# Is Corn for Bait Bad?



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Caught a 15" rainbow through the ice that had corn in it's gut....not in it's stomach, but all around the outside of it. I don't think I accidently cut the stomach with my knife. Even if I did it I don't think it would have spread the corn all around the guts like in the picture. And besides, the fish was frosty, half frozen, when I filleted it.

Any thoughts?
.


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

The old line "back in the day" about why corn was outlawed here in Utah was that it was indigestible and didn't pass through the fishes system. I had always figured that was inaccurate, but maybe there was some truth to it. 

I have no explanation why it is free in the abdomen like that.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Huh... never seen anything like that before. Certainly looks like the abdomen ruptured somehow. The way the corn is distributed, it looks like it had been that way for some time. I've seen trout with ruptured stomachs from those red trebble "dehookers" inserted too deep.

Honestly have no idea... that is however, ALOT of corn in that fish.

The big Minnesota corn study showed corn isn't all that nutritious for fish, but they didn't have any noticeable difference in mortality.

I'll throw one thing out there... corn nibblets are the WRONG kind of corn to fish with. You want SHOEPEG corn, it has a noticeably different smell and shape. Grind it up and mix it with gelatin and whatever food color you want, then poor it into one of those halloween worm molds. Fish with THAT. 

Nibblets dont work very well, and its a mess.

-DallanC


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## pollo70 (Aug 15, 2016)

Berkley power baits make a imitation corn labeled "Maize" fish tend to like it and yes real corn is bad for fishing.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

wyogoob said:


> Caught a 15" rainbow through the ice that had corn in it's gut....not in it's stomach





Catherder said:


> I have no explanation why it is free in the abdomen like that.


simple explanation: that's not corn.

Those are eggs that were never spawned. The fishes body is now going through the process of reabsorbing those eggs back into the body.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

Catherder said:


> The old line "back in the day" about why corn was outlawed here in Utah was that it was indigestible and didn't pass through the fishes system. I had always figured that was inaccurate, but maybe there was some truth to it.
> 
> I have no explanation why it is free in the abdomen like that.


This is what I always understood as well. A quick Google search mostly turned up forums and I didnt have time to dig through it to find an actual scientific study, but it makes sense that they cant digest it based off the practice being outlawed (aside from maybe creating an unfair advantage by chumming the fish in).

I was also thinking about Dallan's comment about a rupture and it got me to thinking about cows and getting into alfalfa fields. (and this is pure speculation I wonder if eating corn has a similar effect on fish? Perhaps they just keep eating and eating corn until they cause harm to themselves? Im no biologist, but it seems possible.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

PBH said:


> simple explanation: that's not corn.
> 
> Those are eggs that were never spawned. The fishes body is now going through the process of reabsorbing those eggs back into the body.


 Hmmm, best answer so far.

But I've cleaned thousands, perhaps billions, of trought and never seen that before.
.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

wyogoob said:


> Hmmm, best answer so far.
> 
> But I've cleaned thousands, perhaps billions, of trought and never seen that before.
> .


that doesn't mean i'm wrong.

FWIW -- I had a pretty well known fisheries biologist look over my shoulder at that picture. That's what he said...
He also said "did it come from a reservoir"?


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

So when I first moved to the southwest wyoming part of Utah the locals would tell me that corn was illegal for bait because "corn would swell up in the fishes stomach and then blow up....kill the fish" I always thought that (and a good number of other stuff they told me) was BS.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

PBH said:


> that doesn't mean i'm wrong.
> 
> FWIW -- I had a pretty well known fisheries biologist look over my shoulder at that picture. That's what he said...


Thank you. Saved me from checking it out with a Wyoming G&F fisheries biologist.

They look more like egg sacs than corn kernels.
.


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## PBH (Nov 7, 2007)

I was looking at them again, and thought the same (looking like egg sacks). Compare to the size of the eggs -- then imagine popping one. I can also see the color turning pale.

I'm pretty sure that's all we're seeing.




Any of the other explanations (corn passing from the stomach to the body cavity) would most likely result in death to the fish. That fish does not look unhealthy to me...


We don't always need to look for the complicated solution. Sometimes it's the obvious, easy solution. i think the answer is right there in front of us -- lots of eggs left in that fish...


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Sounds like the Myth feeding Alkaseltzer to carp at Lagoon and get them to explode... or seagulls. Never ever seen that happen... no matter how often we tried.

/innocentwhistle.

-DallanC


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

If you look at it there are very few animals out there that can actually process corn, humans included. 

Now if it is dried and the animal has to grind it down by chewing then they can process it.


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## backcountry (May 19, 2016)

Thanks for sharing, Goob and PBH. That's an interesting find.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

Really interesting thread. Im glad Goob shared this.

Dallan, I tried the alkaseltzer thing for nearly a week straight as a kid working at a restaurant. We wrapped pieces of the tabs in all sorts of food trying to get the gulls to take it. But they would inevitably know something was up and nibble the alkaseltzer out and it would fall to the ground.


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## Igottabigone (Oct 4, 2007)

That's the second damnedest thing I've seen.


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

DallanC said:


> Sounds like the Myth feeding Alkaseltzer to carp at Lagoon and get them to explode... or seagulls. Never ever seen that happen... no matter how often we tried.
> 
> /innocentwhistle.
> 
> -DallanC


When we was kids sellin worms we'd sprinkle a little crushed, dry Alka-selzer on them and they'd puff up like toads. We could get twice the going price for them. But I am here to tell you, as a topical ointment for enlargement of worms, it has no value.8)


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## BearLakeFishGuy (Apr 15, 2013)

Those are definitely eggs getting reabsorbed. I see this quite often in Bear Lake and especially from other reservoirs like Lost Creek, Woodruff Creek, etc.


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## Animediniol (Sep 26, 2017)

Bax* said:


> Really interesting thread. Im glad Goob shared this.


This is really an interesting thread as it keeps interesting the more it goes.


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## ns450f (Aug 28, 2018)

I am not saying it is corn but I have found plenty of jig tails and power bait inside of trout but outside of their stomachs. I have always wondered how the powerbait gets in there.


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