# Catfish disease?



## scruggs1 (Sep 29, 2012)

We have caught 8 catfish on Jackson tonight and all of them have red bumps on them.  Some have just a few others are covered with them.  We've turned them all loose, but will get a picture if we catch another before we load up.


----------



## scruggs1 (Sep 29, 2012)

We caught 3 more...but they were channel cats.  None of them had the red spots.  So whatever it is, it was only on the blue cats.


----------



## leemckinney (Sep 29, 2012)

Caught one like that on Lanier.  I let it go too but now I wonder if I should have.


----------



## Oddball (Sep 29, 2012)

Could it be this? Seems that its rare in the wild, but if a stocking population were infected and then some of those were released into ponds/lakes it could account for it in the wild.

https://srac.tamu.edu/index.cfm/event/getFactSheet/whichfactsheet/124/


----------



## scruggs1 (Sep 29, 2012)

I looked at that very page last night, and according to that paper, it is the channel cats who get infected.  The weird thing is that it was not on any of the channel cats that we caught...only the blue cats had it.  It looked just like the fish were covered (in varying degrees) with acne.


----------



## scruggs1 (Sep 29, 2012)

On a side note, we got the biggest catfish I have ever seen alive right up to the boat and the hook literally broke off in its mouth.  Gamakatzu Octopus Circle hooks.  Third one that has broken in 2 fishing trips.  First one broke last trip and I figured it was just a fluke.  Two broke off last night.  Not happy.


----------



## hummdaddy (Sep 29, 2012)

just a question and not trying to bash you,but if the fish had a disease possibly,why would you release it to infect other fish...


----------



## scruggs1 (Sep 29, 2012)

hummdaddy said:


> just a question and not trying to bash you,but if the fish had a disease possibly,why would you release it to infect other fish...



Not sure it was a disease.  Could have been some parasite that is part of its natural cycle.  Could have possibly been some sort of allergy to something in the water.  Could have been a toxin in the water.  Also could have been bacteria/fungal infection.  I knew we weren't going to eat them and I wasn't going to just kill them for no reason as it could be something totally harmless.  Sent a message to a DNR agent I know.  Will post back when he replies.


----------



## striper sniper (Sep 29, 2012)

Use owner hooks


----------



## Oddball (Sep 30, 2012)

scruggs1 said:


> I looked at that very page last night, and according to that paper, it is the channel cats who get infected.  The weird thing is that it was not on any of the channel cats that we caught...only the blue cats had it.  It looked just like the fish were covered (in varying degrees) with acne.



I looked at several pages before I found that one. That seemed to have the best pics, but I think one of the other pages I looked at said it could jump species to Blues but that it was rare.


----------



## scruggs1 (Sep 30, 2012)

Caught another one with it last night.  One of the DNR fisheries biologists wants to see it so I am freezing the fish and taking it to him next week.


----------



## scruggs1 (Sep 30, 2012)

This is what it looks like.


----------



## Shane Whitlock (Mar 2, 2014)

Any word on what was wrong with this fish, we have caught a few out of the river and was curious?


----------



## jerseycat9 (Mar 2, 2014)

I've caught a lot of channel catfish in Lanier with those bumps all over them. I've even seen it in the Delaware a time or two up north. I'd say back here in the Flat Creek arm of Lanier that I get 1 out of three with those bumps all over them.


----------



## LittleDrummerBoy (Mar 2, 2014)

Caught a few blues in Lanier with milder cases of the bumps last year.  I didn't worry too much about it.  The fish seemed otherwise healthy, good weight for the length, livers looked good too (we checked).


----------



## jerseycat9 (Mar 2, 2014)

You meant "white" catfish in Lanier. No blues in Lanier at least not yet anyways.


----------



## LittleDrummerBoy (Mar 2, 2014)

jerseycat9 said:


> You meant "white" catfish in Lanier. No blues in Lanier at least not yet anyways.



At 4 and 8 lbs with highly forked tails, I'm pretty sure they were blue catfish.  8+ lbs would be close to a state record had it been a white catfish.  So I'd say the blues have arrived in Lanier.  Sorry you didn't get the memo earlier.


----------



## kernel (Mar 7, 2014)

I caught two of them just like that out on Clarks Hill a couple months ago. They're in my freezer but I don't think I can make myself eat em. I can't find an answer either.


----------



## Hooked On Quack (Mar 7, 2014)

kernel said:


> I caught two of them just like that out on Clarks Hill a couple months ago. They're in my freezer but I don't think I can make myself eat em. I can't find an answer either.





How does the meat look once skinned ???


----------



## jerseycat9 (Mar 9, 2014)

LittleDrummerBoy said:


> At 4 and 8 lbs with highly forked tails, I'm pretty sure they were blue catfish.  8+ lbs would be close to a state record had it been a white catfish.  So I'd say the blues have arrived in Lanier.  Sorry you didn't get the memo earlier.



Got pics?


----------



## flatheadz (Mar 10, 2014)

Its only on the skin and DNR says its safe. This showed up in the river years ago. I  was told its a bacteria issue and believe it or not they told me it was induced by feces. I just treated a pond for the same thing in which it had started affecting my bream. SUPPOSED TO BE HARMLESS but I clean the ones without it.


----------

