Humpy the Sauger

Caught this one in a no wake zone. Must have been chasing barges??? 20 incher that I released Sunday. I figured it’s survived this long and if it gets caught again I might be able to recognize it.

Brian Lauwers

We see a pic or two every year of those deformities, but never one that size,
Nice going,
Jack

If it was straight it would have went 22 inches. It still put up a decent fight too.

I’ve seen several, but never one that big, normally they’re not big enough to eat. Seems to be a bit more common on 4 than other places.

Quote:

---

I’ve seen several, but never one that big, normally they’re not big enough to eat. Seems to be a bit more common on 4 than other places.

---

I was thinking the same

I catch 10-15 every year in p15. Usually 10-12″ and always sauger.

Anyone know what causes it?

Quote:

---

Caught this one in a no wake zone. Must have been chasing barges??? 20 incher that I released Sunday. I figured it’s survived this long and if it gets caught again I might be able to recognize it.

Brian Lauwers

---

Thats funny that you said that because I caught one three years ago that look just like that but smaller, maybe I caught it first?

Quote:

---

I catch 10-15 every year in p15. Usually 10-12″ and always sauger.

Anyone know what causes it?

---

There are several theories, but I believe nothing concrete. Some have said an injury early in life, others something in the eater and still others like me think it is genetics.

If I were to rate my confidence it is genetics, I put it at 51% to me. If all these crooked fish looked exactly the same I would be more confident, but there seems to be varying degrees of scoliosis.

I pulled a few through the ice a couple years ago. I talked to a guy about it and he said genetics also.

Has anyone else cleaned one? I cleaned one the other day, wasnt as bad as the one pictured but he did have the bent back. Right where the bend was, there was a yellow hard spot that went from the skin on one side to the skin on the other, right through the bone. The electric knife wouldnt even go through it, had to stop and start again on the other side. I thought it might have been a tumor or cancer or something.

an expanded calcification???

Mark

I sent pics of some sauger with that malformation to a researcher who specializes in fish diseases last year…and his response was:

Quote:

---

Interesting fish! Scoliosis and other bone deformities can be caused by a number of things: 1. disease (usually parasites infecting developing cartilage/bone), 2. nutritional (vitamin/mineral deficiency), 3. genetic, 4. toxin related. I have seen a saugar population in Iowa that looked exactly the same as these fish. The cause of that deformity was not identified.

As you can imagine, if these fish don’t die from what ever is causing the deformity, they will eventually be indirectly killed by increased risk of predation and failure to complete for food.

Thanks for the pics!

Nick

---

That is the largest one I’ve seen so far…it must be quite a liability to have to catch prey with that deformity…but sauger are pretty scrappy predators.

j