crappies with wierd tumors on lake riley

[catflisher]

yesterday,while fishing for some panpike on lake riley,i caught at least a half dozen or more crappies with large lumps that looked festery,nasty,and cancerous.i don't think that they were war wounds.wondering if anybody else is finding this,and what the darn heck this is??and to quote steve martin,don't put your lips on it,son....

[fisherman-andy]

It's probably "Columnaris Disease" or some sort of bacterial or fungus infection. It will affect other species of fish too but mostly takes it toll on Crappies & Sunfish.

Usually starts when in the warmer months and last through out until water starts to cool off in the fall. There is nothing to be alarmed about usually. It's quite common. If it's minor the fish can still possibly heal. If it's bad outbreak likely the fish will die. I will disposed of the heavily infected ones. It is possible for such diseases to outbreak and deteriorate a large portion of the fish population but unlikely.