Strange Striper

[Wiseguy]

Yesterday, I hooked a ~26" striper on the N. Shore. Very fat fish.

 

Anyway, he had what looked like a large piece missing from his right side gill plate, exposing the gills underneath. I know this isn't that unusual. What was weird was the missing piece was still there, it had just migrated down and was protruding out from the bottom of the gill plate. It must have been that way for a while, since it fit the curve of his body perfectly. It must be still attached somewhere inside, as the piece was still 'alive.'

 

I was wondering a couple of things:

 

a) do you think he was born like that or it was due to injury when he was small?

 

b) anyone else ever bring up an oddly deformed fish before?

[HugeDinghy]

prolly got smacked by a blue in a blitz or a seal

[foxfai]

Hmmm, sounds like it could be a disease or something..... the weird thing is I heard about this before.

[Canal Intruder]

Could have been a blue, or a injury while younger, Who knows

Henry

[Beachbuster]

For a 26" fish it sounds like he's had a tough life already. Something tried to eat him when he was small, now you go and drag him around the ocean when he was just trying to have breakfast. He must be thinking...what the hell else can happen to me

[WI Outcast]

It sounds like it might have been injured by a tomcats tail hook. But it's still a great story.

[Wiseguy]

It sounds like it might have been injured by a tomcats tail hook. But it's still a great story.

 

--Tower, this is Ghost rider requesting a flyby.

 

--That's a negative Ghost rider, the pattern is full.