Red Teeth

[Paul Roberts]

This is a topic that comes up every now and then -in early spring. Bass having brilliant (blood) red tooth pads, and sometimes throats too. Lots of conjecture. They lose it quickly as water warms in spring.

I've been getting a little fishing in and am trying to see how close to ice-up I can catch LM in my ponds.

Haven't thought much about the red teeth but snapped this pic yesterday. Sorry for the out-of focus shot, and I almost discarded it, but then noticed the fish does not have red teeth -yet. This fish came, along with several others, from 47F water. I did not notice red tooth pads in any of them. The tooth pads are not nearly white like they are in summer, but not close to the brilliant red of very early spring.

I have two guesses on the red turgid (blood engorged) teeth:

-It's some response to very cold water. And we aren't there yet.

-It's hormonal in nature.

The second is interesting when one realizes that bass' and other sunfish' "spring" activity (movements toward shallows) begins before ice-out. Just something to stuff away into your lexicon.

Will keep watching, but my guess is I won't see it until after ice-out.

[Bassnajr]

I have read everything from temperature change to eating crayfish off the bottom.....

[J Francho]

Paul, take a look at research involving physiological changes in sunfishes' pulmonary respiratory systems as related to temperature, and I think you might scratch at this. I remember reading somewhere the size of the heart changes, and the there is a change in the blood makeup and capacity in cold temps. Perhaps my memory is fragmented, though.

[WRB]

I don't believe the water temperature has much to do with redness within the basses mouth. Colder water has to do more with what prey is preferred or available; crawdads etc.

Bass in the warmer climates, where the water temperatures don't drop below 50 degrees, also have reddish color mouths when primarily feeding on crawdads or other crustaceans and this changes as more soft meat bait fish become the preferred prey.

Just my experience, no study involved.

WRB

[whittler]

This bass was caught 11/2, in 52 degree water and it was bright red.

[Paul Roberts]

When I caught the above fish, the surface temp was 51F, but the fish was in 6fow and 47F.

Will be interesting to see more pictures and observations.

[J Francho]

August:

April:

May:

August:

August:

November:

WRB might be on to something, crayfish make major migrations in spring and fall, and perhaps they are gorging on them then.  Its just weird that I don't see it on the Lake O. smallies, and I know they are eating them there as well.  Or maybe gobies have totally displaced crayfish in their diet.

Ny my pics, there is definitely a pattern.  Coldwater = redness.

[Paul Roberts]

The crayfish thing doesn't hold in my mind. The red appears in every fish regardless of size and all my ponds in early spring. It's too consistent. I believe it's physiological.

[J Francho]

I'd like to see it in fish from warmer waters.  I think it might be both, and n ot mutually exclusive.  I definitely see it without exception in early spring, and not just in ponds, though a few of those above are pond fish.

Were you able to find that study I was referring to?  I know I read something in the past two years about, LOL.  I just can't remember where.  Middle age sucks. 

[Paul Roberts]

Good point. If it were crayfish we'd probably see this at other times of year too, esp in SM.

This is a brilliant red -like well oxygenated blood. I've even seen it just under the skin in the throat area, so teeth pads aren't the only indication, although the most common one.

No, I haven't looked for that research specifically. I believe I've seen papers along that line, and may even already have something in that line. However, I have a list of other priorities right now. At this point, this is just a curiosity.

Both mine and esp idlov2fish's pic show some red, like it may just be developing. Am in the midst of a snowfall here so next week my ponds should have given up some more heat. If I can get away, and manage to catch something, I'll watch for it.

[paul.]

it's the cold water.  i've always seen it when water temps are low.  never any other time.

[Gatorbassman]

The lake I guide on is stocked with feeder trained bass. Almost all they eat are bait fish and soft fish food. I'll have to take some pictures of their mouths each month and join in on this. Could be interesting to use as a comparison.

[J Francho]

Mid November (yesterday)

You can't see it, but this hoss's teeth were very red. Caught by my friend Roger, 6-2. (Today)

[Paul Roberts]

November 18; 46F

It's happening...

[Wayne P.]

