Lake Trout-Char Salvelinus mamaycush

Lake Trout-Char Salvelinus mamaycush

            This species is 15-20 inches long, weighing an average of 10 pounds but have been known to exceed 100 pounds. The body coloured light green or grey, dark green, brown, or almost black with lighter coloured spots is typically trout like elongate. The Lake trout occurs naturally and is widely distributed only in North America.  They are a cold water species and do not tolerate warm water. Because of this southerly populations are forced to retreat to deep cold waters during the summer months. Luckily for Lake Trout many lakes contain species of pelagic prey fish like Cisco that are found in deep waters , so lake trout can find food through out the year. In lakes that do not, lake trout are separated from the in shore dish by a thermal barrier and are forced to subsist on plankton and invertebrates. During the summer months; these trout grow more slowly It can readily be found in Northern British Columbia in shallow lakes and in rivers and in the Southern part of B.C. in the deeper lakes It is the least tolerant of salt water of all the chars. The lake trout is predaceous and feed upon crustaceans, insects, many species of fish and even small birds and mammals. Flesh may be white, pink, orange, or orange-red, the colour being influenced by the diet. It has an excellent flavour and is mostly eaten fresh but it is sometimes smoked.