Weird striper part 3

[dsaavedra]

Earlier in the summer I caught a striper with half a tail, a month or two later I caught a striper with half a face, and tonight I caught another anomalous striper. This one had a small fleshy growth - about the size of a fingernail - growing out of its face just below its eye. There was also a thin strip of skin growing across its eye. Both of these growths were firmly attached to the fish... My only guess is some old scar tissue that healed in a weird way.

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[ski357]

You've definitely encountered some weird stripers this season. Thanks for sharing. I'm hoping to get out there this afternoon myself.

[Mark]

Dave,

Very odd.

A few years ago I caught a pickerel in Trap Pond, DE with a simlar looking nodule at the corner of its mouth. When I examined it closer, it turned out to be a small jighead that had become embedded in its skin. A thin covering of tissue had grown over the jighead. I was able to pop the jig out with no apparent harm to the fish.

I can see that's not the case with your striper given the location of the growth.

You might want to submit the photo to the DNR to see if they know what the growth is.

[Shoobs]

The things you see when you catch @1000 stripers a year!

[Slobber Bob]

I think it's an old injury like you suspect. In your first picture you can see that the skin and scales that usually go all the way around a fishes eye are missing from the nostril down to the bottom of the eye. I'd bet that growth is what is left from the skin that used to go around the front of the eye up to the nostril area. Most of the damaged skin probably ripped off, but that skin tag hung on and healed over.