what do trout eat in stocked ponds in winter

[snipersam]

I fish in my own stocked pond, and have always liked to see what I find in the stomachs of fish I keep. what I am finding is some bugs the odd minnow and I have even found some good sized frogs(yes even in winter). now what I find in each and every fish, and a lot of it, is what I am asking and trying to figure out.

at first glance it looks like a piece of vegetation 1.5 inches long and .25 inches in diameter. black and brown, really dark and the texture is like decaying vegetation. it does not seem to digest too much. however inside this stick like thing is a green worm an inch long. the fish r full of this in there stomach it looks like a larva of some sorts and I cannot figure out what it is online. would anyone know? I can try to get pics next time I fish.

[Scupbaron]

at first glance it looks like a piece of vegetation 1.5 inches long and .25 inches in diameter. black and brown, really dark and the texture is like decaying vegetation. it does not seem to digest too much. however inside this stick like thing is a green worm an inch long. the fish r full of this in there stomach it looks like a larva of some sorts and I cannot figure out what it is online. would anyone know? I can try to get pics next time I fish.

...find the same exact thing here in rhode island.  judging from size i thought it to be larvae from something large like a dragon fly.  Also find old lost senkos ...they probably think there the same larvae

[Gills-only]

Walking sticks??

[Arctic Addict]

Sounds like Cattist Fly larvae.  They often make their homes out of small twigs.  Trout love Cattist Fly's.  In my neck of the woods, grabbing some aquatic bugs will really heat up ice fishing for trout on days when they are not biting anything else.

[snipersam]

I googled dragon fly larva and  Cattist Fly larva and am not seeing what I see in the fish.

where does one get aquatic bugs to fish with? besides inside the first fish you catch    some days the bite is super tough. we mostly use a tiny piece of raw shrimp in a small jig or jigging spoon. I have used live minnows also and the worked great.

[maddogg]

Try caddistfly larva. A little worm that encloses itself in a case of stones or sticks. 

http://twistedsifter.com/2013/03/caddisfly-larvae-cases/

[Arctic Addict]

We use a kick net at some small stream that have cobble bottoms.  My wife is a fresh water biogist so kicking up bait is never a problem.

[Hyland33]

Try caddistfly larva. A little worm that encloses itself in a case of stones or sticks. 

http://twistedsifter.com/2013/03/caddisfly-larvae-cases/

I've seen those floating in holes I drill sometimes, never knew what they were

[FG Steve]

Got to be a caddisfly.  Keep in mind that they come in many shapes and sizes.  Which is to say, the term refers to an order that includes as many as 12,000 species.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caddisfly

[Velcro]

I saw those one day stream fishing. A couple rolled up leaves slowly crawling up the sandbar towards me. Creeped me out.