The Lake Trout of Lake Superior

Lake Trout are the most common game fish in Lake superior, available to everyone from Shoreline casters to offshore trawlers. The native species that supported commercial, substance, and sport fisheries from pre-Colombian times until the 1940s, the Lake Trout was nearly extinct from Lake superior through overfishing and by invading see lampreys. Today the only naturally spawning populations in the Great Lakes occur in Lake superior, where an estimated 75% of the Lake Trout are wild bread. The fact that Lakers are again numerous and beginning to thrive in superior is a triumph of fisheries management.

However, the Lake Trout restoration effort of federal, state, provincial, and tribal fisheries agencies was neither easy nor quick. It has taken 30 years to rebuild superiors while Lake trout population to current levels, and hundreds of thousands of hatchery raised Lakers, all marked with clipped fins for identification, are still stocked each year. Despite today's more enlightened attitude towards fish conservation, serious threats to the fishery still exist. Although the United States and Canada have instituted extensive sea lamprey control programs, this ocean fish has not yet been eradicated from the Great Lakes.

Originally, Lake superior contained in numerous strains of Lake Trout, which spawned a different times and lived at various depths. Some grew to enormous size, with 22 to40 pounders common and catches for old-time sport anglers. Today the only place where anglers can experience fishing as it was a century ago are remote offshore areas.

Today, even though many original strains are extinct, anglers can still notice differences among the Lake trout they catch. An average catch of Lake Trout shows variations in the markings, coloration, and body shape of the fish, as well as the edibility qualities of the flesh. Lake trout fillets can vary from a deep salmon red color to pale yellow or white. Generally the red and orange fillets are least oily and taste the best, but pale fillets are tasty, too. The fish most people prefer to catch are called red fins, lean, wild Lakers with firm, red flesh.

Siscowets, an uncommon sport catch in most areas because they usually occupy a very deep water, have a high fat content. Although nutritionists say that siscowets are high in healthy omega-3 oils, most anglers consider them virtually inevitable.

Whether or not Lake trout taste good quite often depends on the way they are cooked. Experiment with various recipes to find ones that you like best.