Population dynamics and recruitment of young-of-year largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides in Lake Seminole, Georgia, were evaluated in relation to submersed aquatic vegetation coverage. The introduction and spread of hydrilla Hydrilla verticillata has caused conflicts among reservoir users. Fifty to 75% of the surface area of this 13,400 ha reservoir contained aquatic plants during the 1990's. We examined largemouth bass recruitment to age-1 in habitats containing disparate levels (sparse vegetation, mixed native vegetation, and dense hydrilla) of submersed aquatic vegetation coverage and also determined the influence of submersed aquatic vegetation on adult largemouth bass population characteristics. Catch rates of age-0 largemouth bass in 1997 showed no difference between vegetation types, however, in 1998, age-1 catch rates of the 1997 year-class were significantly higher in the mixed native sites than in the dense or sparse sites. Growth rates of adult largemouth bass in Spring Creek, with higher plant coverage (76%), were considerably slower than measured in the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers with lower vegetation coverages (26-32%). Relative weights were also lower in Spring Creek than those of the other two arms. Largemouth bass growth and size structure appear to be affected in the higher submersed vegetated areas, skewing the population towards smaller fish. These results may have implications on future vegetation management in this reservoir.