# GROSS FISH- what is this stuff? (PICS)



## fisherman89 (Mar 16, 2009)

I caught this brown, appeared to be a lake run on July 9th not far below the dam on the White river in Hesperia. took it home to clean and it had this red puss ooze out of it...? had a slight odor and only one visible imparity on its skin, when i pushed it the red stuff oozed out like a pimple....?

Any Ideas?


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## fisherman89 (Mar 16, 2009)




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## Waz_51 (Jan 10, 2010)

Looks like infection to me


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## JimP (Feb 8, 2002)

Pic #2 shows top and bottom marks...I'd hazard a guess it escaped from a toothy critter like the Pike also shown. They do sometimes tackle pretty big meals. The bite wounds have become infected in the warmer water.


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## Waz_51 (Jan 10, 2010)

Or maybe he was hit by a musky before he came into the river


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## aslongasitpullsback (Dec 30, 2005)

lamprey


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## fisherman89 (Mar 16, 2009)

No way is it lamprey, 

I do see how it could be infection after penetration by teeth, however the spots were spread out over the hole body from behind the head to its tail, of a 22 1/2 inch fish... and there didnt seem to be any kind of "mouth" pattern to the areas and nothing visible on the surface except the one spot...?


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## JimP (Feb 8, 2002)

If you say it was all over the body, another guess would be the trauma was caused by it's being trapped somehow. between roots, rocks, maybe in an old abandoned appliance.
I've seen Salmon stuck under layers of the shale rocks in the Falls river in the UP.
When wading you can feel the thump thumps sometimes when there's one underneath. They don't have the brains to turn around or back out...just keep trying to forge ahead. We grabbed one by the tail once that had beat itself bloody head to tail...


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## swaprat (Oct 1, 2011)

from the 2013 dnr booklet for fishing rules on page 71 is this about northern pike i wonder if it is spread from fish to fish. and yes it could be marks from a predator fish like a musky or pike... read the part in i highlighted in red below and thank you for disposing of a potential fish virus... like said here at link if you do not eat it i don't blame you .... 

any ways best of luck..... 


Parasites and Diseases 
of Fish
Occasionally anglers catch fish with black,
pinhead-size spotswhichcause thefishtohave
apepperedappearance,or afishmaybe caught
whichhaswhite-to-yellow-coloredgrubsunder
theskinorintheflesh.Yellowperchtakenfrom
the shallower waters of the Great Lakes often
containredwormscoiledwithinthebodycavity.
These conditions are caused by common fish
parasites.Fishwiththeseparasitesaresafetoeat
becausetheparasitesarekilledbycooking.Black
spotandyellowgrubparasitesaremostcommon
in bass, sunfish (all species) and northern pike,
andredwormis specific toyellowperch.These
parasites may be found in other species of fish
as well.
Itis not unusualfor anglers to catch walleye
withpink,whitishoryellowishwart-likegrowths
on their bodies and fins. These markings are
caused by fish viruses, the most common of
which is calledlymphocystis.This is primarily
a skin disease, and the flesh is usually not
affected. Lymphocystis is harmless to humans
andaffectedfisharesafetoeat.Skinningthefish
usuallyremovesalldiseasedtissue.Ifalegal-size
fishisheavilyaffectedandappearsaesthetically
unpleasing,itshouldbekeptfordisposalbecause
afishthatisreleasedwillonlyspreadmorevirus.




Northern pike from some waters occasionally
are caught with various size and colors of external
tumors which may be whitish, creamy, pink or
red.
In advanced stages,the tumors are ugly open
sores tinged with red and often are referred to as
red sore. These tumors are caused by a naturally
occurring virus which is specific to northern pike
and muskellunge. The disease is not known to
be infectious to other animals or man; however,
affected fish are not aesthetically pleasing and
should not be eaten. Affected fish (of legal size)
should be kept for disposal because a fish that is
released will or may spread the infection to other fish.


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## Waz_51 (Jan 10, 2010)

swaprat said:


> from the 2013 dnr booklet for fishing rules on page 71 is this about northern pike i wonder if it is spread from fish to fish. and yes it could be marks from a predator fish like a musky or pike... read the part in i highlighted in red below and thank you for disposing of a potential fish virus... like said here at link if you do not eat it i don't blame you ....
> 
> any ways best of luck.....
> 
> ...


Good info there bud, I wouldn't doubt that this could be the culprit!


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## swaprat (Oct 1, 2011)

Waz_51 said:


> Good info there bud, I wouldn't doubt that this could be the culprit!



thinking the same thing...


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## diztortion (Sep 6, 2009)

Looks like it was mishandled and dropped a few times on the bank or boat.


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## RIVER LADY (Jun 13, 2005)

Whatever the cause, it is definatley infected.


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## fisherman89 (Mar 16, 2009)

some good suggestions, but it wasnt mis-handeld at all, and as far as the pike/muskie diease that sounds like it is all description of external tumors? i wouldnt describe anything here as a "tumor"? I have seen large white tumors all over walleyes caught in sag. bay, we called them popcorn tumors.

I had a few people tell me they have seen that in steelhead too without a for sure diagnosis.


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## planecrazy29 (Jul 21, 2012)

Maybe VHS? Symptoms fit. I'd contact the DNR to see if they are interested in it.


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## troutguy26 (Apr 28, 2011)

Hate to be that guy.... it says in your profile your a "fisheries technician".... I figure you would have the resources available to tell us what it is.


