Lake Trout Fishing Tips - Tips on How to Catch Lake Trout

Welcome to our section on lake trout fishing tips. In this section you’ll get the opportunity to learn everything you need to know about lake trout and lake trout fishing. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been fishing for your entire life or never fished at all, the information in this section will help improve your skills at catching lake trout. First you’ll be able to learn more detailed information about lake trout, followed up by a list of some of the most effective trout fishing tips. In addition, you’ll also read about all-time lake trout fishing records, lake trout facts and a list of additional resources on lake trout.

• About Lake Trout (salyelinus namaycush)
• Lake Trout Fishing Tips, Tricks and Techniques
• Lake Trout Fishing Records
• Lake Trout Facts
• Additional Resources for Lake Trout Fishing

About Lake Trout (salyelinus namaycush)

Lake trout (salyelinus namaycush) is a type of trout that is native to North America and has been introduced to other parts of the world, including Europe, South America and Asia. They live in freshwater and are one of the most popular game fish in North America. More than 25% of the world’s lake trout population resides in Ontario, Canada. Their diet varies based on the length, weight and age of the fish, but includes small crustaceans, snails, leeches, insect larvae and other small fish. Due to popularity among anglers lake trout populations can be decimated and they need to be supported by stocking programs.

Lake trout prefer to live in large lakes that are deep with cold water. Generally they spawn during the fall season, but this can be affected by the location of the lake and weather patterns. Juvenile trout are reclusive and will seek out deep water where they feed on plankton and other small aquatic prey. Lake trout are easy to distinguish from other trout by their color variation, which is usually yellowish to white spots on their dark green to greyish body. They have an elongated, stout heads like all other trout. Their belly is white and at times can have an orange-reddish color paired fins.

Lake Trout Fishing Tips, Tricks and Techniques

Ok, the real reason why you’re reading this section is to get tips on catching lake trout. Below you’ll find such fishing tips, they were put together by our team. They searched high and low on the internet to find the most successful lake trout fishing tips. They’ve been tested and have proved their merit to be listed below. If you have a lake trout fishing tip that you think should be listed below then please use our submit a fishing tip form.

• Depth is Important – The depth at which you fish for lake trout is very important. They tend to like cold water, so you need to go deeper as you get into the warmer seasons. After the ice-out you want to be between the surface and 10′. In mid-spring you should be about 20′ to 30′ feet deep, while in late spring about 30′ to 45′ deep. The summer is difficult to determine because they like to stay in the thermal layers that are at around 53 degrees F or in shallow holes where cold water is pumped into the lake by a natural spring.
• Lure Selection 101 – The type of lure that you want to use when fishing for lake trout will vary based on a number of factors. The average size of the lake trout population, depth, the season and available bait fish are very important. Always try to select lures that mimic native bait fish and talk with local tackle shop employees and fellow anglers to get an idea of what fishing gear works where you are fishing. We recommend trying the Kastaway Trophy Spoons.
• Odds Are in Your Favor – Generally lake trout tend to stay in the same area, even though they aren’t schooling fish. The odds are that if you catch a lake trout in a specific area then there are likely to be more nearby. Stay in the area where you’ve caught one and you’ll most likely catch another.
• Best Live Bait Options – When it comes to using live bait for lake trout nothing beats a good old fashioned night crawler. Along with night crawlers, medium to large size minnows and salmon eggs can also be very effective.
• Invest in a Fish Finder – While a fish finder is an expensive piece of equipment it can greatly increase your odds of finding monster lake trout. You’ll be able to find schools of bait fish and/or figure out what depth the trout are sitting at. This is only useful if you’re fishing from a boat.

Lake Trout Fishing Records

Have you ever wondered what the all-time world record is for lake trout? Now you’ll know, because below we’ve listed the world record for a lake trout according to the International Game Fish Association, also known as the IGFA. It’s been awhile since the record was broken, but who knows, maybe you’ll be the future angler to knock the current record holder off his pedestal.

Llyod Bull caught a lake trout (salvelinus namaycush) in Great Bear Lake located in Canada on August 19th, 1995 that weighed 32.65 kg (72 lbs. 0 oz.)

Lake Trout Facts

Sometimes you just need some cold hard facts and stats. We’ve put together some facts, stats and data for lake trout below. It’s important to remember that some of the below information might be an average and not necessarily represent the top 10% of the bell curve for weight, length, size, etc. for lake trout. The idea was to provide educational facts and data that would represent what the average angler would find when fishing for lake trout.

• Scientific Name: Lake trout (salyelinus namaycush)
• Nickname(s): Grey trout, lake char, lean, mackinaw, paperbelly, siscowet, touladi and togue
• Average Lifespan: Up to 25 years
• Average Length: 14″ to 20″, varies by body of water
• Average Weight: Up to 10 pounds, as big as 50+ lbs.
• Range: North America (native), introduced in Europe, South America and Asia

Additional Resources for Lake Trout Fishing

Well, if you’ve read this entire web page we’re hoping you got some good lake trout tips and information to help you catch more trout. Perhaps you’d like to learn more about them and need additional resources, hence why we created this section. Below you’ll be able to find some external resources related to lake trout fishing.

• The Orvis Guide to Prospecting for Trout – This is a comprehensive book that has a lot of useful diagrams and photos. It’s certainly helpful for beginners, but experienced anglers can gain value from it as well.
• Trout Legend – Forum – An excellent community of anglers who love to fish for lake trout and all other types of trout. A great place to meet some friends and learn some new tips.