Freshly stocked trout question

[RH1]

So yesterday I hit the stream that was stocked about a week ago.
I caught a couple rainbows on an egg pattern drifted below a strike indicator.
Something that happened several times was trout coming up an trying to eat the indicator, actually completely inhaling it but they would not eat the egg that was trailing below.
I switched to a larger dry fly but they wouldn't come up for a dry.
Is this normal stocked trout activity?
What is your go to when this happens to you?

 

[dudemanspecial]

So yesterday I hit the stream that was stocked about a week ago.
I caught a couple rainbows on an egg pattern drifted below a strike indicator.
Something that happened several times was trout coming up an trying to eat the indicator, actually completely inhaling it but they would not eat the egg that was trailing below.
I switched to a larger dry fly but they wouldn't come up for a dry.
Is this normal stocked trout activity?
What is your go to when this happens to you?

Stocked trout get fed pellets not unlike dog food at the hatchery. Your indicator matched that hatch. Guys will tie floating brown egg like flies to imitate these pellets.

 

[garyk]

Stocked trout get fed pellets not unlike dog food at the hatchery. Your indicator matched that hatch. Guys will tie floating brown egg like flies to imitate these pellets.

New out here, but back in WA freshly stocked trout would go crazy for a size 14 hook dressed simply with olive Marabou. Tie it in as a short tail and self body it by wrapping the shank with the remaining feather. Tie off, whip finish and you're done. It looks shockingly similar to a pellet. Fished unweighted on an intermediate line in a freshly stocked lake and you can catch enough 11" rainbows to wear yourself out. It's not elegant, but it is fun.

 

[RH1]

Stocked trout get fed pellets not unlike dog food at the hatchery. Your indicator matched that hatch. Guys will tie floating brown egg like flies to imitate these pellets.

So i thought that but my indicator was orange.
Now my wheels are turning thinking about tying a large round orange dry for these situations!

 

[dudemanspecial]

So i thought that but my indicator was orange.
Now my wheels are turning thinking about tying a large round orange dry for these situations!

I subscribe to the belief that color is the least important factor in fly choice, especially something floating on the top. Presentation, size and profile are numbers 1, 1A and 1B in order of importance.

 

[garyk]

So i thought that but my indicator was orange.
Now my wheels are turning thinking about tying a large round orange dry for these situations!

Out west, it's a common occurrence with wild and native rainbows and cutthroat, sometimes maddeningly frequent where they won't take any dries but with attempt to take down large thingamabobber

 

[jifigz]

Honestly, wild trout do this, too. They have often tried to eat my bright pink or purple indies, and when they do, I put on a dry fly of the same color. Guess what? It pretty much always works.

This is just a demonstration in that fish do weird stuff, and we can't always be certain as to what the stimuli are that get them going, but it also reinforces the fact that they "aren't smart."

 

[jifigz]

So i thought that but my indicator was orange.
Now my wheels are turning thinking about tying a large round orange dry for these situations!

Seriously, yes. Tie up a big orange grumpy frumpy, and the next time they try to eat the orange indy, put that orange grumpy frumpy out there.

 

[RH1]

Seriously, yes. Tie up a big orange grumpy frumpy, and the next time they try to eat the orange indy, put that orange grumpy frumpy out there.

Never heard of a grumpy frumpy but im sure one of my grandkids have called me that once!