Piebald pickerel, Black spots in fish, Water temp as structure

I’ve seen lots of pictures of “piebald” or leucistic deer…but here’s what VT biologists think is likely a leucistic chain pickerel – caught by Caden Hurley:

Pics and info from Vermont Fish & Wildlife on FB:

> “Leucism is a pigment condition that affects some of an animal’s cells, resulting in pale color that may be patchy or nearly complete across the body. One main difference between true albinism and leucism is that albinism affects cells in the eyes, causing that classic pink color, while leucism does not. You can see that this pickerel has normal colored eyes for the species. It doesn’t happen often in fish, so this is a very special catch!

Wild!

Oh, and something else you don’t see every day…

Youch! 🩹

Some interesting info in this Jeremy Smith write-up for OutdoorNews. Few excerpt below:

> Jeremy Smith: “Several of us at Lindner Media Productions recently had the opportunity to work with MN DNR Fisheries staff from across the state on a pilot study surrounding winter crappie fishing. The study focused on barotrauma and its impacts on crappies.

> “…barotrauma refers to trauma caused to fish by rapid changes in barometric pressure. The most common cause [is] when fish are caught from deep-water…where the pressure is drastically different from that at the surface.

> “In some instances, signs of barotrauma may be obvious, such as bulging eyes, expanded swim bladder, or hemorrhaging around the mouth and gills. …however, less apparent signs go completely unnoticed.

> “For the purposes of the study, 50 crappies were caught from a relatively deep basin area. The water in the targeted study area was approximately 40′ deep, and most of the fish were found suspended around 30′ below the surface.

> “DNR staff placed a large hoop net that extended from the ice to the bottom of the lake. Prior to releasing the fish into the net, each individual was inspected for signs of barotrauma. The study classified the fish into one of 3 categories: severe signs of barotrauma (like bulging eyes, hemorrhaging, or bloated belly), moderate signs, or no signs of barotrauma.

> “The fish were left overnight in the hoop net and re-inspected the next day. During re-inspection, it was found that a large percentage of the fish were either dead or not dead but not releasable. A small percentage appeared to be in good condition and could be released.

 

> “A common deep-water release technique, known as ‘fizzing,’ also was attempted with another set of study fish. All crappies that had fizzing performed on them died. It’s important to note that the data from this study are purely anecdotal at this point. But the observations from this work will guide future, more formal research.

> “More in-depth studies surrounding the effects of barotrauma on fish caught from deep water currently are in the planning phase. Future research will attempt to provide more definitive details regarding the particular depths at which fish are affected by barotrauma.

> “Bottom line, it’s important to realize that just because a fish swims away doesn’t mean it will survive.”

This special critter was posted by Max Sadler (Black Creek, WI) in the Ice Junkies Outdoors FB group:

Then I saw a few pics shared in the comments from others with similar catches….

Justin Clark said he catches a few like that each spring in his Lake St. Clair honey hole:

Zach Regazzi’s was really showing off that lateral line:

And this one used its unique camo to sneak up on Mike Swann’s Rapala Jigging Rap:

We’ve all seen fish with those little-black spots on ’em, but Ashley Scanlon’s ultra-freckled pike caught our eye:

It’s called “neascus” or the super-original name of “black spot disease.” You can learn a lot about it, and other science-y stuff, from Gord Pyzer:

> “The black spots are small cysts in the fish’s skin. In a heavily-infected fish you’ll find them sprinkled in the flesh as well. If you inadvertently happen to eat one, they’re crunchy – like a speck of sand or a piece of pepper corn. [We’ll take your word for it!]

> “A fish-eating bird (eagle, osprey, great blue heron, kingfisher, gull or cormorant) consumes an infected fish and the black spots – which are tiny-encapsulated worms called trematodes – mature inside the bird’s digestive system.

> “Once they mature, the worms lay eggs which the bird passes into the water in its droppings. The eggs then hatch into microscopic organisms called miracidia that have about 24 hours to find their next host – typically a snail.”

> “There the parasite develops into its next life form, emerging from the snail as a tiny creature called a cercariae. When this parasite burrows into a fish, the fish reacts by encrusting the little bugger in a cyst with black-pigmented melanin.

> “The black spot can survive in the fish’s flesh and skin for many years, while it waits for the fish to be eaten by a bird, so that the process can repeat itself once again.

> “Literature suggests that the parasites neither affect the fish, nor humans that may eat them. I’m betting that like me, you’ll pass on eating either of these pike for dinner.”

Think you can you remember all that next time your buddy asks?

We’ve already got “Fishmas” (for Christmas) but is there a fishy name for Valentine’s Day yet? Fishentines?? Valenslimes??? You tell me hahaha.

Your newsfeed has probably been cluttered with more sappy-love posts than fish pics lately (thx a lot Valentine’s Day!) so here’s a little something(s) to switch it up….

