Interesting stuff

[Tim_Anderson]

Just a couple of interesting things I experienced this year on the Rainy.

For those of you that sturgeon fish, you have probably witnessed the lampreys that are sometimes attached to the sturgies. Like in the ocean and great lakes, I think they tend to attach to the larger fish that are around. This trip, we caught enough big walleyes to find two that had lampreys attached to them. I usually give the fish a break, and pull off the lamprey and cut it (the lamprey) into little pieces. Be careful though... this bugger seemed bent on attaching himself to me. I was amazed at how fast they could attach to the boat seat or a tackle box, and while I was holding it by the tail trying to cut it's head off, it was all the while trying to attach itself to me! Kind of gave me the creeps. Here's Bill with his big "lamprey walleye."

We also catch a number of walleyes with growths on them. I don't know the proper name for them, so I just call them "warts." This walleye had the biggest wart I had ever seen... especially for only a small fish. Thought you might find this interesting as well.

[ANYFISH2]

You know Tim I have seen lampreys 3 times while fishing the Rainy, interesting ugly things. I don't however think killing them is needed, they are native and I have not heard of chestnut or silver lamprey having adverse effects on walleye or sturgeon, I haven't however done much research, just my opinion!

This year I've seen more "worts" and other unsightly wounds on the walleyes than any other years in the Rainy. Funny thing is you don't see it as much other times of the year.

[Northlander]

Ever since they almost destroyed the Lake Trout in Lake Superior I kill every lamprey I see!

[ANYFISH2]

Northlander, I understand what happened on Superior, but that was the invasive sea lamprey not the native silver or chestnut, lets not demonize a native fish for something an invasive has done.

[Silver Scale]

The Native Silver and Chestnut lampreys have coexisted forever with the game fish of Lake of the Woods and are not a problem. There are some native lampreys that have the special concern or threatened statuts, Northern Brook Lamprey. Kill every sea lamprey you can in the great lakes but leave the inland ones alone as those don't do any harm.

[Northlander]

I understand your concerns and realize there is a difference in types of lamprey. I guess I should have been more clear in my post. I kill every lamprey I see on Lake Superior. I have never caught a fish with a lamprey on it any place else that I can remember.

[fishin_mom]

That warty thing looks a little different than what we saw on a few of the walleyes we caught. The DNR fisheries people that do the egg stripping on Cut Foot by Winnie told us the milky/clear grape-like lesions on them that look kind of gooey is only a virus that the fish have; it's harmless and as soon as the water gets warm enough the fish's metabolism revs up enough to fight it off and it goes away. You can try looking up fish diseases on the mn DNR site.

[magnum mike]

The lesions on the fish at Cutfoot is called a cold water wart.

[topcat3820]

Quote:

The lesions on the fish at Cutfoot is called a cold water wart.

OK...

It's actually Walleye Dermal Sarcoma Virus... Google WDSV & see what you get back. You're right, though... very common & not harmful to the host or to humans who may accidentally consume them ... in any way .