Odd Things That Bass Spit Up

[RSM789]

I have said for years that every time I go fishing, I see something that I have never seen before or have something happen that has never happened to me before.  Well today was no different.

 

Late morning, I skipped a Senko under a shady dock and felt a telltale thump the moment it stopped moving.  I set the hook, wrestled the fish away from the docked boat and watched him zoom towards open water.  I turned him and he came to the surface, mouth open & shaking.  Now I have seen bass in this situation spit up minnows or crawdads in an effort to escape, but this bass had a special treat in store for me.  Right in front of my eyes, he spit up a partially digested small swallow (the birds that return every year to Mission San Juan Capistrano).  To be accurate, he spit up a bunch of feathers and the partially digested carcass.  I sat there and watched these little bird feet sink to the bottom as the feathers floated to the top.  I wasn't quick enough to grab my phone to take a picture, I was trying to figure out if I really saw what I think I saw.

 

I know bass eat birds, however I have no idea how this 2 lb. fish caught a swallow.  For those of you who haven't seen them, swallows are best described as mini jet fighters.  They are little speed demons, zipping over the surface of the water eating gnats & other bugs.  While they are small, it still would have been a mouthful for this bass.  I don't know if he intercepted one mid-flight (which I would have paid to see) or if he was just in the right place when one crash landed in the water or knocked it self senseless against a dock.  Either way, this bass was both a stud to catch this swallow and a pig to eat my lure with a bird in his belly.

 

Then, about 30 minutes later, I caught a bag of grapes.  I released the grapes & kept the bag...

[F14A-B]

Interesting, and funny..

[everythingthatswims]

My friend and I kept 5 dinky 12" bass from a lake full of stunted fish one time. When I cleaned them, most of them were full of crawfish and a few baby bluegill...And then there was this stupid one that decided he would just eat senkos instead, I don't remember how many were in his belly.

[Lunker5]

I live in nj was jig fishing with brother in law when I hooked a 3lb largemouth got him in boat had legs of baby geese sticking out of mouth.that was a first for me wonder if it was a first for him

[OntarioFishingGuy]

I had a 4lb smallie spit up a HUGE crawfish, almost 5''.

[Fisher-O-men]

It is interesting to think how that bass caught that swallow.  Have you ever thrown a lure and it seemed like you threw it right into the open mouth of a bass?  It has happened to me and I wondered if the fish saw it coming.

[Mainebass1984]

Earlier this year I was fishing a hollow bodied frog in and around lily pads in 2-5 feet of water. There was a lot of surface activity, sunfish slurping down bugs, dragonflies and other bugs flying around as well as swallows skimming the surface eating bugs. The fishing was great. The frog bite was on and I was catching a lot of fish over 3 lbs and some bigger fish over 5 lbs. I had made a cast and was keeping a keen eye on my frog. As I was watching my frog, way out beyond it, further up the shore, I watched as a swallow that was skimming the surface disappear into a massive explosion. I couldn't believe what I had seen and thought for sure I had just seen an 8 lber eat a bird. A bird. I remained somewhat calm and after a couple minutes I meandered over to where I had seen the swallow get swallowed. I cast my frog just past where the explosion had been. Plop, Plop, wa-bam, a huge surface strike. I set the hook hard, like my life depended upon it. The fish felt big but not huge. After it jumped a couple times and putting up a spirited fight I slip the net underneath it. It weighed in at 4 lbs 12 oz. I figured it couldn't have been the same fish, but it was in the same exact spot. As I released the fish I noticed something float to the surface and start quivering  half way between where I had hooked the fish and the boat. I motored over for a better look. It was a swallow, quivering from just being eaten by the bass I had just caught. That bass had just eaten a bird and he still wanted my frog. I had figured it must have been a giant bass that had blown up on that bird and it was a fish that didn't even weigh 5 lbs. That is pretty wild. I guess you never know what will happen on the water.

[geo g]

From the above post, It just goes to show that bass are wolves of the water. Years ago I watch a duck with about 10 little ducklings swim from the bank I was fishing. All of a sudden there was an explosion and one less little duck. When your small you put your life in danger any time you enter the water. There are many things that will eat you.

Just yesterday I caught a 12 inch bass and after removing my senko I noticed something sticking out of its throat. With my pliers I pulled out a 8 inch piece of a water snake. The whole snake was probably as big as the fish.

[Jtrout]

I've seen two bass blow up on birds in the lilly pads but they didn't catch them. I had to think for a minute like.... Did that bass just try to eat that bird!

[lectricbassman]

I love hearing stories like this. Just lets me know that bass will eat anything i throw at them if the conditions are right. I tend to overthink this alot and often assume bass are smarter than they really are.

[ClackerBuzz]

the other day I was fishing a quarry and a 12" dink spit up a baby turtle the diameter of a golf ball.  the bass belly looked like he was ready to spawn...stuffed full of little turtles

[RSM789]

It is interesting how bass from Maine to California will all act as if they are living in the Florida everglades.

[Glenn]

In the past 6 years, I've had two dead mice coughed up in my livewell on separate occasions. 

[BasshunterJGH]

The craziest thing I've ever seen was in nebraska I saw a huge bass blow up on a baby goose! He missed him, of course.

