Largemouth Bass at Lake Sonoma

I caught this last Sunday at Lake Sonoma. I've been fishing the lake for years now and always had caught nice healthy fish until this one. If you zoom you can see a thick slimy milky white kind of film and the back half of the underside to the tail wasn't the normal white but a reddish kind of color (it was even worst then pictures show). The bass was 22 inches long with a 14 inch girth, fought hard, checked in mouth and throat for any hooks from before and saw none, and I was hooking healthy fish within 100 yards of this one. It swam away strong but just wondered what could have been wrong. It was a long ways away from boat ramps, so even if someone would have released it from a live well I can't see it having traveled that far. Thought someone might know and I felt bad for the fish for the way it was looking and could find anything to help it!

You caught a spawning bass it looks like.  When the lower section of their tails and the small fin underneath are red, that is a good sign of a spawning fish.  Were you fishing beds?  Or possibly dragging a worm across the bottom.

Good to see you on here charms2833!  We met at the Yorty Creek launch about a month ago on a beautiful Saturday morning.  I was launching my Pro Angler while you and the wife were unloading your boats.  I didn't do so hot that morning but came back the next weekend and won the night tournament there with 16.6lbs.

Glad to see another dedicated sweetwater fisherman on the boards.  Hopefully I'll have a bass  tournament series up and running this coming spring if you two are interested.  There will be info posted here as well as some advertising fliers in the local tackle shops as it all comes together.

ScoyyV,

I thought about spawning but in September (last Sunday)? I thought just spring? Here's a picture of a nice healthy one not far from this one I caught that went ~5.9 pounds. Body and skin clean as can be!!

Ring King,

I've seen another Pro Angler out there also now. He hasn't fished much and is learning as I, because I'm not good at allot of different techniques yet. I tend to use just a couple of baits and that's it. I need to get better at all methods and depths. I think kayak fishing has helped make me a better fisherman also. God bless kayak fishing!!!

Yep, kayak fishing definitely forces you to slow down and thoroughly work your water since you don't really have the option of running all over the lake like you do in a bass boat. 

I love my Hobie and always enjoy a day on the water no matter whether I'm catching or not.  I'm going to try and slip out to Lake Sonoma this weekend.  Not sure if I'm going to try Yorty again or if I'm going to put in down near the dam and check out that end.  Never been down there but I'm sure there has to be a few fish there!  Besides, if I launch by the dam I can use my trailer so I don't have to jam the PA in the back of the Trailblazer to get it to the lake!! LOL

Ring King, 

The Warm Springs arm is good also just allot of deeper water, but ski boats and jet skiers are real heavy on that side unless you go beyond the 5 mph buoys or into smaller coves. The ramp can get bad along with parking if you don't go early and leeave before crowds get there. Of course Yorty has had it's share of trailers for about 4 weeks in a row, but their getting tagged by the rangers. If you ever need help loading and unloading just let me know. Saturdays I normally go from dawn to around noon (depending on how wife feels) and Sunday's I normally try and get out there with no time limit so I can cover as much ground as i want too. Hope to see you around!!

You caught a spawning bass it looks like.  When the lower section of their tails and the small fin underneath are red, that is a good sign of a spawning fish.  Were you fishing beds?  Or possibly dragging a worm across the bottom.

I don't think any LM are spawning this time of year.  The description of the tail does sound like that of a bass recovering from the spawn, and perhaps it just never fully healed in the past months.

Perhaps that fish got rolled around dirt/rocks and lost its slime coating and its still recovering or even some type of infection.  I occasionally have seen fish that look really beat up and are really skinny for their size just like the fish in your pic.  I have heard that the hook makes it past the throat and causes a blockage internally that could affect the fish.  I guess when you start to see more and more fish in this condition in the same body of water, you should be concerned, but an occasional fish shouldn't be too alarming in my opinion.

In any case, nice bass!!  Thanks for sharing.