Lake trout

Identification

• Lake trout have light spots on a black to gray background that get lighter down the sides, a white belly, and orange to orange-red lower fins with white leading edges.[1]
  What the source says

  “The lake trout has light spots on a black to gray background, which progressively get lighter moving down the side of the fish. The belly is white. The lower fins are often orange to orange-red with a leading white edge.”

• Glacier National Park says lake trout have a deeply forked tail and many light markings, with no pink or orange spots on the sides. That helps separate them from bull trout.[2]
  What the source says

  “Lake trout have a deeply forked tail and numerous white (light) markings on their body. They do not have pink or orange spots on their sides.”

Habitat and range

• Lake trout are native from northern Canada and Alaska south to New England and the Great Lakes basin.[3]
  What the source says

  “Native Range: Widely distributed from northern Canada and Alaska (missing in southern prairie provinces) south to New England and Great Lakes basin (Page and Burr 1991).”

• Lake trout prefer water of 40-55°F. In summer they follow cold water down to 100 to 200 feet or more, and they move into 10 to 30 feet of water in fall, winter and spring.[1]
  What the source says

  “The lake trout prefers water temperatures between 40-55 degrees Fahrenheit. In the fall, winter and spring seasons this fish may be found in shallow water areas of the lake, 10 to 30 feet deep. As near shore waters warm in the summer, it follows the cold water temperatures to depths of 100 to 200 feet or more.”

Life history

• Lake trout spawn in the fall over shoals or shallow reefs and return to the same spawning area each year.[1]
  What the source says

  “Lake trout are fall season broadcast spawning fish on shoals or shallow reefs. They do show homing behavior and will return each year to the same spawning area.”

• Adult lake trout eat mostly other fish, such as ciscoes and sculpin.[1]
  What the source says

  “The lake trout, as adults, feed primarily on other fish. The native prey includes ciscoes and sculpin”

Status, protections and rules

Legal status and rules as the agency stated them on the date read. Rules change: check the current regulations for the water.

• Overfishing and the parasitic sea lamprey severely reduced Great Lakes lake trout populations from 1935 to 1965.[1]
  What the source says

  “Over commercial fishing and the introduction of the parasitic sea lamprey severely reduced the lake trout populations in the Great Lakes from 1935 to 1965.”

• Yellowstone National Park rule: every lake trout caught from Yellowstone Lake must be killed. Releasing one alive is illegal.[4]
  What the source says

  “All lake trout caught from Yellowstone Lake must be killed— it is illegal to release them alive.”

• In Glacier National Park, the National Park Service says non-native lake trout are a grave threat to native bull trout, westslope cutthroat trout and other native species in several lakes.[5]
  What the source says

  “Non-native Lake trout pose a grave threat to native bull trout, westslope cutthroat trout and other native species in several park lakes.”

Fishing for it: what the agencies say

What agencies and extension services say about catching it, with the source for each line.

• Most lake trout are caught by trolling spoons, flashers and flies, or cowbells and minnows, often near the bottom. In spring and fall they can be caught in fairly shallow water.[1]
  What the source says

  “Lake trout prefer cold water and are often found at significant depths, though they can be taken in relatively shallow water in spring and fall. For the most part, lakers are caught by trolling anglers using spoons, flashers and flies or cowbells and minnows, often near bottom.”

Water temperature

Warm water stresses trout, char and salmon. These are the published temperature lines we show on every gauge, chosen state first: the state agency's own where it publishes one, otherwise federal guidance (said so). Each water page applies them to the gauge's live reading; the flow and temperature checker does the same for any gauge.

Where to fish for lake trout

Our 20 water pages whose agency species list names lake trout (each list links to the agency page it comes from). A species missing from a list does not mean it is absent: many agencies publish no list for a water.

Destination hubs

Hubs that list one of these waters, or that a water page is near: each has guides, shops, licences and trip planning for the area.

• Jackson Hole, Wyoming1 lake trout water
• Missoula, Montana1 lake trout water

Keep exploring

• Brook troutSpecies
• Bull troutSpecies
• Arctic charSpecies
• Northern Rockies hatch & season chart8 sourced rows
• Pacific Northwest hatch & season chart10 sourced rows
• California hatch & season chart19 sourced rows
• Southwest and Colorado hatch & season chart8 sourced rows
• All speciesIndex

Sources

Every fact on this page is our paraphrase of the page cited beside it, read on the date shown. Rules and seasons change: check the agency's current regulations before you fish.

1. Lake trout Michigan Department of Natural Resources, read Oct 24, 2026.
2. Fishing - Glacier National Park (U.S. National Park Service) National Park Service, read Oct 24, 2026.
3. Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) - Species Profile U.S. Geological Survey, Nonindigenous Aquatic Species program, read Oct 24, 2026.
4. Fishing - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service) National Park Service, read Oct 24, 2026.
5. Fish - Glacier National Park (U.S. National Park Service) National Park Service, read Oct 24, 2026.