Red Teeth 2024

Paul Roberts reply :

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 reply :

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

J Francho reply :

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 reply :

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 reply :

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

Paul Roberts reply :

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 reply :

August:

April:

May:

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 reply :

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 reply :

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 reply :

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. reply :

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

Gatorbassman reply :

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 reply :

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 reply :

November 18; 46F

It's happening...

Wayne P. reply :

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 reply :

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 reply :

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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?

Quote
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. reply :

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 reply :

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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. reply :

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 reply :

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 reply :

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 reply :

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 reply :

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

Roger

Wayne P. reply :

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.

Wayne P. reply :

Another one

Gatorbassman reply :

Quote

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

Same temp top to bottom. Low 60s

wickyman reply :

I believe that the tooth color is related to the fact, that as soon as the water becomes colder, the bass grow their teeth out, so that they can eat the crayfish off the bottom. I remember someone telling me last year, that, that is how the bass is able to survive winter easier. Do you ever notice how sharp the teeth are in the winter, in comparison to spring?!

Paul Roberts reply :

OK...caught another -just one this time -not happy about that. Anyway, this fish a 16" LM was in 41F water and had just the start of red in the tooth pads. So...it appears water temp is not the whole story.

zach t reply :

Like alot of said, I have always thought it was due to agitatation from catching shell fish like crawdads.

I suppose it COULd be a blood thing. After all, the colder the water, the lower the oxygen solubility. So, physiologically, the blood flow must be higher in the winter.

Paul Roberts reply :

OK, I'm done. Latest front has resulted in the third night with below 0 temps. I'm iced up.

The bright side -my ponds thaw by late February. As a former NYer I know it could be worse.

stupid brim reply :

Ive never noticed the red teeth I love the red tail though!

Wayne P. reply :

Paul, I caught 8 bass today and all of them had red teeth. The water temp was 44 degrees with a heavy stain. This one weighed 6# 3 oz.

Paul Roberts reply :

Thanks Wayne. That's a nice fish too.

angler1 reply :

This is very interesting. I am glad it was brought up, I will continue to research this, as I never noticed it before. Thanks guys

Paul Roberts reply :

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Paul, I caught 8 bass today and all of them had red teeth. The water temp was 44 degrees with a heavy stain. This one weighed 6# 3 oz.

The kind of red I'm talking about is brilliant scarlet red. Looks like you had a cloudy day on that pic though. Still it's quite different from your last pic of the uncolored one.

Keep lookin' all. Would be nice to see this over a latitudinal range. Will southern fish get as red as northern fish?

Wayne P. reply :

Yep, it was cloudy, but the air temp was about 60. Today we have snow heading my way. Predicted up to 18". Buzzbait time, LOL

Bigbassdaddy reply :

Its crawfish guys. Every fish that swims eats em. This was this past Wed. in 40 degree water in KY.

LoudounFisher reply :

I fished a local shallow pond on Nov 16. The water was still fairly warm. I caught a few with a red lips and others that weren't red at all. All were caught in a limited area.

zach t reply :

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Its crawfish guys. Every fish that swims eats em. This was this past Wed. in 40 degree water in KY.

Good GOD! What a fish!

Paul Roberts reply :

OK, guess I should bring this back up for whoever is interested.

I caught a dozen bass last week, first day out and within a week of complete ice-out. I wasn't thinking about the red teeth thing, and tend to hit smaller faster warming waters early: Water temps were already in the 48-51F range, and the red was already on it's way out -looking red-orange. When I've seen the bright blood-red it's been real close to ice out in very cold water.

bassman31783 reply :

Quote: Its crawfish guys. Every fish that swims eats em. This was this past Wed. in 40 degree water in KY.

If it's because of the crawfish then wouldn't the fishes mouths be red year long. Not trying to discredit your belief that it's crawfish but it's just highly unlikely it's caused, singularly, by a steady diet of crawfish. Maybe it's a combination of both a crawfish & cold water. However, I lean towards the cold water theory, probably becuase it seams to only happen in cold water.

brushhoggin reply :

i've been catching em lately with red lips. they may be waitin for Jimmy Housten to catch em.maybe its the same reason flamingos are pink, cause they eat shrimp all day. Then you have other points of view. This one was based on a biologists study i found.

