Hunting Washington Forum

Other Activities => Fishing => Topic started by: Fishstiq on July 03, 2012, 11:40:46 AM

Title: It's what's on the inside that counts
Post by: Fishstiq on July 03, 2012, 11:40:46 AM: Whenever I harvest fish, no matter what the type, I'm always curious what they have been eating. Sometimes their bellies are all bloated out, and I've found some pretty interesting stuff when I open them up. Does anyone else do this, or do you just fillet them and toss the carcass?

This was one of the more interesting ones I've gotten, a cabbie I shot on the 22nd of last month. 1st pic is the fish, 2nd is the stomach contents.

What's the weirdest/most interesting thing you have found in a fish?

(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1117.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fk596%2Fphishstiq%2F2012-06-22_18-44-53_40.jpg&hash=e8e5ce9bb7e6c0ccce304f61168d0cdb2185ffc0)

(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1117.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fk596%2Fphishstiq%2F2012-06-22_19-03-55_60.jpg&hash=0db86f9ef15d7c6b840f43fd0f858b7e78ed063f)
Title: Re: It's what's on the inside that counts
Post by: boneaddict on July 03, 2012, 11:57:46 AM: I almost always do that, almost with every critter. Its a good way to learn what they are eating.
Title: Re: It's what's on the inside that counts
Post by: boneaddict on July 03, 2012, 11:59:23 AM: only thing interesting I can remember is a chipmunk in the belly of a Rattlesnake. I thought nothing of it and through it over the fence into the field.

Dog found it....

Dog ate it.....

Dog almost died

I never thought of the toxin still being in it
Title: Re: It's what's on the inside that counts
Post by: JohnVH on July 03, 2012, 11:59:23 AM: nice! the Lings we caught recently only had shrimp in them
Title: Re: It's what's on the inside that counts
Post by: HornHoarder on July 03, 2012, 12:03:33 PM: I recently caught about a three pound largemouth, and upon filleting it I found a baby duck in its belly. Must have been fresh. Fully feathered and intact still. Kinda cool.
Title: Re: It's what's on the inside that counts
Post by: NRA4LIFE on July 03, 2012, 12:06:15 PM: We always used to get a kick out of the stomach contents of the pike and muskies we cought back in WI. It is truly amazing how big a fish those monsters can swallow. A lot of times their own kind. I also always checked the crop/stomach contents of the turkeys I killed. One of them had a crop chocked full of walking sticks, some of them still moving. He must have found a whole swarm of them. This was back in Northern Missouri. Some of them were huge too, 6" long or more.
Title: Re: It's what's on the inside that counts
Post by: mrmoskillz on July 03, 2012, 12:25:19 PM: In sturgeon I find whole mussels(big handfull) and in bass its crawdads
Title: Re: It's what's on the inside that counts
Post by: jackmaster on July 03, 2012, 12:30:33 PM: Quote from: boneaddict on July 03, 2012, 11:57:46 AM
I almost always do that, almost with every critter. Its a good way to learn what they are eating.
:yeah:, thats i found that kelp greenling are the absolute best bait for bog ole lingcod, i did find a number3 silver blade bug body mepps in a salmons mouth once.
Title: Re: It's what's on the inside that counts
Post by: Ripper on July 03, 2012, 02:04:43 PM: I once caught a 14" smallmouth with a 6" storm wild eye jig in it's stomach. Those jigs are huge! I don't know how it got all the way to it's stomach with out the hook catching it anywhere. The hook didn't even penetrate the stomach liner. Very strange indeed!
Title: Re: It's what's on the inside that counts
Post by: ICEMAN on July 03, 2012, 02:10:08 PM: Cut open a crummy planted rainbow trout carry over with a stomach bulge...had a rubber worm lodged in its gut and was having issues getting other foods past it, but was obviously still making it...