![]() ![]() “Smaller,” of course, is a relative term. Joe CermeleĪll trout are predators that will chase down and consume smaller fish. Umpquaīaitfish Are Always on the Menu This brown trout opened its big maw for a streamer fly. The fly pattern on the left imitates a winged insect riding on the surface, whereas the one on the right imitates a subsurface nymph. It baffles some people that a 20-plus-inch brown trout would care to eat larvae that are incredibly tiny, but they’re so abundant and require little effort to grab that it’s the equivalent of us eating appetizers-one or two chicken wings isn’t filling you up, but a couple dozen will. They are, however, easily dislodged and set helplessly adrift in the current, which is when they get picked off by trout. In their larval stages, they use their legs to cling to the stream bed and crawl around. Understanding that trout of all sizes rely on these tiny creatures for food, however, is both a blessing and a curse depending on how you like to fish.Īquatic insects hatch in the rocks, silt, or mud at the bottom of moving and still water. Practically every body of freshwater in the U.S.-whether it holds trout or not-experiences some form of aquatic insect hatch. Mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies are the three primary families of these water-borne bugs, and there are hundreds of species within each category. Whether we’re talking about 6-inch wild brook trout in an Appalachian creek, a cutthroat trout in a high Rocky Mountain lake, or giant brown trout in northern Michigan, 90 percent of a trout’s diet consists of aquatic insects. Trout Eat Mostly Aquatic Insects A freshly hatched mayfly rides the current downstream, waiting for its wings to dry. They didn’t learn not to eat that spoon they’re just too into eating something else to care about the spoon for now. This explains why one day you might catch a mess of them with a certain spoon, let’s say, and then the next three trips they won’t touch it. Trout often get tunnel vision when feeding, refusing everything but the single, abundant food source at hand. ![]() “Smart” is often confused with “focused” with these fish. They have a reputation for being educated and snobby when it comes to deciding what to eat, though I don’t really believe that’s true. Hight on the list America’s favorite gamefish, trout exist in almost every state and can be found in both moving and still water. It’s pretty much that simple, so let’s break it all down, starting with the trout itself. Learn more ›Īny time you’re deciding which lure or fly to tie onto the end of your line, you are essentially asking, “What do trout eat?” And the better you are at answering that question, the more fish you will catch. We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. ![]()
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