The colors you are witnessing are more to do with its state of activity and hormonal levels. If it is in prime breeding time - it will be good n ready to go blood pumping and full of excitement. It is likely that it's extra blood pumping you are witnessing making the mouth interior change color. The fish is over exerted. During breeding - all sorts of things happen to the fish extra strong colors develop - the tail becomes ragged and bloody, etc. Now; catch a bass in prime breeding form and in high stress from having just struggled with an angler. Note the color of the mouth

interior. Check again in half an hour and you will often see that it is paler.

Just as when we exercise, blood rushes throughout our bodies to supply increased levels of oxygen to the muscles and cells which require them -

so too does the same happen in fish. Where we get flushed looking cheeks from the workout - some fish can get the same effect in the mouth.

Who knows, could be a combination of the two theorys.

Paul Roberts reply :

Quote
...Now; catch a bass in prime breeding form and in high stress from having just struggled with an angler. Note the color of the mouth
interior. Check again in half an hour and you will often see that it is paler. ... Who knows, could be a combination of the two theorys.

brushhoggin, you (or your biologist) could be onto something.

What I don't see is this happening in the warm temps (that I can remember) -even hard fighters, and I do see it in really small (cold water) bass -one's that don't fight too much before I yank em in. On some days, really early in the season, all the bass, regardless of size have the brilliant blood red tooth pads.

But...I like the idea of watching them to see if they might lose the color after catching them. Would be worth trying.

Interesting, and testable, idea.

Wayne P. reply :

That "breeding theory" certainly can't be applicable in late summer/early fall which is when I posted the latest picture of the red lip syndrome.

I caught over 100 bass last week in warming 50-60 degree water, and none of them had red lips. One of them was clearing a bed in 2' of water.

I'll take the time to get some lip pictures tomorrow with a bottom temp reference since the overnight low temp will be above freezing, that may make a difference.

Paul Roberts reply :

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That "breeding theory" certainly can't be applicable in late summer/early fall which is when I posted the latest picture of the red lip syndrome.
I caught over 100 bass last week in warming 50-60 degree water, and none of them had red lips. One of them was clearing a bed in 2' of water.

I'll take the time to get some lip pictures tomorrow with a bottom temp reference since the overnight low temp will be above freezing, that may make a difference.

My guess is the red teeth thing is over, except in the far north now. From what I've seen, it's most intense (brilliant scarlet) right around ice-out.

J Francho reply :

From this past Sunday...

We still have at least another month of "red mouth."

Paul Roberts reply :

Yes, I guess in the bigger waters that could be the case here too.

J Francho reply :

These are pond fish, Paul. As is this one from April 11, last year:

Paul Roberts reply :

Mine from last week were about like that. I guess I'm talking about that brilliant scarlet -I've ONLY seen that very close to ice-out. I believe I missed it this year. Will try to remember to keep looking though.

bassman31783 reply :

I can remember many summers ago a friend of mine heard/read that putting ice in the livewell water was good for the fish. Any ways he started putting ice in his water & I can vividly remember the bass going into the livewell looking normal & some of them coming out hours later with red teeth. It didn't happen to all of the bass but it happend to enough of them for me to remember. To me that's pretty firm evidence that it has something to do with the cold.

Clark Stewart reply :

Every single bass I've caught down here this spring have that red patch. I've been fishing since the last week of February. I keep thinking it's the crawdads as anything that even resembles a craw right now gets raped in my favorite pond!

J Francho reply :

I think its temp. related.

Paul Roberts reply :

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I can remember many summers ago a friend of mine heard/read that putting ice in the livewell water was good for the fish. Any ways he started putting ice in his water & I can vividly remember the bass going into the livewell looking normal & some of them coming out hours later with red teeth. It didn't happen to all of the bass but it happend to enough of them for me to remember. To me that's pretty firm evidence that it has something to do with the cold.

Now that's interesting! And another one that's testable. Who wants to do it??

Problem solved: It's from their teeth chattering!! ;D

Wayne P. reply :

Yesterday the red teeth syndrome for fish caught was about 50% for 34 bass. The bottom water temp ranged from 49.7-54.8 degrees. None of them were very bright red, but darker than pink though.

This one was in 50.4 water temp

Wayne P. reply :

This one was in 49.7 water temp

Wayne P. reply :

This one was in 54.8 water temp

Paul Roberts reply :

Thanks Wayne.

By the looks of that last pic, the teeth on your bass must be bigger than most lol!

Wayne P. reply :

Yea Paul. The larger bass with the plastic worm did that thrashing around when I was trying to get it out of the livewell for the picture and holding the camera with the other hand.

