growths on provo fish

[fishboy2]

today i got the chance to go wet a fly on the provo and to my amazement all the large sized fish were dead or dieng and all of them were turning whitish and had white cottony gwowths on there heads. the were not moviving much 'caus i coul;d pich them up without them moving away. i di catch a couple small ones but the large ons distracted me. does any body konow what is gfoing on and why?[]
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[wiperhunter2]

I've heard that this happens every year and Tube Dude might be able to help us on this one. Hey, TD do you remember this problem with the fish on the Provo from last year? WH2
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[TubeDude]

I have been fishing the Provo over 40 years. Sad to say, that condition does happen during the brown spawn...or even before...any year that water levels are lower and temperatures higher. It is a fungus condition that affects browns that get stressed from high temperatures and/or spawning activities.

From what I have been able to observe, once a fish develops even a small spot...like wherever it has been handled and the protective slime removed...the spot spreads all over the head and body and it is almost always fatal. I'm not certain, but I'm guessing it a a similar fungus to the one that grows on some Pacific Coast salmon after they spawn and before they naturally die in their life cycle.

It breaks your heart to see big trophy browns swimming aimlessly around a hole...or remaining motionless in mild current, just waiting to die. The first year I ever witnessed this, it happened to a big old brown in a hole right in Orem. I had found the fish hanging out under a blown down tree. It swirled after a spinner a couple of times, but I never hooked it. Of course, it became a quest to get a hook in that big boy, and that tree was the first spot I hit every time I went there...which was almost every evening through the summer. I didn't have a car then, so I rode my bike and parked it at a friends house near the river.

One day in late October I rushed down to the tree, after missing it for a couple of weeks. I sneaked up to the tree, along the bank, and looked down through the branches, to see if the fish was still there. He was, but he looked different. As my vision adjusted to the low light under the branches, I could make out the patches of fungus on his body. Heartbreak. About three or four days later, he was finning over next to the bank, opposite the tree, completely out in the open. I waded out to get a closer look, and spooked him. But, instead of bolting for the cover of the tree, he rolled over and started going downstream sideways. I didn't follow.

During the next couple of weeks I caught a ride with a friend to fish up above the trestle several times. I saw quite a few of the larger fish suffering from the fungus. I have never hooked one that had any spots on it. That stuff seems to shut them down for good.

The good news is that it never seems to totally wipe out the fish population. It is an affliction that strikes the weakened and damaged fish, but leaves the healthier ones behind. In some parts of the Provo, it is probably a good thing...to help balance the population. In low water years there is not enough habitat or food to sustain as many fish.

Sorry about the longwinded dissertation. That's whatcha get for teeing me up. Anybody else got any observations?
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[RipNLips]

The condition is called Saprolegniasis. Saprolegnia is a water mold that is common in virtually all fresh water systems. Though always present, it usually can't get a good parasitic hold on a fish unless the fish is already stressed for some reason. Many environmental factors can be the cause of the stress. The trick is to figure out what factors are causing the stress. It's usually not just one factor, in fact, it's usually several factors combining to create a stressful environment. The spawn itself is a stressful time for trout, and that's probably what finally got their stress level high enough this year.

Here are a couple links for more info...

[url "http://www.hmsc.orst.edu/classes/MB492/saprokent/saprolegnia.htm"]http://www.hmsc.orst.edu/classes/MB492/saprokent/saprolegnia.htm[/url][url "http://www.aquaworldnet.com/awmag/diseases.htm"][/url]

[url "http://www.aquaworldnet.com/awmag/diseases.htm"]http://www.aquaworldnet.com/awmag/diseases.htm[/url]

Here's a link where an angler gives HIS opinion about the "white fungus" on fish in the Provo. While reading his article, remember that several environmental factors are probably the cause of the stress, not just one (i.e. food supply).

[url "http://www.utahonthefly.com/articles/toomany.htm"]http://www.utahonthefly.com/articles/toomany.htm[/url]
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[Xman]

Hello

i have fished the provo for quite a few years as well. i have found the lower stretch to have this problem but the upper and middle section of the provo does not seem to have the fungus problem.



Alot of people woudl argue but i believe it is the intense waterflow they allow through the provo that aids immensely in the growth of the fungus. during the spawn the browns obviously exert alot of energy. with not alot of still water for a retreat they are forced to fight currents at high levels all year long. amazingly in the summer the fish do not have alot of this on them yet. only in the cold months do they start getting it that ive noticed. with the fishing pressure mixed with cold months and fighint hard currents i think its easy to see the stress on the fish. mix this with zillions of smaller 15 or so inchers in that stretch of river there is extreme competition for food. i have argued for quite a few years for the fish numbers to be limited in the lower provo but that is another subject. i would say look at other stretches of the provo and ask why do they not have the problems as badly as the managed tailwater water flows of the lower provo??? either way it is very to see a nice a few and far between 23in in that stretch floating on its side dying of exhaustion and a fungus.

happy fishing

xman
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[road]

I talked with Randy od DWR in the Central Divison today. He is one of their fish biologist. They were unaware of any problems on the Middle Provo, and were most concerned. He said they would have a team out there today and check things out. The fungus everyone is referring to has not been recorded for nearly 20 yrs on this stretch of the river. At any rate they will be getting back to me with the results of their findings. I'll post it to the group. One thng though Randy said though it would be unusual for this fungus to be there it is not impossible. They are also concerned about a possible ag polutant maybe having been released/dumped into the Provo.
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[RipNLips]

During the fall spawn, the browns are rubbing the mucous layer off of their skin and also nicking their skin up while making their redds. No matter what stress level the browns are at, an intact skin with a good mucous layer is the best defense against saprolegnia. That's why we often see browns in this condition in the fall and early winter and hardly ever at other times of the year.
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[Xman]

Hi road,

i hope i did not mislead someone with my post. what i was trying to say is the middle and upper stretchs do not have a problem, from my experience, compared to the lower stretch. if i alarmed anyone i feel very bad. but if they are checking it out i would like to hear what they say.

happy fishing

xman
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[fishboy2]

Hi Xman,

You didn't alarm me at all, the sight of the dying fish did though. Like you and a few others I have fished this river for years. I had never seen this condition on the middle or upper Prove before. I had already contacted DWR and was waiting for them to get back to me. FB2 posted that evening when he returned home, and i contacted DWR early the next morning. There has been a lot going on around the Provo during the last year and a whole bunch more in the last couple of months. I was concerned that maybe one of the contractors had disposed of something he shouldn't have. It's pretty easy to dump something in a river and never get caught. The Govt use to do it all the time (former govt employee) until they learned better that is. Your post was very imformative and FB2 learned a lot from it. You know how kids are, they listen to anyone but their folks. Well maybe not that bad, but when someone else says the same thing it seems to stick. Not to mention your really was very good and well put. So I wasn't mislead ....... my wife does that for me <g>

Slow fishing today .... 1st day skunked since I can't remember when.

Marty
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