 Fish and Fishing in
Smith Lake
(Lewis Smith Lake)
Like a diamond that is deep, clear and blue, Lewis Smith Lake is one of Alabama’s treasures. Located in Walker, Winston and Cullman counties, this 21,200-acre lake is different than most other Alabama reservoirs. If you typically fish a shallow, stained body of water, then your first trip onto Smith Lake can be intimidating. Watching your depth finder jump to 200 plus feet can leave you feeling lost. However, like most lakes, the majority of bass, bream and crappie fishing is done by casting to the numerous large rocks and fallen trees along the shoreline. With 500 plus miles of shoreline, it isn’t that difficult to find fish. An hour north of Birmingham or south of Huntsville and just off I-65, the lake is not difficult to find.
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 CHARACTERISTICS: Also known as Kentucky bass, the spotted bass is a slender fish with black blotches along the middle of the body; with age, these join to form an irregular band. Hubbs and Bailey (1940) recognize two subspecies in Alabama. Micropterus punctulatus punctulatus occurs in the Tennessee River and has 58 to 71 lateral line scales and 22 to 27 scales around the caudal peduncle. Micropterus p. henshalli is limited to the upper Mobile basin and has 68 to 77 lateral line scales and 26 to 29 caudal peduncle scales. Intergrades are distributed below the Fall Line in the Mobile basin. Both subspecies and their intergrades have a large mouth, the upper jaw extending almost to the rear margin of the eye. A rectangular tooth patch on the tongue distinguishes this species from largemouth bass. The dorsal fin has nine to 11 (usually 10) spines and 11 to 13 rays that are broadly joined. The anal fin has three spines and nine to 11 rays. The body is olive green on the back with scattered dark mottling. The sides below the lateral blotches are light gray; many scales have dark spots forming horizontal rows. The venter is white. Juveniles have a black spot in the middle of the caudal fin base bordered by bright orange areas. The eyes are usually reddish but not as bright as those of redeye bass.
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 CHARACTERISTICS: The shoal bass and the redeye bass are easily confused, even thought the two have nonoverlapping ranges. Redeye bass have white margins on the upper and lower edges of the caudal fin; white fin margins are absent on shoal bass. Whereas redeye bass have teeth on the tongue, shoal bass do not. Additionally, Page and Burr (1991) report that redeye bass have slightly larger scales, resulting in lower lateral line counts (64 to 73, compared to 70 to 79 in shoal bass) and lower number of scale rows around the caudal peduncle (26 to 30, compared to 29 to 34). Adult shoal bass are olive green on the back and white on the venter. Several rows of darkened scales form distinct parallel lines along the lower sides of the body. Small individuals have along their sides several vertical, dark blotches that fade somewhat with age.
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 CHARACTERISTICS: The redeye or Coosa bass is an elongate, slender fish with a large mouth that extends to or slightly behind the rear margin of the eye. The dorsal fin contains nine to 11 (usually 10) spines and 11 to 13 (usually 12) rays, and the area between the two is only slightly notched. The anal fin contains three spines and nine to 11 (usually 10) rays. The complete lateral line has from 63 to 74 scales. Scales above the lateral line number 12 or 13. A small tooth patch is present on the tongue. The back and sides are generally olive to brown with darker brown mottling. Adults have several horizontal rows of dark spots on the lower sides and venter. Breeding males have a light bluish green color on the lower head and throat. On juveniles, the sides of the body usually have 10 to 12 dark blotches that do not join to form a lateral stripe. The upper and lower margins of the caudal fin are edged in white, a useful feature for separating redeye bass from both smallmouth bass and shoal bass.
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 CHARACTERISTICS: The dorsal fin on the smallmouth bass is distinctly separated and contains nine to 11 spines and 13 to 15 rays. The anal fin has three spines and 10 or 11 rays. The bases of the soft dorsal and anal fins are covered with scales. The complete lateral line has 68 to 80 scales. The mouth is relatively large, with the upper jaw almost reaching the rear margin of the eye. The eye may have a reddish tint. Smallmouth bass lack the characteristic black stripe or jointed, lateral black blotches found on largemouth bass and spotted bass. Instead, the back and sides are bronze to olive green, with many irregularly spaced dark spots. The venter is generally white in small individuals, becoming dusky with age. Young smallmouth bass have several vertically oriented dark blotches along their sides that usually fade with age.
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