LoudounFisher reply :

This is from just a few days after the ice cleared.

bassman31783 reply :

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This is from just a few days after the ice cleared.

Holy crap that's red. And the winner is (drum roll) COLD WATER!!! ;D ;D ;D

YNCBASSMAN reply :

i think you guys just have a fish mouth fetish!! ;D

i've never really paid that much attention. i do recall seeing some mouths redder than others, but never put that much thought into it. i was too busy focusing on not getting hooked or going over what i did to catch it. looks like i'll be googling this for while, thanks guys! lol

Paul Roberts reply :

LOL, yeah it's just one of those "I wonder" things.

LoudounFisher, THAT is the red I'm talking about. I've seen it only close to ice-out, and on some fish it's on the throat and pelvic girdle too -just under the skin. Something is up with that -dunno what that is or what it means.

SausageFingers23 reply :

Hey guys. I got out yesterday to a pond where ice out happened less than a week ago (NH). Its shallow, max depth is just shy of 10 ft. I caught two and noticed that each had a bright red coloring of the teeth area. This is the earliest that I've been out and I've never noticed this before.

That said, I had a feeling I would find a good discussion somehwere on here about it. Lo and behold.... The coloration looked very similiar to the photos Loudon posted earlier. I apologize for not having any pics to include but I wanted to add my observations to the conversation anyway.

Based on what I've read so far, my gut feeling is that it has something to do with a physical reaction to the colder water temperatures that dissipates as their bodies apapt to the warmer season. Im looking forward to following this thread. It's a great topic.

Luke at Gouldsboro reply :

I've never thought about this topic before. Makes me think....

Red Bear reply :

Quote
This is from just a few days after the ice cleared.

looks like it has on lipstick lol

i caught 4 bass from a pond here in loudoun county yesterday and all 4 had reddish teeth

Paul Roberts reply :

It goes away rapidly -the brilliant red anyway. It fades to duller red and remains for a while but is not so noticeable. Good pics in this thread showing the progression. Dunno how long on a given fish, but the whole process takes a good month to fade. But the scarlet, bleeding red, goes in a matter of days after ice out where I fish, in shallow ponds that warm rapidly.

Team9 said he was going to try the ice down idea this year. He also spoke with a fish pathologist who was unaware of this. I'm certain there are physiologists who would know what's happening with this, but I haven't taken the time to search them out.

Wayne P. reply :

Paul, out of the 49 bass I caught yesterday, only one had even a hint of red teeth. The water temp was 64 degrees on the lake bottom when it was caught.

Paul Roberts reply :

Thanks Wayne. I've had 30 some this week and the red is still there but fading. Water's mid 50s up. Here's a pic from yesterday:

One researcher Brian contacted wondered if it had to do with cold water and struggling on a line, coupled with cold water. I kinda doubt that. I've contacted a friend who runs trap-nets in early spring for pike and muskies -hoping he can shed some light on non-angled for bass from cold water.

Bass_Akwards reply :

Caught this 16 incher and this Just over 17 incher tonight. They were caught 20 feet from each other about 10 minutes apart. Water temps in mid 60's. One red teeth, one not. So weird

Paul Roberts reply :

Yeah, it's fading now. I've seen some white teeth now too.

When you see the ice-out teeth -you'll see what I mean. See LoudonFishers photo.

Bass_Akwards reply :

So you're definately sure it's cold water then? If so, is it a circulation thing? Why do some bass take longer than others to get rid of the red teeth?

Paul Roberts reply :

Dunno really. It is associated with cold water. One physiologist wondered if it was also due to exertion while being fought on hook and line. I don't think so, but have no way of getting at that, unless I can catch a bass without exerting it.

Wayne P. reply :

Paul, I had this fish on for several minutes yesterday due to being hung up in a submerged pine tree. The fish got so tired it just came to the surface when I gave it slack line. I just grabbed the line and hand landed it, then I cut the hook off and pulled the line out of the tree. The water temp was 71 degrees. Very slight lip color.

Paul Roberts reply :

Thanks Wayne. Any lip color in any others that day? Was this the reddest of the bunch?

Wayne P. reply :

Paul, none of the other 46 bass had any coloration at all. The lowest water temp was 63.2 in the morning. Also none of the others offered enough resistance to keep me from landing them in less than 10-15 seconds.

Wayne P. reply :

Paul I caught this one today and it took me about 30 seconds to land with UL gear. The brightest red I've seen since the water warmed up. The water temp was 65.3

Paul Roberts reply :

Would you be willing to play one longer?

