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Snails with Salad


malevans

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High all,

given the weather in Cornwall last week kept my beachcasters and saltwater fly gear firmly in the boot, my wife and I did a session on a trout fishery near St Ives. We both caught a mixture of recently sticked fish and also some that had grown on a bit. We spooned the fish and the stock sized fish had snails in their stomachs, and one fish was crammed full of them to bursting point. All the fish came up to Daddies and Hoppers however. I inspected the snails closely and could see no sign of digestion and infact one could clearly see the foot of the said molluscs keeping the door to their home well and firmly shut. The larger fish had large quantities of reed in their stomachs with no sign of any "meat" at all.

 

Can trout digest snails ? Or are the recent stockies mistaking them for pellets ? I have heard of and seen all sorts of prey in trout stomachs including voles, but do trout regularly eat vegetation ?

 

I rarely spoon fish as I usually return them, but this time we had to kill the fish, and we were insterested to see what they were eating at this time of year given they were rising to surface flies so well. Interestingly, but less surprisingly, a trout taken on the dry fly up here in October proved to have been selectively feeding on Corixa when spooned by my wife, at least that fish was not into salad.

 

Anyone no a good reed fly pattern ?!

 

Cheers

 

Malcolm

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Trout do and quite often do feed on snails. On the loughs snails often rise to the surface and drift to new areas at times and are fed on avidly. These fish look like they are taking emergers...but they are sipping down snails and can be very difficult to tempt unless you find a very good copy. I have a number of snail patterns in differing sizes and shades just for this eventuality (Usually 4 or 5 times a year)because there are usually a few 'Pigs'(5lb+ Brownies) feeding on them.

IF YOUR DOG THINKS YOU ARE THE BEST

Don't seek a second opinion.

 

http://www.anglingireland.info

Fish Paintings

Linocut fishy prints..

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Thanks Greg, very informative. I have read about snails floating on the surface but did not put two and two together. Would explain the subsurface rise forms we were observing as well.

 

Given the size of the snails we spooned I guess a size 16, some hemp and super glue could be the answer

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Mal,

 

I use the cork from a wine bottle, cut and shaped to suit,sliced and then glued to a size 12 hook, with 3lb clear nylon I create the shape by almost segmenting it from the bend of the hook towards the hook eye, then I colour it to suit, they are great patterns fished dead drift on the ripple, and they float just sub surface.

 

Gwilym Hughes

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