Dead fish near hole question

[Bluegrass]

While currently fishing, my camera picked up a dead pike laying 15 feet from my camera. As the fishing is slow this morning {slow enough for me to write this} I wondered if this dead fish would reduce the chance of any others attaching my herring. Has anyone experienced this as well? Does it effect the fishing in the area. {something to think about}

[pinelakeperch]

I can't see it, but I wouldn't dismiss it as a possibility.

[Sundancefisher]

IF pike is dead because of low O2 then yes... it may be a sign of your fishing will be poor.

IF just dead then no. It won't scare them away. I have seen fish eat other dead fish on the bottom.

[PlayDoh]

The dead Pike might be from being mishandled by another angler. Not knowing where you are makes this a possibility in my mind. If that was the case, then it’s possible it’s had some pressure from angling and effect the bite in the area.

If your set on the spot, you could fish out the dead pike and drop him through a hole somewhere else. Might get to see how he met his end also.

Otherwise a dead pike would imply pike do inhabit the area, so your in the right spot, sort to speak.

Slow action is the name of the game right now. So it’s possible and probably more probable that the slow action isn’t related to the corpse.

I’m now curious if fish have a habit of behavior before they die from natural causes. Do they find a quiet spot and lay there? Are they oblivious to what’s happening and just flop over while doing what they always do? I can’t even guess really.

Will Burbot or other creatures scavenge the corpse, or will insects break it down? Do most bodies make it to a shore and decompose there?

Interesting....