I'm sure this has been onhere before in some form or fashion, but what do think about CNR Lakers.
My good friend and lodge owner of forty plus years WILL NOT release Lake Trout. He firmly believes that every laker you pull up from 20+ feet and put back in the water dies.
I catch and release lakers and would hate to think that he is right.
What does everybody think? Any links to any studies out there?

I couldn't find any studies directlly related to that. Most are more focused on the mortality from how the fish is hooked...set lines vs. jigging etc.

But...they do not die. Lakers are not like other gamefish that could die from being reeling in from deep water. They voluntarily will chase prey or even your lure up and down the water column 90+ feet at full speed. If there hooked they normally come up slower then that..not that it matters with them.

Its a good idea to practice catch and release with Lakers...they are very vulnerable sine they are slow to mature sexually and grow..I forget the exact age, but I think its around 7 or 8 years until they can even start to reproduce. Its a species that could easily be fished out with enough pressure..Luckily most of the lakes are not easily accesable and lakers are not the most popular fish out there...harder to catch in summer etc. Forsure one the the most enjoyable fish to catch IMO and hopefully you and other will keep CNR them.

I release nearly all of the lakers I catch. Unlike most other fish, they can adjust their air bladders to compensate for the depressurization that occurs when they are pulled from the depths.

That being said, they are very sensitive to warm temperatures and should be released quickly.

It's also important to realize that lake trout fisheries are a rare, fragile resource. Only about 100 lakes in the BWCA contain lake trout, and these represent the greatest concentration of native lake trout lakes in the lower 48 states.

Good to know Arctic. I'll now think twice about keeping a Laker.

quote arctic: "I release nearly all of the lakers I catch. Unlike most other fish, they can adjust their air bladders to compensate for the depressurization that occurs when they are pulled from the depths.


That being said, they are very sensitive to warm temperatures and should be released quickly.

It's also important to realize that lake trout fisheries are a rare, fragile resource. Only about 100 lakes in the BWCA contain lake trout, and these represent the greatest concentration of native lake trout lakes in the lower 48 states."

Absolutely agree with this, In the rare instance that I even photo a laker, I do it as quickly as possible .

I release 99% of all trout I catch, stream and lake trout.

I don't use weights to go deep. I just use a crankbait to dive down. The deepest I fish for a lakers is 35'. Most of the time I am much shallower with my lure though and whether it is May or August.

I have unknowingly had Lakers following my crankbait on hot sunny August days while reeling my lure in---then as I am lifting the lure out of the water I've seen the trout busting the surface trying to get the lure. Those trout voluntarily were moving 25-35' (most likely a lot further) in the water column very quickly--I assume they can handle the depth changes very well.

I think the trout I catch are coming up to get my lure. I purposely am not dredging them up from the depths to decrease stress, but i don't know that they can't handle larger depth changes.

As others pointed out I think temps are more a factor. In summer I don't typically take any pictures, most of the time the trout never leaves the water. It is more important to release a nice fish like that than get a pic.

Since 2005 I don't keep trout over 5#. 2-3# is my preferable size actually. One of those will feed my wife and I.

T

quote arctic: Only about 100 lakes in the BWCA contain lake trout, and these represent the greatest concentration of native lake trout lakes in the lower 48 states."

I thought our bwca lake trout were no longer native after they stocked the wrong strain in the 1940 or 1950's and it took over the original lake trout that were much fattier and tastier by some accounts. I think it was in an interview with Justin Kerfoot where i heard that info but cant be for sure. It was in Jeff Murry's and Michael Johnson's fishing show from the 1980's that I can't remember then name of the show.

Anyone else know anything about this or did I misremember?

I don't have much to add but the term for the vented swim bladder that lakers have is physostomous. As stated above this allows them to quickly swim up and grab a meal. Warm surface water can be hard on them, not so much a big deal on Superior or Nipigon but can be an issue in the summer on smaller lakes.

quote Chilly: "

quote arctic: Only about 100 lakes in the BWCA contain lake trout, and these represent the greatest concentration of native lake trout lakes in the lower 48 states."

I thought our bwca lake trout were no longer native after they stocked the wrong strain in the 1940 or 1950's and it took over the original lake trout that were much fattier and tastier by some accounts. I think it was in an interview with Justin Kerfoot where i heard that info but cant be for sure. It was in Jeff Murry's and Michael Johnson's fishing show from the 1980's that I can't remember then name of the show.


Anyone else know anything about this or did I misremember?"

I don't see how it is possible that all of the lakes up in the BWCAW have stocked Lakers. There are remote lakes that are small spring fed that almost never see people that have only lakers in them---Quetico has even more lakes like this---so at least some lakes have to be all native. I know some lakes were targeted by the DNR becuase they looked like they could sustain lakers but I don't think any or most of them took--so stocking was mostly abandoned. I don't remember this being widespread either---but i am going only on memory so could be wrong.

T

The show was called Northland Outdoor Journal and they went fishing with Kerfoot. I'll dig up the tapes and rewatch but i recall her talking about how she missed the old strain of lake trout. Something about how the stock they used to start our hatchery was either from Lake Superior or Maine or something like that. She said the old bwca lakers were much fattier and tastier and that the new leaner meaner strain out competed the local fish.