You ever wonder how bass eat bluegill and crawfish so easily when we can’t even pick them up without getting nipped?

[Ohioguy25]

Esp bluegill, you can usually handle a crawdad without getting pinched if you know how to hold them but bluegill are pretty much impossible to handle without catching the spines. How do bass eat these creatures whole without tearing up their insides?

[TnRiver46]

Bass are much tougher than you think, pain is not something they worry about. Also they can’t walk into a grocery store and purchase food so they either get pinched/finned or starve to death. Which would you choose? 
 

im tougher than a bluegill and a crawfish and a bass, I kill and eat all 3! (Winning.....)

[Ohioguy25]

7 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Bass are much tougher than you think, pain is not something they worry about. Also they can’t walk into a grocery store and purchase food so they either get pinched/finned or starve to death. Which would you choose? 
 

im tougher than a bluegill and a crawfish and a bass, I kill and eat all 3! (Winning.....)

Do they get bit by the spines and do you think it hurts?

[TnRiver46]

Just now, Ohioguy25 said:

Do they get bit by the spines and do you think it hurts?

Im sure they get pinched/finned and don’t care at all, probably enjoy it because it means they get to eat. Probably doesn’t hurt as bad as getting caught by a fisherman. The only way to know is ask a fish and they don’t say much 

[tracker01]

I believe a Bass swallows a bluegill head first. The gill just slides down to the stomach. That’s what I’m think’in anyway.

[Ohioguy25]

2 minutes ago, tracker01 said:

I believe a Bass swallows a bluegill head first. The gill just slides down to the stomach. That’s what I’m think’in anyway.

That’s what I figured, otherwise they’d get shredded. Can you imagine that being your last view as a bluegill, giant gaping bucketmouth barreling at you? ?

7 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Im sure they get pinched/finned and don’t care at all, probably enjoy it because it means they get to eat. Probably doesn’t hurt as bad as getting caught by a fisherman. The only way to know is ask a fish and they don’t say much 

 

[DitchPanda]

Bass are much more resilient than there prey. I think they suck a craw down so fast they don't even have time to react. Most fish I believe they attack head first so they go down easier.

[Ohioguy25]

Just now, DitchPanda said:

Bass are much more resilient than there prey. I think they suck a craw down so fast they don't even have time to react. Most fish I believe they attack head first so they go down easier.

Yeah craws from the rear

[DaubsNU1]

In college, had a professor who was a huge animal rights advocate...didn't like the fact that i hunted because it potentially caused "pain."

 

She did not have a problem with fishing. From her research, she believed based on fish anatomy, they do not feel pain as we do. 

[Ohioguy25]

1 minute ago, DaubsNU1 said:

In college, had a professor who was a huge animal rights advocate...didn't like the fact that i hunted because it potentially caused "pain."

 

She did not have a problem with fishing. From her research, she believed based on fish anatomy, they do not feel pain as we do. 

I can’t imagine they do, the way we catch the same fish over and over 

[DaubsNU1]

Just now, Ohioguy25 said:

I can’t imagine they do, the way we catch the same fish over and over 

Their brains are small...I believe we "overthink" fishing much of the time and give fish too much credit.  

 

Heck, I think we do the same with deer, waterfowl, turkeys...they aren't that smart...

[ArthurLK11]

Not something I've put too much though into for a couple of reasons. 

 

1. It's part of the hunt for them. They have a choice to get pinched or spined and get to eat, or not get pinched or spined and don't get to eat. If it came down to it, I'm sure you wouldn't mind a little pain either if it was the difference between eating or not. 

 

2. They do what they can to avoid it. For example, they eat fish head first to avoid the spines and they pick off the claws of a crawfish before eating it at times. 

[DitchPanda]

3 minutes ago, DaubsNU1 said:

In college, had a professor who was a huge animal rights advocate...didn't like the fact that i hunted because it potentially caused "pain."

 

She did not have a problem with fishing. From her research, she believed based on fish anatomy, they do not feel pain as we do. 

I am not a fishery biologist so I havent done the research but based on what I've seen I would agree. Case in point how many time have you hooked or snagged a fish that didn't fight at first until they realized something was wrong? Happened to me several times Wednesday with carp. Pretty sure if you jammed a piece of steel through my ribs or jaw I would notice immediately.

[Vilas15]

They eat spiny fish head first so they slide down. Muskies will grab live bait and run with it, then stop to flip it around before attempting to eat it head first. Back before the invention of quick-strike rigs you'd wait for them to do this knowing when they swallowed the hook so that you could start the fight (obviously this killed the fish which is why single hook rigs are banned). They also prefer soft fish like suckers because they don't have any spines at all which makes the whole process easier for them.

