Has Anyone Seen This Before?

[VanIsleGuy]

The pictures were taken on a lake near Princeton, BC. It was quite a small stocked lake, no big creeks. Caught the smaller rainbow, then saw the big one dead near shore. Decided to do a little autopsy and found it full of eggs. The insides had dents all over and there was nothing in her stomach.

I am new to fishing so I don't know if it is a common thing. My guess is that it had no where to spawn and died of starvation.

http://s1354.beta.photobucket.com/user/VanIslandGuy/media/P8190030_zps94ed2179.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1

http://s1354.beta.photobucket.com/user/VanIslandGuy/media/P8190033_zps9f284433.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

[g1987man]

I am not a biologist... but I've heart that if they don't have anywhere to spawn, they will just drop eggs... could be wrong though

[Bhflyfisher]

If the fish cant spawn, they have to reabsorb the eggs into themselves. Its not a pleasant process in fish, and does result in mortality. That's what im guessing happened. When one of my favorite lakes used to have diploid fish, and caught a big female, that was spawn restricted. She shot eggs all over my pontoon boat. As much as it was gross. the fish was probably pretty agitated, but im betting the release of eggs was probably better off for her in the end.