Trout are opportunistic feeders, but their diet is always entirely carnivorous. They never consume plant matter at any stage of life.
As you might guess, minnows live in rivers, streams, ponds, and lakes all over the world, and trout love to hunt them. In fact, minnows are one of the primary foods for most trout species.
Even though they only live for a short time, minnows don’t usually spawn until they’re about three years old. Some species can live for more than fifteen years.
It’s either a little embarrassing or pretty cool that I caught this minnow while fishing for trout. It took one of my dry flies at the surface. This species is hunted and eaten by trout throughout their range.
As an avid angler and fishing enthusiast I’m often asked what fish eat minnows. Minnows play a vital role in freshwater and marine ecosystems, serving as an important food source for predatory fish species. In this comprehensive guide I’ll explore what fish consume these small baitfish and why they are such a popular meal.
Minnows are a broad term used to describe over 200 species of small, slender fish that inhabit lakes, rivers, and oceans worldwide. Most minnows measure between 2 to 4 inches long, weighing less than an ounce. They typically swim together in large schools near the water’s surface.
Some common minnow species include
- Fathead minnow
- Bluntnose minnow
- Emerald shiner
- Goldfish
- Common carp
Minnows feed on plankton insects insect larvae, and other tiny organisms. They provide a nutritious source of protein and fat for larger predatory fish. Their small size and abundance make them an easy meal.
Why Do Fish Eat Minnows?
For many predatory fish, minnows are a dietary staple and primary food source. Here are some of the main reasons why minnows are so popular on the fish menu:
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Abundant food source: Minnow schools provide a concentrated source of prey. Their numbers make them easy for predators to catch.
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High in nutrients: Minnows contain valuable fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals to support growth and health. Their soft bones also provide calcium.
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Easy to digest: The small size allows most fish to swallow minnows whole, making them easy to digest.
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Flavor/scent attraction: The natural scent and flavor of minnows triggers a feeding response, especially during migrations when predatory fish are actively feeding.
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Opportunistic feeding: Minnows’ small size and schooling behavior allows most freshwater and saltwater predatory fish to feed on them opportunistically.
Top Predatory Fish That Eat Minnows
Minnows may seem small and insignificant, but they play a huge role in sustaining some of the most popular sport fish targeted by anglers. Here are some of the top predatory fish that consume minnows:
Largemouth Bass
Largemouth bass are ambush predators that will attack schools of minnows and other small baitfish. A single bass can devour dozens of minnows in one feeding session. Minnows make up over 50% of juvenile and adult bass diets.
Northern Pike
Voracious pike strike swiftly to grab unsuspecting minnows, often ambushing them head-first. Pike heavily rely on minnows and even small perch and walleye to sustain their aggressive metabolism and rapid growth rates.
Muskellunge
Muskies are apex ambush predators capable of eating minnows and small fish up to one-third their own length. Schools of minnows are like fast food restaurants for these fierce hunters.
Walleye
Walleyes use their excellent night vision and sensitive taste buds to seek out and devour schools of minnows after dark. Minnows can comprise over 90% of a walleye’s diet in many fisheries.
Yellow Perch
Schooling minnows attract feeding frenzies from hungry yellow perch. Perch often follow the seasonal nearshore migrations of minnows, feeding on them consistently throughout the year.
Striped Bass
Large striped bass patrol open waters ushering baitfish schools into a tight ball to feed. They charge and swallow whole dozens of minnows and shad in a single strike.
Trout (Brown, Rainbow, Brook)
Trout station themselves downstream of minnow schools, waiting to ambush individual minnows that drift by in the current. Minnows are a trout’s candy – they can’t resist these tasty morsels.
Catfish (Channel, Blue, Flathead)
Catfish rely heavily on their sense of smell to detect minnows. Their whisker-like barbels help feel out hidden minnows in murky areas and at night. Bullhead catfish are especially fond of minnows.
Chinook Salmon
Aggressive salmon chase after dense balls of minnows known as bait balls, charging with incredible speed to devour multiple minnows at a time. Minnows help fuel their upstream spawning runs.
As you can see, minnows form the backbone of many popular game fish diets. Their availability directly impacts growth and survival. That’s why fisheries managers monitor minnow populations closely to maintain balance.
Other Fish That Occasionally Eat Minnows
While the fish listed above target minnows consistently, there are many other freshwater and saltwater species that will occasionally feed on minnows as part of a varied diet:
- Bluegill sunfish
- Crappie
- Smallmouth bass
- White bass
- Bowfin
- Pickerel
- Gar fish
- Snook
- Redfish
- Seatrout
- Cod
- Pollock
- Halibut
- Snapper
- Grouper
- Tuna
- Marlin
- Sailfish
These fish opportunistically feed on minnows when available, but also consume large amounts of other prey like insects, crustaceans, and small invertebrates. Their minnow consumption depends on location, prey availability, time of year, and size of the fish.
