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Lake Trout

Introduction

Belonging to the char group, the lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) is known as togue (in the Northeast), mackinaw (in the West), and as gray trout in much of Canada. Native throughout Canada and across the northern United States, lake trout require cold, well-oxygenated waters from 43°F to 56°F.

Recent experimental hatcheries have attempted to increase the lake trout's range to southern U.S., where some biologists predict that the pelagic (open-water) lakers will contend with the flourishing striped bass.

Behaviour

In the fall, lake trout spawn at depths exceeding one hundred feet, or in deep areas of shallow lakes. Females sweep the gravel bottom clear of debris, and then scatter tiny eggs over the area. Many of the eggs, each less than one-fifth of an inch in diameter, are eaten by fish before the 50-150 day incubation period is complete. The hatched fry remain in the deep water, avoiding the cataract-inducing sunlight.

Some lakes in Canada's north contain either very large trout or very small trout. Studies performed by the Canadian government indicate that the young lakers grow to maturity very quickly, and these mature lake trout may live for over forty years. Lake trout are cannibalistic; the young lakers provide nourishment for the larger adults. If anglers remove too many adult fish from a lake, there will be too few young trout to sustain the adult population. Strict lake trout fishing laws prevent anglers from removing more than one lake trout per day, a reasonable restriction, since most lakers weigh over twenty pounds and some have weighed from sixty to one hundred pounds.

Lake trout are found in cold waters. Water temperatures exceeding 67ºF will eventually kill the suffocating lake trout. In the cold seasons when shallow waters reach the same temperatures as the water at depths of one or two hundred feet, lake trout comfortably feed near the surface.

Fishing Techniques

Troll cold, large lakes until a trout is found, then change techniques and cast to the fish. Though larger than southern trout, lakers do not require heavy tackle to land. Some anglers troll the surface with fly rods, ultra-light spinning tackle, and troll large buck tails or long-bodied streamer flies with flashy bodies.

Anglers that choose to use larger spoons, spinners and crank baits, will use bait casting or spinning gear. Since trout feed on smaller fish in open, non-obstruction-filled lakes, big spoons resembling familiar bait fish should be used. Still, it pays to experiment; lakers have been known to strike bizarre lures that look nothing like the common forage. In cool, shallow waters, live bait or, where legal, live six-inch suckers near deep drop-offs catch decent-sized trout.

In summer waters, trout stay in the 50ºF, oxygen-rich thermocline layer. The use of a temperature probe and depth finder will help locate the regions to troll, and identify schools of forage fish signaling nearby trout. For deep trolling, use wire or lead core line and the length of line required to troll the spoon, spinner, or crank bait lure in the thermocline layer (sometimes over four hundred feet). Much lighter equipment may be used when fishing down riggers, however.

When looking for areas where trout congregate in the summer, hunt for deep holes, bottom humps in holes, and ridges leading from deepwater to shallower areas, all of which usually require the use of a depth finder to uncover.

Once lakers are located, try vertical jigging with medium-weight spinning equipment, moving the jig to varying depths and letting it sink to the bottom. Many trout strike the lure as it resumes its upward swim, and pursue the lure almost to the surface. When vertical jigging, lakers will take the lure at any moment and anglers must watch the line for changes in tension and speed, and immediately set the hook.

Bright yellow or white jigs weighing between three-quarters of an ounce and one-and-a-half ounces, often work better in waters from fifty to eight feet deep. A six-inch strip of sucker meat attached to the jig will usually double the number of laker strikes. Many anglers choose not to jig in water less than forty feet deep or depths exceeding eighty feet, because at these depths, the fish do not respond or line control diminishes.

In the large lakes of northern Canada, a seasoned guide may be a worthwhile investment in helping anglers locate trout and uncommon fishing hot spots. While the largest lake trout are in the northern lakes, lakers are stocked in the Great Lakes and Eastern impoundments, where many areas are under fished.

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