Let’s talk about fish poop

What today’s super-sensitive sonar units have shown me is that fish will defecate while fighting on the line. After releasing these fish, the fish poop ever so slowly sinks to the bottom – a rain of poop, if you will, in the ice hole, for several minutes after the catch, depending on depth. Seemingly, after one or two fish have done this, my hole will stop producing as well as before. The fish are still close by, just not under this hole.

Am I imagining things? Or, does the fish poop that’s now littering the bottom and water column directly under my hole have something to do with a decrease in productivity? I’m definitely starting to wonder. Anyone else notice this phenomenon?

I believe Gord Pyzer had some theories about fish poop which might play into this.

The rods I make are so sensitive that I can feel the fish fart. I don’t have good enough electronics to see them poop. I am interested in the findings.

Not sure about the poop but I always thought it was a predator fish that would move in because of all the commotion.

….not so much fish poop as fish vomit. I frequently watch, as with my eyes, not sonar, walleye and trout vomit the contents of their stomachs while fighting them during warm weather. I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be the same under the ice.

Many animals will cough up food when stressed, attacked ect…, its a known reaction documented in many nature shows.

Vexilar fl18 showed me this years ago perch fishing. After catching a perch You could see the particles of mayfly larva in the water column. Fish would approach the debris and leave then the debris was gone. The perch were spitting up larva when they were in the bucket…

mark-bruzek wrote:

Many animals will cough up food when stressed, attacked ect…, its a known reaction documented in many nature shows.

Vexilar fl18 showed me this years ago perch fishing. After catching a <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>perch You could see the particles of mayfly larva in the water column. Fish would approach the debris and leave then the debris was gone. The <em class=”ido-tag-em”>perch were spitting up larva when they were in the bucket…

Interesting, I’ve noticed this before on my vex but never knew what it was

are you guy sure you know your poop?

Just kidding.

BrianF wrote:

Seemingly, after one or two fish have done this, my hole will stop producing as well as before. The

BrianF, what kind of fish? For panfish, many times I’ve caught a lot out of one hole even though other holes are only 5 feet away but don’t produce.

My latest experience was when walleye fishing, but have seen it with other species, too. Whitefish come to mind.

I’m aware that fish will regurgitate food while battling on the line. However, what I’m seeing doesn’t look like regurgitated perch or anything large at all. It’s always a large number of little bits coming from the fish – which I’ve always assumed was poop. Could it be mayfly larvae or some other small food item? Possible, but not probable, given the sheer number of fish I’ve seen do this – and it’s always the same: lots of little bits of slow falling material. It’s poop.

Whether it’s poop or not doesn’t really matter. What matters is it – whatever IT is – seems to turn off other fish in the area, who don’t want to come near it.

Nobody else has seen this?? Hmmm… Maybe it’s me. I tend to think and see things differently than most when it comes to fish.

It has been my experience that a fished pulled from 20+ feet has food/poop coming out each end due to pressure change. The Walleyes we pull out of 50′ never have any food/poop in them. Usually the stomach is sticking out the mouth.

I don’t think it’s the poop that “seems to turn off other fish”. I think it is something else (scent???) fish gives off to warn others it’s in trouble. I heard this 45+ years ago from an old timer.

What’s the bottom like in the areas where this happens? If it’s soft and silty, bug debris makes sense.

Hodag Hunter wrote:

I don’t think it’s the poop that “seems to turn off other fish”. I think it is something else (scent???) fish gives off to warn others it’s in trouble.

Hodag, I think you are probably right. Research ‘schreckstoff response’ in fish. Schreckstoff is more likely the culprit here vs. a negative response to the poop itself. Mystery solved…

Dee, the bottom is firm – sand, pea gravel and relatively shallow, 14’. Bug debris could be answer as anglers in other parts of the lake are reporting that walleyes they are catching – though generally being in much deeper water – are regurgitating bugs when on top the ice. I believe they are dragonfly nymphs, judging from the pics they post of said creatures.

Couple of observations here that could be important to us anglers: 1) Schreckstoff response likely impacts our fishing year round and among all species; and, 2) who knew that mayfly larvae were such an important winter food source for fish? These other anglers have reported that walleyes all winter long are stuffed with them.

