Do you check fish stomachs when you keep a fish?

[Pete112288]

My mother showed this to me when I was little and kept my first good size bass. Over the years I have learned a lot from doing this. I mostly do this with bass. I keep half a dozen bass in a season to have beer battered fish and chips every now and then. When I keep them I check the stomachs when I gut them. I believe it has helped me catch a lot more fish. Like one area I knew one corner of the lake was specifically good for fishing surface vegetation when the sun hit the water. I would fish through with a frog and move on if I had no luck. Then I kept a 4 pound largemouth from that spot. I cut it open and found 3 baby pond turtles in its belly. All about as big around as a quarter. Then I tried something, cut off the legs to one of my surface frogs and fished it much slower, esp around where sticks or logs were in the weeds. Once I started doing this in an attempt to mimic the turtles movement I started catching more fish in that area, and one nice lunker that picked my frog off the edge of the bank by the weedline, like a killer whale zooming up a shallow beach after a seal. Was quite intense. Anyone else check their fish's bellies?

[police women of America]

I've fished with my dad for years but we never thought to do that. Definitely a good idea though! We might try it sometime.

[Skillet]

It is a very good bit of information, especially if you do some gutting on the boat.   

[Bullkllr]

Almost always; river salmon being the major exception.
I'm a little disappointed when there's nothing in there. Some of my buddies would say I'm a little too "into it".

[Pete112288]

Almost always; river salmon being the major exception.
I'm a little disappointed when there's nothing in there. Some of my buddies would say I'm a little too "into it".

I never check salmon anymore either, but when I was 16 and got my first I cut it open. Found a 6" flasher in the belly of a 23 lb king. That must have been crazy uncomfortable.

[Reidus]

Found a rock and a freshwater clam in a walleye stomach. I think it was only a 18-20" walleye.

[Reidus]

.

[Ridgeratt]

absolutely fishing wallys by hunters and picking up one now and then checked the stomach and found they were eating a small green sand worm changed it up and fishing picked up.

Perhaps not when I fish Kokanees since they are mostly a reaction strike fish so there are go to baits for them.

[Mfowl]

I often do it while I am filleting fish out, whatever the species. Coolest things I've found were 16 whole/cutplug herring and 3 heads in the belly of a nice springer from the I-5 stretch of the Columbia and my largest halibut ever (about 50lbs) had a 15" sablefish and a large intact octopus beak ( top and bottom.) I also once found a whole recently injested water vole in the belly of a 3lb largemouth that I couldn't convince my buddy to release. I know some blackmouth fisherman instantly look in the belly of a keeper as soon as it comes aboard so the can match the hatch so to speak.

[zwickeyman]

I always check bellies on all trout in rivers and lakes to see what they are feeding on, especially when fly fishing

[Griiz]

I gut my salmon right away and check there bellies and have caught many other salmon from the bait I take out of there bellies.

[Bullkllr]

I have found cigarette buts in trout bellies several times. One nice rainbow from Potholes had like three. Do they think they're marshmallows? If so, what do they think marshmallows are?

Never found much in steelhead bellies. One I recall had two driftwood pieces, and another a small smooth rock.

[gaddy]

I've been known to do this if fishing is slow. It has helped.

[Sitka_Blacktail]

I often do it while I am filleting fish out, whatever the species. Coolest things I've found were 16 whole/cutplug herring and 3 heads in the belly of a nice springer from the I-5 stretch of the Columbia and my largest halibut ever (about 50lbs) had a 15" sablefish and a large intact octopus beak ( top and bottom.) I also once found a whole recently injested water vole in the belly of a 3lb largemouth that I couldn't convince my buddy to release. I know some blackmouth fisherman instantly look in the belly of a keeper as soon as it comes aboard so the can match the hatch so to speak.

I caught a halibut off of Kodiak one time that had a fully grown king crab in it's belly. Not sure how to replicate that for bait.  Besides, I'd rather eat the King Crab than catch a halibut with it. I was also fishing for halibut once and filleting the Irish Lords I caught and using them as bait. Caught a 160 lb halibut on one of the fillets and when I opened it's stomach, what do I find, but two of the Irish Lord carcasses that I had filleted.

[luvmystang67]

Rock cod were always my favorite to check, with lings as a strong second.  They'd have some wacky stuff in there.  Found a lot of shrimp and small crabs.  We started catching small shrimp and saving them for bait and using that instead of expensive herring.

No more rock fish though... those days are over.

[REHJWA]

Always, even planted trout after a couple of weeks are full of snails in the lakes around me.

[Buckewe]

I usually do check I have found lots of snails but one time I found a 4in leg mine from a chicken in a 10in planter trout.

[NRA4LIFE]

Always, especially with salmon.  I want to know what they're eating at that very moment.  This also can give you great intel on what turkeys are eating and when.  I have cut the crop open on every turkey I have ever killed.

[Squidward]

I caught a 14" cutthroat once with 8" of a headless cutthroat in it. tail was sticking out its mouth and the rest down into its stomach. looked like the head and skin were mostly dissolved by stomach acid. Spuidward

[nwwanderer]

For trout, having a jar with clear water and adding stomach contents makes for much better ID.  Lots of interesting finds.

[Skyvalhunter]

Yes when I do my fish surveys on the high lakes. The WDFW wants this info included on part of my reports.

[elkfins]

on Salmon... almost always, especially if i'm fishing in the sound where you really have to match the hatch to be successful.

[Huntin Hounds]

Found this little perch in the belly of a rainbow from Roosevelt last fall.

[Fishstiq]

Absolutely, its one of my favorite parts of filleting!  While spearfishing in Neah Bay I got this guy, he was eating like a king!

[kenzmad]

First salmon on the boat gets gutted. This is gonna tell me not only what they are feeding on but also the size as well. No real point trolling a 4" green label herring when they are feeding on candlefish. Drop down to a coho killer and have fun