Lake Trout

Appearance

These trout species have a deeply forked tail fin and a slate grey to greenish body with lighter undersides. The cream to yellow spots on their head, body, dorsal fins, and caudal tail fins distinguishes them from other char. These trout have a similar body shape to salmon, brown trout, and brook trout.

The body color of lakers varies from light green, silver, brown, dark green, grey, and more. Their color mainly depends on the water body it inhabits. Its flanks are lighter and fade to milky or white on the belly. The pelvic, anal, and pectoral fins have an orange-red to orange color with a narrow white leading edge commonly found in the char family. 

Lakers average 19.7 inches in length and weigh anywhere from 5 to 15 pounds generally. However, Lake Trout are the largest of the char species and will reach sizes of 15-40 pounds and lengths of 24-36 inches.

Habitat

The cold-water Laker species rely on high levels of oxygenation to survive. The trout species are popular game fish and are the only significant native game fish to inhabit deep and cold water fisheries. Lakers inhabit oligotrophic lakes such as those in northern Canada and the Great Lakes region. Most of the time, the big trout can be suspended deep in the middle of the basin in these cold-water lakes.

They have a relatively narrow range compared to other species. Lake trout naturally live in the northern parts of North America, including the Great Lakes, and throughout Canada. They also live in parts of Alaska and extend slightly into the Northeastern United States.

Lake Trout Spawning

These trout spawn during the fall season and at night. However, this might change with the lake’s location and the weather pattern. These are slow-growing and mature late in their lives. 

These trout are broadcast spawners, meaning it broadcasts their eggs over several spawning shoals. Fertilized trout eggs then sink to the lake bottom, where they become lodged between gravels and boulders.

Lake trout start reproducing when they are 6-7 years old and live more than 25 years. According to records, the oldest laker was 70 years old.

Feeding

Lake trout feed on various organisms, including freshwater sponges, insects, crustaceans, and other small fish. Adult lakers are a top predator in the Great Lakes, feeding primarily on smaller fish. Young lake trout feed on insects, small invertebrates, and plankton. Some of these trout populations feed on plankton throughout their entire lives.

Fishing Lakers

Lake trout fishing prefers cold deep water lakes, and it’s crucial to get your bait or lure to the depth the trout is feeding. During mid-spring, fish at a depth of 20-30 inches. In late spring, fish at a depth of 30-45 inches deep.

Fishing is generally best in June through August when fish are concentrated in the deepwater basins and can be targeted easily. Look for the best habitat in the basin, which will often hold the bigger fish. Larger trout tend to hide near small humps, sunken islands, or gravel bars in the lake. Fisheries with flowing water are also ideal for a laker trout.

Big trout tend to avoid bright light, making overcast conditions the best fishing days.

Best Time

Anglers can catch lakers throughout the day, but early morning or later evening will usually be better for fishing trout. They are usually most actively feeding during the times of day the bugs are active.

During summer, trout feed at dawn until noon mostly. In spring or fall, when the water temperatures are cooler, you can fish throughout the day. The fish move throughout the lake during this season instead of hunting for the lake’s cooler parts. 

They will congregate along rocky shorelines and shoals during the fall spawn as the water temperatures drop, making it easier to target them in shallow water. 

Lake trout will continue to be feeding in the shallows in the early spring months while the water remains cool. Later in spring, they will start to move into the deeper, colder basins and stay there until fall, unlike the rainbow trout.

Lures

Live bait is generally the most consistently effective way to fish for lakers. Minnows are usually the best option. Other good live bait options are nightcrawlers, salmon eggs, or anything similar to their native prey.

One of the best artificial options for deepwater trout is a big bucktail jig. However, you have to ensure it has a large head and hook. A jig weighing 3-4 ounces will be sufficient for hooking a lake trout. 

Anglers targeting trout will often use crankbaits that resemble baitfish such as tullibee, cisco, and whitefish. Spoons are another popular option for laker fishing since they have the vibration and flash to trigger a reaction strike. Some spoons meant for salmon work well as lake trout lures.

Match the chosen lure or bait to the size and color of the natural bait in the fishery.

Gear

Any rod will usually work for laker fishing; a lightweight spin rod with a 6-pound monofilament line will often do well. A Medium weight rod may be better for larger trout.

For a trophy-size trout, you need a larger rod. Bigger rods will have a stiffer effect, which helps in jigging and also setting the hook. Ice fishing for Lake trout brings on a whole new dynamic to fishing.

You at least need a 4-6 pound test line for a trophy-sized trout.

Shore Fishing

Laketrouts live in the darkest and deepest parts of large still-water bodies. However, during spring, you have a brief window of opportunity to catch them from the shore. 

It helps to get a good lake contour map to identify the lake’s shallow flat parts against the slope, dropping quickly into deep water. Lake trout will hold in deep water but are going to slide into the shallows to feed. Look for a spot that will let you cast into deep water and lure them back into the shallows. 

You can find feeding trout at any time of day, but the low-light time of the day is the best.

Lakers World Record

The rod and reel world record for this fish is 72 pounds and 52 inches in length. Lloyd Bull caught the large fish in 1995 while fishing at Great Bear Lake of Canada’s Northwest Territories.

Yellowstone Lake

Lakers (Salvelinus namaycush) were stocked intentionally in Shoshone and Lewis lakes by the U.S Fish Commission in 1890 and found in Yellowstone Lake in 1994. There have been significant efforts to remove the Lake Trout population from Yellowstone lake by gill netting. They have significantly impacted the native Yellowstone lake cutthroat trout, which is essential for other native species. They also consume foods with historically fed cutthroat trout in Yellowstone Lake, thereby making cutthroat trout recovery impossible until removing the trout population.

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