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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,347 Likes: 99
Editor, Pond Boss Magazine Lunker
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Editor, Pond Boss Magazine Lunker
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,347 Likes: 99 |
Okay, all you ardent pondmeisters out there. Here's the scenario. I received a call from an anxious client last weekend. Seems he caught a skinny bass. His fear is that his 35 acre central Texas lake has issues. He has caught a good number of healthy bass over the last year. Here are some factoids for you. The lake took three years to completely fill. He stocked it properly, fertilized in years 3, 4, and 5. He adds forage fish from time to time. He has two feeders, that go off twice a day. Coppernose bluegill are nearly 1.25 pounds, with several size classes. Good peripheral vegetation, mostly bushy pondweed. Bass have been stocked only 5 years. The lake is 6 years old. Take a look at this fish, and see if you can figure out what's wrong with it. Dan Hoy, the man in charge of all BassPro Shop's aquaria, was at Lusk Lodge, Two today and helped dissect the fish to analyze with me. I want to hear what you think..... Post on..... Skinny, sickly fish...oh dear, what's wrong?
Teach a man to grow fish... He can teach to catch fish...
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,347 Likes: 99
Editor, Pond Boss Magazine Lunker
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Editor, Pond Boss Magazine Lunker
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,347 Likes: 99 |
Here's a couple more thoughts. This fish is 21 inches long, weighs less than 3 pounds. I know you are looking, go ahead and post your thoughts. After three or four people step out on that limb, I'll show you the next photos. It's fascinating.
Teach a man to grow fish... He can teach to catch fish...
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Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 3,261
Ambassador Lunker
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Ambassador Lunker
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 3,261 |
he used to be happy and fat until he got a CNBG stuck in his throat?
GSF are people too!
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,347 Likes: 99
Editor, Pond Boss Magazine Lunker
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Editor, Pond Boss Magazine Lunker
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,347 Likes: 99 |
Good thought...and I have seen that. But, a CNBG stuck would cause the fish to suffocate pretty quick. This fish has deteriorated for more than a year.
Teach a man to grow fish... He can teach to catch fish...
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Joined: Aug 2004
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Well, he hasn't always been deformed. To paraphrase Dave Willis, if he's 21 inches he must've been 5 pounds at some point.
I'm going to guess that he has some kind of mouth injury that prevents him from swallowing good sized prey.
Holding a redear sunfish is like running with scissors.
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Joined: Feb 2006
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Moderator Lunker
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Moderator Lunker
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I think something is stuck in its stomach. It ate something then could not pass the object which reduced the amount of space for food.
Last edited by Chris Steelman; 09/26/07 10:06 PM.
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,347 Likes: 99
Editor, Pond Boss Magazine Lunker
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Editor, Pond Boss Magazine Lunker
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,347 Likes: 99 |
That sure makes good sense. No mouth injury. And, you are right...this fish HAD to weigh at least 5 pounds, maybe more than 6 at some point of its life. Here's the next photo. That's Dan Hoy on the right, yours truly on the left. Study it closely, see what you can see. More photos after people share more thoughts.
Teach a man to grow fish... He can teach to catch fish...
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Joined: Aug 2004
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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He was full of undigestible "Gulp" product?
Holding a redear sunfish is like running with scissors.
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,256
Lunker
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Lunker
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parasites?
I honestly have no idea, but you have my attention.
Are you sure Princess Debbie wants you cutting up fish on the nice, new granite countertop?
"Only after sorrow's hand has bowed your head will life become truly real to you; then you will acquire the noble spirituality which intensifies the reality of life. I go to an all-powerful God. Beyond that I have no knowledge--no fear--only faith."
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Buck
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Buck
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It swallowed something indigestible and can't pass it.
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,347 Likes: 99
Editor, Pond Boss Magazine Lunker
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Editor, Pond Boss Magazine Lunker
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,347 Likes: 99 |
Actually, the princess Debbie was fascinated, too. She knew I would clean up the mess, or she would kill me. You guys are fast...you already figured it out. Look at these photos. As I cut the stomach, look inside. The fish's organs were in pretty good shape. Its liver had some parasites, but not enough to alarm me. The heart was good, gills were normal. Kidneys were a bit distended, but I think because of the health, not the cause. The air bladder was too large, I think to help with equilibrium of a fish obviously starving. Here's what came out of the fish's stomach. Notice in the lower left, that's a twig with what looks like a small bryozoan. This bass ate a twig with jelly on it! The landowner had already taken out one plastic bait, from the gullet of the fish while in the live well. My deduction? This single fish had a fetish for soft plastics. No hooks were found inside this fish. I think it ate discarded worms, couldn't digest them, clogged its system, and deteriorated. Talking about constipated!
Teach a man to grow fish... He can teach to catch fish...
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Joined: Aug 2004
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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I think Chris Steelman gets the award.
Holding a redear sunfish is like running with scissors.
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,256
Lunker
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Lunker
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WOW!!!
I know what color soft plastics work best on that lake...
