What Are the Size of Lake Trout?
Lake trout are the largest members of the char family and are closely related to brook trout and arctic char. The fish live in Alaska, Canada and a few places in the northern parts of the Lower 48, especially in the Great Lakes. They are slow-growing, long-lived fish. They frequent deep, cold, pollution-free lakes.
Other People Are Reading
-
Habitat
-
Lake trout require cold water to survive. The fish live in nutrient-deficient deep, cold lakes where they prefer 45 to 55 degree Fahrenheit water. Lakers are found on the bottom, near the surface or suspended in between, depending on food availability and water temperature. These deep-water fish are found in more than 200 feet of water.
Prey
-
Lake trout have big appetites. Because they live in cold water, they are oily fish with a lot of fat content, as are their primary prey species. They frequently consume ciscoes, whitefish, sculpin, alewives and smelt. Lake trout travel widely to find food. They sometimes attack fish half their size or longer. Smaller lakers eat insects, crustaceans and small fish.
-
Maturation
-
Because they live in such harsh climates with a short growing season and a minimal food supply, lake trout grow slowly. It takes a long time for a fish to reach sexual maturity, let alone reach record proportions. Lake trout reach sexual maturity at about 24 to 28 inches in length. Depending on the latitude, which affects growing season, this may take from six to 15 years or longer. Lake trout live to be about 50 years old and frequently live longer than 20 years.
Average Size
-
Most lake trout caught by Great Lakes anglers average about 16 to 24 inches, or about 2 to 5 pounds. Fish measuring from 25 to 30 inches are fairly common as well. Once fish reach about 30 inches, they add depth to their bellies before adding more length. Fish measuring 30 to 40 inches vary widely in weight, even though their length is similar. Lake trout length tops off at about 45 inches, although any fish measuring 40 inches is exceptional.
World Record
-
According to the International Game Fish Association, the official fishing record keeping organization, the world record lake trout weighed 72 pounds, 0 ounces. Lloyd Bull caught the massive fish in Great Bear Lake in Canada's Northwest Territories on Aug. 19, 1995.
-
