Live cam / Behavior guide / Drift feeding

How trout feed on the drift

Most of a stream trout's food never reaches the surface. The current carries a steady stream of aquatic insect larvae, including mayfly, caddisfly and stonefly nymphs and midge larvae, along with bits of debris. Biologists call this invertebrate drift.

A holding trout watches the water coming at it, slides out to intercept an item, then returns to its station. Many items are inspected or mouthed and rejected, because the drift is full of seeds, leaves and grit. That's why the camera logs many short feeding moves rather than long chases.

Insect drift typically increases around dusk and through the night, and many hatches happen when the water is warmest for the season. In cold months, trout feed less often, and midday can be the most active time.

On the water

A nymph drifted near the bottom, at the speed of the current, imitates most of what a trout eats on most days. Watch the hour table on the feeding page to see when the fish in this pool have been most active.

More behavior

• Why trout hold in one spot
• Why trout dart and chase
• What trout do in winter
• Trout in cloudy water

Based on 5 days of camera data (2026-11-01 to 2026-11-05). Behaviors are labeled automatically by motion analysis and haven't been validated against hand counts, so treat these as patterns to watch, not findings. One camera, one pool.