Micropterus cataractae
Williams and Burgess 1999
Family Centrarchidae

Lateral view of a shoal bass
The shoal bass pictured above was collected in Calhoun County, Florida in 2015. It is now part of the Florida Museum ichthyology collection, UF 237825. Florida Museum photo by Zachary Randall

The shoal bass is a member of the sunfish family. This species has an elongate body and large mouth with the upper jaw extending under the rear half of the eye. The body color can vary from silver-white to olive, with dark olive to black mottling on the back and upper side. There are between 10 and 15 bars along the midside of the body and between six and eight bars along the upper side. Shoal bass can be found in deep riffles and runs, as well as in pools of creeks and small to large rivers.

Status & distribution

  • Status — Native freshwater
  • Florida Distribution — Western and North Central drainages
  • River Drainages — Apalachicola River
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