After fishing Saturday with steelhead addict on a local river I cleaned one of my fish and inside its stomach I found 5 feathers 4-5 inches long identical in length and color, a whole sand shrimp (caught the fish on eggs), three 4 inch twigs and a 1/2 to 3/4 inch stickleback. In all my years of cleaning steelhead I've never found such a variety of "stuff" inside. What else have other people found???

[This message has been edited by buzzerbaby (edited 12-17-2000).]

I've caught 2 Steelhead that contained the brown feathers also. I think they were Water Ouzel birds(teater ass, bob-tails or dippers) Also had one with orange peels. The oranges had little dimples on them so I think they were Florida strain.

Thats an odity! I bet he/she was an aggresive biter. In summer fish I've found quite an array of things from bugs to corkies to cigarette butts. I have caught very few winter fish with stuff in their tummies. I catch the ocassional winter fish with eggs or shrimp in its belly. I did however catch a winter fish on a SW river about 2 weeks ago that was absolutly chrome brite with lice and had 3 big whole herring in its stomach. I couldn't believe it.

Last year I caught a winter run that contained in it's stomach, a plastic petal from the sleeve off of the inside shot container of a shotgun shell.

this was just a little 5 pound winter chromer. The feathers were a big surprise, almost like they might have been attached to a chunk of the bird that she had eaten earlier. Thats the first winter fish that I've caught that had anything in their stomach (besides cured egg juice), I've caught lots of summer fish with just about anything in their gut. It makes you wonder just what they might bite on, but I think thats been discussed before.

Just a story I heard but. You know the little birds that are always diving in the water along the river banks. Well a friend of mine gutted a steehead with one of them in it. Poor bird must have been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

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dank
Keep The Rivers Clean!

Many years ago I caught a winter fish with what could only have been the entire wing of a water ouzel in his stomach. The bones and the quills of the wing feathers were intact though partially dissolved by the steelhead's digestive juices. These small birds do have the habit of searching for food underwater, essentially walking with their wings spread in such a way that the current holds them down on the bottom. On another occasion I caught a very late-run hen on the Dungeness (this was years ago when it was still open in May). She was chrome-bright with sea lice around her vent but her eggs were already loose in the skein and her stomach was packed tight with black flying ants. What an opportunity for a fly fisherman.

About 10 years ago I caught a winter fish at the mouth of the Tolt that had 4 wood chips from a beaver! Strangest thing I've ever seen. Kinda puts a whole new meaning to 'Driftwood'!

50+ river bottom snails and numerous 1-2" twigs in a summer fish awhile back. Love to have seen that fish actively feeding!

Buzzerbaby,
How ya doin? I keep thinking I'll bump into you again sometime on a river. Concerning strange things in a fishes stomach. I caught a big Steelhead off the North Jetty fishing for Silvers in Aug '91 that was chuck full of herring or anchovies. It was gorged so full they were coming out of its mouth. It probably had a dozen in there and, uh, mine was one of them.
I've caught Spring Chinook that have had smelt and smolts in their stomach too.
Years ago, on the EF I caught a winter fish that had a pine cone in its stomach then a summer fish on the Wshgl that was full of peri-winkles.
While this one is not so odd...One day this fall on the NF Lewis I was having an off day and kept missing Silvers. I gave away several baits of eggs to fish. Buddy fishing with me nails a Silver, lands it and its stomach is full of my eggs. We recognized my odd cured eggs in there. My buddy brings it up every chance he gets. Something like, "Need me to hook that fish for ya?" Nice guy....
See ya around Buzzerbaby,
x

Launching my tube in the morning at Pass Lake, found a brown trout, oh, two pounds, dead by the launch with a bat stuck in its mouth. The bat was dead, too.

Anyone know how to tie a bat pattern?

Todd.

Hey extreme, I've been out on the river, we hooked 6 saturday, 2 monday and 2 yesterday. see you out there.

Buzz

I got a springer on the Lewis R. that had a tampon applicator in it.

yuchh, makes you wonder what all the fuss is getting your bait cure "just right".