[JamesRoberts]

Hit the water around 4ish with my friend Todd.  Put in at Quinlan and headed north to hit some docks.  Before I could get a bite he had 4 in the boat,  the first one was the biggest for the day and was 4lbs.  very skinny, could have easily been a 6lber.   As we started down I started catching and then passed him on numbers, but nothing of size.  He caught all his fish on senko type baits, I caught mine on the same, a TX rig, a shallow crank, and a spook jr.  Once it got dark, no bites at all.  Left the water around 9:30.    JR

 

[skeeterdale]

Thanks for the report.

 

[Matt Warren]

does anyone know what is wrong with bass that look like that? is it some kind of disease?

 

[lunker-hunter]

They probably have a bunch of plastic worms in their gut, or it's just summer

 

[Bryan Thompson]

Could be a recent post spawner, Austin is a crazy lake. There are males on beds year round up near the low water crossing.

 

[ChitownLonghorn]

I agree LH. I am willing to bet she is full of soft plastics. Probably 4 senkos lodged in its stomach.

 

[Guest]

That was my thought as well. Probably a hook buried in the Gullet or Senko's in it's stomach. I caught a few like that last week and pulled hooks out of half of them.

 

[TDub]

Look at that fishes tail...it's pretty beat up, probably from the spawn as Paris suggested.

 

[fishytx]

I like this post.

I’ve been trying to come up with something that I could use to check out the inside of these fish. Because I agree with what others have said, I think they’re stomach is full of plastic, and if it’s not removed pretty soon, then the fish is sure to die. They look sicker than a dog. I have also noticed that they seem to be feeding in areas that most other healthy fish are not. I don’t think they have enough strength left in them to compete around the main food chain is why.

With this topic in the air, I hope it reminds everyone not to throw their plastic back into the water when they change one out. I throw my old plastic under my deck extension. When I get home or right before I exit my boat at the ramp, I pull the old plastic out and I properly dispose of it into the trash. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no saint, I use to throw all my plastic back into the water, and some times I still forget and chunk it in. But I’m working on it. Old habits are hard to break some times, but I know I have to do my part to try and keep these fish healthy so they can reproduce, or so others can have the opportunity to catch them as well.

 

[lunker-hunter]

Thanks to everyone who doesn't throw their old plastics in the water, although, I am thinking TDub might be right about the tail rub and post spawn. Regardless of this fish, I bet their are a lot of sick fish with soft plastics in their gut which could use our help, so everyone try to do their part like fishytx said and don't throw used plastic overboard please.

 

[Matt Warren]

I do think discarded plastics are a definite contributer to cause a bass' condition to decline. However, I have a 3 acre pond at my property that I stocked with floridas about 6 years ago and I have caught a couple that look just like that (mega skinny, sunk in eyes, skull bones showing thru the skin, and sharp teeth) I don't discard plastics back into the water; so, I am wondering if it's a disease of some sorts. The last one I caught out of my pond like that-I threw it on the bank so it wouldn't breed with the healthy stock.

 

[TDub]

Throwing plastic in the water is bad, but I have seen plenty of just plain old skinny fish.  Hard to make a generalization based on ONE fish...

Here is another skinny post spawn fish from another lake...

And just for comparison, very similar weight, but pre spawn....

Ok, so this turned into a fish porn post

 

[Guest]

Since we are on the topic of skinny fish!!!!  

Check out the HEAD on this one!!

 

[Jukebox]

Funny, when I saw you had posted under this thread I pictured almost this exact thing. You're too predictable Fob

 

[Matt Warren]

here's a pic of an afflicted bass from Bastrop.  Paper thin body.  just looks sick  :-/  Is there an Icthyologist on ABF that can diagnose?

 

[Starkfishes]

I am not an Icthyologist but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Expres last night and my official diagnosis is that the bass in your picture isn't eating enough.

 

[DaHorns]

Hit the water around 4ish with my friend Todd.  Put in at Quinlan and headed north to hit some docks.  Before I could get a bite he had 4 in the boat,  the first one was the biggest for the day and was 4lbs.  very skinny, could have easily been a 6lber.   As we started down I started catching and then passed him on numbers, but nothing of size.  He caught all his fish on senko type baits, I caught mine on the same, a TX rig, a shallow crank, and a spook jr.  Once it got dark, no bites at all.  Left the water around 9:30.    JR

That joker looks MIGHTY familiar......I think I used to call him "boss".

Good to see you guys back out on the water bro! Now al I gotta do is follow y'alls lead!

 

[Ben_S]

I thought bass had the ability to regurgitate, We had one in an aquarium for a while that was about 3 pounds. You could chunk him a plastic and he would eat it on the fall every time. But then a couple minutes later it would come back out.

 

[yv_fish]

Thanks for posting the pic jr. See ya on lake.