Another day, another animal type that I didn’t know existed.
I consider myself a decent fisherman, especially when it comes to bass, but I never knew that it’s possible to reel in a golden largemouth until seeing this post by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.
While out taking population samples on Lake Tarpon outside of Tampa, researchers brought in a brightly colored bass that impressed them not only with its color, but with its size.
Here’s what the FWC said in their post:
“While conducting electrofishing samples on Lake Tarpon, our team of Freshwater Fisheries Biologists came across this xanthic largemouth bass. Xanthism, an uncommon yellow pigmentation in an animal, is typically a result of a recessive genetic mutation similar to albinism.
In this case, the black pigments (melanophores) are suppressed, allowing the expression of yellow pigments (xanthophores). Although this trait is fascinating, it can make these fish more visible to predators, which might explain why specimens like this, particularly of this size, are considered rare.”
What a beauty.
Obviously, that’s a beautiful looking fish, but after doing some research, it turns out xanthic largemouth can display other colors, like this beautiful orange fish caught in Titusville back in 2015.
While I don’t know exactly how or even if you could target these fish without just going for largemouth as usual, this is certainly a new bucket list item for me.
Florida wildlife continues to be one of the most impressive ecosystems in the US, and I can’t wait to take another trip down to my former stomping grounds for a few days on the water.
Here’s an angler in Arkansas pulling in a golden largemouth back in 2021.
