A model is developed to describe the risk of aquatic prey to visual predators in general, and is evaluated with particular reference to rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri). The equation system uses several principles of visual mechanics to determine predation rates and therefore requires statistics on the physical properties of the food resource, besides the visual acuity and other searching constraints of the predator.Application of the model to an independent set of field data accounted for 47% of the seasonal variation in the occurrence of four benthic invertebrate prey in the diet of trout from Marion Lake, B.C. Considerably better agreement — 70% of the variation — was obtained using a three prey system. Sequential comparisons between the predicted and observed pattern of predation suggest that prey activity, prey exposure, prey density, and prey size are four of the major determinants of prey risk in benthic food chains.