Stunning Golden Bass Caught in VA

A Virginia fisherman reeled in what may be a once-in-a-lifetime catch.

Jacob Moore was fishing for largemouth bass in the James River when he caught a stunning, little-known specimen.

According to Moore:

“I was out there practicing for a tournament, catching a bunch of fish. I was on the lower James near Chippokes [State Park]. 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.”

While Moore has participated in tournaments and caught many bass before, the largemouth bass that he caught on that day was golden in color.

According to Alex McCrickard with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources:

“The fish is a product of a genetic mutation that alters the skin pigments called xanthism. Yellow pigmentation dominates in xanthism, as you can see in Moore’s golden largemouth.”

This highly unusual largemouth was 16 1/2 inches in length. Jacob released his catch safely back into the James River — after taking some photos to document his unique find.