The Lake Trout May be the Tastiest Trout You'll Find
The lake trout, otherwise known as the lake char, is highly prized both as a gamefish and as a commercial species. Lake trout are also called Great Lakes trout, laker, namaycush, togue, grey trout, and mountain trout. Anglers catch this species by fly or spin fishing early in the spring. It has an excellent flavor and is mostly eaten fresh but it is sometimes smoked.
It is known that lake trout occur naturally and are widely distributed all over North America. They can readily be found in northern British Columbia in shallow lakes and in rivers and in deeper lakes in the south of British Columbia. The lake trout is found in each of the Great Lakes. It is the least tolerant of salt water of all fish in the char classification.
The lake trout species ranges in size from 17-27 inches long, weighing an average of 3-9 pounds but they have been known to exceed upwards of 50-100 pounds! The body is typically colored light green or grey, dark green, brown or almost black with lighter colored spots. The flesh may be white, pink, orange or orange-red, the color being influenced by the diet. The lake trout is torpedo-shaped and has a deeply forked tail.
This variety of trout spawns in late autumn in waters up to 40 feet deep in inland lakes. The female lays anywhere from 400 to 1,200 eggs, which then hatch four to five months later.
Many lake trout live on a diet of chubs and sculpins (their traditional prey), smelt and alewives. The lake trout is a meat-eater and also enjoys eating small crustaceans like shrimp, insects, fish, and even some tiny mammals. Young lake trout eat plankton, insects, shrimp, and small aquatic invertebrates.
If you decide to go fishing for lake trout, they will give you a strong, determined underwater battle. One of the best ways to catch lake trout is by trolling with spoons or minnow-like plugs attached to wire-line rigs or downriggers. You can also try catching them with whole or cut fish while bottom-fishing.
Below are links to other sites that offer more valuable information on lake trout, giving you just what you need to snag some lake trout!
