Fish-On! Chapter 5

Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush)

With so many names, it's obvious that the fish enjoys great popularity. And no wonder. It strikes hard and puts up considerable resistance. It can sometimes reach trophy-size proportions. When a fish has matured on a good diet, its meat can be excellent. And it's an elusive fish, teasing the skills of even the most accomplished angler.

Although local regulations may shorten the fishing season slightly, the lake trout is under constant pressure from the angling enthusiast. In ever-increasing numbers and with more sophisticated equipment and techniques, fishermen are catching greater quantities of fish with every passing year. Can the lake trout sustain this kind of pressure indefinitely? Even with the greatest controls, this situation can become dangerous to the survival of the species unless we lend a helping hand. For example, all of us can take extra care when playing a fish so as to lessen the possibility of internal damage to a fish you wish to release.

What then is it about this fish, or namayoush, as the Indians called the "dweller of the deep," that entices so many throngs of anglers, making it almost impossible to restock sufficient numbers to meet demand?

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