Scuds
Scuds are not insects but small crustaceans, sometimes called freshwater shrimp, and in some streams they are a primary food source for trout. They grow quickly and can survive in a variety of habitats, but they are most prolific and important to trout in slow, weedy spring creeks. Unlike most aquatic insects, they never "hatch" into a dry form.
This common name refers to only one order.
Arthropod Order Amphipoda
These are pretty much always called Scuds.
Scuds are an extremely important trout food source in slow, weedy spring creeks and many other settings. They are crustaceans so they don't go through the same life-cycle complications as aquatic insects. They start out as small scuds, grow to be big scuds, and die. I think many anglers like that about them.
They are cold-water scavengers of dead plant and animal life, and they are extremely abundant in weedy spring creeks and many lakes. Their imitations make outstanding searching patterns (Searching pattern: Any artificial fly pattern used when trout that aren't feeding selectively on anything in particular. A searching pattern may be an attractor or an imitation of something specific that the fish might favor even though it's not currently hatching.), and work well fished dead drift or with a slow retrieve.
They are cold-water scavengers of dead plant and animal life, and they are extremely abundant in weedy spring creeks and many lakes. Their imitations make outstanding searching patterns (Searching pattern: Any artificial fly pattern used when trout that aren't feeding selectively on anything in particular. A searching pattern may be an attractor or an imitation of something specific that the fish might favor even though it's not currently hatching.), and work well fished dead drift or with a slow retrieve.
Amphipoda (Scuds) Scud Adult
View 7 Pictures
View 7 PicturesRegion: Northeast
Collected Mar 29, 2006
Added Apr 7, 2006
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