I am going to send Bob a picture of the freakiest steelhead you guys have ever seen. I caught it this weekend in the Root River in Wisconsin. You would swear that the hatchery developed the eggs in nuclear reactor water. I had a bunch of guys taking pictures of this thing, and no one had ever seen anything like it. It has an extremely deformed upper jaw. It closely resembles the looks of a mongolid human being. Please don't take me wrong, as I'm not trying to make any humor out of being handicapped. It just shocked the hell out of me when it's bulbous head came out of the water. If anyone has any ideas of how this can happen in a fish, I would be interested in hearing it. I hope Bob can scan this photo, so everyone can see this. Show this picture to your kids when they are naughty, and they won't ever mis-behave again. Looking for some information on this one. Bob: See if you can make this picture scan. I'll put it in the mail to you on Wednesday.

Sounds like you got a stray from the Hanford strain of Columbia River steelhead. A sure-fire test is to see if the fish glows in the dark. I hope both of its adipose fins were clipped. Should be an interesting picture if the radiation didn't destroy the film.

Hawk, Here's a shot in the dark...By any chance do they release any triploid fish in the area that you were fishing. Triploid fish are fish that have been sterilized through a heat shocking technique. I read the other day that they did stock some in the Great lakes but I can't recall where. I don't know if this technique causes anything like you saw but it obviously messes up the reproductive system as triploid fish attain exceptional size without the maturation of the reproductive systems hence no active spawning but I guess some of them have been observed in streams.
I guess the way to rule this theory out would be to ask if the fish had any mature eggs or sperm.


Duke

Hawk,
did you ever send Bob that picture?
I sure would like to see that thing..*L*

I sent it out to Bob last Tuesday. He should get it in the mail today or tomorrow. He'll probably blow chow when he gets a look at it. A little nervous, weak in the knees, and afraid to look at the next fish he has on. I shook for two days after it's bulbous beluga type under bitten melon came out of the water and stared at me. I think it was sent here by other beings as a scout. My kids haven't slept an entie night since I brought it home. I have a chain and padlock on my freezer to keep it from getting out. I am in the process of obtaining some formaldehyde to preserve the gourd of this creature. It will become our official mascot when we go on trips to catch steelies. *LOL*

Hawk:
We got the pic at Teds on Saturday. Thanks and No Thanks
I couldnt wait to see a pic of the fish just because I was really interested in what it looked like. What an awful looking beast, gotta give it some credit though for making it as far as it did. Kinda reminds of the 3 eyed fish that was kind of an ongoing joke on the Simpsons.
The picture is now sitting in the case along side all the other fish pics to give customers a laugh and the willies at the same time. LoL
Tight Lines
Ryan

[This message has been edited by RPetzold (edited 03-13-2000).]

Got your picture, Hawk. That fish looks like it got it's chromosomes mixed up with a Mahi Mahi. I wish I had a picture of the steelie one of the other guides got a couple years ago with a stick coming out of the top of it's head. The stick had been there for quite a while, and it's head had just grown around it, very strange.

Ahhh, must be one of those lovely Chambers Creek stock that the state of WA loves to use so much. Reminds me of the couple of the aforementioned fish that I have caught in the Bogey with eggs on one side and milt on the other ... strange. Please Hawk ... if this is not a Chambers Creek fish that got lost out your way, please sterilize everything you own before coming into WA waters!

That is the ugliest fish I have ever seen in my life. Looks like he chewed a few too many cans of Copenhagen before he returned back to the river. It also reminds me of my good buddy JAMES...

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I showed the picture to my son and he freaked out and would'nt believe it was a steelhead.

Hey,I live in Richland, work at Hanford, and catch plenty of salmon and steelhead on the Hanford Reach. The whole river glows like a firefly on a midwest night, but never have I seen such a foul beast, except maybe a dead 12 foot sturgeon......

Looks like my ex!!!

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Tight Lines!!

[This message has been edited by Dick (edited 03-16-2000).]

Showed the picture to my brother. He then produced a photo of a coho that looked the same way caught on commercial gear in Alaska.

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Marty
www.steelheader.net
marty@steelheader.net

Is'nt that fish the hy-bred Dorado/Steelhead researcher's have been working on in order to avoid river gill-netting. If the head is bigger than the body, the net's are obsolete. Lord I hope I don't ever hook something like that, might blow my buzz!

You are right again Bob. This is a Chambers Creek fish. I talked to a buddy of mine who works for the Michigan DNR in their steelhead program. He said this is often a result of when the ponds or raceways are swept back. The little farts get their melons crunched occasionally, and this can and does happen. Most of the time they die from the trauma, but some do survive. The only sad thindg is that I now to pay a $10 bounty, as a friend of mine has photographic proof that he banged one of these beasts last Tuesday. Can anyone say John Cougar Melonhead.

Makes me wonder what is in the water in Lake Michigan!?!