And I thought it was great that the sonar I had on my boat in 1999 could see my 1/4 oz jig at 30 feet

The fish scattering after a few poop makes sense to me, why?
Well think about it, If I was following EPG and Chuck100 out onto a pond to go ice fishing and EPG or Chuck cranked off a big Ripsnorter after having some of EPG’s chili you can bet your sweet patootey I am going to walk out of the way of the stench!!
Of course they would be laughing, and on that thought, do ya spose the fishes below the one who fouled the water look at one another and say,,
Good grief Joe!!, WTH did you eat to make you so rotten!?!?!?
And you better go wipe after that one!!

Ok, that’s funny.
Because it’s true

Coho and lakers are the worst. Alewive chilli lingering around forever

Alewives chili Randy? Probably wouldn’t win the IDO chili cook off…

Just re-watched Gord Pyzer talking about the findings of an ichthyologist friend who has discovered while studying esox that they do not feed in areas where they defecate. He also alluded to the concept that other fish species can sense/smell the defecation and will avoid the area.

IF what is being seen on sonar after a fish catch is poop settling to the bottom, and what Gord cites is true and translates to other predatory fish, then there isn’t much of a leap to think the accumulation of poop under an ice hole could be discouraging the bite in that small zone. That and the Schreckstoff response are working against us when fish are feeding in the area. Best to keep moving to fresh holes close by.

I’ll stop now…

BrianF wrote:

who has discovered while studying esox that they do not feed in areas where they defecate.

I don’t eat in bathrooms either!!

BrianF wrote:

the Schreckstoff response are working against us when fish are feeding in the area.

I saw Aaron Wiebe put crappies in a bucket of water so as not to spook the school.

Iowaboy1 wrote:

If I was following EPG and Chuck100 out onto a pond to go ice fishing and EPG or Chuck cranked off a big Ripsnorter after having some of EPG’s chili you can bet your sweet patootey I am going to walk out of the way of the stench!!

Couldn’t help but snap this shot of falling fish poop, this time from a whitefish. Would you keep fishing this hole?

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hmmmm never heard of this or seen it happen? i fish panfish all winter with the occasional trips to P4 for walleyes. eyes puke up all sorts of crap in my boat but never #2. probably just stress causing it and eventually it will disperse so i would keep fishing it?

BrianF wrote:

Couldn’t help but snap this shot of falling fish poop, this time from a whitefish. Would you keep fishing this hole?

That’s some big poop. From the size it’s damn near the size of small perch.

Imagine going in to eat a doughnut and suddenly a hook goes through you mouth and you suddenly get pulled to the sky. Pretty sure I know what I would be doing.

Rodwork wrote:

The rods I make are so sensitive that I can feel the fish fart.

It’s only early February but this one’s gonna be tough to beat for IDO quote of the year.

I had forgotten about this thread and it reminds me,
I sure am glad fish are quiet about doing their business instead of making the racket you hear in the restrooms at a truck stop, can you imagine??

Ripjiggen wrote:

That’s some big poop. From the size it’s damn near the size of small perch.

The screen is zoomed-in, making the poop appear much larger than if zoomed-out per normal.

Imagine this… You’re having a nice summer picnic with friends and family – some fried chicken, beans, watermelon, chocolate brownies. Life is good. Then, from out of nowhere, a little storm cloud passes overhead and it starts raining poop! Would you resume eating at the picnic site after the poop-storm passes? I guess that’s what’s being discussed here, though from the fish’s perspective.

In this particular instance, I caught three nice whitefish out of the same hole, in very quick fashion – all of which rained down poop. Then the hole went quiet, and I had to move on. Was it the poop?

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Sorry, I’m not buying the poop theory. That same effect happens every time you miss a fish and jerk your bait. And the stuff goes up on your flasher, it’s not neutral or go down. It shows up on the graph because it’s a still picture basically. I think.

That’s some whacky sh/t. Pun intended.

I see something like that when I troll through another boats prop wash. Maybe water disturbance from the fish?

Rodwork, it’s said that your rods are so sensitive that you can feel a minnow fart at 40 feet…..

guthook1 wrote:

Rodwork, it’s said that your rods are so sensitive that you can feel a minnow fart at 40 feet…..

So I have been told.

Brian, have you seen this happen with other species of fish?

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Rodwork wrote:

The rods I make are so sensitive that I can feel the fish fart. I don’t have good enough electronics to see them poop. I am interested in the findings.

Often wondered why the hole became effervescent after catching a few crappy’s…