After reading an article on OTW about stripers playing with orange golf balls I started thinking, dangerous I know.

All the mammalian predators that I have seen start off learning thru play. I'm sure most of us have seen films of wolf, lion, tiger cubs playing at attack and stalking. We have all witnessed dogs and cats playing.

So the question is: When we fish with lures, do the fish think that it's something to eat or do they just want to play.

Striped Bass pick up their prey when feeding and run with it.
Probably exhibiting the same trait with the golf balls.
Pick it up "hmmm hard... not squishy and edible" spit it back out.

Fish in a fishtank do the same thing.

They don't have much upstairs in comparison to mammalia.