Lake trout
Know your fish
Lake trout
Also calledlaker, char
Salvelinus namaycush
Typical size:45–90 cm, 1.5–12 kg
- Deeply forked tail
- Grey-green with pale cream spots everywhere
- Large head and mouth
Looks like: Bull trout has a less forked tail and fewer, larger spots.
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cm
OK to keep
- Provincial rules; often 1 to 2 per day with size slots on big lakes
Must release
- Big fish over 70 cm are old (20+ years) and slow to replace; many lakes protect them
Best months
May, June, July, August, September, October
Fishing licences across Canada
Rig to tie
- 1Main line 50–65 lb braid
- 2Swivel Size 1 barrel or ball-bearing swivel
- 3Leader 40 lb mono or fluorocarbon, 45 cm
- 4Jig 4–8 oz Point Wilson Dart, Gibbs Minnow, or 6–8 in swimbait on a 3–6 oz head
- 5Hook Single 6/0 siwash or the jig's treble; crimp the barbs for easy release
How to tie and fish it
Tie it:Braid to swivel with a double uni or Palomar. Leader to jig with a loop knot so it swings.
Fish it:Drift over the pinnacle at slack. Keep the jig in the bottom 3 m, lift a metre and let it fall on a tight line. A ling follows and grabs on the drop; reel steadily to the surface without pumping.