Contributed by Richard Hensley. 18" trout from Crane Prairie Lake. Fish has an unusual orange patch on its belly.
Craig Banner (ODFW) comments: "This not a common condition but I’ve seen it numerous times over the past 30 years. It is a proliferation of the pigment cells (chromatophores) that produce the orange/red pigment in fish skin. The ones producing red/orange are called erythrophores. The pigments are called carotenoids. It is nothing to worry about. Thanks for your interest in fish!!"
