Sick Smallmouth?

Sick Smallmouth?

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Sick Smallmouth? - 7/18/2008 11:02:11 AM

Cold

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From: Latrobe, PA
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While fishing at Kingston dam last night, I caught a young smallmouth that had extremely dark coloration, being almost black across its back and sides and gray on its underside. In addition, it had tiny black dots, almost like grains of sand, in the webbing of its fins and tail, and a few of these specks on the outside covering of its gills. It was about 5-6" long and fought and behaved like a normal healthy fish.

Any ideas as to what was going on there?

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RE: Sick Smallmouth? - 7/18/2008 11:50:19 AM

KJH807

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might have been a rock bass... they have stange colors and can look like smallmouth

< Message edited by KJH807 -- 7/18/2008 11:51:34 AM >

(in reply to Cold)

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RE: Sick Smallmouth? - 7/18/2008 11:51:42 AM

Stillhead

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The black spots were most likely parasites, you'll see them in bass and panfish in most of the lakes around here. Some more than others. Smallmouth colors changes allot depending on the body of water and the area that fish has been hanging out.

(in reply to Cold)

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RE: Sick Smallmouth? - 7/18/2008 12:29:12 PM

plnoldrick

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Thier color also changes very rapidly from stress. it could have been extremely stressed from parasites and only that much more from being caught. i have had a couple with no color wiggle out of my hand while trying to unhook them and drop on the deck only to pick them up and tey look like someone grilled them on a chain link fence.

Just to let you know i have caught some fish out of the hanna before that were almost pure black.

(in reply to Stillhead)

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RE: Sick Smallmouth? - 7/18/2008 12:37:09 PM

Cold

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From: Latrobe, PA
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First off, thanks for the alternate possibility, KJH, but this was definitely a smallie. I was catching alot of rock bass too, but this one was a smallie. :)

Stillhead, the parasite thing sounds like what was probably going on. As far as the water affecting him, if that was the case, he must have been an out-of-towner who swam up to kingston on holiday, as the other smallies I caught were a greenish-gold, with very few markings.

pnoldrick, I wasn't aware of the rapid color changing...I guess its entirely possible that he was normal colored when he bit! I hadn't fished the 'hanna much until this year, but this was the first black fish I've caught. Others have been darker colored, but this one's back would make coal look grayish. :P

So is there any chance of him recovering form the parasite? He was a pretty young fish. Also, if I should catch another one again ,are they okay to release, or should you keep em to prevent the infection of other fish?

(in reply to plnoldrick)

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RE: Sick Smallmouth? - 7/18/2008 1:53:25 PM

jon_e_si

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Image results for rock bass
window.google.repIm={c:function(a,b,c){(new Image).src="/gen_204?atyp=i&ct=rep&cd="+a+"&ei="+window.google.kEI;document.getElementById(b).style.display="";document.getElementById(c).style.display="none"}};

- Report imagesReport the following images as offensive. Confirm CancelThank you for the feedback.
[/link] [link=http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.dec.ny.gov/images/fish_marine_images/rockbass.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7022.html&h=428&w=790&sz=200&tbnid=ztx_n8bfmt4J::&tbnh=77&tbnw=143&prev=/images%3Fq%3Drock%2Bbass&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=3&ct=image&cd=1] Look at fins, rays, etc. -looks like rock bass to me!

(in reply to Cold)

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RE: Sick Smallmouth? - 7/18/2008 1:58:59 PM

jon_e_si

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If you examine the rays, fins, etc. - It appears to be a rock bass!

[/link] [link=http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.usbr.gov/mp/ccao/field_offices/new_melones/images/activities_smallmouth_bass.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.usbr.gov/mp/ccao/field_offices/new_melones/planning_visit.html&h=720&w=1712&sz=317&tbnid=Dc7pew6ZRNkJ::&tbnh=63&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsmallmouth%2Bbass&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=2&ct=image&cd=1] [link=http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.frontierstravel.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/DanBassBlog.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.frontierstravel.com/wordpress/%3Fp%3D47&h=562&w=576&sz=298&tbnid=eR9nn6RSuOYJ::&tbnh=131&tbnw=134&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsmallmouth%2Bbass&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=3&ct=image&cd=1][/link]

(in reply to jon_e_si)

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RE: Sick Smallmouth? - 7/18/2008 2:14:30 PM

Cold

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From: Latrobe, PA
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Look, it wasn't a rock bass. Rock bass have larger scales and are generally of a huskier build than young smallmouth. In addition, I was catching several rock bass there, along with crappie and bluegill. Also, anyone who's been catching these species knows they fight differently too, but even aside from that, it was most definitely a smallmouth. Furthermore, the black specks werent just in the coloration, they were actual physical bumps, like braille. Also, they were much smaller than a rock bass or crappie's black spots...smaller than a period in a newspaper.

(in reply to jon_e_si)

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RE: Sick Smallmouth? - 7/18/2008 2:15:12 PM

Stillhead

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Jonesi,

the fish pictured above is not the fish that cold was asking the question about. That was just a picture KJH threw up there as an example of a darker than normal colored rock bass. But you are correct the pictured fish is of a rock bass, just not the fish Cold caught.

