This is probably a bit weird that I know this, but when I keep a fish I usually inspect its stomach contents. Sometimes I get a free nymph/fly (rare) or just learn about the fish's diet.
I've noticed that many of the fish I've taken from stocked waters in the Canmore/Kananaskis region have bellies full of cabbage/seaweed. I thought at first they were scuds or small snails but nope. Definitely plants.
This is bizarre right? Can trout even digest plant matter? Does it actually provide nutrients to them? What might be the explanation here? Are they too thick to recognize what natural food is? Is there a lack of food so they're eating anything out of desperation? Maybe the food was on the cabbage and the plant matter was just ingested incidently?!?
I don't know about all cases but some of the lakes that I have fished that the trout seem to often have plant material in their stomachs are lakes that I would consider over stocked.
Fish are not strictly carnivores. They will eat vegetation especially when that vegetation is crawling with micro organisms. In effect they are getting meat with their salad.
Fish are not strictly carnivores. They will eat vegetation especially when that vegetation is crawling with micro organisms. In effect they are getting meat with their salad.
x2... I have always noticed that trout have weeds in there stomachs. I think that they also ingest some weeds when they pull snails off the weeds.
Just found a reference to a study from the early 80s that said plant matter was often found in large amounts in trout stomachs and that "Plant fragments are probably taken 'accidentally' during the voracious feeding behaviour of rainbow trout."
So mystery solved? Just thought it was weird at first.
Trout Eating Plants
Hybrid Mode
