Species: Morone mississippiensis, Yellow Bass

Morone mississippiensis Jordan & Eigenmann, 1887

Yellow Bass

Body oblong, slightly compressed; upper profile of head distinctly arched; mouth large, lower jaw not projecting, top jawbone wide at rear and mostly exposed when mouth is closed; jaws with bands of small conical teeth, no canines; bands of small simple teeth on sides and front of roof of mouth; tongue with teeth along sides but none in center; membranes under gills join well forward; gill rakers 19-29; rear edge of opercle with 2 flat points; preopercle rounded, finely serrated; dorsal fin notched to its base between spiny and soft parts, IX + I, 12; tail fin forked, heavily scaled on its base; anal fin III, 9-10, its origin well behind origin of soft dorsal fin, second spine greatly thickened and longer than length of anal fin base when depressed; head and body covered with small, rough scales; lateral line continuous, with 47-55 scales.

Greyish above, lower body yellowish; 5-7 dark olive stripes along body, lower stripes distinctly broken and offset under soft dorsal.

Reaches 46 cm; current IGFA record 1.2 kg.

Freshwater, but enters low-salinity estuaries.

Depth range: 0-15 m.

Lake Michigan and Mississippi drainages, and W Gulf of Mexico drainages (to near Galveston).