Red lipped Bass?

[Chad Mitchell]

Saturday I caught a 3lb bass off a point covered in trees and rocks. When I lipped him, the bass had a 2 red spots in the roof of his mouth, and his top lip was blood red. One of the spots had a small leech on it which I pulled off.

What I was wondering is what would cause his top lip to be so red? It wasn't bleeding, but it was blood color.

Anybody got an answer?



thanks 1fish

 

[Bill McElroy]

sounds like a bruise maybe??....Or it ate the tube of red lipstick my wife was looking for saturday afternoon!!LOL



Sounds like it may be a bruise...i've seen lots of black blotches on bass that are attributed to genetics,...but I've never heard of the blood red spots before!!...hhhmmm

 

[Rob LaMoy]

I've heard the black spots are from injuries or infections in that area and the natural pigmentation is lost so the scales turn black. Don't know about the red though. No previous hook marks?

 

[Andrew Zuber]

Are the black spots you're talking about in the mouth?

I've seen quite a few largemouth with black spots starting on the lip area and extending into the mouth...



az

 

[Bill McElroy]

I've seen the black blotches on their fins too, no scales there!!

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Fins, scales, etc.

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Chapped lips?



TOXIC

 

[gone bye bye]

I have caught plenty of largemouth bass in cold water that have red lips. I dont know why they do, but it seems early in the year the largemouth have red lips, almost like lipstick. Perhaps that was the case for you?



Mini

 

[Michael Snow]

Like spawning red? I'm guessing we're not talking spawn marks. How about, the bass is cold, can't see worth a flip because he's cold blooded and the temp has dropped. His senses aren't what they are in warm water, he just keeps running into the rocks face first?

 

[Tim King]

Ditto what Mini said. I have caught many bass in cold

water with red lips. I just always thought it was because they were cold.



Tim

 

[Chad Mitchell]

You have all seen the fins of a spawning bass that are red from fanning the bed. That is the color of the lips. No black spots on the body. (have seen those on other fish). water temp is in high 50s to low 60s. My guess is that the fish has rubbed against rocks or sand so much that it has rubbed it lips raw (Chapped lips TOXIC?). I didnt look or notice any marks on the head that might suggest the fish was prying into rockpile to find crawdads.

 

[Jeff Cozadd]

Must be nice, catching bass in December. I wont see the water again until March. Never seen any bass with red lips, but any bass that bites is a good bass.

 

[Larry Harp]

Hey, at least you're catching something. I'm on such a dry spell I would never look a gift Bass in the mouth.

Harpo