light color on fish

[bassmaster4]

I've been fishing a lot at a certain body of water, all of the pike and bass im catching have a very faint color on them, very pale. I have some photos but they are on my phone and i cannot put them on here. This pike that i caught today had the same color as a muskie although i could tell it was a pike, is this just fish being exposed to light or something or does this mean the fish are unhealthy, just curious as to why the colors are not as vibrant as fish that i catch in other places.

p.s i was not targeting bass for they are out of season they just happened to strike my x-rap and i noticed they were also light colored.

thanks bassmaster4

[mercman]

I have noticed the exact same thing here in the St Lawerence. Lite almost faded colors on the perch and 2 OSS bass i caught the other day. Even the crappie are faded gark grey with black spots.

Interested in hearing the possible explanations too.

[mike rousseau]

I WAS gunna say in dirty water fish have a lighter colour and colour patterns are less vibrant ...

 

Bu the st Lawrence is gin clear...

 

Unless mercman is around a dirty section where a river dumps in...

 

But my only opinion us dirty water

[dhickey]

IMO!!!!

Everything is late this year the water is still colder than usual and I dont think that the bass are done spawning yet .

 

The lake I grew up on didnt have any bass beds on May long wknd and I hit several Pike on top water bass plugs?? that is a first in about 20yrs.

 

Judging by the post on OFC it seems to be a trend throughout central Ontario.

 

If your your going to target certian fish please use better judgment when it comes to

late spawning....

 

Let them be!!

 

this goes for all bass guys as I will probably leave the shore lines alone come bass opener this year.

[dhickey]

I have noticed the exact same thing here in the St Lawerence. Lite almost faded colors on the perch and 2 OSS bass i caught the other day. Even the crappie are faded gark grey with black spots.

Interested in hearing the possible explanations too.

 

Coloures fade during spawning with fresh water fish.(stress)

[Fish Farmer]

Muddy water. Any fish you catch in the lower Grand are very light in color.

[Roy]

Probably no science to it but to me, a discoloured fish is the sign of unhealthy water and a less than healthy fish.

[Fish Farmer]

Probably no science to it but to me, a discoloured fish is the sign of unhealthy water and a less than healthy fish.

Gezz Roy, I new there was something why I don't like to eat Walleye from the Grand.

[Rod Caster]

If there is a lot of coarse sand surrounding the river then the fish actually get sandblasted and turn out dull in color. I've seen this on the Athabasca river

[Spiel]

Fish can and do change colour according to their surroundings and habitat.

 

Now this is an opinion (suggestion) only, but perhaps these light coloured bass are guarding eggs/fry on a newly dug nest of stone/gravel, turned up stone/gravel is often lighter in colour than that of the surrounding stone (ie: trout redds) and the bass would/can change colour accordingly.

[cjgraham]

It all depends on what habitat they are living in ,and the diet they are eating. A light or dark colored fish doesn't mean it is healthy or unheathy. Take steelies for instance when they head up river the longer they are in the river the darker they get. Fish adjust to the habitat they are in. Also springtime is spawning time. Fish divert most of their energy to reproduction. This also could have something to do with a color change.

 

 

[Banger68]

I noticed coloured or stained water seem to lighten the fish and fade the markings. The bass in the Grand and Binbrook Conservation seem healthy enough ... just washed out.