Its not blood, It was just red. Any ideas?

Anyways It was a good size bass forgot to weigh it XD my mistake.

hemroids

just messin with ya. It looks like an infection

It's the "creeping crud"! Don't eat that one!   (I seriously have NO idea!)

I catch a lot of bass that look like that when they are on their beds.  I think that is the cause.

It ate some Cajun Crayfish and couldn't take the spice

it has to do with the spawn, possibly healing after digging the beds and what not. i catch alot like that post-spawn

ive read a couple of ideas as too why fish get like that and how common it is in in the spawn and prespawn

theory 1- the blood vessels in the fins are very sensistive and with the very warming waters of spring the vessels erupt because of the increased blood flow due to the water temperature. im about 80 percent correct i said that right haha.

theory 2- courting with another fish nipping and rubbing with structure ie. rocks, stumps, over hanging brush and so forth.

im sure one of the more educated fishers will lend their two cents.

t

Anyway you look at it that is a fine creek fish!

Dunno.

Check this out:

http://www.bigindianabass.typepad.com/big_indiana_bass/page/2/

Scroll down to: Intersex Fish Research Update

If it was a spawning issue the tail would look much worse then the anal fin. That fish has somthing wrong with it.