Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush)

Lake trout is a freshwater char, mainly inhabiting lakes in northern Canada, Alaska and the Northeastern United States. Lake trout are the largest of the char family with the largest recorded lake trout (netted) weighing 101 lbs with a length of 50 inches. The IGFA record for a trout caught on a rod and reel is a 72 lb, 59-inch trout caught in 1995 on Great Bear Lake.

Lake trout inhabit, cold, oxygen-rich waters. Immediately after ice-out, when the
surface temperature of the water is cold, lake trout can be caught in shallow water. As the temperature of the surface layer of the water increases during the summer, the lake trout move deeper and can be found in 60 to 200 feet of water. As the temperature of the surface layers of the water drops in the fall, lake trout move back into the shallows to spawn.

Lake trout have an aversion to bright light and prefer low light conditions. They also
prefer to feed in low light conditions, so the best time to fish for lake trout is on cloudy days or when the sun is low in the sky.

A strong fighter, lake trout are a popular game fish among anglers, and Wollaston Lake offers some excellent opportunities to catch and release this sportfish.

Popular lake trout angling techniques are vertical jigging with lead-head jigs or jigging spoons; trolling with crankbaits, or with a large spoon attached to a three-way swivel and a bell sinker, or using planer boards such as a dipsey diver or pink lady.