3.6.08

Emerger · Senior Member

3.6.08

Mike Markwith · Veteran Member

Emerger, was that you with the silver Tacoma truck? I saw it parked on the road and then by the bridge. Are you the one who was fishing below the bridge in the afternoon? We were driving the brown Tundra. My buddy and I fished Putah for the second time yesterday. We (he) caught one rainbow (18 inches) near site 2, and I did one LDR near site 3. We did a lot of fishing but not a lot of catching. We are paying our dues, I suppose. BTW, his fish had those same parasites one its fins.

The creek sure is diverse and we spent a lot of time hiking, exploring and bush-wacking. As we left, we stopped at site 4. Since we still had our waders on, we got in and walked the river a bit. There seem to be some good spots there as well. Lots to learn!!! Many thanks to the regulars on this site. It does help.

SK60 · Senior Member

Its hard to tell from the picture but they may be parasitic copepods, a type of primitive crustacean that are common parasites of fish and often attach themselves near the base of the fins.

JT · Senior Member

I've been trying to figure out what those things�were for a couple of years now, and�I believe you're right, SK60.� I just did a google image search of�"parasitic copepod" and the pictures that came up looked just like the parasites I've been seeing on fish.�

Chris Laskodi · Veteran Member

They are copepods, basically a freshwater version of sea lice. I've seen lots on fish this year, don't know why. Never seen them in years past. Maybe water quality isn't as good this year. All I know is they are mostly harmless to the fish so there's no need to pull them off.

SK60 · Senior Member

The most common one in FW fish is Lernea. Like all parasites, it can be a real problem in captive fish, including hatchery fish. If it is suddenly being seen it may have been recently introduced from a hatchery source or from Lake Berryessa. Chris, are they found in the Nimbus hatchery?

Matt R · Senior Member

Def. copepods I've been seeing them for a few years on Putah trout now. The trout up in the lake are way infested with them. I suppose that's where they're coming from.

Emerger · Senior Member

Mike Markwith wrote:

Emerger, was that you with the silver Tacoma truck? I saw it parked on the road and then by the bridge. Are you the one who was fishing below the bridge in the afternoon? We were driving the brown Tundra. My buddy and I fished Putah for the second time yesterday. We (he) caught one rainbow (18 inches) near site 2, and I did one LDR near site 3. We did a lot of fishing but not a lot of catching. We are paying our dues, I suppose. BTW, his fish had those same parasites one its fins.

The creek sure is diverse and we spent a lot of time hiking, exploring and bush-wacking. As we left, we stopped at site 4. Since we still had our waders on, we got in and walked the river a bit. There seem to be some good spots there as well. Lots to learn!!! Many thanks to the regulars on this site. It does help.

I drive a beat up black suzuki 4-door compact. I was fishing below the bridge in the afternoon. Next time you see me be sure to come up and say hi. It's always nice to meet folks from the board.�

Mike Markwith · Veteran Member

Will do.

bono · Master Fly Fishing Guide

I have been seeing these parasites in Putah for years now and noticed them more in the late winter into spring,and yes the trout in Berryessa are loaded with them.

shon42073 · Senior Member

I caught a fish about 2 weeks ago that had a bunch of em on its fins. I thought they looked a little like sea lice.