As the common name suggests, the Tallapoosa Bass is found in the Tallapoosa River System of the Mobile Basin in east-central Alabama and west Georgia. The Tallapoosa Bass is found in small, upland streams with in-stream cover. This species was recently described out of the Micropterus coosae (Redeye Bass) complex. As with other members of this complex, Tallapoosa Basses have dusky bars or blotches along their sides and a red eye.