Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush)

Color:	Dark grey or blackish green sides, white or yellow spots Orange sides and fins during spawning	Lake trout hold the title of not only being Alaska's largest freshwater fish, but they also belong to the largest family of fish, known as char. Two close relatives of lake trout, which can also inhabit the same waters, are Dolly Varden and Arctic char.
Size:	Average 5 to 12 pounds or 12 to 18 inches Up to 50 pounds
Method:	Cast and retrieve, bait fishing and ice fishing
Gear:	Light to medium spinning and fly rods Spoons, spinners, streamers, dry flies
Range:	Nearly all freshwater lakes Except for Southeast and Yukon-Kuskokwim
Season:	Year-round, peak spring and fall
Taste:	Delicious, pinkish to orange meat Recipes
Record:	47 lbs, Clarence Lake, 1970
Back Issues:

Appearance

The body of a lake trout is close to the shape of other trout and salmon. Both sexes are similar except males have a longer, more pointed nose. Lake trout are identifiable from others in their family due to their deeply forked tail. Their side coloration is usually a dark grayish brown to blackish green.  Their sides and head are speckled with irregular white or yellowish brown spots. The top of the fish is generally darker while the belly is accented with lighter colors, usually white. Remarkably, different populations can have vastly different coloration. Even the color of the fish's meat can change from bright orange to pink or even white. Variables include water temperature, diet and season.  At the peak of the spawning season, lake trout will have bright orange markings on their fins and sides; making their spots much more pronounced.  In northern lakes, orange paired fins may be common year-round. 

Location

Lake trout are found in almost every freshwater lake except for the Yukon-Kuskokwim lowlands and Southeast Alaska. They can be caught in abundance as far north as the Brooks Range and as far south as the Kenai Peninsula. Mountainous lakes with clear, cold water offer the most favorable habitat and rear the largest fish.  Trout can also be found in glacial many glacial lakes.

Diet

Adult lake trout primarily eat other fish, such as whitefish, grayling, salmon chub, sticklebacks, sculpins and various minnows.  However, they also consume zooplankton, insect larvae, small crustaceans, clams, snails and leeches. When possible, they will devour small vermin and birds, but such occurrences are rare.

Angling Methods

Cast and retrieve methods are the most popular. Most populations will readily bite spoons or spinners without the need for added bait. Steel leaders are not necessary but do guard against the trout’s small teeth, which are sharp enough to cut fishing line. Streamers usually work better than dry flies, however, trout will sometimes hold a feeding frenzy at the surface (especially in evening hours when the water is calm). Not all populations are the same though and the feed available in each lake will greatly determine the tackle and the technique to be used.

During spring and early summer months, most feeding lake trout will tend to stay close to shore and along the drop-offs of lakes.  However, unlike pike or grayling, they are not common in extremely shallow water.  As summer progresses and the water warms, they tend to move into deeper water.  Using a boat to troll lures and spinners at a slow pace is an effective way to work the most amount of water.  Trout are most active during the autumn spawning months.  In winter, ice fishing can be very rewarding by jigging or using bait such as herring or shrimp.

Life History

Although lake trout will uncommonly venture into rivers for migratory purposes, most of their life is spent in lakes. The lakes with the largest and healthiest populations of trout are big, deep and cold. Trout are most active in the spring when the ice goes out and in the fall when they spawn. Spawning seasons vary based on diet, water temperature, altitude and genetics, but it usually happens between September and November. The eggs are deposited and fertilized on clean, rock-lined lake bottoms at night. Males actually choose the sites days beforehand and will clean the small area with their nose and fins. Individual fish will not always spawn annually; many will spawn every other year or even less frequently.

Trout eggs incubate for an entire winter before hatching in the spring.  The minnows eat plankton for the first few years and gradually work their way up to eating other fish.  Growth rate is slow, especially in northern lakes.  Both sexes may begin spawning after seven to eight years.  The average lifespan of a trout is roughly 20 years. Yet, some do live beyond 40 years.  Most populations’ average between 5 to 12 pounds, however, a large lake with lots of feed can grow trophy trout of 20 to 50 pounds.

 Fish Alaska Magazine