North American Lake Trout - Roberto Ferrario

NORTH AMERICAN LAKE TROUT The biggest trout in the world Roberto Ferrario


North American lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) is one of the largest members of the Salmonides family that encompasses salmon, trout and char. Lake trouts are generally one of the less accessible freshwater game fish to most fishermen because of their presence from cold, dark or because the greatest numbers exist in far-off or wild regions of Northern Canada. Fish are strong-pulling, head-shaking runners that give a fine account of themselves in all sizes, and are readily taken on all types of fishing tackle by versatile and accomplished anglers.


The flesh of lake trout varies from creamy white to deep orange and is excellent for eating; the more colourful and flavourful fish come from the year-round cold waters of the far North. Coloration is highly variable, depending as it does on seasons and specific populations, and is susceptible to much lighter and much darker variations from the norm. Lighter specimens are often the deep dweIling fish of light-coloured southerly lakes with alewife and smelt forage bases; darker specimens, including some with reddish and orange tones, come from less-fertile, tannin-coloured shallow Northern lakes.
Lake trout flesh has a high fat content and is especially good when smoked. It is principally marketed fresh, or frozen as whole dressed fish and as fillets. It is extremely vulnerable to pollution. The number of large fish from the far north was severely hurt by overfishing from the 1950s through the early 1970s, and the lakers started to rebound only alter conservation measures were enacted. Most of the larger specimens in northern Canada are now fished with single, barbless hooks and are released alive. The lake trout is evidently the second-largest of the salmonids (after chinook salmon), both in a historical and a modern sense (as more large lake trout than large Atlantic salmon exist today). Although the IGFA all-tackle world record for lake trout is a 32.65 kilograms fish caught in 1991 at Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada, larger fish have been caught in that lake since (including a 35 kilos fish 1995) that have not met recognition standards. Anyway a 44 kilos trout was netted in lake Athabasca in Canada and it was well over 125 centimetres long. According to one legend a 58 kilos trout was caught in Great Bear lake in 1918. In most of its range a 10 kilos fish is the average, anyway in all Canada every summer are caught fishes of over 20 kilos. In Spring, when lake waters are cold, trout are found near the surface and along the shoreline. As the season progress, lakers go deeper; in water where the surface temperatures warm considerably, they finally reside beneath the termocline. Lake trout are one of the most curious fish; it may follow a lure at considerable distance, sometimes nudging the lure and sometimes staying just behind it for while. Although trolling is the foremost method of lake trout fishing, some fishermen prefer to try to catch them with the jigging system. Trolling is usually done with 4-6 rods with lures at different depths and using the downrigger system. TACKLE For lake trouts you need a powerful rod and an appropriate reel; a spin or casting rod of 40-80 grams linked with a reel with a 0.40 nylon or a 30-40 pound braided line is a good choice. You never know the size of the predator that will attack your lure, could be a big one, so it is better always be ready with the right tackle combo. As lure, you have to normally choose big and colourful wobblers from 12 to 18 centimetres. Remember that you have to change all the treble hooks and use a single barb-less hook. An excellent lure is also a big spoon in silver, gold, orange and yellow colour. As snap swivel, you'd better use the saltwater one, like Rosco or Sampo of minimum 75 pound. DISTRIBUTION The natural range of lake trout is across the northern regions of North America and mainly in Canadian regions of: Manitoba, Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Quebec and British Columbia.: Images: Roberto Ferrario and some courtesy of IGFA