Lake trout
Also called laker, mackinaw
A lake trout is a large char that lives in cold lakes and deep reservoirs and often feeds on fish. It’s also called laker or mackinaw.
- Group
- Trout & char
- Category
- Species
- Level
- Intermediate
- Water
- Freshwater
Last updated
What Lake trout means
Cold, deep water is the tell with lake trout. They are char, not “true trout,” and they spend much of their time in cold, deep water.
On a fly rod, lake trout fishing is built around getting a big fly down and keeping it moving. Streamers that suggest smelt, cisco, or sculpins are common, and lines and leaders are chosen for depth. In lakes you may be casting and stripping or trolling a fly.
Why it matters on the water
Lake trout change the whole depth and pace of a day. If you keep fishing them like bank-feeding rainbows, you spend hours in the wrong water. A plan for depth, either with a sinking line, a sink tip, or added weight, is what puts the fly where the fish actually live.
They also reward a different kind of “reading water.” Points, saddles, steep breaks, and the edges of bait schools matter more than surface activity. Knowing that helps with everything from where you start your drift to how long you let a fly sink before the first strip.
Read next
- Bull troutA bull trout is a native char of northwestern North America that lives in very cold, clean water and often eats fish.
- Sink tipA sink tip is a fly line with a floating rear section and a sinking front section. It helps get flies down while keeping the cast and line control of a floating line.
- Sinking lineA sinking line is a fly line built to sink below the surface so you can fish deeper without adding as much weight.
- StreamerA streamer is a fly meant to be moved to imitate a baitfish, leech, sculpin, or crayfish. It is often fished with strips, swings, or a steady retrieve, but it can also be dead-drifted.