How damaged can a fish get and survive?

[Tuna-Hooker]

My question is this; how badly damaged can a fish be and still survive? I caught the musky in the attached picture this weekend and it got me thinking about how tough some fish are and the hardship they can endure and not only survive but grow and maintain a healthy size.
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[fsh4fun05]

There are way too many variables to answer a question like that without going in to every possible situation. I caught a muskie last year that was very similar to the one in the picture and it was just as healthy as the others we caught. I have caught trout that have had half their face missing and largies with one eye. Tough to say how much damage a fish can take and survive. I can catch a healthy bow on the surface, release it and have it go belly up.
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[MisterCompletely]

That's funny. I think that's the most deformed one I've seen, and hope you released the poor thing unharmed to go on surviving. I'm rooting for him. []
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[Tin-Can]

That's a rough lookin bend in that Musky. Think maybe he is always swimming in a down attitude?
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[Tuna-Hooker]

The musky was released to be caught another day. It seemed to swim quite well and fought fairly hard for being so deformed.
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[bassrods]

One bass in Jordanelle was almost like that, its tail was about an inch from the top fin and was just over five pounds..Got a picture of it some where, caught it two years in a row..
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[wyoguy]

I caught this kokanee this Saturday at the Gorge. It isn't a great pic but his lower jaw had been broke at some time and goes at a 90 degree angle from The top jaw. If the fish had to eat minnows or crawfish he probably wouldn't have survived but because he feeds on plankton he came within one day of dyeing of natural causes.
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