The Redeye Bass is a popular southern sport fish. They are small but aggressive and will make you work hard to retrieve them as they don’t hang in calm stagnate waters with the largemouth. They move often and enjoy the moving waters of creeks, streams, and rivers. They have normal bass-like reproduction times and will attack prey like sharks when given the opportunity. Fly fishing the Redeye is very popular as these small bass maintain a healthy meaty body that makes a delicious flaky dinner that any angler can appreciate.
Profile – (Micropterus Coosae)
What is a Redeye Bass?
This smaller-sized bass is most well-known for where it lives in the Coosawattee River basin in Georgia. They can weigh up to about three pounds although two pounds is average. They support a unique color pattern that can change color depending on their environment. One of the most important features to note about this spunky fish is that they do have very distinct red eyes. While this species is broken down into four separate subspecies all of which are dependent on their native river system. They originally recognized the Redeye bass of the Coosa River system as where it begins.
What does Redeye Bass eat?
The Redeye Bass is most known for eating small fish, nightcrawlers, red and leaf worms, crayfish, and any insects nearby. As with other bass species, the Redeye Bass is not too picky on what it eats if it fits in its mouth of course.
Where can they be found?
This red-eyed bass can be found in the typical bass location such as rocky spots, downed vegetation, and deep spots in streams and rivers. It is also very commonly found near rocky ledges and steep riverbanks. If all else fails find a spot where there are trees overhanging the river’s edge and skillfully cast underneath them. Keep yourself out of the lakes as the Redeye Bass much prefers the cool waters of flowing rivers and streams that maintain temps at about sixty degrees.
Redeye Reproduction
Between April and June, the Redeye Bass will wait for the proper water temps to be at about sixty-five degrees. Once this ensues the male bass will dig a hole in a creek bottom with his lower jaw until he has made a nest about twice the size of his body. He will then share his nest with a female who will drop her eggs in his nest and wait to be fertilized by him. The male like other bass species will provide guard over his babies until they have hatched.
How do we catch them?
While in search of this fish be sure to come from the downstream and walk-up stream. These fish are predators just like you and are always looking upstream to see what might be coming for their next meal. These bass are opportunists and very instinctual, they will jump at the food they want most, so figuring out the correct lure or bait first is imperative. These river hunters will leave you with two main options for lures; live bait such as baitfish and worms, or you can use small swim and crankbait like spoons and spinners.
Choosing a Rod and Reel
Choosing a rod will lead you down two isles at your local Bass Pro shop. A standard casting rod or a fly rod. Now, with both rod and reel setups you will discover success but first, ask yourself what skills you have with each of these poles. If you have never fly fished before a full fly-fishing rod setup is a poor choice but maybe using a standard pole with a fly lure could also work. A novice fisherman should be looking for a rod and reel set up with some simple spoons or live bait to get started.
What to look for
Let’s start out with what not to look for. First and most importantly stay off the lakes. These fish loathe them. Now that you have yourself on a river or stream stay away from the fastest flowing water. These creek bed stalkers will be between the faster-moving portions of the river waiting for more food to come floating by. They also enjoy deep pools in creeks where water is still moving but not too fast.
Image Source – https://www.roughfish.com/content/bass-redeye-mnbowfinangler