Diet Charts

Year Round Diet of Trout in Productive Stillwaters click on image for larger view

Spring diet chart click on image for larger view

The purpose of my book, Fly Patterns for Stillwaters, is to link an understanding of stillwater food sources to fly design. Obtaining the right fly and presenting it in the right fashion is only one facet of this methodology. An integral part of this concept comes from knowing when to fish one pattern over another. Traditionally we have used the obvious visual clues Mother Nature provides for us. The reality is that Mother Nature tends to hide most of these clues beneath the water's surface.

Since my initial baptism pursuing stillwater trout I have become obsessed with understanding the relative importance of each food item in the diet of the trout.

Whenever I go fishing I keep comprehensive notes regarding air and water temperatures, lunar phase, successful flies, retrieves, and wind direction. But by far my most important observations are obtained from stomach analysis. Through the use of a stomach pump, the odd fish I kept and being a pest around the cleaning stations I found out exactly what stillwater trout were feasting upon. You should see the looks I get when I ask another angler if I can sift through the entrails of a fish they just cleaned. I have been making this a regular habit for over 10 years and the results have been startling.

Summer diet chart click on image for larger view

Fall diet chart click on image for larger view

I know what food sources appear regularly and when theyare most likely to appear. Knowing what and when makes pattern selection an easier chore throughout the season. Keep in mind my observations have been primarily confined to British Columbia and eastern Washington. Although each area lake differs somewhat in terms of food sources and fish behavior, I feel confident basing my initial strategies can be applied to any body water with reasonable success.

From my 10 plus years of note taking I have compiled diet composition charts. I have included a complete chart identifying the trout's feeding preferences over the complete season. In addition, I have broken down my data to give a snapshot of the spring, summer and fall. I hope you will find these charts both educational and interesting.

"Because you never stop learning"