Pug-Nose Striped Bass
In the last post, I promised to cover a couple more things that show up in striped bass. Other than the sea lice, all of these are extremely uncommon. And lets be clear, you could fish for decades and never come across one.
The first one we’ll look into is the “pug-nose” striped bass. In my many years on the water I’ve seen but two. This is a genetic deformity, resulting in a misshaped mouth much like a cleft palate. The largest bass of my two was about 28″ and I caught it at night on Martha’s Vineyard in the mid 1990’s.
This deformity clearly hinders a striper’s ability to forage and undoubtedly shortens its life. The first time I learned of their existence was in Frank Woolner and Henry Lyman’s book – Striped Bass Fishing published in 1983. Rumor has it that a “pug-nose” fights much harder than an average bass, and I agree. Apparently a ”pug-nose” has struggled all of its life and is strong for it. Much as a smallmouth bass in a river fights harder than smallmouth in a lake.
Okay last one. Sorry no picture this time. I once landed a tiny striper of 12″ with a badly bent spine. Scoliosis? Perhaps. A fish with this injury could not survive for long.