Lake Trout Animal Information
Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) - A.K.A. Laker, Mackinaw. On a cool crisp morning, suddenly out of nowhere a hard fast strike. This is the battle you have been waiting for. Due to your fast pumping heart, it is no longer cold outside. Your rod bends and your drag screams as the fish heads deep for the weeds. After 20 minutes of hardcore fighting, you have what you came after – a huge Mackinaw. Namaycush is a Native American name that translates to “dwellers of the deep”. Although they are actually members of the Char family, their body is shaped similar to trout and salmon. The colors of lake trout vary during seasons and between populations. They have small and light irregular shaped white spots on their silvery dark skin. The growth of the lake trout depends on its diet, water temperature, altitude and genetics. Lakers prefer large, deep, cold lakes that are well oxygenated. They are the largest of all trout, living up the 40 years and weighing over 100 pounds. The largest on record was taken on a gillnet in lake Athabaska, Saskatchewan and weighed in at a hefty 102 pounds.
