My brother in law iced this bow. I am not sure what was wrong with it, It appeared as if it spine had been broke and then healed crooked. Anyone know what causes this condition?
Probably whirling disease.
Whirling disease is what I was thinking also, what lake was it that you caught this fish in? WH2
Probably a congenital abnormality as WD usually causes the death of fish when they are much smaller. This one seems to have adapted, and grown quite large.
Looks like Leavitt syndrome to me.
In addition to all of the other possibilities that have been offered, it could have been injured in the hatchery or later.
I it could have been injured in the hatchery or later.
Whirling Disease typically kills fish in the juvenile stages of life – which is why it is such a bad disease. Fish with WD don’t make it to the size of the fish in the picture. It isn’t WD.
More likely, it is as kent suggested – a hatchery fish deformity.
This “defect” is from the DWR shocking fish for their fish count. I was fishing the Green river during the annual “shock fest” and a number of mid-size fish broke their backs.
could be from my hook set [;)]
I caught two or three like that at Scofield last year. I think it’s a spine thing. Filleted and tasted fine…except for this crook in my back[;)]
I don’t know which is worst the guy or the fish just kidding but that fish is pretty interesting [;)]
I would say the guy! You probably wouldn’t have held it like such a girl had you known I was going to post the pics! No offense to our lady readers.
I don’t know if it has anything to do with the deformity, but are those sunflower seeds growing out of its back in the first pic? That’s pretty weird too.[;)]
I’ve seen that deformity several times in many different species (not all trout or hatchery fish species) but including a Mack of 20+ lbs.. I highly doubt its caused by WD. Perhaps its merely a spinal defect in the gene pool