Sick Cedar Creek Bass - May 21, 2016 - This does not look good for the lake

We had a tournament last weekend on Cedar Creek and almost every bass caught looked sick.

They some kind of fungus, lots bloody lesions, and or cormorant wounds.

The picture don't really show how bad they looked, but trust me they were sick. It's really sad.








Anyone else notice the condition of the bass at Cedar Creek?








.

That is normal after the spawn.

It’s not related to the spawn.

Every fish we caught was affected. Big ones and little ones. I think It’s some kind of bacteria or virus. I have seen bass like this before on Cedar Creek but not on everyone we caught. I also noticed it all the bass that were weighed in at the tournament (some affected more than others).

Best I can tell it's something similar to Ranavirus.

http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/greatlake...UCNumber=DHuron

http://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/diseases/chytrid/

I read something couple of years ago about this disease or one like it hitting the lake......never see so many sick bass as I did last Saturday.







.

It looks like battle scars to me. Wounds, not diseases.

If you're that worried you should probably contact TPWD, don't ya think?

I remember seeing fish that looked like these 5 years ago, but it was only about one in about 6 that looked sick.

5/11/2011 Cedar Creek Lake bass show signs of disease
Participants in a Cedar Creek Lake bass tournament last weekend reported catching numerous fish with open sores.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department fisheries biologist Richard Ott said it sounds like a bacterial disease called Columnaris. It’s always present in a fish population, Ott said, but manifests itself only when a fish’s immune system is depressed, usually by sudden temperature changes or spawning stress. Fish healthy enough to feed often recover from the disease, he said.

Taken from....
http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/other-sp...key-hog-hunting

I am the photographer for our tournaments and and we weighed in 57 bass last Satureday. I saw signs on every bass, plus on the fish that me and my partner caught during the tournament. Some were more apparent than others. They all had signs around their pectoral fins (side fins).

Just wondering if anyone else has noticed that it's spreading to a large segment of the bass population?

I emaild the TP&W about this but have not heard back. The news article is speculating on what it is. The question is, have they actually examined and sampled some of the bass.....and if so what was the finding?

ABA had 59 boats in a tournament the same day. I wonder if anyone fishing in that tournament noticed it too?






.

Seeing the same things on bass at lake Palestine. Biologist told m it had to do with all the flooding and new water in the lake.

I wonder if all the new water hurts the pH?

The biologist said its present and usually directed from temperature change or spawning stress.

I contacted the TP&W and after reviewing my photos, they said it is for sure a bacterial infection called Columnaris.

Below is the fact sheet that they send me:


The TP&W said as long as the fish are feeding, they should be ok.

About half of the fish we have been catching at Fairfield look similar. While watching live feed of the Elites on Toledo Bend they mentioned several times about all the fish looking just like your pics.

It must be a bad year for this disease because the TP&W said they have been getting calls like mine about other lakes.

We saw 1 bass swimming offshore that was about 2-3 pounds. It acted like a zombie. We put a couple of lures in font of it and I don't think it even realized the lure was there.

A link from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Aquaculture, Fisheries, & Pond Management

http://fisheries.tamu.edu/files/2013/09/...m-columnare.pdf

I had some that looked like that Sat on CC but they were feeding and healthy otherwise. I thought it related to post spawn recovery.

yep been noticing that as well

Not only has there been bass looking unhealthy but I have been on cedar creek fishing for the past few months and I have saw a ton of dead fish floating as I cross the lake to my next spot.

When we first caught the bass, I could see the mucus-like growth of columnaris bacteria on the fish. From the Texas A&M link, they say the brownish coloration is usually due to mud and detritus particles trapped in the slime produced the bacteria. I noticed a little lighter than brown and even whitish on some.

The fish we kept for the tournament weigh-in were dumped in our livewell and the bass banged and rubbed against each other....rubbing most of that nasty looking slime off, so you really don’t see it in the pictures.

The bloody ulcers were all over and the mouths looked especially bad.

I glad that the TP&W is not worried about them because Cedar Creek is one of our best tournament lakes.