The spotted bass is a fish with a slender body marked by black on its side. As the fish matures these become an irregular band. Their color ranges from a light green to light brown. Unlike the largemouth, the tongue of the spotted bass has a patch of teeth. Their gill covers also have a large dark spot on them. The Alabama spotted bass is distinguished by a dark spot on the tail in addition to the one on each gill cover. The Northern spotted bass has a tail spot, but the gill spot is not as distinct. The average size is four to five pounds. The IFGA world record is 10 pounds 4 ounces. 