Otter Creek spotted bass

[Tim_T]

Anybody ever caught one? I have fly fished that creek hundreds of times and today I caught my first spotted bass there. I always figured there had to be some in there, but just hadn't caught one before now. Was curious if anyone else has caught them there and if they are very plentiful?

[walkeraviator]

Gotta ask Tim... as a newb fly fisherman with a 5wt rod, what should i try out on otter creek to catch a few fish?

[Tim_T]

Walker, it depends on what fish you want to catch. If you are primarily after smallies you can't go wrong with a Clouser Minnow. Try a size 8 or 10. If you after trout, any small fly will work on the stockers. I caught three today on a #16 Yellow Sally Stonefly. If you want to split the difference you can throw a Wooly Bugger and catch about anything that swims. If you want to go sometime, shoot me a pm and I might be able to help you out. Plus, I have plenty of flies!!!

[walkeraviator]

Thanks for teh heads up tim. I have a few clousers and a few wooly buggers, havent fished with em yet. I may take you up on the trip someday as i need someone who knows what they are doing to help me get the casting down. I can roll cast ok, but i cant get any distance when i cast normally.

[coombro]

Anybody ever caught one? I have fly fished that creek hundreds of times and today I caught my first spotted bass there. I always figured there had to be some in there, but just hadn't caught one before now. Was curious if anyone else has caught them there and if they are very plentiful?

I didn't know that a spotted bass existed? Maybe I caught one last time I was at Otter Creek. He was a good one. My bud and i figured him at 18 to 20 inches around 2 to 3 lbs. I thought it a lg. mouth yet it may have been a spot? Came upon a pool of dead water and I knew something had to be in there. Whatever it was sure was a lot of fun on ultra lite tackle! Just figured it a lg. mouth as I am quick to release a fish as fast as possible unless I'm gonna eat it. Next time i'll pay more attention to detail.

[creeker]

Chances are that it was a Kentucky (another name for spotted bass). I've made the same mistake several times myself before I just recently learned the difference.

Basically a spotted bass is built like a small mouth-especially mouth size, but looks like a large mouth, with obvious difference being that the stripe is broken up rather than solid like on a LM. Kentuckies are also more likely found in streams than LM. LM's prefer slack water.

[Tim_T]

Creeker is right about the looks. The biologist judge them by the jaw line, if it extends beyond the eye it is a largemouth if not it is a spot. They normally have a broken laterall line and a tooth patch.

That being said, yours could have been a largemouth because it has been my expereince that they will lie in the deeper slack water holes and it sounds like that is what type pf area you caught him from.

[fishinfreak]

i fished otter creek yesterday and had two spots, they didn't have any size to em though. i actually caught quite a few before they closed the park a few years ago.