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Flaming Gorge Trophy Lake Trout
Vol. 4, #6; April 1, 1990
It was only the second time that 13-year old Tyler Royce of West Jordan had been fishing for lake trout at Flaming Gorge and Tyler had never caught one of the big fish. Jeff Maki and Jeff's father, Paul, had invited Tyler to fish with them and it was an opportunity that Tyler couldn't pass up.
Paul ran the boat while Tyler and Jeff fished. Tyler was dragging a "squid and flasher" on 16 pound line in about 72 feet of water when the big fish hit and the battle was on. Tyler fought the big trout for over a half hour before he was able to finally work it to the surface.
Tyler said that his wrists were sore and he was "shaking bad," both from excitement and exhaustion by the time he got the fish up. When the lake trout broke the surface and Tyler saw how big it was he said that the adrenaline kicked in and he wasn't tired any more. And then catastrophe struck. As the big fish was hoisted from the water, the weight caused the nylon mesh net to tear and the fish started to slide through the hole. Luck was with Tyler that day and as the fish flipped to free itself, it became tangled in the torn mesh and was quickly hauled into the boat.
Tyler's fish weighed in at just over 29 pounds. It was the only lake trout caught that day but it was enough.
Spring is a good time of the year to go after lake trout at the Gorge. The lake water is still cool and the big fish are spread out throughout the water column where they are feeding actively. Later in the summer when the surface water warms the big fish will move into the deep water and you will have to jig vertically or use a downrigger to get your bait deep enough to attract the big fish. In the spring many fish feed near the surface where they are easier to catch. Almost any large (up to 7 or 8 inches) lure will attract lake trout but Rapala's, Flatfish, and big spoons are some of the most popular baits.
In Utah lake trout are found in large numbers only in Flaming Gorge Bear Lake and Fish Lake. This is because they require deep, cold lakes which have a warm upper layer, a middle fast-changing layer, and a cold bottom layer. There must be an adequate amount of oxygen in the middle and lower layers throughout the spring and summer to support the big fish. That is one of the reasons why there are none of the big fish in Strawberry. Even though the lake is deep enough on the Soldier Creek side, the lower layer of water simply doesn't contain enough oxygen to support lake trout throughout the hot summer months.
Lake trout prefer water 60 degrees or colder. They are only found near the surface when the surface temperature of the water is 60 degrees or below. Once the surface water warms above 60 degrees, the fish move down into the cooler, deeper water.
Spawning takes place in the late fall or early winter over shoal areas usually 5 to 20 feet deep. They prefer a silt-free area with a rough, rocky bottom. Lake trout do not select individual mates and they do not build nests or guard the eggs or young. The eggs are simply dropped over a rocky area. They settle in crevices and other spaces between the rocks where they hatch in about 50 days. A 30-pound female will deposit about 22,000 eggs. Many fish spawn over a hump out in the middle of Lucerne Bay in November. When they congregate to spawn they are easier to find and the hump attracts a good crowd of fishers.
Lake trout grow slowly and mature after about four or five years. They are usually between 19 and 25 inches long when they mature. Young lake trout feed on small insects and crustaceans but lake trout over about two pounds feed almost entirely on fish. They will eat kokanee, whitefish, chubs, small trout, minnows and just about any other fish that is small enough to get into their mouths.
The Utah record lake trout came from Flaming Gorge in 1988. It weighed 51 pounds 8 ounces. The world record lake trout weighed 63 pounds 2 ounces and was taken from Lake Superior.