Do trout eat small perch? How can you test that?

[Sundancefisher]

Well...I am going to try and catch them using perch imitation flies. I have one tied that I will be trying. Do you think this looks like it will work? Does anyone have a better fly imitation. I suppose a rapala could work also...but harder to cast on a 6 weight.

[WayneChristie]

try Storm Wildeyes, the real fish like pike like them!

Trout will eat almost anything.
I have watched trout eat mice, perch, bass, and Ive even watched a Brown take down a snake.

Catching a trout on a perch immitation may be a different story though.
I would look for a perch pattern in a W bugger as you get a nice natural flow with the fly when stripping...Trout tend not to eat dead fish which are generally stiff, similar to your fly.

Immitate the bait!

[WaterSkeeter]

Yes that fly could possibly work. Right color combo. I have a perch pattern that catches the browns in Obed lake, so they definitley will catch trout

[nick0danger]

we could open up one of the big trout will we get in the net on saturday Ill smoke it after too.

[noslack]

Nice shot on that fly!!

Let us know how that fly works out!!

[pikester]

Originally Posted by Sundancefisher

Well...I am going to try and catch them using perch imitation flies. I have one tied that I will be trying. Do you think this looks like it will work? Does anyone have a better fly imitation. I suppose a rapala could work also...but harder to cast on a 6 weight.

Decent fly, I tie some similar but I put a few strands of black flashabou above the yellow, then a few more strands of dark green flashabou on top of that. Also a good addition is large eyeballs glued to both cheeks. As you know, perch have fairly prominent eyes & I am a firm believer that predators (especially pike) key in on the eyes. If I can pry the camera away from the wife, I will try & throw some pics of mine up.

[duffy4]

If you really want to know if trout eat perch, I'd say looking at stomach contents would be the best way to determine.

You may catch trout on that or any other "small fish" imitation but that will not prove that trout eat perch.

A nice fly though. What do you call it?

[Badback]

Photo staged for amusement purposes only

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by duffy4

If you really want to know if trout eat perch, I'd say looking at stomach contents would be the best way to determine.

You may catch trout on that or any other "small fish" imitation but that will not prove that trout eat perch.

A nice fly though. What do you call it?

No name as of yet... Once I find a pattern that works I will make up something

KyleM...I agree you have to get some movement to match your imitation. I have the maribou tail to do some of that. Also the flashabou should move somewhat. I do find on video that the perch are fairly stiff swimmers. Not as agile as say a lake chub. I was considering also tying using some craft fur for added movement.

I did tie up a pattern using yellow and green maribou for a tail and yellow and green chenile for a body. It did catch trout but it seemed to only work when stripped in quickly. That leads me to believe it is the motion more so than the pattern that attracted the trout. If the patterns works on a slower retrieve...than I feel more comfortable that the trout are eating perch.

I also need to tie some larval perch.

[jeprli]

Trout will definitely eat perch! Both bows and browns seem to like perch imitations on the Bow river.