I read about the details of an interesting experiment performed on rainbow trout today. The experiment suggests that fish have ‘personalities’ that they can adapt and change when necessary. The Globe and Mail reports that:

Rainbow trout were deemed ‘bold’ or ‘shy’ depending on how they reacted to Lego blocks being dropped into their fish tank: If they went to investigate the new blocks quickly, they were bold. Fish that shied away from the new stimulus were shy.

Entire Article Here.

The article suggests that the experiment results indicate that trout have memories and react and learn from their experiences. I wonder if this extrapolation applies those times when a trout sees his ‘buddy’ getting hauled out of the water after if fell victim to that white winged, hooked moth on the surface? Is this why some lures/flies seem to lose their effectiveness over time?

Maybe someone out there could research this for us?

Bill Anderson

Muskoka Outdoors