[Paul Roberts]

Earlier this year I was fishing a hollow bodied frog in and around lily pads in 2-5 feet of water. There was a lot of surface activity, sunfish slurping down bugs, dragonflies and other bugs flying around as well as swallows skimming the surface eating bugs. The fishing was great. The frog bite was on and I was catching a lot of fish over 3 lbs and some bigger fish over 5 lbs. I had made a cast and was keeping a keen eye on my frog. As I was watching my frog, way out beyond it, further up the shore, I watched as a swallow that was skimming the surface disappear into a massive explosion. I couldn't believe what I had seen and thought for sure I had just seen an 8 lber eat a bird. A bird. I remained somewhat calm and after a couple minutes I meandered over to where I had seen the swallow get swallowed. I cast my frog just past where the explosion had been. Plop, Plop, wa-bam, a huge surface strike. I set the hook hard, like my life depended upon it. The fish felt big but not huge. After it jumped a couple times and putting up a spirited fight I slip the net underneath it. It weighed in at 4 lbs 12 oz. I figured it couldn't have been the same fish, but it was in the same exact spot. As I released the fish I noticed something float to the surface and start quivering  half way between where I had hooked the fish and the boat. I motored over for a better look. It was a swallow, quivering from just being eaten by the bass I had just caught. That bass had just eaten a bird and he still wanted my frog. I had figured it must have been a giant bass that had blown up on that bird and it was a fish that didn't even weigh 5 lbs. That is pretty wild. I guess you never know what will happen on the water.

That is wild! Amazing story. Also amazing how big an explosion a fish can make. Probably most accurate to make an estimate, then divide by 2!

 

The bird is a junco btw.

[bmlum415]

During a tournament once I had 2 bluegill I found spit up in the livewell that were about 5" long each. Besides that I've seen trout spit up from bass. Nothing too odd.

[Big Jon]

Earlier this year I was fishing a hollow bodied frog in and around lily pads in 2-5 feet of water. There was a lot of surface activity, sunfish slurping down bugs, dragonflies and other bugs flying around as well as swallows skimming the surface eating bugs. The fishing was great. The frog bite was on and I was catching a lot of fish over 3 lbs and some bigger fish over 5 lbs. I had made a cast and was keeping a keen eye on my frog. As I was watching my frog, way out beyond it, further up the shore, I watched as a swallow that was skimming the surface disappear into a massive explosion. I couldn't believe what I had seen and thought for sure I had just seen an 8 lber eat a bird. A bird. I remained somewhat calm and after a couple minutes I meandered over to where I had seen the swallow get swallowed. I cast my frog just past where the explosion had been. Plop, Plop, wa-bam, a huge surface strike. I set the hook hard, like my life depended upon it. The fish felt big but not huge. After it jumped a couple times and putting up a spirited fight I slip the net underneath it. It weighed in at 4 lbs 12 oz. I figured it couldn't have been the same fish, but it was in the same exact spot. As I released the fish I noticed something float to the surface and start quivering  half way between where I had hooked the fish and the boat. I motored over for a better look. It was a swallow, quivering from just being eaten by the bass I had just caught. That bass had just eaten a bird and he still wanted my frog. I had figured it must have been a giant bass that had blown up on that bird and it was a fish that didn't even weigh 5 lbs. That is pretty wild. I guess you never know what will happen on the water.

 

I wouldn't have believed this without the picture. I think the only thing I have seen is crawdads. I did catch one with an additional hook in his mouth. I removed it. It was probably mine anyway. No one else ever fished that pond, and I had lost one recently.

[paangler13]

I caught an 8-9 inch smallmouth that had a mouse tail sticking out it's throat. Other than that, just the normal stuff, shad, bluegill, bugs and crayfish.

 

 

Jim

[TBO]

I havent seen bass spit up anything wierd but i did see a female and male duck drown another male duck. Was interesting to watch

[.ghoti.]

I once had a bass spit out what looked like a tums or rolaids tablet. Needless to say, I did not taste test it to find out just exactly what it was.

[desmobob]

When I was a young boy, my family was camped out on one of the islands on Lake George, NY.  One morning, we realized we were out of toothpaste so my dad let me take the boat, by myself, to town on the other side of the lake to get some.  He gave me a five-dollar bill and told me not to dilly-dally.

 

On the way across the lake, I saw a huge bass make a couple of good leaps.  I couldn't help but stop and try a few casts.  In my haste to get a shot at the big fish, I dropped the fiver over the side and before I could grab it, a good bass came up and swallowed it!  I sat there for a long time, wondering what to do, and wondering how much trouble I was going to be in when I got back to camp.  I couldn't think of any good story or excuse, so I figured I'd fish for a while and think some more.

 

Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by a jarring strike, almost pulling the rod out of my hands.  I pulled in a nice bass, and to my astonishment, he spit out...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

... a tube of Crest and three dollars change.

 

Honest.  

 

;-)

 

Tight lines,

Bob

[Paul Roberts]

[Smokinal]

I found a 1/2 digested mouse in this guy's mouth.

[RSM789]

Had another bass do a spit up today, but slightly different.  Instead of spitting up something odd, he spit out a undigested 1" bluegill and some other partially digested baitfish.  Only problem was he spit them up as he jumped next to the boat while shaking his head.  I ended up with 2 snot-rockets and a dead little bluegill stuck to my shirt.  I could swear he was smiling when I released him...

[Bluebasser86]

I had a fat spotted bass spit up a still alive (and very angry) salamander at Table Rock several years ago. I was C rigging a 6" lizard so I guess I was giving him what he wanted. I flicked him back in the lake with my rod and he went snapping the whole way until he hit the water and shot off. 

 

I've also caught a bass with feathers and bird feet sticking out of it's throat, a snakes tail, and one that had a baby painted turtle that it hadn't even swallowed yet when it ate my bait.