Freshwater
Lake Trout
Where to find them, how to catch them and the tackle to use.
01Introduction
The lake trout is a large, long-lived char of deep, cold northern lakes, with creamy spots on a dark body and a deeply forked tail. It's one of the largest freshwater game fish in North America: most run 2 to 4 pounds, but lakers often live 20 years or more and top 30 inches and 10 pounds. They spend summer in the depths and come within reach of shore anglers when the water turns cold.
02Where to Catch
Range: native from Alaska and northern Canada south to New England and the Great Lakes basin. Many deep, cold lakes and reservoirs outside that range have been stocked, and some now have self-sustaining populations.
Habitat: lake trout need cold, clear, well-oxygenated water year-round, which means deep lakes. Their location follows the temperature:
- Spring and fall: near shore and in shallower water after ice-out and again as lakes cool. In fall they spawn over rocky, boulder-strewn bottoms.
- Summer: deep, typically below 45 feet by midsummer.
- Winter: from 10 to 100 feet under the ice, often suspended, sometimes just a few feet below the ice chasing smelt.
Most lake trout are caught near the bottom, but they roam and suspend to follow baitfish.
03How to Catch
Spring and fall
Cast or troll spoons, minnow-imitating lures, live minnows or streamer flies near shore. From the bank, stay mobile and try different stretches. A popular shore rig is a sliding sinker with a long leader and a floating bait, or a live shiner under a small float, fished just off the bottom; lakers often bite best on the coldest days.
Summer
Troll deep with lead core line or downriggers, using spoons (silver, white or copper) or minnows, just off the bottom. Vertical jigging metal jigs or tubes over fish marked on sonar also works.
Through the ice
Lake trout are cold-water fish and stay active all winter. Jig aggressively: sweep a spoon, tube or lipless rattlebait up 2 to 4 feet a few times, then pause and barely shake it. Use sonar to watch how fish react and adjust. Where they're feeding on smelt near the ice, small jigging minnows fished just under the ice can outfish deep presentations. Live or dead smelt, shiners and suckers also produce.
04Tackle
For deep trolling, use lead core line or downriggers with spoons and minnow plugs. For jigging, a stout rod and a reel with plenty of line; for shore fishing with bait, a medium spinning outfit with light monofilament or fluorocarbon, since a laker can run a long way. Check your state's regulations; lake trout rules vary widely, from liberal harvest where populations are crowded to strict limits elsewhere.
05Questions anglers ask
How do I tell a lake trout from a brook trout?
Lake trout have creamy white spots on a bronze, dark brown or green body and a deeply forked tail. Brook trout have red spots with blue halos and a square tail.
How deep are lake trout in summer?
Deep. Maine's fisheries agency says you'll typically catch them below 45 feet from late June through August, trolling with lead core line or downriggers.
Can I catch lake trout from shore?
Yes, in spring after ice-out and in fall, when lake trout move shallow. Cast or troll spoons, minnows or streamers near shore, or fish a floating bait just off the bottom.