Lake Trout Fishing

Looking for a fight? Then lake trout fishing is for you. The lake trout is another of Canada’s great game fish and when one strikes you had better hang on. This fish will give you a serious run for your money.

The lake trout is a member of the Char family. In fact some folks call the lake trout, lake char. Lakers are the largest member of the trout family. The biggest catch on record tipped the scales at 102 pounds and was taken in a gillnet at Lake Athabasca, Saskatchewan, in 1961.

That is one BIG FISH!!

Although it is not common, lake trout will at times wander into rivers. Virtually all of their life is spent in lakes, however. In the fall when the trout spawn and in the spring after the ice breaks, the fish are at their most active.

Lake trout typically spawn between September and November based on water temperature. A large female may deposit between 10,000 and 20,000 eggs but oddly enough may not spawn every year. A good number lakers only spawn every other year, making it doubly important to manage this valuable resource.

Lake trout are mostly found in Canada, but some are found in Alaska and the north-eastern United States. The Fish has been stocked in other parts of the world, mainly Europe and parts of South America. In Canada however, about one quarter of the worlds population of lake trout reside. But they are found in less than 10% of the lakes in the entire country.

Lake trout fishing strategies change with the seasons. The fish typically seek a constant water temperature between 40 and 52 degrees F.

Right after the ice comes off, the trout can be found between the surface and a depth of 15 feet. If you are lake trout fishing in mid-spring, you will need to get down between 30 and 50 feet. Late spring and summer will find the fish anywhere between 50 and 100 feet.

Lake trout primarily eat other small fish. But in some lakes the laker has been known to feed almost exclusively on insects and crustaceans. These lake trout do not reach the same size as lakers that feed on fish.

Many trout are caught by trolling with large spoons attached to wire-lines or downriggers. They can also be taken by bottom-fishing with heavy jigs or cut fish. Bait fishermen often use large smelts or herring, and this technique is especially effective for taking very large lakers.

No matter the time of year, lake trout fishing can provide you with the thrill of a lifetime. The lake trout is a beautiful fish that puts up one heck of a battle. If you are thinking about a lake trout fishing trip to Canada, you can’t go wrong. The fish of your life may be waiting.

Thanks for reading.

Good fishing!

How to fillet lake trout
Using a down rigger for deep water success
Lake trout at ice off
Lake trout through the ice
Lake trout on a light rod? You bet
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