About Micropterus coosae Hubbs & Bailey, 1940
The redeye bass, also called redeye or Coosa bass (scientific name Micropterus coosae), is a freshwater fish species that belongs to the sunfish family Centrarchidae. This small bass species is native to the Mobile and Alabama River systems of the southeastern United States, particularly the Coosa River, a major tributary of the Alabama River found in Georgia and Tennessee. As a predatory fish, it is endemic to the Coosa River system covering Georgia and Alabama, and it can also be found in Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina. In Georgia, it occurs in the Alabama River system, as well as the Chattahoochee, Oconee, and Savannah Rivers. In Tennessee, Sheed's Creek and Cohutta Creek are the only two streams where this fish occurs naturally. Even though it is native to the broader region, redeye bass is not confirmed to live in the Apalachicola River basin, where it is frequently mistaken for shoal bass. Redeye bass are restricted to upland streams that have canopy cover, cool water temperatures, vegetative cover, undercut banks, and rock ledges or large boulders. The species usually avoids impoundments and navigational pools, because of competition from the larger Alabama bass and largemouth bass.
