Trout And Snails?

[NormanMcLean]

So I was fishing a local rainbow trout pond yesterday, and caught a real fatty. I took it home to please the wife and when cleaning it, I had a look at it's stomach. The stomach and intestines were the biggest I have ever seen on a trout this size (about 15"). When I opened it, out spilled dozens of little black hard shelled snails. I didn't know trout fed on snails. It looked like he had a tough time digesting them. Is there an imitation for snails out there? Anyone else encounter this before? I may be on to a new super-hatch!

[toolman]

Trout eat fresh water snails, but they are usually a small portion of their diet in most cases. We found them bieng eaten by the trout on the Bow river as well.

[bigbowtrout]

"a real fatty. I took it home to please the wife"

[NormanMcLean]

Rainbow trout and garlic mashed potatoes for dinner tonite.

[Grizz]

Yes, we used to call them "Maracas" because they were so full you could hear the snails in their stomachs when you picked them up.

 

On occasion trout gorge themselves on snails. Why? Who the F know?

 

I've rarely found just one or two snails, usually they are chock full or none at all.

 

I know Reg Denny took a shot at a snail fly years ago - don't know if it worked for him or not.

[monger]

Pretty common food source in productive lakes. I think it may be true that some individual fish specialize on certain food items.

[megalops]

There was an old Gary Borger pattern kicking around a few years ago that he called a snail fly. Didn't look anything like a snail to me, but worked really well.

 

It was basically a weighted renegade, but instead of brown and cream hackle you used brown and brown hackle and tied it weighted on a nymph hook (I liked the 2x long hooks). You can also use epoxy or something like it to coat the peacock herl on top and make the fly much more durable.

[Brownstone]

Ive seen trout with snails in the stomach, not many though...you'd have to have some patience to fish a snail imitation ... lol

[SilverDoctor]

Snails....

 

 

need.....

 

 

to....

 

 

 

be.....

 

 

fished...

 

toooooo......

 

 

slow...

 

for...

 

 

my...

 

taste.....................................................

[Mudflap]

Exactly;

Caught em on snails at Beaver this year when nothing else worked............. getting...................sleepy.

Would rather sit and have a Kokanee.

[NormanMcLean]

Mudflap, what did you use for a snail fly?

[NormanMcLean]

Found this on Phil Rowley's website.

 

SNAILS

 

Some anglers swear by snails, while others swear at them. From my research, a snail pattern is one of the least reached for in many stillwater fly boxes. When most anglers discover trout feeding upon snails, they typically roll their eyes and prepare for a tough day's fishing. Other anglers such as Gary Borger use snail patterns all the time with good success. Gary Borger stated in his book Presentations, " Going to fish a lake without snails is like going bowling without a ball". Admittedly I have not had the same degree of success as Gary Borger, but being somewhat pattern paranoid, I always have a couple of snail patterns stashed in my box.

 

Snails vary in importance from one lake to another. I know of some lakes where snails are an important food source for the fly-fisher to be aware of and imitate yet trout in other lakes don't seem to be aware of snails at all. However, with several hundred species, snails are present in just about every lake and lakes rich in calcium harbor particularly large populations. Calcium is an important requirement for shell development as it is for Gammarus scuds. Depending upon the species, the snail's shell can be either spiral or conical in design. Although snails come in a variety of sizes, trout dine only on the tinier species that are the size 10 and smaller. It's a simple matter of digestion, as trout cannot pass the shells of the larger snails. Snail colors vary from species to species and from lake to lake. Common colors include brown, black, mottled tan, dirty yellow and olive.

 

Snails are tough, hardy creatures that prefer to reside in the shallow reaches of many lakes but are also capable of surviving in deeper water. Snails spend the majority of their life skulking along the bottom structure and debris foraging for algae and other minute food sources. Chara weeds are a favorite haunt and home to dense populations. At certain times snails find themselves free and clear of the bottom. Preferring the shallows, snails often fall victim to the sweeping action of heavy winds and rough water and as they drift about, trout feed on them at their leisure. At other times of the year, snails migrate in large numbers upwards to the surface. Here they use their muscular foot to cling to and slide along the underside of the surface film. This often happens during hot summers spells, fueling speculation that the snails might be at the surface trying to increase their oxygen intake.

[Mudflap]

Exactly;

Caught em on snails at Beaver this year when nothing else worked............. getting...................sleepy.

Would rather sit and have a Kokanee.

[Mudflap]

It was a size 10 scud hook, with a brown hackle on the back , either arizona dubbing or green crystal chenil for the body and the same brown hackle on the front. Had a few wraps of lead wire on it. Fish it right on the bottom and move it a smidge after every sip of kokanee.

 

Bob Edens here in Red Deer showed it to me. I treat it more loke a last resort.