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## limpinglogan (Sep 23, 2009)

How did it taste?


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## SALMOTRUTTA (Nov 10, 2010)

troutguy26 said:


> Hate to be that guy.... it says in your profile your a "fisheries technician".... I figure you would have the resources available to tell us what it is.


Just because he is a fisheries tech doesn't mean he is a biologist. Fisheries techs gather the numbers for the biologists to look at and make observations. You just have to have some knowledge about the fishery usually, no degree required.


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## Tron322 (Oct 29, 2011)

planecrazy29 said:


> Maybe VHS? Symptoms fit. I'd contact the DNR to see if they are interested in it.


I see that as a bad idea, what has been done on the east side of the state since they found VHS, just another excuse for them to waste money.

that's the question, what can they do?


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## Tron322 (Oct 29, 2011)

limpinglogan said:


> How did it taste?


 
I am kinda wondering how it tasted to.

I was just thinking tho, the first or second pic showing a tumor under the skin I find on pike all the time, fish probly just had cancer.


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## llpof (Mar 31, 2012)

Heck, I've cleaned at least two or three cold water fish with similar infections, just trimmed around it and moved on. Seems like at least one was a steelhead.


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## fisherman89 (Mar 16, 2009)

*** fish tech, by no means a biologist... and by no means an expert in fish health and diagnosis...

sure I got the resources for this however this was just the first step into looking into this, so calm down, thought fellow Mi sportsman would be interested thats all.


I did not eat the fish, it was through out the meat so I didnt even accept the option of cutting around it.


Had other reports of steelhead with similar symptoms, still not exactly sure what this is.


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## diztortion (Sep 6, 2009)

For the record, I wasn't implying the OP mishandled the fish causing those sores/bruising. 

I was just stating a possibility. Someone could have caught that fish before and did a poor job handling it. 

It would also lend some credibility as to why steelhead are showing the same wounds. I've had steelhead given to me that you could easily see the bruising from being kicked onto rocks.

Poor fish handling practice? I dunno. Just throwing it out there.


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

Looks like VHS to me.


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## GuppyII (Sep 14, 2008)

I caught one in the EB of the AuGres probably 12 years ago that was like that.. maybe even a bit more infected. That would pretty much rule out VHS if its the same as that hasn't been around that long..some sort of parasite I'm willing to bet, take it to a biologist if you can.. I promptly pitched the one I had.


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## Fishslayer5789 (Mar 1, 2007)

We caught at least 5 kings out of Frankfort last year that had those same internal sores in them. I just cut around them. They used out a puss liquid that was clear/pinkish. It was disgusting. Your brown trout seemed like a lost cause for trying to salvage the meat. There were quite a few sores on it.


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## wilsonm (Dec 28, 2010)

SALMOTRUTTA said:


> Just because he is a fisheries tech doesn't mean he is a biologist. Fisheries techs gather the numbers for the biologists to look at and make observations. You just have to have some knowledge about the fishery usually, no degree required.


Fisheries technicians for the MDNR are required to have at least an associates degree in fisheries or aquatic sciences. An associates degree most likely doesn't even get you an interview as the majority have at least a BS in fisheries biology/management or aquatic sciences. In addition, most of us are passionate about fishing and grew up avid sportsmen and sportswomen which is what led us to pursuing this degree. Just because someone claims to be something on their profile, doesn't mean they are an actual MDNR employee. As for catching fish with abnormalities, it is best to take some photos, freeze the specimen and contact your closest regional office. Someone in Fisheries Division will then determine if it should be sent to MSU for testing.


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## stockrex (Apr 29, 2009)

could it be fish STD?


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## swaprat (Oct 1, 2011)

any info from the mdnr on what it is the fish has or had? zany ways best of luck....


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## Tron322 (Oct 29, 2011)

I just got off the phone, fish had the final stage of lung cancer, too much smoking mr. rat. I think the rest of the fish will be ok!

seriously tho, you guys wanting the MDNR involved, have you really never caught a fish with tumors? my personal favorite would be on an unmentionable that flows from thru cutlerville. this brown trout had three "worms" growing out of its head. anyone have a scary disease that has a symptom that looks like that? (would have been in 2003, each growth was .5" to 3", all growing between the nostrals and the eyes, same color and texture of the brown trouts skin, when I released it I expected my hand to get the similar growth, still good !!) 

I have several more stories like a lot of guys, I really think most of these are just snagged or hooked fish that get the wound infected, a lot of these growths are right in the lips.


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## troutguy26 (Apr 28, 2011)

I'm just glad this fisheries tech thing got set straight. A lot of BS'n goin on in here....


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## swaprat (Oct 1, 2011)

Tron322 said:


> I have several more stories like a lot of guys, I really think most of these are just snagged or hooked fish that get the wound infected, a lot of these growths are right in the lips.


was thinking the same thing when i fillet a salmon last year there was hook still rotting in the back of it and same kind of marks in the fish.. that why i am wondering if the mdnr can comment on what it is ?


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## frenchriver1 (Jul 5, 2005)

troutguy26 said:


> I'm just glad this fisheries tech thing got set straight. A lot of BS'n goin on in here....


The forum seems to attract a lot of self proclaimed experts in a wide variety of fields. Many of them demonstrate wrist strain from patting themselves on the back.


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