HABITAT

The lake trout is native to the northern part of North America. They may be found inhabiting shallow lakes and even rivers, provided that oxygen levels and water temperatures are to their liking. These fish also live in the very deep lakes of the north, but generally reside near the surface for a great percentage of their lives since deeper waters are excessively cold. An example is Great Bear Lake in the Northwest Territories where fishing in this lake is limited to the top 30 feet throughout the summer months. 

Distribution

Lake trout are cold-water fish that require rock or boulder shoals for spawning and adjacent cold water for the fry. These are important factors determining their distribution.

Lake trout occur naturally in deep cool lakes of the uppermost portions of North America. Lying almost entirely within that area affected by the Pleiocene Glacier, their range covers countless thousands of square miles. The southern limits of this range dip to as low as the state of Montana in the west and south to New York and the New England states in the east. Virtually all of Canada lies within this range, with the notable exception of Newfoundland and portions of British Columbia. The northern limits extend well into the Arctic to the southernmost coastal islands and west to include most of Alaska.

Although lake trout traveled the ocean waters to establish themselves on the coastal islands, there is no evidence to suggest that they crossed the Bering Straits in an attempt to reach Asia. It is thought that predatory sea lamprey discouraged this journey as well as the attempts made to the Queen Charlottes, Vancouver Island, and Newfoundland.

Click to Listen!