they're basically zombies this time of year, the living dead. it was probably black or a shade of black right? the flesh would be white, skin loose, basically rotting away as they swim upstream. me and a buddy usually go out each year to catch em late in the season for his dogs. we keep the spawned out females as they're just basically waiting to die, we release any egg carriers or healthy males.
even though they are dying, they have a ton of power still, and are a ton of fun to fight, especially on 8lb or lighter line