Snails

There are more than 30 freshwater snails (molluscs) in the UK, ranging in size from around 3 mm (nautilus ramshorn – Gyraulus crista) to 7 mm (dwarf pond – Galba truncatula) up to about 35 mm (great ramshorn – Planorbarius corneus) to 60 mm (great pond – Lymnaea stagnalis). They range in colour from cream through brown to black in colour, occasionally with stripes e.g. Viviparus contectus. They can have various forms of spiral ranging from a flat whorled spiral to an open pointed spire. Snails need some calcium in the water to aid shell formation and as such they are generally absent from acidic waters. 

The identification keys for freshwater snails in the UK and Ireland can be downloaded from the The Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. A simplified decision tree is provided in the document by Brian Eversham on Naturespot.Org.UK which is replicated below:

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Snails can drift just under the surface with the current or wind so keep an eye out for them. In this instance use a floating line, else try a sinking line to get the fly down to the river or lake bed. I have never caught a trout on a fly designed to mimic a snail but have found them in the stomach contents of trout, especially in the early spring when food options are limited.

For the flyfisher that prefers to buy:

• Black and peacock snail – Size 12 to 16
• Deer hair snail – Size 10
• Deer hair and CDC snail – Size 12
• Varnish covered cork snail – Size 10 to 16
• Foam snail – Size 10

For those that prefer to tie rather than buy:

Foam snail pattern by Dmitri Tseliaritski

Tight Lines

Greg