Caught what looks like a deformed steelhead.

[oldskool]

I caught this steelie a couple days ago and it had this "blem" on it. At first glance I thought it was just a scar, but upon more inspection it looks like a growth.

I've caught several fish of various species with talon scars, or what have you, but nothing that looks even close to this. Anyone have a clue of what it might be?

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...eat=directlink

[Gary Thompson]

I've seen some "blems" on hatchery trout, but nothing quit like that.
Ugly, for sure.

[Ryan Nathe]

That almost looks like lamprey scars, but that the lamprey didnt get through to the flesh only that is got through the scales and then got dislodged and tried again. Don't know though. Freaky lookin'

[Ed Call]

Was that fish caught in the Forks area? Just wonderin'.

[oldskool]

Was that fish caught in the Forks area? Just wonderin'.

No......but now I'm curious.

[Ed Call]

Vampires in training, getting some rough practice on the ocean going rainbow trout! If that were a hatchery fish it would have been cool to see what was under those areas. Clearly the scales and skin are breeched, but there seems to be no superficial flesh involvement. It looks like the areas are bulging, maybe something pressing out from the inside.

[oldskool]

Well actually Mumbles, it was a hatchery fish.....I gave it to my next door neighbor.

Hey Ryan, I'm guessing you have seen something like this before?

[Ryan Nathe]

I caught two fish earlier this year with similar shaped scars, but they were deeper. They were lamprey scars in my opinion, but I have never seen the scars just go through the scales and not go deeper into the flesh, so I am not sure. COuld very well be something else.

[Dan Soltau]

with the shiznit floating around our oceans, there is not telling what could have cause those bumps. it appears to cyst-like, a growth from the inside of some sort. Hopefully we dont see anymore...

[Grayone]

The fish was just "smolting" it's skin and would have come back as a much larger fish if you would not have killed it...He He

[SpeySpaz]

Well actually Mumbles, it was a hatchery fish.....I gave it to my next door neighbor.

Oh man, I would have dissected it...old world naturalist kind of thing.

[Backwoods Angler]

Scale cancer, it's a shame

[SAVE STILLY NATES]

That's just disturbing!

[alpinetrout]

That almost looks like lamprey scars, but that the lamprey didnt get through to the flesh only that is got through the scales and then got dislodged and tried again. Don't know though. Freaky lookin'

That'd be my vote, although they're most likely healed scars rather than failed attempts. There have been reports of Pacific lamprey feeding on whales, so if they can get through whale skin, they should have no problem with a steelhead. In one study, it was found that more than half of the fish sampled that had been preyed on by lampreys had more than one healed scar with as many as 8 scars not being uncommon.