Lake Trout and Their Unique Qualities

Lake trout are a type of fish that are completely different then any other fish. Those that like to go lake trout fishing, know that they are difficult to catch. Unless you know just how to do so, well, your chances are small of actually getting one. Lake trout fish are the ones everyone wants though as their size can be enormous! Lake trout fishing is a great type of fishing, but you will need the knowledge of these fish before you begin to fish them.

There are many unique qualities to lake trout. One of the most important is their size. The record weight for lake trout is over 102 pounds! Imagine bringing that in! The average weight depends on what the fish eats. Those lake trout that can benefit from being in a lake with ciscoes, smelt or sculpins will grow to large sizes. These lake trout are called Siscowets or fat trout. Those that don't have this variety of small fish to eat, will eat plankton, insects, and crustaceans. Obviously, this fish is not going to weigh nearly as much.

Another unique characteristic of the lake trout is where they live. Like other trout, they enjoy well oxygenated, cold, and clear water. But to find the quality of this type of water that they need, the lake trout like to live deep. Different times of the year will bring them to different levels in the water. During the cold, winter months, you can find lake trout in 20 feet or less of water. But, in the summer months, they like to be in 50-100 feet deep water. In fact, the Siscowets go much farther down to 500 feet! It is because of this depth that lake trout enjoy that keep lake trout fishing a difficult type.

While lake trout are found in much of western and northern United States and Canada, because they live so far down that you will need to do some bottom fishing using rigs to bring that fish up. And, the battle will be a long, hard fought one at that! Do enjoy your lake trout fishing.

Ken Austin
All About Trout and Trout Fishing