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why do largemouth bass have red tooth pads?

I've caught largemouth bass, especially in the spawning period, where they have RED tooth pads. Why is this? I may catch one or two that DON'T have red tooth pads then on the next cast, catch one that the tooth pads are bright red. Is this hormonal or what?

Public Comments

1. That's a good question. I've also wondered about this from time to time. The only thing I can figure is their feeding. Throughout the spawning months and warmer months in general, they feed heavily, and guard their nests during the spawn . I'm thinking all of the "chomping" down on prey and what may be one cause of this, especially in lakes with a lot of shelled creatures or Crawfish. I'm really not sure at all though. Hopefully someone can shed some light on it on here.