Deformed walleye

[B Thomas]

I was out of Cleveland and got a walleye with the top of the head that looks like someone smacked it with flat brick and it didnt have the normal teeth of a walleye, they were set far back in the mouth. The stripes on the side were darker than the usual eye. Im sure Im going to get some real smart#$@ answers here but its the truth. Anyone have an idea why this thing could have been messed up?

Thanks

[bob oh]

Probably just a deformed fish B, you know we see all kinds of deformed animal -- humans, just something that happens in nature??

Now if you woulda caught it in the Davis Besse area !!!!! :-)

[Pike Man]

Sounds like a Pike!!!

[Tom Franjesh]

Brian:

One of those eyes that I got last week had a strange face on it too. It had a forehead on it like a cave man. The part right above it's eyes was raised up real high. There was nothing else wrong with it other than that I noticed. By the way, the filets from it are in your bags of fish. Good luck!

Tom

P.S. My dad and I are going to perpetrate on Thursday for sure. Let me know if your interested.

[B Thomas]

The fish had a body of a walleye so I know it wasnt a pike, however, as soon as I got the planer off it came up and kinda broke the surface making me think it was a smallie. I dont know but it was just weird looking but Im sure he will fry up just the same as a "normal" walleye.

[NightStalker]

ANY PICS ?

[B Thomas]

Actually I gave it to a buddy that was with me, I left him a voice mail not to clean it yet and to take a picture with his digital camera but I havent heard from him yet so if I can get a picture I will somehow post it on here.

[gooseslayer]

maybe a saugeye just my 2 cents who nows if it came out of the lake it could of been anything

[Ben]

Yea...you never heard of this kind of fish?...where have u been they are Called Cawalskys' yea it is a cross between a catfish walleye and a musky. Yea there are alot of them in erie...lol im just messin with you guys it sounds like a down syndrome walleye lol haha i dont kno i dont think anything would be wrogn with eating it. But i did catch deformed fish before like ive caught them with fungus on them i think its from the stress of spawing i dont kno if this would have had anything to do with it but never kno....was the fish full looking or was it really slender? im just curious

Ben

[Buckeye]

I have caught one and seen 2 more fish that fit that description in my lifetime of fishing Lake Erie. Somebody gave me a reasonable explanation as to the cause of the deformity but I cannot remember what it was. Old age is setting in and the memory is the first thing to go.....can't remember the second thing.

Try bouncing it off Fred Snyder or John Hageman on the Lake Erie Information board. http://www.sg.ohio-state.edu/discus/

[Doc]

I caught a walleye in the Sandusky River that didn't have any pectoral fins.Just a couple of indentations where they should have been.I also caught one years ago that had a snub nose, looked like he got smacked square on the snout.

[B Thomas]

Is it possible that these fish are cross bred with other species? Or maybe Bob has a good point, just possible defects like "birth defects", but I guess I never heard really of a fish with them.

[Tracy]

I have seen some wierd walleye from Erie... Like the 14" er I caught that weighed 6# or the one with 3 eyes, but the wierdest one ever was the two headed one I caught while perch fishing. Darn thing had a hook from my spreader in each mouth. Made my wife take that one off the hook!

Tracy

[B Thomas]

I knew it would be a matter of time before someone has to be a juvenile about this topic. Anyhow, Yea Tom, I am interested but dont know if I can keep pulling that boat around like I have been especially if I go Sunday to Vermilion, the truck sure sucks the fuel with a load on the back. The way its supposed to blow the next few days doesnt look good for water clarity up there also. If I dont make it then we will have to hook up near Lorain or Vermilion then.

Brian

[Walleyechaser]

This fish isn't crossed with anything....don't you guys remember the not-so-distant past.....the ##### pollutants in this lake are what caused the deformities...now you can make as many explainations as you want, but my money is on the pollutants...

Walley

[sheb]

I have caught some goofy looking eyes out of erie also. None with two heads or three eyes that is pretty crazy. But I have caught some ugly looking fish.

[bob oh]

Wonder how you can explain the deformed eye I caught on a fly-in trip -- Moose pollution??? There are, unfortunately, mistakes made by nature!!!

[B Thomas]

This is what Fred Snyder from Ohio Sea Grant replied
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Hi Brian
We occasionally see deformed walleye similar to this. It was likely caused either by an injury early in life or possibly by a stress upon the developing embryo while still in the egg.

Fred