Beautiful brown to olive green markings and an upper jaw that does not extend beyond the eye distinguish the smallmouth. This little freshwater bass has silvery yellow sides and the lower stripes along them are broken and offset. The rock bass with its big ruby red eyes, is a favorite among those who fish panfish. It prefers rocky or gravel bottoms in lakes and rivers throughout the eastern United States and the upper Mississippi Valley. The life span of a rock bass is about four years, reaching an average size of 6 or 7 inches in length.
Rock bass build nests by scooping out depressions in gravel or sand beds.
They lay between 2,000 and 11,000 eggs. The eggs hatch in five to ten days. The wiper is an exciting hybrid cross between the white bass and striped bass. Wipers grow fast, aggressively hit lures and fight like no other fish. While fertile, these hybrids cannot produce another hybrid.