Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Problem with a Big Fish

I caught an 8lb bass yesterday....that's the good news.

The bad news is that if this fish had my normal 140+ Wr she would have been 10lb+.

The fish had all of the skin missing on one side of her face (and muscle tissue). I am not aware of any disease that would do this to her, so I'm guessing maybe she had a bad run in with a plug of some type with many large treble hooks...I just don�t have another good theory.

Here is a picture:



I did take the time to "give her some dignity" and snap one from her good side:


It made me sick and I wrestled with the decision for a good while�I know a release was the only way to put the odds of survival above 0% but I just couldn't stand the thought of seeing her become turtle food. With the "unlimited" forage in the pond she should have been about to burst...and she just wasn�t...she wasn�t skinny...but not nearly as fat as my other larger (5lb+) fish...so, I decided to go ahead and keep her....she went to the taxidermist for a skin mount...hopefully with a mount showing her good side the deformity won't be noticeable.

Also, she obviously was "feeding" enough to take my bait but I was fishing a super slow presentation of soft plastics and she didn't fight well at all...never took drag and never even jumped...very lethargic....one or two little bursts and then she just rolled over at the boat. I caught a few other bigger fish (4-6lb) and they were all FAT and pulled like crazy.

Anyway, I look forward to hearing any theories as to what may have caused the face problem.

I don't have any theories, but you probably made a good decision to keep it.

Really, though, she doesn't look unhealthy as far as body profile anyway.

Looks like a bacterial infection that started with an injury. I stopped using treble hooks years ago if that is what started it. A gang of treble hooks on a plug is even worse. They really cause a lot of damage to a fish.

There are some bacteria in the water that will literally eat the skin right off of a fish. Even though these bacteria are usually present in the water at all times, they only cause problems if the fish is injured or its immune system is compromised.

As far as relative weight I'm with Sunil. The fish looked otherwise healthy.

Thanks for the reassurance on the tough decision Sunil.

I hear you on the body profile...it's just all relative I guess...and for the pond she came from...she's skinny.

The pond is carrying about 300 head of mature LMB at this point....and enough BG to walk across the pond on their backs (watch out for the dorsal fins � they can hurt your feet) and has had 4000lb of goldfish and GS stocked in the past 12 months.

Do these infections typically kill the fish or can they recover (esp one this bad)?

Any idea on survival rates for fish that get hit badly? Should I be looking into some antibiotics for the fish food? Will antibiotics transfer from pellet fed forage to LMB?

This is the only fish I have seen with any major issues (plenty of beat up male BG from spawning but that's about it).

That fish had too much of an infection to make it if you ask me. Too close to the brain and gills. I'm no expert but feeding your fish antibiotics for an isolated case would be a waste of time and money IMHO. And yes the antibiotic would make it up the food chain, but only as a residue and not as a therapetic.

You're going to loose a few fish now and then. It happens -- especially if you practice catch and release. If it was me I would outlaw treble hooks.

I know this fish wasn't hurt due to handling but a few years ago I caught a 2-3 lb bass that had a skin/slime infection that was the perfect shape of someone's hand. The fish was in very poor health & I kept it also.

Is it possible that this fish got hung up in some structure while on the line which along with the hook(s) caused some of the skin to get ripped off in the process?

no - she was not injured by the fight when I caught her. I have talked to the other members and no reports of losing a big plug on a fish. We have had a few break offs but not with big baits.

We already have a barbless rule - may need to ban trebles too.

Jeff I have had some fish that got infections from hooks and released them. I have caught these fish again and the infection seemed to have gotten worse. You probably made the right decision. If you are feeding your bass, having a fish food with vitamins seems to help. The owner of a bass fish farm told me that the food that they feed really makes a difference in the ablity of the fish to fight off infections. He only feeds silver cup fish food but I would think there are many other brands that are very good also. It is 45% protein and has vitamins A,D and E.