Brown trout with gnarly fins

[Thinman]

I've caught a big brownie before who's fins looked like this one I caught today. (This one was about 15".) Is it sick, some kind of fin rot? Or just bitten by another fish? It also had that white spot behind the top of the gill. I unstrung it and let it go just in case it was something i shouldn't eat...

[baetis]

Running a rope through the gills of a trout and then letting it go = dead trout.

The fish looks healthy other than the fins. Probably had a run in with something bigger at one point in its life, but escaped.

[AndyS]

Spawning may have taken its toll on that fish. Overall the fish doesn't look too bad.

[Lard Almighty]

Looks okay to me. I would've eaten it. Seen far worse fin wear on trout straight out of the hatchery.

[Capt. Lou]

When you release trout , best method not to touch the fish, extract hook in water , cradle fish do not lift or squeeze if possible . Never impale on stringer than release , that's a dead fish period !

[njfisherman1975]

I am sure a bird or other critter made a nice meal out of that released fish!

[Almaink]

Turtle food.

[Skunk City]

I've landed a few Pike that had the same marking/scarring on its side as that trout, but they've all been vertical, not horizontal scarring. My guess is he got messed up by something trying to eat him. Here's the Pike I mentioned...

[Michael82929]

Originally Posted by Thinman

I've caught a big brownie before who's fins looked like this one I caught today. (This one was about 15".) Is it sick, some kind of fin rot? Or just bitten by another fish? It also had that white spot behind the top of the gill. I unstrung it and let it go just in case it was something i shouldn't eat...

That fish looked ok to me.. when you gut and fillet a fish, will give you more data if a fish is good to eat or not..

For future reference instead of releasing the fish stressed and strained, clean the fish and check the entrails and the meat if it has you questioning something.

We all go through trial and error.. I encourage you to stay connected on the message board to share your experiences and insight.