Red Mouths??

[i_fish_hard]

I have been fishing 30+ years (mostly for bass/bluegill/catfish) and I have noticed that sometimes the bass have "red spots" in their mouth. It's not like a sore spot where they been hooked and released but something like if you had a sore throat. My father always told me when I was younger and one of us would catch one like this that "it's the change in weather. They have "sore mouths" so they will be harder to catch". I don't know if this was true or not but it did seem to be tougher to catch them. My question is this. Does anyone know what causes this and what it is?

[Jack Hise]

i fish hard;
While I cannot answer your question I would like to welcome you to the board. I see one of your intrestest is photography. I'll be looking forward to seeing photos of your home waters.

[garyj147]

i fish hard;

There could be a number of reasons for the red spots in the mouths of the fish you are catching. Most likely, it is a bacterial or fungal infection, probably early stage. Another possibility is a parasitic infection. If not the above, it could be some type of injury from eating prey that has sharp spines, such as a bluegill, or a carapace, such as a crawfish. To actually determine the cause of the anomaly, the fish need to be examined by a biologist trained in diagnosing fish diseases and parasites. It is not easy to determine causes of such problems just from a word description, and frequently, photos do not adequately capture the anomaly to provide a certain diagnosis. Wish I could be of more assistance.

Gary

[Betty Hiner]

I think I like the fishing lore better than the fact!

Good to see you here ... welcome to the best!

[Big Bad Wulff]

It might also be pigment from what they are eating showing thru.

Like what chicken growers do to make their chicken "look better". They give them yellow flowers to eat. That is why they are yellowy in appearance.

[ohiotuber]

ifh,
WELCOME! I have no idea as to the answer, but Gary's thought seems to make sense.
Mike