1. Betcha some of these kiddos get to do their homework while waiting on a rattle reel to sing! Posted by Team Lodge on FB:

2. Move over, Hallmark, Berkley is comin’ in hot! 🔥

3. This straight-up DIALED Valentine’s box was posted a couple years back by Stephen Kolobakken. 👏👏👏 Great job, Akira!

4. Artie’s Bait & Tackle was feeling a jumbo amount of love on Big Stone Lake:

5. Usually they say “X marks the spot,” but on Valentine’s Day you wanna look for heart-shaped clues…. Would love to see Tom DeMers hook up with a walleye big enough to plug this 16″ ❤️-shaped hole he had hidden below the Catch Cover:

1. VT: Lake Champlain ice derby canceled after 3 fishermen break thru…

…and unfortunately they didn’t make it back out. 😞 Prayers to the families.

I don’t think I have ever heard of this many folks breaking thru the ice in such a short period. Not just VT…I’ve seen dozens of articles/posts from all over MI, IA, MN, IL, MT, etc. Pls be safe out there and don’t push it. 🙏

2. In-Depth Outdoors TV comes to an end.

IDO just posted an episode whacking on a school of plus-sized crappies in central MN. At the end of the episode (25:56) James drops the bomb that this is the final episode of In-Depth Outdoors TV after 17 seasons.

Get the inside scoop on what he’ll be up to now in this personal message posted by James Holst here.

3. Court date set (Mar 27) for Lake Erie walleye scandal.

> …facing 4 separate charges: felony cheating, attempted grand theft, possessing criminal tools, and unlawful ownership of wild animals.

> [The pair] pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were arraigned in court on Oct 26 of last year. They were released after each posted a $2,500 bond.

4. Here’s the newest “Top 5” of the week video! 🍿

Can’t believe we’re on episode 35 already – big thx to our friends at Sea Foam for making this video series possible! 👊 Hope you dig it:

5. The USA Ice Fishing Team will be competing…

…in the 2023 XIX World Ice Fishing Championship in Tartu, Estonia:

6. Raymarine partners with EchoPilot “Forward-Looking Sonar.”

> Danish-based marine electronics company Daniamant has introduced EchoPilot’s new Forward Looking Sonar, The FLS 3D Gen 4, exclusively compatible with Raymarine Axiom display….

> …full 360 degree rotation of the 3D image via touch, as well as the zoom function. This will give a closer view of how the seabed terrain looks ahead and potential hazards are shown in real-time.

> Forward Looking Sonars (FLS) are designed for navigation in difficult scenarios or unknown waters and offer insurance for your vessel against unseen obstacles, making difficult anchorages less stressful.

7. OH: Maumee walleye tourney will now use a metal detector.

Runs from Mar 17 – Apr 16. Just $30 to enter and the heaviest walleye wins.

8. ND: Aquatic nuisance species is most common violation.

Followed by anglers being over their limit for fish species.

9. John Buelow = the new prez of Merc.

Actually it says he’s now president AND executive vice president…. John has been at Mercury since 2004 and was previously the VP of global operations.

The write-up says former president Chris Drees “has decided to leave Brunswick to pursue opportunities outside…the marine industry.”

10. Mark Tracy is the new Yamaha VP.

He had been GM of sales and marketing:

> …Tracy will continue to oversee Yamaha Marine power sales and marketing teams, with the added responsibility of the Marine Customer Experience (marine service) team.

11. MN: 4.93-lb largemouth wins Poles ‘N Holes derby.

Water temp as structure?

Using water temps to find active bites is nothing new during the open-water season, though still not too many folks paying attention to it through the ice….

This super-interesting piece by Matt Straw is from back in 2016, but still one of the most overlooked pieces to the ice fishing puzzle IMO. Full write-up here, few excerpts below:

> How many ice anglers bother to observe water temperature at depth? Most perceive conditions under the ice to be pretty homogeneous, not only month-to-month, but year-to-year. But it isn’t so.

> Temperature bands move up and down through the water column all winter, expanding and contracting….

Btw you might already have an underwater camera that displays temp and depth, so it’s just a point of paying attention to it.

Also some super easy to use units out there like the Fish Hawk TD, where you just gotta: 1) drop it down, 2) reel it back up, and it’ll register the water temp for every 5′ of the water column.

> Heavy snow cover can improve the shallow bite, but extremely cold weather can push frigid 33°F water down to the bottom in 8-10′, driving walleyes out of there.

> When I find 36°F or warmer water on bottom in 10′, I know walleyes will push even shallower on those key spots.

> Walleyes in one lake kept biting at about 22′ for over a month, even when temperatures varied by about 4°F. But the bite wasn’t the same at 34°F as it was at 38°F. Not even close.

> In warmer water (always accompanied by warmer air temps and stable weather), walleyes tended to move higher off bottom and strike more aggressively. In colder water, they held closer to bottom and exhibited smaller strike zones.

Way more info in the full Matt Straw write-up here.

Love me some walleye fishing [!] but it’s getting to be that time of year…. #BurbotSZN

For some reason this @berkleyfishing shot makes me wanna crush candy like my kid just brought her Valentine’s Day box home from daycare:

But then I see the paunchy gut on this bullgill – that ate 1 too many PowerBait Ice Mayflies and Whipworms – and realize I should probably back off on the treats:

National Professional Anglers Assoc. 

MN-FISH