Do bass eat bugs?

[ggh]

Several months ago, I was fly fishing in Colorado for trout with an older and very experienced guide. (By the way, I had a great day!) I happened to mention to the guide that it was interesting that big trout can be feasting on small insects quite often, but warm water fish like bass (smallmouth, largemouth, and my personal favorite, guadalupe) in contrast seem to ignore the insects (except terrestrials like grasshoppers) to concentrate on other fish and meaty items like frogs, etc. He said that was not the case, that the bass ate the same stuff as trout. I did not argue with him, but I find it hard to believe. So folks, when I am fishing for smallmouth or guadalupe bass in a small river like we have here in the Texas Hill Country, should I start using a #22 pheasant tail nymph or stick with my wooly buggers, grasshoppers,and etc.? Any professional zoologists out there who can give us an expert opinion?
Many thanks,
George

[Eric-WD]

a fish cant pass a bug that passes by. If you keep any bass open the stomach and see what they are eating

[billhouk]

I caught a 16" large mouth on a Black Pennell. Not sure It thought It was a bug or small fish. In any case, one surprised bass when It found a hook in that bug. I have caught several on different wet flies (not plugs). I seem to have better luck with plugs on the smallies.

[Uncle Jesse]

I don't remember the pattern but it was tied on a 1/132 oz. jig hook. I caught a 5 1/2 lb. largemouth on it and I have caught several others about the same size on wet flies fished under foam hoppers or something similar. Bass will eat about anything they can get in their mouth.

[okflyfisher]

i think as a general rule bigger fish eat more small fish as a part of their diet but they always have room to eat whatever is most readily available

[James Smith]

Sure they do. I've caught bass on dry flies, but they're usually smaller bass under 15 inches. As a rule the larger the bass, the larger the food items it tries to take. It's a matter of conservation of energy. If it takes the same amount of energy to take a one inch food item as a six inch food item, the fish will go after the larger item because it is more efficient. That said, I've seen bass sip mayflies from the surface with about as much ripple as a trout, or pull a duckling down with almost no ripple or splash. That's part of what makes them fun to catch.

Jim Smith