Virginia angler reels in rare golden-colored largemouth bass

A Virginia angler made a rare catch when he reeled in a rare golden-hued largemouth bass while practicing for a fishing tournament, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) noted in a blog Thursday.

The fisherman, Jacob Moore, thought his find in the James River was the result of albinism, which in other animals, including humans, results in red eyes and a pallid color resulting from a lack of pigmentation.

“When I hooked into that one, I thought I had a saltwater fish on at first, but lo and behold, it was a largemouth! A very different largemouth, though. I haven’t seen anything like that before. I’ve seen bass with black spots, but I’d never seen an albino one,” Mr. Moore told DWR.

In fact, officials noted, the fish’s golden color is the result of a genetic mutation known as xanthism.

“Golden largemouth bass are extremely rare and most anglers have never seen them, let alone heard of them before … Yellow pigmentation dominates in xanthism, as you can see in Mr. Moore’s golden largemouth,” DWR Aquatic Education Coordinator Alex McCrickard said.

Referring to an angler who caught a golden largemouth bass in 2021, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission biologist Josh Stein said he “needs to buy a lottery ticket, because he caught one fish in a million.”

Mr. Moore snapped a picture with the fish, which measured 16.5 inches, before returning it to the water.

Other wildlife authorities noted that part of the golden largemouth’s rarity comes from the fact that bright colors can be disadvantageous in nature.

“Xanthism isn’t seen very often in the wild because it causes a normally cryptic animal to stand out … If you’re yellow or orange, everyone can see you — and either eat you or avoid you eating them,” Katrina Liebich, a fisheries expert with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, told Newsweek.