Wayne P. reply :

Yes Paul, I'll do that later this week if I hook one that offers enough resistance.

Wayne P. reply :

Paul, I caught this one today and if offered quite a lot of resistance and got wrapped up in some stumps. It took several minutes to get unwrapped. It only had a slight pink on it's lips. The rest of the ones I caught had no lip color.

Paul Roberts reply :

So how come your have BIG mouths. Very few of mine do lol. That's a big mama, eh?

Wayne P. reply :

Yes, Paul. That one was 9 pounds and 1 ounce.

Paul Roberts reply :

I've never seen such a beast. A buddy of mine just took one 24". That's a big one here. No weight though. It was a beautiful fish full of eggs he said. Wish I'd seen it.

Wayne P. reply :

Paul, I caught a couple more string stretchers today. Both had red teeth with about a 1 minute struggle and water temp being 75 degrees. This one had the most red color:

hookingem reply :

Wayne P. what hook do you use for the wacky you fish 1/0 finnese wide gap?

Quote
Paul, I caught a couple more string stretchers today. Both had red teeth with about a 1 minute struggle and water temp being 75 degrees. This one had the most red color:

Paul Roberts reply :

Interesting. We might be getting somewhere. I caught a few feisty ones today that leapt a few times then wrapped me in cattails and I noted tinges of red. Water was 61F.

What's really needed is a controlled study.

Wayne P. reply :

hookingem, I use a Gamakatsu Octopus hook 3/0 #02413 for Trick worms and either a Gamakatsu Octopus 2/0 #02412 or Owner Mosquito 2/0 for finesse worms.

I've tried the Finesse Wide Gap hooks and they cause missed hook sets in sizes less than 4/0. I occasionally use the Weedless Finesse Wide Gap hook in the 5/0 size for wacky rigging Senkos, but the weedless hook I make is much better using a 4/0 Octopus hook.

Smiths.R reply :

Went fishing today and caught a nice sized fish...for me anyway. Anyway, when it came up to the top of the water, I noticed it looked like it had gotten punched in the mouth. I wish I had taken a picture of it, but it had black spots on its mouth, and one spot where he had a big swollen lip. Never seen that before, but thought of you guys when I did.

Paul Roberts reply :

Bruising from hooks commonly looks like black spots for a short while. There is also a "black blotch" syndrome in bass in some waters. The reasons for that are not understood as yet.

Wayne P. reply :

Paul, I caught this one yesterday and it offered quite a bit of resistance on a medium action rod- jumped 4 times and went under the boat twice. Just a hint of pink this time--water temp was 68 degrees.

Paul Roberts reply :

I assume that was the only one with some red?

Hey, is that an BPS lipless? Rattle Shad? I just ordered some.

Wayne P. reply :

Yes, Paul, the rest I caught were under 5# and 5-10 seconds of resistance is all I get from those.

Yes that is the BPS Rattle Shad. I didn't purchase it though, I retrieved it from a tree limb about 7' above the water. Looks new with no scars. I did throw it some for testing and it has a good wiggle but not as much water resistance as the Red Eye Shad. I won't be buying any since I fish timber a lot and need more leading edge flat surface to work thru limbs without getting hung up. It looks like a good open water bait though.

rboat reply :

Great thread. I have seen the red before, but never really thought about it. It sounds like its related to the cold water. I wonder if depth could also be part of the equation. In extreme temps bass seek deep water. I have heard salt water fish change color when brought up from deeper water.

Bass_Akwards reply :

Just bass fished with a man who is 74 years old, my friends father from Indiana who's in town visiting.

He's been fishing since he was 7. He still gets all the fishing magazines and keeps up to date with everything bass fishing. He's retired and goes fishing on his boat back in Indiana all the time. Great guy who has more experience bass fishing than anyone I've ever met.

While fishing with him, I caught a couple 16 inch bass that looked nice and healthy but had white teeth/gums. Then I caught a 20.5 inch monster that was full of eggs. I noticed she had red teeth. I showed the basses mouth to my friends grandfather and said "Do you see how her teeth are red?"

Before I could even ask him "Why do their teeth/gums get red?" he responded with "Yea, that's all hormonal, their gums get red when they're in pre spawn mode."

I found this to be an insanely interesting point of view, true or not. I should have asked him where he gained that bit of info but I didn't.

