Lake Trout Fishing Guide

The lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) is the largest of the chars and the apex predator of cold, deep Canadian Shield lakes, capable of exceeding 100 pounds in the most productive northern systems. They are identified by deeply forked tails (more forked than any other salmonid) and a gray-to-dark-green body covered with light worm-like spots. Lake trout in large, deep, oligotrophic lakes can live over 60 years and grow slowly — a 30-pound fish in Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories may be 50 years old. The Great Lakes once supported enormous commercial fisheries that were devastated by sea lamprey predation in the mid-20th century; restoration efforts using lamprey control and stocking have had mixed success. Ice fishing for lake trout through thick Canadian Shield lake ice is a deeply rooted regional tradition.

Lake Trout is a freshwater species.

Habitat

Cold, deep, oligotrophic (low-nutrient) lakes with abundant oxygen at depth throughout Canada, Alaska, the Great Lakes, and isolated pockets in the northern US. Spend summers at depths of 60–200 feet where water temperatures stay below 55°F; move much shallower in spring and fall and immediately after ice-out.

Diet

Piscivorous predator consuming cisco, whitefish, smelt, and other available forage fish; in lakes lacking abundant forage fish, lake trout eat invertebrates and can remain small. Large lake trout are among the most committed fish-eaters in freshwater, sometimes pursuing prey in open water at remarkable depths.

Fishing Techniques

Best Seasons

Winter, Spring, Fall

Size & Records

Average weight: 5 lbs. World record: 102 lbs (Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada (1995)).