain last weekend. Casting Dt-10 over the drop off with patches of cabbages. Caught a few largie and one smallies. As this bass hit the lure and fought really hard. I had feeling it's smallmouth as it's approach to the boat, ah it's largie. As its right at boatside. I was never confused like this before.

The bass have figures as smallmouth, small mouth, body shape, but it's in green color with no black lines on it like largie.

It's possible that it's hybrid between largie and smallies? I didn't have camera nor phone with me to take picture. It was 17"

[EBass]

No idea unless there was a pic. I don't think there's a bass hybrid, but ya never know. Black and White crappies make hybrids in Tonka.

Smallies have forked tails and Largies are rounded.

[wormdunker]

Small mouth can and do go through various color stages. Green is a color I have caught often. They are not alway Bronze or brown. In fact have you ever noticed how black they can get? They change colors based on their mood, typically a black or very dark smallie is on the feed or protecting his territory, in a mood to get nasty that is for sure.

Chekc out some photos of fish from Lake Michigan, often very green smallies.

[mainbutter]

I've seen plenty of largemouth bass that don't have black markings. On top of that, a small mouth on a largemouth bass indicates fast growth and young age.

Without a picture I couldn't say for sure.

[Raider4ever]

They are more green in the clear water lakes up by Grand Rapids (especially Bluewater Lake).

[Lakeside_Nelson]

I have caught numerous green smallies in norther MN and Canadian lakes. Like Raider said, more so in clearer lakes, at least in my experience.

[JBMasterAngler]

Yeah, both green smallies and largies with no stripe are pretty common. I've caught some smallmouths out of big trout that were tough to determine from largemouths. Smallmouths are like chameleons...they can change color based on their habitat.