What trout eat

[Almaink]

Today I got a big surprise when I opened the stomach of a trout I caught many bridges down from the last stocking point on the Feeder D&R Canal. Looks like it was a shellfish lover.

https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/13243791_10206680864401510_4302994588165259071_o.j pg

[icebadger]

trout liking s-car-go whats up with that,perhaps we found a solution for the quagga and zebra mussel problem:rolleyes:

[River Renegade]

Interesting never knew they would go after shellfish. Guess it don't matter what's on the menu when you're starving :D

[SaltLife1980]

Thats wild. Never in a million years would i expect to find that in its belly.

[Delawareriver]

Yep seen it a few times. Nothing surprises me any more with what you will find in their stomach. All stocked trout know for the last year in the hatchery that anything they saw that fit in their mouth in the raceways was food. They don't change their habitats once they are stocked

[Bruce Litton]

What gets me--how do they distinguish a hard-shelled snail and clam from pebbles. Amazes me.

[Delawareriver]

What gets me--how do they distinguish a hard-shelled snail and clam from pebbles. Amazes me.

When they are first stocked they don't. I've cleaned multiple trout with pebbles. But once the smarten up they distinguish the snail and clams from pebbles just like they distinguish an artificial fly from the a real one. It's why you gotta "match the hatch" since if the color, size, shape etc is off it can go from hero to zero very fast