I'd like to start a seperate thread regarding the feeding habits of trout.

In my experience, it's far easier to catch stillwater trout if your flies are at the same level or just above the fish (rather than below them)

The reason i think this is that stillwater fish in the main are stocked. These fish are conditioned to look up from a young age.

Food is always thrown in and hits the surface. Pellets are both floating and sinking but always start on top of the water so the fish get used to coming up for food. (although some will drop and follow pellets down as they sink)

Also when food or a fly is presented below a fish it can blend into the bottom or vegitation. When the fish looks up at the fly or food is set against the sky so is easier to see; hence the reason to fish at the same level or above the fish it's easier to see.

I'm not saying that still water trout never feed off the bottom, or can't look down. All i think is that it's better to present your fly at the same level the fish are holding at or slightly above them if you want to maximise you catch.

How do others see it ?

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Well. . yes I would agree, but not necessarily for the reasons you've highlighted (i.e. fed on pellets from an early age so that's why they look up).

The same rules of presentation would apply to sea trout, wild brown trout, salmon as well as rainbows. Not all takes are because of the need to feed, also aggression and curiosity play a large part, so if the fish can see the fly in front or above then it's more likely to induce a take.

Hi rob
i find buzzer fishing has to b spot on depth(the depth the trout are at ...but when lure fishing i always will fish higher than lower..as u say trout are nearly always looking up .... when fishing small waters 1 ov my most succesful method (when the weed situation allows it) is to twitch a blob along the bottom , so wether the fish are on the bottom and taking the fly or off the bottom and swimming down and taking it il never know until there is a fly with a camera atatched to it

regards gareth

gareth, i was fishing chalk springs in arundel last season and allowed my weighted nymph to sink right to the bottom of the lake as a brown trout swam 3ft above my fly in about 6 or 7 ft of water i twitched the fly, it caused a puff of silt to kick up, i have never seen a fish change direction and swim at such a speed to get to the fly/puff of silt. the outcome was a very quick brace of trout and then a change of method to ensure the day was not over to quickly. later on in the day a guy was struggling to catch, i gave him the nod and he caught 4 fish in 15 minutes after a fishless 5 hours. so i suppose the fish are opportunists and will look for food at all levels. regards jon mcmillan.

I agree 100%...with your above comments

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Rob,
So I have limited knowledge but I would think they are able to look down as well as up. In the wild if they could not it would limit what options they had for feeding. I guess that's not the question you have asked though.

I think fish will feed in a way that takes the least effort and if that is tracking a certain depth because the food item is there or looking up s they are easily seen against the surface. For sure when fish round here are up in the top of the water fishing very high in the water has to be done or you are simply not going to get a bite.

What I would say is they have very good eyesight or powers of detection at any rate. I have often caught fish very early or very late when I can not see a thing as it's almost pitch on small buzzers/diawls. How the heck they see them I have no idea. I think they will to an extent then naturalise as they mature and feed on what's naturally available and adapt as needed. As a side note to that, I have heard several people talk about the theory of big browns feeding mainly at night. I think it be good to have a go at some of our premier still waters for them but I fear EH&S will never allow it..

For my fishing I will always try to fish at or above the depth I think the fish are at. In times of plenty this is key. At points in the season where there is less food I think this is less of an issue and you can be out with respect to depth. The fish should be keener to seek out food then.

Mark

I agree with you 100% Rob on the pellet issue most of fisheries we fish nowadays we're looking for recently stocked fish usually within a week of stocking , going below these fish would be a sin . The lake of menteith here in scotland is nearly always floater or midge and round the edges where they are in the same depth as the tank.I'm not saying we're never looking for any natural feeders but i seriously think what we are is the ultimate stockybashers , how often does the plop and splutter of the booby or the now floating blob work .A lot .If they've been fed on pellets for a year or so they dont forget that after a week .
charlie

I think that your right in that fish will hold at a depth that allows them to expend as little energy as possible to feed.

But in the summer months low oxygen levels and warm surface water means they have to hold deeper than their food source often is.....maybe

As for their eyesight; i'll never understand how a fish can find a tiny buzzer or fly that i couldn't see in the water; yet we as anglers seem to think that they can't see flurocarbon....well i can in the water so i'm sure a fish can.

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[QUOTE=Rob Edmunds;572510]

I'm not saying that still water trout never feed off the bottom, or can't look down. All i think is that it's better to present your fly at the same level the fish are holding at or slightly above them if you want to maximise you catch.

Totally agree mate.

On the subject or trout looking down, i'm not sure .

What i am sure is they'l pick food up from the bottom, bumping as it's known. All the trout i have watched ' bumping ' off the bottom tend to sight the item from a greater angle then guide in from that, so i wouldn't believe they can see straight down from a level angle, but buy repositioning there body angle { nose down, tail up } they are able to locate bottom dwelling food items.

Fred.

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