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Trout Sense of Smell
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Trout use special holes called “nares” to
sniff out tiny bits of chemicals in the
water. Since they don’t breathe air they
can’t smell anything outside their watery
habitat.
A Rainbow Trout can smell the difference
between two aquatic plants of the same
species that are side by side. It can even
taste the difference between two species of
Chironomid and thus will have a preference
for one species over another. Rainbow Trout
are very sensitive to differences in ph,
salinity and the differences in amino acids
as found in their food sources.
It is
thought that the Rainbow may even have taste
and smell sensors on parts of its body other
than in the nostrils and mouth and that
these may actually help the trout in
locating its food.
Trout can smell trouble coming. Their
nostrils, located on their snouts just in
front of their eyes, are so sensitive they
can detect molecules diluted by water to
scant parts per million. Avoid getting any
smells on your fly that the trout may
consider 'foul'. Particularly those that are
acidic, or basic, or salty, or taste like
sun-tanning lotion.
A moderate
size Rainbow can accelerate from a
standstill to about 23 mph (or 37 kilometers
per hour) in about one second. A larger fish
can get in an extra one or two mph. Almost
instantly the fish is traveling more than 33
feet per second and can maintain that speed
long enough to easily strip a hundred yards
of line. Feeding fish will come from more
than a 100 feet away to take a properly
presented food source. |
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