[SixtoMidnight]

Was wondering if anybody has fished travis much the last couple of months? We have been catching a lot of Blacks that look really sick. Excessive slime or some kind of clear mucus covering the whole body, what looks like scratches up and down there sides. Always real skinny. We have caught them from Pale Face all the way to Bee Creek.Anybody else caught any of these? Or might know what it is?

 

[David F]

A few weeks ago My buddy caught a bass on Travis near Mansfield and it had Black stuff on it, looked like Black Warts or something. Some type of fungus growing on it.

 

[Bryan Thompson]

When you catch a sick fish like that, it could possibly be a virus that needs to be recognized. Please take detailed pic's and describe conditions fish was caught in and describe conditions of fish and e-mail this report to [email protected]. Steve is the local fisheries biologist. He is a good guy and fishes quite a few tourneys too. Very easy to talk to, and will definitely look into the situation to rectify any problems that may compromise our local fisheries.

 

[Ranger_R77]

Very good suggestion Brian..

Steve Magnelia - District Supervisor
505 Staples Road, San Marcos, Texas 78666
Telephone (512) 353-0072
E-mail: [email protected]
In fact any of these lakes listed below, let Steve be aware of your findings.
District 2C

Austin
Bastrop
Buchanan
Canyon
Fayette County
Georgetown
Granger
Inks
LBJ
Marble Falls
Town Lake
Travis
Walter E. Long

 

[Ranger_R77]

One other thing, the black pigmentation that is on the bass around central texas is normally something not to worry about. However, anytime you have a question, please contact TPWD. We all learn from your experiences.

Here is a bass I caught last year while Crappie fishing.  It looks to have Black Lipstick. Another kind of pigmentation..

 

[Ranger_R77]

Here is a comment from Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

What causes the dark blotches (pigmentation) on the skin of largemouth bass?


It is possible that this condition is genetic, viral, or related to some environmental factor unique to certain bodies of water that stimulates the increased production of melanin.  This unusual pigmentation (melanosis) has been observed on bass within most Tennessee reservoirs and in other areas of the country for many years.  The Fish Disease Diagnostics Laboratory at Auburn University is currently investigating the cause of hyperpigmented melanosis in Tennessee largemouth bass.

Additional reading at:
http://www.wmi.org/bassfish/articles/T205.htm

 

[David F]

That's what I was talking about Robert. Except more on the one I saw, and big wart like.

 

[Ranger_R77]

Warts are a little different than Black Blotches.  I know there are bass in the creek beside my home, that have red sores and/or warts on them. I asked TPWD about this once before and they said it is caused by no water flowing or stagnant water. The bacteria level is much higher in these types of waters, resulting in sores on fish.

But in a big lake, they should not have a "wart" problem, unless there is a lot of bacteria in the water. Might want to photograph the next bass you catch in Travis and send it to Steve.

Robert

PS: I will be fishing Lake Travis on Sunday from 9am to 8pm...if I can hang with Glen that long. ;D

 

[Ben_S]

That is really scary. My parents have a place on lake limestone and my father noticed that early this spring he was catching some whites and lmb that had little red sores on them and that whatever it was obviously it was killing the fish because the fish had almost no fight in it. Since then we have caught less whites out there and almost no blacks. The TP&W just shocked out there and the report said that whites we way down and that blacks were NON-EXISTANT. That lake used to be a h#$l of a white bass lake and really solid for blacks. Really scary, That travis is connected to almost every lake we fish in some way

 

[p-money]

at the level travis is currently at I think you could consider it stagnant. historically people have contracted bacterial infections at these levels so it's not out of the question for fish to be affected.  Fished Friday and all but 1 fish were very healthy...

 

[David F]

Usually those infections, with bacteria, and getting sick happens after a big flood, and the lake level rises, and all the animal poo and all that that's on the bank right now, eventually gets submerged, and gets a lot of nasty stuff in the water.

 

[SteveBCAT]

i caught a few yesterday- all looked and faught good, but did catch one last wk end that was probably 3.5 lbs that was all slimed up. It appeared healthy- but I have never seen a bass with that much white gunk all over it. We need RAIN.