[DitchPanda]

6 minutes ago, DaubsNU1 said:

Their brains are small...I believe we "overthink" fishing much of the time and give fish too much credit.  

 

Heck, I think we do the same with deer, waterfowl, turkeys...they aren't that smart...

Not smart in the traditional sense but instinctual and aware of the surroundings. They have to be or they wouldn't survive. That's why guys who do more prep and homework are able to read more conditions and be more successful. Especially for big bass.  I started really watching and studying water temps, sun angle, prey species for time of year etc. several years ago and it has helped me greatly. I've caught far more big largemouth...fish over 6lbs...the past 5 years than I did the 15 years prior. I believe being able to read water and "think like a bass" so to speak is the reason. So they aren't smart but we are in their house on their terms so they kinda have home field advantage.

As far as giving them to much credit I agree with that. That's the reason you often hear bait and color isnt nearly as important as where and how it is presented.

[roadwarrior]

[Team9nine]

Actually...ummmm, no, I don’t think I ever really have, exactly ?

 

Have spent a lot of time researching Optimal Foraging Theory, though. The game isn’t always as easy as it might seem for bass.

[5/0]

Head first. Ever see a heron or egret eat a fish? Catch it, flip it head first, and down the hatch.

[Spankey]

If you or I were to swallow a bluegill I would think those spines could get painful. 
 

But possibly a bass nerve system is not set up like that. Possible the feel pain differently. 
 

But I’m not a scientist. Could be wrong. 
 

I don’t think a bass takes a crawdad head first. I think they hit them to orient them to swallow them tail first. But I could be wrong I’m not a biologists. 

[Ohioguy25]

1 hour ago, Team9nine said:

Actually...ummmm, no, I don’t think I ever really have, exactly ?

 

Have spent a lot of time researching Optimal Foraging Theory, though. The game isn’t always as easy as it might seem for bass.

Optimal foraging theory is really interesting, I’ve read about that too. Prob the single biggest influence in bass feeding and all animals.

25 minutes ago, 5/0 said:

Head first. Ever see a heron or egret eat a fish? Catch it, flip it head first, and down the hatch.

Yeah makes sens, spines collapse smooth slide right down the hatch 

1 minute ago, Spankey said:

If you or I were to swallow a bluegill I would think those spines could get painful. 
 

But possibly a bass nerve system is not set up like that. Possible the feel pain differently. 
 

But I’m not a scientist. Could be wrong. 
 

I don’t think a bass takes a crawdad head first. I think they hit them to orient them to swallow them tail first. But I could be wrong I’m not a biologists. 

Yeah you can watch videos of smallies feeding on crawdads on YouTube, pretty cool. They often spit them out and swallow them a few times, probably because they either get pinched or they get turned around in their mouths, or they’re just wearing them out. Poor crawdads lol.

[Spankey]

I guess to some degree it’s a vicious circle. Hope the circle keeps going day after day, month after month and year after year. I like my bass fishing. Don’t want to see any problems with plankton, invertebrates, crustations, shads, minnows or bluegills. Keep the food chain going in a circle. 
 

I really have no idea what I talking about but the cycle goes something like that. 
 

 

[PhishLI]

I've caught a number of bass with tails sticking out of their throats, but never a head.

 

[gim]

3 hours ago, Vilas15 said:

They eat spiny fish head first so they slide down. Muskies will grab live bait and run with it, then stop to flip it around before attempting to eat it head first. Back before the invention of quick-strike rigs you'd wait for them to do this knowing when they swallowed the hook so that you could start the fight (obviously this killed the fish which is why single hook rigs are banned). They also prefer soft fish like suckers because they don't have any spines at all which makes the whole process easier for them.

This is exactly true.  Spines only bend backwards or straight up so years of evolution and adaptation has ingrained into most fish to eat everything head first.

 

The crayfish thing...I think bass just suck em in so quick that they don't even get pinched.

[joshuaray83]

I wonder if this is even an issue for dead or dying baitfish. They don't have the energy or wherewithal to extend their spines anyway.

[geo g]

I too have caught bass with a baitfish lodged in their throat.  Sometime the tail sticking up, sometimes the head.  I have pulled the fish up with my pliers and the lower part was already dissolved.   They were still willing to eat and a second fish that might dislodge the first one.  Eventually the fish tissue would break down and be digested.  Bass are not delicate, but tough competitors.  They live in a violent world.