Smallmouth Bass
Micropterus dolomieu
For largemouth and smallmouth bass, minimum length limit = 14 inches. No minimum length limit for Alabama, Guadalupe, and spotted bass. Daily bag limit for all black bass species is 5 in any combination.
Identify your catch
Green to bronze coloration with dark vertical markings. Upper jaw ends at or before the eye rather than extending behind it. Avoid identifying hybrids from one feature alone.
Habitat on Meredith
Steep rock, ledges and drop-offs dominate; upper water is turbid while lower water is clearer.
Fishing approach
Lake guide guidance: TPWD recommends slow, light-tackle walleye presentations using small jigs with minnows or nightcrawlers near rock and drop-offs. Smallmouth bass use rocky shoreline structure.
Fishing guidance describes documented approaches, not a promise of fish activity today.
This lake has an active advisory, but this fish is not named in its species rows. That does not establish that it is safe to eat.
Harvest permission and eating restrictions are separate.
General species guide
Prefers clear, deeper lakes and cool streams with gravel. Young feed on small invertebrates; larger fish take fish and crayfish.
General Smallmouth Bass profile →Sources & lake evidence
TPWD lake guide and reviewed fisheries evidence establish the listed species or group. Historical survey records do not establish current abundance.
Lake harvest rules ↗Eating guidance ↗Lake habitat & fishing guide ↗Fisheries survey · species evidence ↗Species identification ↗