MyFishFinder Forum
MFF US Midwest => Indiana => Topic started by: taxid on Jun 22, 2020, 06:57 AM
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Skinned out a 20 inch rainbow I am mounting for a customer. It had the following stomach contents:
(https://i.imgur.com/eiak2mkl.jpg)
A couple of pieces of a bullrush, a ramshorn snail, corbicula clam (exotic Asian clam), corn, piece of nitecrawler, various invertebrates, and zooplankton.
I find it hard to believe the corbicula clam could be fully digested and passed without great difficulty.
This shows you they will put anything in their mouths that will fit.
In my trout rearing pond I rarely see snails vs. the other ponds. So snails are definitely part of a trout's diet.
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looks like an animal that is starving. I have found many leaves rocks and sticks in those trout.
at least it wasn't packed full of corn! good sign they aren't chumming by the barrel full.
It wasn't starving. It had a good body conformation.
Used to catch brook trout in New England with cigarette butts in them.
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I have definitely found butts in the Oliver trout as well. when was the trout you are working with taxid caught?
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I have definitely found butts in the Oliver trout as well. when was the trout you are working with taxid caught?
I am so far behind it was caught last summer!
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Do you think the corn and worm was left over from fishing or just somehow got into the water. Worm maybe ,corn doubtful.
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I know alot of people use corn to fish for trout
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my money is on the corn was chum and the worm from the hook.
Absolutely!
Btw in regards to the mussels etc. Just read an excellent book The Death and Life of the Great Lakes. Goes way back to the first canals built to the present time. If I got it right Whitefish were having issues competing with the alewives and reduced food which consists of zooplankton and amphipods thanks to the mussels filtering, and were on a serious decline. They started eating alewives and gobies, of which fish were not a normal part of their diet, which surprised the few commercial fisherman that had been fishing for them for decades as according to them Whitefish were not historically fish eaters. Then the Whitefish started eating mussels, but were having problems passing them, and showed some serious ulcerations due an attempt to pass the shells. But apparently natural selection is taking place, as they are now catching Whitefish with thicker digestive tract tissue all the way to their anus, which seems to have adapted to the mussel shells. According to the commercial fisherman the Whitefish are making a comeback and look quite healthy. As long as the alewife numbers are down the natives species seem to be coming back.
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and who sat there taking note of that? lol
Probably just cut open the fish and saw for themselves right?
@Taxid do you have a link to that book? I love reading about our fisheries from way back when.
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could the clams and snails contribute to the lack of hold overs also? seems the new zebra muscles could be snacked on by them real easy. maybe get stacked up in there and cause death.
Could although Oliver never had the holdover rainbows and size like Clear Lake did even pre infestation of mussels. The brown trout always held over better according to the INDNR's own data. My assumption is this is because Oliver doesn't have the forage base (gizzard shad and yellow perch) like Clear did. Clear probably had faster growth than 1/2 inch per month in the summer feeding on primary zooplankton as in Oliver.
And to be sure finding one Corbicula in a trout does not mean they are common or a common part of their diet.
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and who sat there taking note of that? lol
No one sat there taking notes. It was commercial fisherman that had been fishing for decades seeing less and less Whitefish and in poor condition, and then things reversed. No more hemorrhaging of the anal duct trying to pass sharp shells, and in filleting the fish, they noticed the entire intestinal tract was thicker and tougher. Also finding fish in their stomach contents which never happened before.
It's not unusual for a species to adapt though. Robins used to be exclusively a woodland bird.
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Probably just cut open the fish and saw for themselves right?
@Taxid do you have a link to that book? I love reading about our fisheries from way back when.
https://www.amazon.com/Death-Life-Great-Lakes/dp/0393246434
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Tim,
O.K. gotcha on the kidding.
You need to post this on my Indiana Inland Lakes Trout Anglers page. We have an assistant biologist that answers questions like this. Its been a long time since I had to identify 120 species of aquatic insects in college.
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I looked at your video again, and I think know what they are if I'm seeing them right. They are chironomid midge fly larvae. They live in the bottom goo and are usually red in color(called bloodworms), but not all of them. At some point they rise to the surface to hatch. I have pulled them from muck as deep as 50 feet or so on Oliver Lake on my anchor so they can be found quite deep.
(https://i.imgur.com/JJWKXnc.jpg)
https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/biology-and-control-of-non-biting-aquatic-midges
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thats what im leaning towards after looking on net a while. I didn't get the magnifying glass out to see much detail on them. probably should have. interesting how lively they were even after 5+hours on ice in the fish.
I used to see live zooplankton in trout stomach contents after cleaning trout in Massachusetts.
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Scary looking stuff. Looks like the creature that pops out of the guy's stomach in the movie Alien.
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I call it the" sperm jig".
Well now I know the secret ingredient in your fish spray attractant bottle!
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Any holdover trout, or just this year's stockers?
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in the trout last night:
1 zebra muscle, 1 rock, couple leaves, corn, 1 piece of fake corn from another fisherman, and more of those clear wiggly worm things, yet to be identified.
the night gills were a bit more sluggish last night . the Saturday skiers had it all clouded up in that area. they were still there and big but I only scratched 12. guess ill have to save that spot for weeknights. ;D and several gills had eggs in them still.
I caught 1 trout on bobber rig. the rest came on the "sperm jig". 2 other trout boats out lest night too. where the fake corn came from im sure. lol
and several gills had eggs in them still.
Actually Tim they will spawn up to 4 X per year and have in my ponds. I have males clouding up the water in my biggest pond right now making beds.
Btw had a steelhead freshly float up a couple of days ago. Could not have been dead more than a day.
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Too bad the corn has no nutrition value whatsoever for the trout and creates a moldy mess on the bottom. It would be better if they use sinking trout feed and would be a better attracter too.
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Those look like some midge larva.
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Those look like some midge larva.
That would be my guess also! Hex
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That would be my guess also! Hex
Yep midge aka chiromonids!
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Hogger,
I noticed you are fishing at night on a lot of these trips... I’ve been kicking around trying my hand at it just as something else to do. I’ve been looking into lights recently and there are a bunch out there. Just curious what lights you have experience with, and which do you think is the best?
I also noticed that most of the lights seem to be green, do you have any experience with any other colors, or is green the “go to” color for submersible lighting?
Thanks for sharing!
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I used to fire up a lantern but there are some disadvantages. Not good for the eyes, attract bugs, andyou have to have something to secure it to. Also you have to put fuel in the dumb thing and keep pumping it up. The submersible lights are better.
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Thanks for the input guys, much appreciated! I’ll try a white light to start, I like the Saran Wrap idea that’s pretty clever.
I do like trout fishing, and they make some pretty fine table fare, but I typically don’t target them in the summer cause of the pleasure boaters. Night fishing seems like it could be a good way to evade the crowds, baking in the sun, and get some pink meat! Sounds like a guy can put the hammer down on a bunch of other species too.
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Can’t beat that, yesterday evening was actually pretty nice out for being almost 90 during the day. Glad ya got some before that front pushed through 😎
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I wouldnt completely rule out the lanterns. When the bugs are bad the lantern either kills them or draws them in, and a lot of them either land Or fall into the water. Eventually the float down through the water column. I feel like it is a bonus. I use leds and lanterns both. It is a lot of fun... and its hard to keep track of time without the sun above.
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yes, they chewing up very nicely rite now! lol
I agree, it has been nice hearing about what was in the fishes belly. Now I am more interested in putting some perch in mine. Just me????