[Tarkin]

Don't know anything about the correct way, so this question might seem obvious to most. When you pump the stomach on a trout, is that only done on a dead one? Does the act of putting the pump down their throat do too much damage to release? I've never pumped the stomach of a trout, is there a method to do this correctly without causing damage to the fish? Often I'll catch a single trout and not be able to get the interest of others rising and it would be great to get an idea as to what they're eating without causing damage to the fish.
Thanks

 

[Preston]

"Stomach pumping" is an unfortunate choice of words to describe the process. You're not "pumping" and it doesn't really involve the stomach. First, a little water is drawn into the tip of the instrument, then it is inserted into the trout's throat. When the water is expelled into the trout's gullet the contents are washed up and out. Properly done, it's not a particularly invasive process, gripping the fish tightly enough to hold it still while carrying out the action can potentially be more harmful.

 

[Slipstream]

To add to Preston's advice and infomation on using a "throat pump". Never use one on a small (under 12") fish. It is probably best to learn on a dead specimen. I went to a "put and take" lake and harvested a nice rainbow. I dispatched the fish and got out the pump. Depress the bulb and insert the tube into the fish's mouth until you feel the tube stop against the narrow part of the throat. Release the bulb and slowly draw the pump out of the fish. The suction of the bulb being released will draw any recently ingested food items into the tube. Then you squeeze the bulb and empty the contents into a container of some sort to inspect the contents. If you don't want to kill a fish to practice, you could ask another angler who has killed one if you could practice on their fish. Practice makes perfect. The first one that I pumped had some green colored item in it. I squeezed it into my container for examination, that fish had been feeding on lime sherbert sparkle "Power Bait" SS