Paul Roberts reply :

Well...you can expect most pre-spawn bass to have red teeth bc they are in cold water. But the brilliant red of pre-pre-spawn is long gone. Early enough in the season all the bass have it, even little (immature) ones. It's not related to sexual maturity, or the spawn.

Wayne has been following up on an interesting idea put forth by the biologist, Cory Suski -that it is related to the exertion from fighting, much more prominent cold water.

I've caught a few with some red left, and at this point these have been the larger fish -maybe bc it takes longer to subdue them. I thought that if I fought one longer than normal it might turn up more red, so I put a couple back in to fight more, but they don't. They are already tuckered or subdued and swim lazy circles or just turn over and are done.

Keep looking all.

Bass_Akwards reply :

Like I said Paul, I JUST fished with the guy. The water temp was 71 degrees and people,swimming comfortably in it. Bass are still spawning in 71 degree water, and this girl was fat with eggs so I'm not sure where the bright red teeth came from in this case but it sure wasn't cold water that did it.

Paul Roberts reply :

I see. Interesting. My initial thought was cold water and something hormonal. Suski added the exertion possibility.

Looks like it's time for some experiments. Wonder if Suski will pick it up.

Wayne P. reply :

Paul, I fished Lake Fork for 5 days just before Memorial Day with the surface water temp ranging from 85 to 91 degrees. Some of the bass caught that I and the guy I was fishing with offered quite a bit of resistance and none of them had any hint of red teeth. All the bass were caught in less than 10' depths.

The lake I fished yesterday had 84 degree surface temps and some of the 3#-4# class bass I let swim around until they gave up. No red teeth. All of those were caught in less than 10'. I didn't take the time to get a bottom temperature-- I will next week. Still checking though.

Wayne P. reply :

Got another red teeth (actually pink) fish yesterday. The fish was caught in 8' depths with the water temp of 87 on the surface and at 8'. This was the only one of 45 bass that had it though and put up the most resistance to being caught.

brushhoggin reply :

Paul, i caught a dink the other day in 90+ degree waters (surface temp), and by dink i mean MAYBE 9 inches. Anyways, of all the other fish i caught that day, this was the only one with red lips. What's interesting was it wasn't just red but bloody. i could literally wipe my thumb over his top lip and have blood on my thumb. and no, it wasn't from having a hook in his mouth cause i hooked him through the thinnest of tissue on the side of his mouth. What do you make of that? what theories does this debunk? if at all? it definitely occurs in the south

CAdeltaLipRipper reply :

You have a 47 foot deep pond?lol.But if their teeth are worn down a bit like not spiky and their lips are red,usualy that means theyve been eating crawdads

brushhoggin reply :

not necessarily. bass don't chew on their food, they swallow things whole.

NateFollmer reply :

This is an interesting subject. I have never really took notice to the color of that area when I catch fish. I did notice the other day while watching Bill Dance though, that all the fish he caught during that episode had a red upper lip. He was fishing in 42 degree waters.

I looked through some of my photos and none of my fish ever had (that I had a picture of) the red upper lip. Even the ones that were caught right before the water got hard. Guess we need to start studying bass and come up with an answer

Paul Roberts reply :

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Paul, i caught a dink the other day in 90+ degree waters (surface temp), and by dink i mean MAYBE 9 inches. Anyways, of all the other fish i caught that day, this was the only one with red lips. What's interesting was it wasn't just red but bloody. i could literally wipe my thumb over his top lip and have blood on my thumb. and no, it wasn't from having a hook in his mouth cause i hooked him through the thinnest of tissue on the side of his mouth. What do you make of that? what theories does this debunk? if at all? it definitely occurs in the south

Ya got me. That's a new one. Did he fight 'til your arm was tired? ;D I'll file that one away and just keep watching.

brushhoggin reply :

Quote

Quote
Paul, i caught a dink the other day in 90+ degree waters (surface temp), and by dink i mean MAYBE 9 inches. Anyways, of all the other fish i caught that day, this was the only one with red lips. What's interesting was it wasn't just red but bloody. i could literally wipe my thumb over his top lip and have blood on my thumb. and no, it wasn't from having a hook in his mouth cause i hooked him through the thinnest of tissue on the side of his mouth. What do you make of that? what theories does this debunk? if at all? it definitely occurs in the south

Ya got me. That's a new one. Did he fight 'til your arm was tired? ;D I'll file that one away and just keep watching.

not really a match for a 7'6" Heavy. quite effortless.

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