Photo by Public domain (iNaturalist) on iNaturalist · CC0 (public domain)
Lake trout
Salvelinus namaycush
- When
- Sep–May — January, February, March, April, May, September, October, November, December. Earlier in the south, later in the north.
- Where it holds
- Deep, cold, clear lakes — shallow right after ice-out and again in fall, deep all summer.
- How to know it
- Pale cream spots on a dark green-grey body, and a deeply forked tail.
- What to know
- A slow-growing, long-lived fish; a big one may be forty years old. Release the giants.
- The tactic
- Jigging spoons and tubes deep in summer; shallow trolling right after ice-out.
Seasons, size limits and catch limits change every year and differ by water body. Check the current regulations for your province or state before you fish.
Found in these regions
Is it active near you?
Get this week's guide for your area
Enter a town, postal code or ZIP and we'll tell you what's happening right there this week — from your local climate, this week's weather and your ecological region.
Also active in September
FishYear-roundWalleye
Sander vitreus
Olive-gold flanks, a spiny first dorsal, and the big glassy eye that gives it the name and lets it hunt in low light.
Where and how to catch it →
FishMay–OctSmallmouth bass
Micropterus dolomieu
Bronze-brown with vertical bars, red eye, and a jaw that ends level with the eye — not past it.
Where and how to catch it →Photo: Joshua Johnson · CC BY 4.0
FishJan–JunNorthern pike
Esox lucius
Long torpedo body, duck-like jaws, light bean-shaped spots on a dark green flank.
Where and how to catch it →Photo: Daughter Dad · CC BY 4.0