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Hey if i was a perch and I saw a 20lb pike comming at me I would turn white to.
I've done a lot of searching for information on "blue pike" (really a thought-to-be-extinct walleye) and in doing so came across a million articles about color variations in fish. The perch you caught is most likely just a result of a color mutation. The truth is (my truth anyway) that any number of things can cause color changes in fish. Stress levels, spawning, water color, diet, home range, and on and on and on. However, most of these are short term color changes. If your still holding on to it, a call to your local fisheries department would probably net you some more information. Regardless, those were three very nice fish. Congrats.RWR
Excellent response Reel Wet Ride. Don't forget the particular strain of fish can have an effect on color.
I ment to hit on that as well. For instance, the perch that I've caught out of Lk. Michigan or some of the smaller lakes around K-zoo look nothing like the fish that I pulled from Higgins last year. The fish in Higgins where very light in color, very white/blue. The fish from around here and Lk. Michigan were full of color. On another note, as a man of science, can you tell me what the abnormal black spots on LM bass are and what effects they have on the fish. Sometimes they have a yellow ring around them. Bottom line: should I remove these fish from the lake?
Sorry, I don't have any pics. But I can give you a very concise explanation. It seems to be a common condition on my home lake. I see it from ice out until ice-up, assumed a remaining condition under the ice. I don't believe that it has an immediate effect on the fish itself as I've seen the same bass for more than 3 years. (call em' spot, go figure) Looking at the spots, most are black, some have a yellowish ring around the spot itself. I would say the majority are the size of a quarter, but some are larger. Most of the fish I've seen carrying these "spots" only have one, and most of the time it will be on the upper part of their body, at or behind the dorsal. However, some bass I've seen have been covered. I'm a C & R bass fisherman, so I've never kept a fish to see the effects on the skin or the flesh. Based on the limited amount of info that I've found, I suspect that it is a disease passes from bass to bass, but I haven't found anything to support removal of the fish themselves. If you know of this condition or what the causes may be, I'd be very interested.Thanks,Jason