How Do Predators Hunt and Eat Minnows?
Now that we know what fish eat minnows, let’s look at some of the sneaky – and often aggressive – hunting tactics used to capture these quick prey:
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Stalking: Larger gamefish like pike and muskies stealthily follow behind minnow schools, stalking them like underwater ninjas before attacking.
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Ambushing: Bass and walleye conceal themselves near structure and burst out to grab unsuspecting minnows that swim by.
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Trapping: Smart trout position themselves downstream of minnow schools to trap individual minnows that drift their way.
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Herding: Large open water predators like striped bass corral baitfish into tight balls before speeding through and swallowing dozens of panicked minnows in each pass. The terrified minnows are eaten alive.
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Night feeding: Catfish and walleyes rely on their excellent senses of smell and vibration detection to zero in on minnows after dark.
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Chasing: Salmon and other open water speedsters chase down minnow balls at high speeds to pick off stragglers and weak swimmers.
Most predatory fish swallow minnows whole, though pickerel and pike may occasionally chew larger individuals. Their razor-sharp teeth make quick work of any last twitches.Circle hooks often snag in the corner of the minnow’s mouth when live minnow fishing.
Best Live Minnow Baits for Predatory Fish
Since minnows are such a popular meal for predatory fish, anglers frequently use them as live bait while fishing. Here are some top live minnow bait choices to target different gamefish:
- Fathead minnows – bass, pike, perch, walleye
- Emerald shiners – walleye, trout, pike
- Common shiners – bass, trout
- Bluntnose minnows – catfish, bullheads
- Creek chubs – trout, muskies
- Rosyside dace – trout
- Madtoms – bass
Casting upstream and allowing these lively minnows to drift down current often proves irresistible to lurking trout, bass, pike, and other predators. Adding a split shot sinker allows the minnow to swim down deeper near structure.
When fishing with minnows, use light line (4-8 lb test) and small hooks (#6-10 short shank) to allow for a natural presentation. Circle hooks help hook fish that swallow bait by snagging in the corner of the mouth. Always check local regulations on live bait use and release unused minnows in the water.
Ecosystem Balance: The Minnow’s Role
While we focus on minnows as prime fish food, they also play an integral role in freshwater and marine ecosystems:
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Minnows feed on plankton, keeping algae and microscopic organisms in check.
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Schools of minnows serve as a food buffer, allowing juveniles of game fish to survive and grow.
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Minnows are prey for over 100 species of North American fish, birds, and mammals.
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Their small size allows them to successfully spawn multiple times per season.
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Abundant minnow populations support and sustain larger predatory fish.
When minnow numbers decline, it can have far-reaching impacts on the rest of the aquatic food web. That’s why fishery biologists carefully monitor minnow populations and breeding success as an indicator
Which Minnows do Trout Eat?
The minnows most often associated with trout waters are dace and shiners. They attain an adult length of a few inches, and you’ll generally find them swimming in schools. Sometimes the schools are dense, and sometimes they’re sparse, but they’re always near other minnows.
The main minnow family is called cyprinidae.
The red-side shiner (Richardsonius balteatus), the redbelly dace (Chrosomus eos), the longnose dace (Rhinichthys cataractae), the creek chub (Semotilus atromaculatus), and the northern pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus oregonensis) are the minnows that trout eat most often.
Most of these minnows remain small, but some get much larger. In fact, both the common carp and the grass carp are in the minnow family. But, that’s what I call a taxonomic technicality. No one considers these giant fish “minnows. ”.
I caught this redside shiner in a river while looking for brown and rainbow trout.
Do Trout Eat Minnows and Fish?
Yes, trout eat minnows and other small fish species such as sculpins, dace, and shiners. As minnows are small fish that like to swim in groups, trout hunt and eat them in shallow water where these groups of small fish gather.
A minnow isn’t simply a baby fish. Largemouth bass fry, or rainbow trout fry, aren’t considered minnows despite their tiny size. Instead, they’re gamefish.
Some species of fish are considered minnows their entire lifespan, such as shiners, dace, and some chubs. These fish are preyed upon by many different species of fish, not just trout.
The recurved teeth of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), brown trout (Salmo trutta), cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii), brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), and bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) are used to catch and kill smaller fish. Some of these teeth are on the tongue.
Here’s a picture I took showing the recurved teeth inside a brown trout’s mouth. These teeth are perfect for catching and holding smaller prey animals.