Hey guys, I'm new to the forum. I used to go fishing all of the time with my grandfather when I was a kid. Now I'm 20 and I recently started making trips again since I recently acquired a decent boat. Anyway, I was crappie fishing last weekend at Brownwood at a private dock, and I saw several crappie swimming upside down. I would have just assumed it was a dying fish or something but several of them were doing it about 2 feet under the water and then swimming back down. Any idea why they were doing this? There were also white bass swimming on their sides. I haven't seen this before. Does anyone know why they do this?

Was there any other species of fish dead along the banks? I have seen similar occurrences a few days before massive fish kills due to golden algae or low oxygen levels...but I sure hope this is due to something else...someone else will surely chime in.

I've never seen that kind of activity or even heard of it.

No. There were not any dead fish around. I really hope that's not the case. There were also many fish that were swimming normally. So I have no clue.

Can't be a good thing! Maybe the lake is starting to turn & the oxygen was not sufficient. Hope it levels out & doesn't create a mass fish kill off!

Were the fish feeding/chasing bait around?

Found this in another forum:

"Any disease which affects the nervous system , muscular system or swim bladder can cause abnormal swimming behaviour. Any debilitating disease that causes weakness will also lead to inability to swim properly, and so it isn't surprising that fish which are terminally ill will be seen swimming abnormally - even up-side down."

My advice; don't eat em... lord only knows what funk might be causing em to swim like that!! and I am not too sure about crappie (or freshwater fish in general), but alot of aquatic species (snails etc.) are intermediaries for some pretty nasty parasites

mite be sumthin in the construction of the dock leachin into the water ?
one never knows what people mite just put in the water ya know
something rained down into the water yesterday from an overpass into the water I was ketchn in .....
I have no idea what it was or why someone would do it ...
but it was white and there was lots and it WAS water soluble ...

The fish swimming upside down didn't seem to be feeding. Although we were catching crappie so I'm guessing only a few were affected by whatever it is. Yeah I didn't plan on eating them haha. Thanks guys!

This happens in the spring the females swim on there sides and upside down spreading there eggs on a bedding area. Seen it at bob sandlind. And yes I said what the. Now as far as this time of the year have no clue.

This happens in the spring the females swim on there sides and upside down spreading there eggs on a bedding area. Seen it at bob sandlind. And yes I said what the. Now as far as this time of the year have no clue.

wow

+1