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THE FISH WE CATCH

Brown Trout - Salmo trutta

Common Names - Brownie, German Brown Trout, German Trout, Breac, Browns.

Identification - The interior of the mouth is entirely white. Lake run brown trout usually are silver, just

like coho. However, once out of the water the typical large round spots, accented by a light coloured

hollow, begin to show. Normally the anal fin has only 9-10 rays, which separate it from other trout and

salmon with the exception of the occasionally caught atlantic salmon.

Habits - In the Great Lakes brown trout are near-shore fish, tend to hang around rocky reefs and

gravely bottoms, and are taken by shallow water trolling, downrigging, surf casting or pier fishing.

Usually brown trout in the Great Lakes are plumper than their inland lake and stream counterparts

(similar to football shape) because of the super abundance of forage in the Great Lakes. They tend to

feed more actively around dusk and into the night.

History - Brown Trout are a European relative of the atlantic salmon and arrived in North America as

early as 1883 and were introduced and stocked by U.S. DNR as early as 1887. Brown adjusted well for

life in the Great Lakes as they proved to grow faster and live longer than other kinds of trout. Many

fishing clubs, in Canada and all Great Lake DNR still stock browns.

Chinook (King) Salmon - Oncorhynchus tswawytscha

Common Names - King Salmon, Tyee, Quinnant, Chinook, Spring Salmon.

Identification - Best identifying characteristic is teeth set in black gums. The base of the tail flares like

the handle of a canoe paddle, offering the angler a grip sufficient to lift the fish. Like the coho, the

interior of the mouth will also be grey or black. Tail spots are usually restricted to the top half of the tail,

but may also appear on the lower half. The anal fin usually has 15 to 17 rays. Chinook do not jump and

roll as much as coho, but have tremendous power and make long reel-screaming runs.

Habits - Open-water fishing is the best in spring and summer, as with coho. Migration to parent

streams begin in late summer, with heavy concentration at stream mouths. Stream fishing peaks

sometime in September, at the onset of spawning runs. They are generally caught by downrigging and

trolling, but can be taken on rolled spawn as they enter the spawning streams.

History - Chinnok were the first Pacific Salmon to be transplanted into the Great Lakes. However, due

to their popularity and the fact that they do spawn enough to keep a natural population, all Great Lakes

must be continuously restocked to keep the numbers up. They are cheaper to hatch and raise, can be

released at an earlier age, about 5 to 6 months, thus making them more popular as a stocking fish.

They also grow quite larger than any other salmon and thus make a preferred fighting fish.

Coho Salmon - Oncorhynchus kisutch

Common Names - Coho, Silver Salmon, Sea Trout, Blueback.

Identification - Tail spots are concentrated on the top of the tail. The interior of the mouth is usually

grey or black, but the gums are whitish. The anal fin usually has 12 to 15 rays. Also, while on the line,

coho often roll sideways, many times entangling themselves in the tackle.

Habits - In spring and summer, coho can be found in open waters near concentrations of alewives or

smelt - usually within 10 miles of shore in the upper 20 to 40 feet. In August and September, they

concentrate in schools near mouths of the parent streams. Sometime in September, they begin

ascending the spawning streams in waves.

History - Initial hopes for reviving the Great Lakes fishery were placed on the backs of the sleek and

muscular coho. This pacific salmon has been stocked since 1966 on both the Canadian and American

sides, however the MNR in Ontario has curtailed it's stocking in recent years. The coho had a better

spawning success than it's larger cousin, the chinook, and continue to help with some limited but self

sustaining numbers in some of the U.S. Great Lake states.

Lake Trout - Salvelinus namaycush

Common Names - Great Lakes Trout, Laker, Namaycush, Togue, Grey Trout, Mountain Trout.

Identification - Colour pattern is mostly grey above and white below with creamy white mottling on the

back, grading to spots on the side - no red or pink. The tail is distinctly forked.

Habits - Pre-eminently a deep-water and cold-water fish. In spring and during fall spawning season,

when water is still very cold, lake trout may be taken in lake edge shallows. They too will run up rivers

in the fall, and become quite accessible to anglers below the large dams which block and concentrate

the runs. Summer and winter, they are taken by trolling and still fishing or "bobbing" in 50 to 200 feet of

water. Large inland lakes near the Great Lakes are also likely sites. Some large lakes, well inland,

maintain populations with annual plantings.

History -These swift, torpedo shaped fish are native to North America, extending from the Great Lakes

to the Arctic. Overfishing and sea lamprey infestations in the 1930's to 1950's almost eliminated these

fish from the southern Great Lakes. However, thanks to a sea lamprey control and continuous stocking,

these lunkers are making a come back. Lake trout are long lived and mature later, 6-7 years.

Steelhead/Rainbow Trout - Oncorhynchus mykiss

Common Names - Steelhead Trout, Coast Rainbows, Silver Trout, Rainbows.

Identification - The interior of the mouth is white, unlike either coho or chinook. Also, the entire tail

area is potted. Cheek plates and sometimes a line along the side are a rosy pink. Normally, the anal fin

has 10-12 rays.

Habits - These attractive fish strike aggressively, fight valiantly and are an angler's true joy! Steelhead

spawn in the spring, as early as March, but they begin entering the spawning streams as early as the

preceding September. A recently introduced summer-run strain of steelhead, known as Skamania, may

enter the streams in mid-summer. Special early and late seasons are held to take advantage of these

runs. Stream fishing is prime in October, November, March and April. In late spring and summer,

steelhead can be found in big water - usually within a mile of shore at depths of less than 50 feet.

History - Rainbows reproduce naturally and, unlike their salmon cousins, do not die after spawning

and thus may spawn 2-3 times in a lifetime.

Walleye - Sander vitreus, formerly Stizostedion vitreum

Common Names - Walleye, yellow pickerel, pickerel, perchpke, blue pickerel, colored pike, yellow

pike or pickerel

Identification - Walleyes grow to about 75 cm (30 in) in length, and weigh up to about 7 kg (15 lb).

The maximum recorded size for the fish is 107 cm (42 in) in length and 11.3 kg (25 lb) in weight. The

growth rate depends partly on where in their range they occur, with southern populations often growing

faster and larger. In general, females grow larger than males. Walleyes may live for decades; the

maximum recorded age is 29 years. In heavily fished populations, however, few walleye older than 5 or

6 years of age are encountered. In North America, where they are heavily prized, their typical size

when caught is on the order of 18-25 inches, substantially below their potential size.

Walleyes are largely olive and gold in colour (hence the French common name: doré—golden). The

dorsal side of a walleye is olive, grading into a golden hue on the flanks. The olive/gold pattern is

broken up by five darker saddles that extend to the upper sides. The colour shades to white on the

belly. The mouth of a walleye is large and is armed with many sharp teeth. The first dorsal and anal fins

are spinous as is the operculum. Walleyes are distinguished from their close cousin the sauger by the

white colouration on the lower lobe of the caudal fin which is absent on the sauger. In addition, the two

dorsals and the caudal fin of the sauger are marked with distinctive rows of black dots which are absent

from or indistinct on the same fins of walleyes

Habits - These attractive fish strike lightly, fight rather lathargically! Waleye spawn in the spring, as

early as April, but they begin entering the spawning streams as early as February or March. In late

spring and summer, walleye can be found in big water - usually within a mile of shore at depths of less

than 60 feet.

History - Walleye reproduce naturally and do not die after spawning and thus may spawn 2-3 times in

a lifetime. They are the best tasting of all the fish we seek. Lake Erie is famous for it’s tasty Walleye.