How does a trout's diet change as it grows?

It climbs a ladder, and each rung changes how you should fish. Fry eat zooplankton; juveniles and most adult stream trout eat aquatic insects — nymphs, larvae, emergers — which is why fly fishing is insect-obsessed; but somewhere around 30–40 cm (12–16 in), the energy math flips: a big trout burns more chasing tiny insects than they pay back, so large fish shift toward minnows, sculpins, crayfish, and even mice, taking fewer, bigger meals. This is the single best explanation for why trophy hunters throw streamers and big spoons while match-the-hatch anglers catch numbers. Lake trout ride the ladder to its top — adults in most lakes are almost purely fish-eaters — while brook trout, opportunists for life, never fully leave the insect rungs.

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