Trout eat snails?
 

Been bushwhacking along the very low Ramapo and Wanaque lately. Fish are very picky in the lean water. Been picking on the stockies, and occasionally the pq for some browns. I kept a stockie today(gut hooked-I watched him inhale my "secret" bait) and was late on a hook set. Anyways- skinny of it was,he had a snail in his belly. All stretched to fit physical stomach was like a drum, shell was empty but there was mostly digested food on both sides. Someone had something like this - I think this spring. Anybody?

Edit- as others have said- don't recall seeing either river this low

Re: Trout eat snails?
 

Stockies will eat anything! Getting to know their new environment. I've cleaned stockies that have had twigs in their bellies.

Re: Trout eat snails?
 

yes, at the valley we call them chocolate browns!

Re: Trout eat snails?
 

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Maybe the snail had become dislodged from his rock and was drifting in the current when the trout ate it.
I have never seen a fish eat a snail, although I've read in the South there is a species of sunfish called a "shellcracker" that actively seeks out snails to eat.

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Re: Trout eat snails?
 

I found these in a stockie caught in the D&R Canal this past spring. I've caught them using cigarette butts as bait' it's amazing what they will eat.

Re: Trout eat snails?
 

brown trout at RV etc, will pick up the sails off the bottom and eat them...i learned about that back in 1987..that is what gives the browns that frequent the shorelines their dark color..on the other hand you will have browns that patrol the open lake eating mostly herring will be more silver in color.

Re: Trout eat snails?
 

I think this was the post I was thinking about.
And ty everybody.
@anthony- I always wondered about the difference even in one body of water.

Re: Trout eat snails?
 

I have found they eat snails (especially yellow/tan colored ones), cigarette butts, red berries, yellow twigs, small crayfish and vegetation that has amphipods. I have a feeling they hug the bottom some of the time and pick off anything they see as food. But they also gather floating stuff from the top. Kinda feed everywhere in the water column.

Re: Trout eat snails?
 

I shuck the snails for catfish bait. Works great. They love them.