"Only after sorrow's hand has bowed your head will life become truly real to you; then you will acquire the noble spirituality which intensifies the reality of life. I go to an all-powerful God. Beyond that I have no knowledge--no fear--only faith."
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Joined: Feb 2006
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Moderator Lunker
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Moderator Lunker
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Yeah, I won. What do I get. I knew not studying would pay off.
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Joined: Apr 2003
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Lunker
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Lunker
Joined: Apr 2003
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Congratulations, Chris! I'm with you on the not studying thing.
"Only after sorrow's hand has bowed your head will life become truly real to you; then you will acquire the noble spirituality which intensifies the reality of life. I go to an all-powerful God. Beyond that I have no knowledge--no fear--only faith."
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Joined: Feb 2005
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Lunker
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Lunker
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There's a moral in there somewhere. Dont discard baits, either fake or live.
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,347 Likes: 99
Editor, Pond Boss Magazine Lunker
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Editor, Pond Boss Magazine Lunker
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,347 Likes: 99 |
Yep, actually, those baits started off black or purple. What you see is the color of semi-digested baits...they always seem to turn that color. I have seen many baits taken from bass stomachs, and they are that color. Good work, guys...especially Chris for getting it so quickly. Have a good evening, all.
Teach a man to grow fish... He can teach to catch fish...
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,740 Likes: 293
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,740 Likes: 293 |
Young man (Chris Steelman), I'm trying to help kindle your entrepreneurial spirit amongst many of your future potential clientele on another thread.
Please refrain from admitting that you don't study. It could adversely affect the fledgeling Steelman-Slymer Fish Squeezing & Supply Company.
davatsa, I suspect you'll get into land rights law, so the same thought may apply to you too!
Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:" "She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."
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Joined: May 2004
Posts: 13,966 Likes: 276
Moderator Lunker
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Moderator Lunker
Joined: May 2004
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Yeah, I won. What do I get. I knew not studying would pay off. Congrats, Chris. You win the undigested plastic removed from the bass! If you send Bob a check for the shipping.
"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever." -S. M. Stirling
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Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 2,587
Lunker
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Lunker
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 2,587 |
That's a new one for me, Bob. Thanks for posting the story.
Subscribe to Pond Boss MagazineFrom Bob Lusk: Dr. Dave Willis passed away January 13, 2014. He continues to be a key part of our Pond Boss family...and always will be.
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 4,596 Likes: 36
Lunker
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Lunker
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 4,596 Likes: 36 |
Bob Lusk worte: Notice in the lower left, that's a twig with what looks like a small bryozoan. This bass ate a twig with jelly on it!
Are small bryozoan colonies a viable food source for some fish? If not, what kind of role do they play in the food chain? The reason I ask is that we have lots of little clear jelly like things attached to the aquatic vegetation in our pond. Most of these are half the size of a pea with several dozen tiny white spots evenly spaced throughout the clear jelly. I would post a picture but don't think these things would photograph very well.
Last edited by Shorty; 09/27/07 08:49 AM.
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Hall of Fame Lunker
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Hall of Fame Lunker
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I figured it was some kind of obstruction of the intestinal tract. This is not an unsual problem. I've caught trout with plastic baits in their stomach they couldn't pass. (public waters) Here's a few pics from a fishing website of just that. It's a good thing the angler caught this fish. It would have starved to death. And btw I've caught more than one trout with a cigarette butt in it's stomach. Considering most of the nicotine is in the butt, is there a possibility the person that eats the trout could be ingesting nicotine? I've heard of children dying from eating cigarette butts from an ashtray for that reason. fish that was caught What was found in it's stomach
Last edited by Cecil Baird1; 09/27/07 08:52 AM.
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,721
Lunker
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Lunker
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,721 |
Bob thank you for posting this on the website. It makes me wonder if I should outlaw plastic baits on my pond or at the very least be very careful about discarding them. Does anyone know if a bass can digest some the plastics that claim to be biodegradable?
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Joined: May 2004
Posts: 13,966 Likes: 276
Moderator Lunker
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Moderator Lunker
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And btw I've caught more than one trout with a cigarette butt in it's stomach. Considering most of the nicotine is in the butt, is there a possibility the person that eats the trout could be ingesting nicotine? I've heard of children dying from eating cigarette butts from an ashtray for that reason. In 48 years I have seen one and only one person who knew/cared/was anal retentive enough (pick whichever you feel applies) to field strip cigarette butts before discarding them outdoors.
"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever." -S. M. Stirling
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Joined: Jul 2005
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Lunker
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Lunker
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Geez Theo, I field strip my cigarettes all the time and put the butts in my pocket and dispose of them properly at the next available trash can. It's not because I am "anal retentive", it's because my dad hates seeing cigarette butts littering the pond. Littering happens to be one of his criteria for not letting peple come back and fish again. I have been doing this for so long that I field strip butts eveywhere now, public lakes included. Did you know that on average it take 7 years for a cigarette butt to biodegrade? At least that's what I have been told.
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