(in reply to jon_e_si)

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RE: Sick Smallmouth? - 7/18/2008 2:19:42 PM

Stillhead

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This is from the Q & A on PAFBC Site.

"
Black spots
Black spot disease is commonly observed in rock bass and other sunfish, bass, pike, perch, minnows, and other fish species. It can be identified by the presence of small black spots, usually about the size of a pin head, in the skin, the fins, the musculature, and the mouth of the fish. The black spots are caused by pigment that the fish deposits around the larval stage of a parasitic digenetic trematode, usually a Neascus spp.
The lifecycle of the "black spot" parasite is complex. The adult parasite is found in a fish eating bird, the kingfisher. The larval parasite is transferred from the infected fish to the bird during the feeding process. In the kingfisher, the larval stage develops into an adult parasite. The adult parasite in the intestine of the bird produces eggs that are eventually deposited in the water. There the eggs mature, hatch, and develop into the miracidium stage of the parasite. The miracidium infects a snail. In the snail, the miracidium develops into the cercaria life stage. The cercaria leaves the snail and actively penetrates a host fish. In the fish, the parasite becomes encysted. In about 22 days, black spots form around the cyst. This entire lifecycle takes at least 112 days to complete.
In general, the presence of the "black spot" parasite does not affect the growth or the longevity of the infected fish; however massive infections in young fish may cause fish mortality. The parasite is incapable of infecting humans and, as is the case with all fish parasites, it is destroyed by thorough cooking. When fish are heavily infected, some anglers prefer to remove the skin to improve the appearance of the cooked fish."

http://www.fish.state.pa.us/images/pages/qa/fish/worms.htm

(in reply to Stillhead)

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RE: Sick Smallmouth? - 7/18/2008 2:24:14 PM

Stillhead

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As far as the color goes, I don't know whether or not the parasite had anything to do with it. I have seen many smallmouth that were very dark black in Presque isle bay. I always thought it had to do with their environment,maybe not the environment where you caught them, but where they'd been prior to you catching them.While most of the fish were lighter colored, almost everytime out we see or catch one of the darker fish.

I don't fish the rivers much, but when I did, it always seemed like the river smallies were much darker on average than what we catch in the lakes.

< Message edited by Stillhead -- 7/18/2008 2:26:30 PM >

(in reply to Stillhead)

Post #: 11

RE: Sick Smallmouth? - 7/18/2008 4:34:14 PM

Cold

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From: Latrobe, PA
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Wow, that black spot disease sounds exactly like what this fish had, though now I'm guessing the overall blackness was just coincidence. Thanks for the great article, Stillhead. I'm glad to see that it's not going to be something that kills the fish and, in a morbid sort of way, the cycle of the thing is pretty impressive...kingfisher to snail to fish and back...

I dont think it's an epidemic at the spillway since none of the other smallmouth, bluegill, crappie, rock bass, or the schools of shad and carp showed any signs of it.

I'd also like to thank everyone who helped out by posting here, I'm really starting to like this place! ;)

(in reply to Stillhead)

Post #: 12

RE: Sick Smallmouth? - 7/18/2008 7:11:49 PM

crappiefisher

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I've caught alot (Panfish) with the black spots from stripmine ponds. About 20 yrs. ago I cleaned about 50 & when all done noticed very sm. larva in the flesh

. Ended up not cookin' 'em up even though the grubs (larva) would not harm you in any way. Just sortta lost my appatiete

Crappy

(in reply to Cold)

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RE: Sick Smallmouth? - 7/18/2008 10:21:16 PM

Cold

Posts: 434
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From: Latrobe, PA
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Yeah, I agree on that, just because it wont make you sick doesnt mean you want to be eating it...I mean...look at things like bugs...and SPAM...

(in reply to crappiefisher)

Post #: 14

RE: Sick Smallmouth? - 7/19/2008 1:30:39 AM

Stillhead

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I've seen the parasites in just about every lake I've fished in western pa, including lake arthur. They seem to occur more often in some lakes, and always seem to occur in bluegills more often than other fish. Also see them more often in spring, but I have seen them on fish even caught through the ice.

I had an oppurtunity to fish the private lake latonka a couple times. In the winter most of the fish seemed to be free of parasites. In the spring the crappie and perch were mostly clean of them, but I'd guess about half the bluegill we caught were infested with parasites. We did eat some of the fish that were less infected, once you cook them you never know.

(in reply to Cold)

Post #: 15

RE: Sick Smallmouth? - 8/8/2008 9:59:04 AM

Cold

Posts: 434
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From: Latrobe, PA
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Made an evening of the Loyalhanna DHALO yesterday, starting at the bottom and working a short way upstream. This time I caught several rock bass, all of which had the black spots. They didn't seem to be fazed by it, still messing up my presentation to a few finnicky rainbows like good little panfish.

Also caught a nice sized smallmouth for that section (10-12") that had no evidence of the spots at all.

Moving upstream, I caught more smallmouth, rock bass, and bluegill, none of which had the black spot disease. In this area I also got a smallish rainbow (8-10") which hit, fought, and swam away looking very healthy. No black spots there.

(in reply to Stillhead)

Post #: 16

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