Health of Athens Bass

I've noticed this the past couple of years, but not nearly as bad as a recent trip to Athens--many of the fish I'm catching out there look SICK. I'm not talking skinny--I'm talking skinny to the point of deformity. Knocking on death's door...and it's not just one here or one there. It was every other fish.

Has anybody else noticed this and have any good guess as to why? I'm definitely in the camp that says Athens has been hit too hard in the last year or two (if you've fished this lake for 10+ years, you've seen the pressure increase exponentially), but would that really cause these fish to be that skinny? I know ingestion of plastics can make fish look like the ones I'm seeing, but I can't believe that Athens fish are ingesting that much more than in every other fishery. There seems to be plenty of bait on Athens--fish are schooling and in some areas of the lake, there are huge bait balls of shad. I just can't figure it out--what's everyone else's thoughts?

Yes I've noticed this as well

Not anything new....the summer is tough on them. The water temp boosts their metabolism and they burn calories.

I have plenty of old pics showing the same thing.

I've been fishing Athens for 32 years but I'm only 40

Redman--why only Athens? What you're describing should then affect all Texas bass. Don't get me wrong, bass from other lakes can get skinnier during Summer, but not like they get on Athens, and not where it's every other fish.

And I'm not convinced it's just a summertime thing on Athens. This last trip was more pronounced, but I've definitely caught bass on Athens in Spring or Fall where the head size and length should have made it a 5 or 6 lber on any other lake, but instead it's a 3 or 4. There are exceptions, because I've definitely caught healthy fish--just more unhealthy in comparison to other lakes. This is a pattern I've noticed over quite a few trips the last few years.

These are a few examples of what I'm beginning to consider as the "normal" Athens bass, and these were caught in November. They're not the "ready to die" fish I'm talking about, but the three of them were between 19 and 20.5 inches, decent sized-heads, just no stomach whatsoever. If you were to catch them in August, I'm sure they'd look even worse. (sorry for the pic rotation--for some reason I still can't figure out what makes a properly rotated picture on TFF).

Not sure why it is worse on Athens. Clear water, relative small size of lake, relatively shallow living fish???

I have seen it over and over there.

2010

Yep--those are the kinds of fish I'm talking about Redman (especially that 2nd one which almost looks deformed--caught a lot of those this past trip). Maybe it is nothing new. Maybe I've just been paying closer attention to it.. And you're right--take a skinny fish and it looks even worse mid-summer, but I just don't get why in what seems to be a healthy fishery, the majority (in my opinion) of 16+ inch fish are so skinny.

I think it is pressure, I.e. Plastics and hooks in their belly. Lots of very healthy fish as well, only thing it can be. A 24" bass can range from 4lbs. to 9.5 right now. Caught a 19" last week that dindnt weigh 2lbs. 3lb 22". I also catch lots of fish with line sticking out of their gullet.

I would agree that quite a few recent catches have been skinny. Last night while launching a fellow angler asked my partner to photograph a 10+ pounder that he had just caught, it was in perfect shape. It looked like a pre-spawn bass. Unlike the fish I caught last Friday night, which were scale wrapped skeletons, the bass last night were in better shape. They were caught in extremely shallow water.

I too fish Athens quite a bit and you're right about the skinny/anorexic looking bass. They don't fight well at all, but to the lakes defense there's also alot of fat chunky bass in the lake too.I assumed that there were to many fish and not enough food but the lake is slap full of shad so I don't know.

Only way to get your answer, is harvest a few of them and check the stomach contents.

Time for a fish fry.

They fight good there every time I go

Cool...thanks.

100 club and other tournaments a year?

Plastic baits

Me and my dad have fished athens for a very long time and the pressure is just getting to them. Right now it's a mix of summer and pressure. A few years ago you could go out on a Saturday and there would be only 5 boats, now you go out and you have to park in the grass by 6 am. The best time out there is spring every spring fish I've caught is a heathy fish. They also are good in fall, but winter and summer is tough on them you get some odd looking fish. The pressure doesn't help but now that fork seems to be doing better everyone will leave athens and go to fork.

Senko belly, seen it on stillhouse alot. Don't throw your used plastics overboard.

[quote=meP2too]I would agree that quite a few recent catches have been skinny. Last night while launching a fellow angler asked my partner to photograph a 10+ pounder that he had just caught, it was in perfect shape. It looked like a pre-spawn bass. Unlike the fish I caught last Friday night, which were scale wrapped skeletons, the bass last night were in better shape. They were caught in extremely shallow water. [/qu


ote]

Here she is my personal best @ 10.75lbs

I would agree though...I caught a 6.49 last week that according to the length/weight chart should have been a 8.50, just sickly skinny looking. seems to me some of the bigger fish look like this this time of year... Is it maybe because the smaller bass keep the shad balled up and running out deep schooling and such?? Don't know just a thought. Less shad and bait fish on the edge of the grass and what not??

Nice fish Ranger! That's obviously not one of the ones I was talking about! She's healthy.

But you're right, it's not the 14 and 15 inchers (for the most part) that are sickly looking. It's the 17+ inchers. Interesting theory on the small fish keeping the bait balled up and running. Could be, I don't know...

That's the fish your partner photographed for me... I really appreciate it!!

your welcome of course, we came to the conclusion that your fish must be eating all the bait.

I took the pics of that 10.75... that fish was a hawg.

Congratulations on a very nice catch!

Z

we have pulled out some "skinny" bass here recently,,,,,,have you seen some of the "Biggest Losers" when they lose 50-100 pounds on TV ? Before they get the skin tuck surgery,,,,that's kinda how these fish look.
BUT,,,,,I can tell you that we have caught some very healthy,,fat,,good lookin fish as well. Also if you have been to Athens and have witnessed the schooling action going on the 4th week the fish in those schools are extremely healthy. They are hard to catch because of all the live bait and there are balls and balls of shad all over the lake.
The fish have plenty to eat,,,,,they are just working off the weight chasing their mid-morning brunch. The big ones are deep and they are in good shape.