| Just the idea of battling a huge lake trout lures | | | | fishing pressure. |
| anglers to all the remote lakes as far north as the | | | | Early spring just after ice out, is a great time for |
| Arctic Circle in Canada. These areas yield many | | | | lake trout, they crowd into warmer water to |
| 30 to 40 pound lunker lake trout each year. | | | | feed closer to shore and remain in water 20 to |
| In some areas in Canada, the lake trout are also | | | | 30 feet deep. |
| called Mackinaw or grey trout, but the most | | | | When lake trout move into shallow water in the |
| common nickname given lake trout is simply | | | | spring and in the fall just before spawning, the |
| lakers. Lake trout resemble brook trout, except | | | | best methods are casting with flashy spoons or |
| the tails of lake trout are deeply forked, while | | | | still fishing with natural baits like smelts and strips |
| those of the brook trout are nearly square. Lake | | | | of sucker meat. |
| trout in the Great Lakes are silvery-grey with | | | | Lake trout shy away from dark heavy lines, so |
| white spots. Elsewhere, they have light spots on a | | | | use clear, low diameter line from 8 to 12 pond |
| background that may vary from dark green to | | | | test is best. Most fishermen prefer medium action |
| brown or black. | | | | spinning tackle. |
| Lake trout prefer water from 48 to 54F, colder | | | | In years past heavy reels and wire line was the |
| than any other game fish. They will die if unable | | | | standard for catching lake trout in deep water. |
| to find water under 65 degrees F. During summer | | | | But now with the new equipment and techniques |
| month's lake trout will descend to 200 feet in | | | | it is possible to fish deep with much lighter tackle. |
| search of cooler water. | | | | Downriggers, sonar and technology has made |
| There are many lakes with water cold enough for | | | | fishing for deep lake trout a lot easier. |
| lake trout, but lack oxygen in their depths. And as | | | | Deep lake trout are frequently scattered and |
| a result lake trout are restricted to mainly the | | | | sluggish, so adding an attractor, such as a dodger |
| cold, sterile lakes of the Canadian Shield, the | | | | can improve your success while trolling. |
| Great Lakes and deep mountain lakes of the | | | | Vertical jigging for lake trout is also a popular |
| west. | | | | method in fishing Canada's north, works best with |
| Lake trout grow slowly in these frigid waters. In | | | | a lead head jig or vibrating blade. Simply lower the |
| some lakes in Canada, a 10-pound lake trout | | | | lure to the bottom; then reel it back up rapidly to |
| might be 20 years or older. The age of a trophy | | | | get that strike. |
| lake trout may be 40 years or more. Because | | | | Casting with heavy gold or silver spoons for lake |
| they grow so slowly there is always the danger | | | | trout is a proven technique when lake trout are |
| that they could be over harvested. | | | | concentrated off points, in narrows, along islands |
| Unlike most other species lake trout spawn in | | | | or over spawning reefs. Cast from a long distance |
| lakes rather than in rivers. Lake trout spawning | | | | away to prevent spooking the lake trout. |
| occurs in the fall over a bottom of baseball to | | | | In the Great Lakes the lake trout have made a |
| football sized; rocks. Water depth varies, but is | | | | remarkable come-back after they were nearly |
| usually 5 to 25 feet. | | | | wiped out by the sea lamprey and commercial |
| Lake trout have excellent vision, but because of | | | | fishing. Lake trout populations have been rebuilt by |
| the poor light at the depths they live, they rely on | | | | lamprey controls and restocking programs. These |
| their sense of smell and on their lateral line to find | | | | programs have been put in use both in Canada |
| food. In some water, they feed mainly on aquatic | | | | and the United States, both countries have been |
| insects, worms and crustaceans. In other lakes | | | | doing this for some time now and the lakes and |
| they eat only fish, mainly ciscoes, smelt, and | | | | anglers are enjoying the fruits of their efforts. |
| sculpin. | | | | There is nothing like the feeling when you hook up |
| A lake trout, brook trout hy-brid, called splake, | | | | with a nice sized lake trout on medium action |
| has been stocked in some northern lakes including | | | | fishing rig. So get out there and just enjoy nature |
| Lake Huron. Splake mature earlier than lake trout | | | | and catch the trophy lake trout. |
| and grow faster so they are less affected by | | | | |