 ROCK BASS
Scientific
Name: Ambloplites rupestris
Other
Common Names: redeye, goggle eye
Identification
A
member of the sunfish family, the rock bass has a short, robust
body with an olive-green top and gold or brassy-colored
sides. The scales along its sides have a dark spot, often forming
a striped-like appearance. The anal fin has five to seven hard
spines, and on adult rock bass, this fin has a dark outline. There
is a dark
spot on the ear flap, and the cheeks are scaled. The Roanoke
bass,
found with rock bass in some rivers of the northern Piedmont, is
similar in appearance but does not have cheek scales or a dark
margin on the anal fin. The warmouth is also similar in appearance
to a
rock bass but has only three hard anal spines.
Habitats and
Habits
Rock bass are
native to the Mississippi River drainage and northern Atlantic
drainages, such as the Connecticut
and the Delaware rivers. In North Carolina, rock bass are native
to rivers in the western part of the state that flow to the Mississippi,
and they have been stocked into numerous rivers draining to the
Atlantic Ocean. Rock bass are usually found near sheltered pool
areas around
rocks and woody debris in rivers in the mountains and foothills.
They are occasionally found in lakes. Rock bass eat primarily aquatic insects, crayfish and small fish.
Fishing Techniques
Rock bass are
often hooked by anglers fishing for smallmouth
bass. They usually
bite readily and will take almost
any lure they can fit in their mouths. Good artificial baits include
spinners, small plastic worms, jigs, small crankbaits and flies.
Productive live baits include minnows, crayfish and worms.
Good Places to
Fish
The coolwater
rivers in the western part of the state, such as the New, Nolichucky
and Little Tennessee rivers,
are great places to fish for rock bass. Rock bass are also common
in many smaller foothills streams, such as the Mitchell River and
Reddies River.
NCARP Minimum
Requirements: 1
pound or 11 inches
State
Record:
1 lb., 14 oz. from the Deep River near Carbonton, April 29, 1998
World
Record: Tie: 3 pounds from Lake Erie, Pa.,
June 18, 1998; from the York River, Ontario, Canada, Aug. 1,
1974*
* Anglers
provide information on their potential world-record catches directly
to the International
Game Fish Association, which maintains the world records
for sport fishing.
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