Fishing Forum

I COUGHT THIS STRANGE LARGEMOUTH BASS ON JUNE 11TH 2003 . HERE IN MICHIGAN .

IT WASEN'T UNTILL I READ AN ARTICAL FROM THE FREE TWO YEAR SUBSCRIPTION OF FEILD AND STREAM MAGASINE THAT BIGFISHTACKLE.COM GAVE 5000 OF US MEMBERS ( BY THE WAY , JUST ONE OF THE MANY FREE GIFTS THAT I HAVE GOTTEN HERE ) THAT I REALISED JUST WHAT THESE MARKINGS WERE .

IN MY FREE JULY 2003 ISSUE , PAGE 19 , CAME MY ANSWER TO THIS MYSTERY .

I WASEN'T TOO HAPPY WITH WHAT I DISCOVERED . I GOTTA TELL YOU THIS FREE GIFT FROM BFT IS ONE OF THE BEST EDUCATIONAL TOOLS AN OUTDOORSMAN CAN HAVE . FOR ME "FREE BECAME PRICELESS ", BECAUSE KNOWLEDGE OPENS ALL DOORS .

THANKS BFT AND FEILD AND STREAM !
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you can also find out what those markings are on the concervation board here at bigfishtackle.com

they are frightining to say the least.

I hope you contacted your local dnr biologist to report this problem. it is a serious one.
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YEA , I'M HAVING SOME FUN ON THE FRESHWATER FORUM WITH THE GUYS , LOL !

LARGE MOUTH BASS VIRUS ( LMBV ) FOR OUR MICHIGAN VISITORS . NOT HARMFULL FOR US HUMANS , BUT DEADLEY FOR THE BASS . I'M NOT SURE HOW IT GOT TO THESE WATERS . THE INFO ON THE CONSERVATION BOARD TELLS A WHOLE LOT THOU , THANKS FOR POSTING IT DAVE !
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[font "arial"][size 2]I found this interesting....

mike


Author: [url "http://www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/FisherMike"][#990000]Stanley M. Campbell[/#990000][/url]


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[font "arial"][size 2] I recently read a newspaper article that shocked and dismayed me. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the LaCrosse Fish Health Center in Wisconsin has found a virus affecting large mouth bass populations has been found in all tested locations in Illinois. (My home state).

It is part of a nationwide protocol to conduct research and to test for the virus labeled LMBV, large mouth bass virus. Illinois has found the virus at its hatcheries at several lakes in Illinois. This means major loss of bass throughout the state. This disease has also been found in large mouth bass in at least 15 other states that have tested for the disease. It is possible that it is in more states that haven’t tested.

"Largemouth bass virus seems to be triggered by a combination of stress and heat", says Mike Conlin, IDNR Fisheries Chief. Presence of the virus in a population does not mean the fish have disease, nor is it an indication that they will have the disease in the future,".

Mr. Colin said the fish are more likely to be impacted by the disease when they are stressed. Stress factors are brought about by water temperatures that become too warm, low oxygen levels, and frequent handling usually caused by too many bass tournaments. Biologists noticed that the only fish in the hatcheries testing positive for the LMBV were under stress. Even if the fish tested positive for the virus does not mean they will show signs of illness unless they are under stressed conditions.

The LMBV first gained attention in 1995 when it was found to be the cause of a fish die off in South Carolina. It is one of more than 100 naturally occurring viruses that affect fish. Although this virus can be carried by other fish species, such as crappie and bluegill, it is only fatal to large mouth bass and not carried at all by warm-blooded animals.

Most fish carrying this disease seem completely normal until they are stressed and dying. Dying bass may be found near the surface having difficulty swimming and remaining upright. They may also appear bloated. LMBV attacks the swim bladder which causes the bass to lose their equilibrium.

LMBV positive bass are safe to handle and eat.

Scientists don’t know what long-term effects this disease will have on the large mouth bass population, but there are some ways we fisherman can help. Anglers can help minimize the impact of LMBV by draining all water from the bilge and live wells and clean boats, trailers and other equipment thoroughly between fishing trips to prevent transporting the virus from one body of water to another. This virus can live for several hours in water. Do not move fish from one body of water to another. Do not release live bait into the water. When you release bass, handle the fish as gently as possible to reduce stress. The IDNR also suggests holding tournaments during cooler weather so that fish caught will not be as stressed by hot water and low oxygen levels.

We fishermen owe it to the preservation of the large mouth bass to take whatever measures we can to keep these fish healthy for our future generations of bass fishermen.[/size][/font]

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Author: [url "http://www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/FisherMike"][#990000]Stanley M. Campbell[/#990000][/url]
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Thanks for sharing that article with us. It’s a good one for sure. and dose make you want to think about what is going on around the lakes steams and ponds.

One of the things that will rob oxygen from the water faster than anything is toxic waist. Illinois and Indiana are both at the mercy of Michigan’s industrial waist. They are the first to be hit by what Wisconsin and Michigan dumps in to lake Michigan, not to mention all the heated water from steam heat plants, nuclear plant cooling waters,

This scares me, that in the name of progress, every thing is going to H E double hockey sticks in a freight train. What I mean is that the world population is already at a point that the world market, and agricultural resources cannot bare.

In the name of progress the government says make new keep over producing, develop more land. Well the fish is the first tell tail sign that the land can’t handle any more, and if we keep going we are next up on the food chain. It won’t mater if you are a toepherky eater, because the plants will absorb many of the nutrients and pass them on to humans. If any one doesn’t believe my statements just look at the strange diseases being acquired by our bovines, (deer cows elk ect....)

Those animals drank the water and ate the plants and bare the first hand results. man can not live in an artificial environment. We did not progress that way. Only man made various can survive in a man made environment. There are many man made viruses on this planet that would not exist if it were not for the hand of man

Have you ever seen pink pond scum? Well I have, the results of a water treatment plant in the burgs of the Detroit metropolitan area. Nasty looking stuff and stinks as well. it may not have been formed in a test tube in a lab, it is man made none the less by toxic waist being dumped in to the sewers sent to a treatment plant heated and released in to a pond to mutate in to some thing that can survive of what is being dumped and refined.
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well that could be the explanation . stress from fishing pressure is not a factor as it seems that i am the only guy that seems to be fishing there !

at the time of the catch , water temps were in the upper fourtys to lower fifteys , so that knocks that out of the picture too .

now there were several warning posters of "water treatment " around , to kill off invasive plantlife that was in it's beginning stages of groth . as you know as the vegitation decays , oxigen is depleated . i guess thats where the stress may have developed , it sure wasen't because the fish fear me , lol !
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what I dont understand is why the fisherman always get blamed for stuff like that? Stress of the fish from fishing? get real how long have we been fishing? I think its something like big companys putting the blame on the fisherman so they look good....
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could be , i've never heard of anyone keeling over from a big mac attack , lol !

since i've been fishing there i've noticed a thick olive brown slime that is growing all over the bottom , up to 5" thick ! yuck !
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