Redeye bass

The redeye bass, redeye, or Coosa bass (Micropterus coosae) is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (Centrarchidae).The small bass is endemic to the Mobile and Alabama River systems, more specifically the Coosa River, which is a major tributary to the Alabama River in Georgia and Tennessee.

Distribution

The redeye bass is a predatory fish that is endemic to the Coosa River system in the southeastern United States, including Georgia and Alabama. It can also be found in states such as Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Its occurrence in Georgia includes the Alabama River system, and Chattahoochee, Oconee, and Savannah Rivers. Sheed's Creek and Cohutta Creek are the only two streams in Tennessee in which this fish occurs naturally. While native to the area, the redeye bass is not known to occur within the Apalachicola River basin, where it is often mistaken as a shoal bass. Redeye bass are limited to upland streams with canopy cover, cool water temperatures, vegetative cover, undercut banks, and rock ledges or large boulders. The species typically avoids impoundments and navigational pools, due to competition with the larger Alabama bass and largemouth bass.