I was fishing in 54 - 55 degree water a couple of days ago and 1 of the 14 bass I caught had red teeth. That one was caught at a beaver hut along with 2 others. The primary food source is shad.

This is one of the non-colored fish---

[Gatorbassman]

OK I caught several the week that had red teeth patches. On thing I noticed was that all the ones that had red teeth came from their winter haunts and those that didn't were caught in shallow transition areas.

[Paul Roberts]

I was fishing in 54 - 55 degree water a couple of days ago and 1 of the 14 bass I caught had red teeth. That one was caught at a beaver hut along with 2 others. The primary food source is shad.

Wayne, were those surface temps?

OK I caught several the week that had red teeth patches. On thing I noticed was that all the ones that had red teeth came from their winter haunts and those that didn't were caught in shallow transition areas.

Was there much diff in water temp in each area? My ponds are pretty much same temp top to bottom now (mid 40s).

[Wayne P.]

Paul, yes they were surface temps. The air temp has been in the 45-65 degree range with some rains the past few weeks. The amount of rain has raised the lake levels so the distribution of temps is fairly even. I am going to check the bottom temps tomorrow where I catch a few to compare to the surface temps.

If I catch any red teeth fish, I'll take some pictures.

[Paul Roberts]

Paul, yes they were surface temps. The air temp has been in the 45-65 degree range with some rains the past few weeks. The amount of rain has raised the lake levels so the distribution of temps is fairly even. I am going to check the bottom temps tomorrow where I catch a few to compare to the surface temps.

If I catch any red teeth fish, I'll take some pictures.

Thanks Wayne. I have to be careful what questions I raise. Don't want people going out of their way. Just curious as usual. Never know where things might go.

Reminds me of an interview I read with a native American elder, who said his grandmother used to tell him that life's trail is scattered with little pieces of paper, each with a message. All together, they are the answer to 'the great mystery'. He quipped, "Guess I missed a few of those along the way."  ;D

[Wayne P.]

Paul, I'm as curious as you on this subject and like the thermocline thread a few months ago, I'll spend the time necessary to get some real time data.

I didn't take a picture of the red lipped fish because I didn't remember this thread until after I released it. I did take a picture of next one at the same location of an un-colored bass in anticipation of catching another colored one (didn't happen).

[Chris]

My take on it is that the bass are feeding heavy. I have caught catfish and other fish that don't eat crawfish on a consistent bases that had red patches. If I where to guess bass don't have the nerve endings that tell it that its rubbing their mouth raw. They continue to feed heavy because of the season. I just chalk it up to the fish are wearing lipstick waiting for Jimmy Houston.

[WRB]

Bass, like most predators, feed on what is readily available and easy to eat that gives them the protein they need. (Crayfish) or crawdads are easier to catch when they are out in the open verses hiding in cover. When the crawdads cover no longer hides them or their food source move, they relocate. This movement we call migration and crawdads migrate during the fall to winter and winter to spring transitional periods. Bass tend to have reddened lips and crunchers during those time periods could be a coincidence, however experience supports reddened mouth are a result of feeding on hard shelled prey.

Back in the dark ages when we actually kept a few bass to eat, it was easy to determine what they were eating by examining their stomach contents. You can also feel the hard lumps in a bases stomach when it's alive. When bass are eating soft meals their teeth tend to be less reddened, then when eating primarily crawdads.

That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.

WRB

[J Francho]

But there are times when they are puking up crayfish, crayfish parts in the livewell, and no red lips. This usually when the water warms up.  The fish we were catching last weekend weren't eating crayfish.  They were on alewife.

[RoLo]

<snippet> I just chalk it up to fish wearing lipstick, waiting for Jimmy Houston.

Roger

[Wayne P.]

Today I fished a lake that is about 8 miles from the one I fished Tuesday. The area had about 3 inches of rain yesterday and the water level was up about a foot. All the bass I caught were in the muddy water. The water temp was the same as the other lake 54-55 degrees at the surface. I checked the bottom temp at each location where a fish was caught and everywhere it was 53.5 or within a tenth each way in 6'-15' depths. Every bass had some red color on their upper jaw.