LAKE TROUT

For many Alaska anglers, the lake trout remains shrouded in mystery. A denizen of deepwater lakes, he defies most traditional angling techniques and remains unavailable to most sportsmen who simply cannot figure out how to catch him. He dwarfs other trout by his sheer size, he fights like a bull, and when at last he arrives on the surface after a long battle, his colors leave an angler breathless with awe. They are beautiful fish.

Quick Facts

• Size
  Maximum weight is 102 pounds
• Age
  Maximum age is 62 years
• Range/Distribution
  Lake trout have a broad northern and southern distribution in Alaska, but they are absent from the Yukon River basin of central Alaska
• Diet
  Zooplankton, insect larvae, small crustaceans, clams, snails, leeches, several kinds of fish, mice, shrews, and even occasional young birds. When available, lake trout may feed extensively on other fish such as whitefish, grayling, sticklebacks, and sculpins
• Predators
  Lamprey, humans, other lake trout
• Reproduction
  Spawning occurs in large groups during the night. They do not construct nests but instead disperse eggs over rocky bottoms