What on earth is wrong with this crappie?

[Wood_Duck]

Picture quality kinda stinks but I fished Norris the other night and had a few small white crappie. This one had something all over it that kinda looked like creme/pinkish colored eggs all over it. Some even fell of when I lifted it out of the water and I don't know if its a fungus, growth, if its been spawning without protection and caught fish herpes or what, hah.

[SeaRay]

Never seen anything like that. Be curious to see what it turns out to be, not sure I'd want to eat it.
SeaRay

[Wood_Duck]

yea, I wished it the best of luck and released it.

[Eager Beaver]

Should have taken it to the Game and Parks, or who is in charge of that resource, and let them know about it. EB

[DrNip]

I was fishing the dock at the lake down the street from my house and a lady caught two crappie that had similar stuff on it. It was more of a grayish color though.

[NIMROD]

Caught a couple here with white looking fungus on the fins.

[ibfestus]

It is pretty common to catch bass with the same sort of growth. Usually, is is because they had been caught and released. I believe the 1st pic shows the outline of 4 fingers as if somebody had held it in their hand and then released it. If you believe in catch and release, you need to not touch the fish any more than absolutely necessary. Personally, I believe that most fish that are caught and released die anyway, especially crappie.

[crappielimits]

It is pretty common to catch bass with the same sort of growth. Usually, is is because they had been caught and released. I believe the 1st pic shows the outline of 4 fingers as if somebody had held it in their hand and then released it. If you believe in catch and release, you need to not touch the fish any more than absolutely necessary. Personally, I believe that most fish that are caught and released die anyway, especially crappie.

Exactly what I was thinking, but know for a fact if fish are caught and released with care the do live. Slime coats are delicate and its like burning a fish with a cigarrette when you touch them alot or for long periods of time. Without this coat fungus is able to attach to the fish.

[Billbob]

amen

[slabbandit]

That's my thoughts exactly CL! If a crappie is to be caught and released it is best not to ever remove it from the water and just grab the jig or hook and pop it out. We catch a lot of small crappie here and a lot of them have this growth, mostly around the pectoral fin area.