That tasty Lake Trout

By Al Lowe
Contributor

This is a fish which is of great importance to anglers of all types. It is reputed to be a fine fighting fish in both shallow and deep waters. It is also an important commercial fish in almost all parts of Canada. A member of the salmon family, it looks a lot like other salmon or trout.
The Lake Trout is not a brightly coloured fish. Mostly it is dark overall, gray, dark green or brown. But it is covered with light spots, so the overall appearance is that of a very mottled fish.
This is a true North American species. In Canada, it is found all the way from Newfoundland and the Maritimes to B.C., the Yukon and the N.W.T. It is even in some of the Arctic Islands, and in the States, from New England through to Minnesota and some of the western states. Because it is a very fine fish in many ways, it has been introduced to South America, Sweden and New Zealand, among others.
The flesh of this fish may be anywhere from white to orangy-red, depending on its diet. The taste is extremely palatable. Since it is a good-sized fish, it is popular for the table. When I was a boy in Cobourg, my mother would sometimes send me down to the pier to get a fish for supper. At that time, you could get a pretty good fish for a quarter. Stuffed and baked, that was a supper fit for a king.
Lake Trout are found in all the large lakes in Canada. In smaller ones, they tend to stay in the deeper, cooler sections most of the time. In cool weather, however, they will hang out in much shallower water.
Spawning grounds vary widely. In inland lakes, they may spawn in depths of less than 40 feet. In the Great Lakes, however, depths less than 120 feet are rare. The spawning grounds are cleaned by fanning or rubbing with fins, or pushing with the snout. In any case, spawning is a sort of secretive affair, taking place between 7 and 10 in the evening. Also, the spawning occurs mainly in October, but may be earlier or later, depending on whether the lake is near the south or north edge of the range. Also, adults after spawning may move to other parts of the lake. Some have been found to go over 100 miles.
In the decade between 1936 and 1946, the sea lamprey built up huge numbers in the upper great lakes. They went through the Welland Canal. In Lake Ontario (where the sea lamprey had been all along) there was some natural form of control over this parasite. But in the upper lakes, the lamprey had free rein to multiply at will - and it did! Before the lamprey, the commercial take was between 3 and 6 million pounds. In the 1960s, the take averaged less than 300,000 lbs per year. 90 to 96% gone! A huge loss.
Lake Trout, the same as all trout and salmon, are very easy to raise in hatcheries. In some cases, this is the only way in which the population has been saved. It has been effective in the Great Lakes, although numbers have never reached the pre 1935 stage. In Lake Cayuga, NY., hatchery fish have been absolutely vital for the fishery for over 80 years.
Lake Trout don't eat plant material at all. Common foods are ciscoes, sculpins, alewives, perch and so on, along with young lake trout, when they are handy. They will also eat crayfish, water insects and even small mammals.
Scientific name is Salvelinus namaycush, both Indian names. By the way, the largest Lake Trout on record, as far as I can find out, was caught in Lake Athabaska, Sask in 1961. It was 49.5 inches long, and weighed in at 102 lbs.
Now that would provide a meal for a whole family gathering!