Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose makinaw

Deos anyone here happen to know at what temperature do makinaw(lake trout) die, within what temp. range will they grow, and what thier growth rate is?

-Scott

All I know is that they are not very common in northern MN were we have them and stock them. They are generaly only found in lakes over 100 feet deep. A new state record was caught in new england this summer in 100 feet of water, the lake was 300 feet deep. THe fish weighed over 35 pounds.

jbrockery,
Try this site:
http://www.state.ak.us/adfg/notebook/fish/l%5Etrout.htm
Here's a better one:
http://www.gov.ns.ca/nsaf/sportfishing/species/lktrout.htm
Looks like their upper temp limit is 74 deg.
Ric

Wow, those makinaw really are someting. Thanks for the info and the links guys. But a few questions still remain. Even after serching those sites you gave me and MANY others I still cant seem to find out exactly how fast they grow. I was amazed to find out that they have been recorded as old as 65 years but, are the massive sizes they attain solely a result of longevity or fast growth as well? Like in the exact same conditions(Temp.,water quality,brand of food, ect), wich would grow faster a makinaw or a rainbow trout?

thanks again
-Scott

Scott,
I was intrested in makinaw also & had previously researched it. The 2 links I gave were the one's I had saved. Somewhere, If I remember correctly & I can't find it again I read growth rates were >= other trout with the same forage. The greater growth rates came from their ability to swallow larger fish than other trout. From what I read I was left with the understanding the Lake Trout would out grow & out compete any other trout given constant ample forage fish. They are however great survivors & will resort to eating plankton when nothing else is availiable. Here are 2 quotes reguarding their feeding habits:
"zooplankton, insect larvae, small crustaceans, clams, snails, leeches, several kinds of fish, mice, shrews, and even occasional young birds. When available, lake trout feed extensively on other fish such as whitefish, grayling, sticklebacks, and sculpins."
"In smaller lakes, with fewer forage species, lake trout tend to be planktivorous for much of the year. In these lakes, they tend to prey upon small crustaceans and several species of aquatic insects."
I'll probably be adding a few to my pond for the fun of someday maybe catching a REALLY BIG trout & the fact that they will occupy a mostly unused area of the pond.
Ric

Remember one other thing Scott is a supplier. They are not as readily avail as the Rainbow. I doubt you could have them year around with a threshold of 74 degrees. You do the right things but seem to want to stretch the limits. This is going to result in you guys having one heck of a pond in the near future.

yeah it is really hard to find a supplier, If there even is one. The best I have found is a place in minnesota that sells Splake. Like many of my other posts, its more of a curiosity than anyting else (especially since my water temp tops out at 84 in july). I was mostly wondering if, during the trout season, I could get half a pound or so more of growth out of a mak than I could with a rainbow. I guess I can always dream.

-Scott
p.s. you hit the nail on the head about trying to stretch the limits. I bet if you told me that I could get like 2 pounds per year out of my bass (or something crazy like that), that I would probably ask you how to get 3.

You're correct in assuming you'd be hard pressed to find a source for lake trout. I saw one listed in Minnesota once but he is no longer listed.

They also like COOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLDDDDDDDDDDDDD water and when water gets into the 50's they want to go deeper to colder water. They are happiest in water that is in the 40's and also shun bright light. I've seen some develop cataracts in raceway hatcheries from sunlight exposure.

If you want lake trout you might as well go with Arctic Char. And lake trout are not know as fast growers but they do have a long lifespan especially in the far north. At least Arctic Char grow faster in fish farm conditions and are less disease prone. If you live in Canada sources for Arctic Char are getting easier and easier to find.

I have lake trout and under 25 inches they seem to quite thin and don't really put on weight until they are quite long.

Correction:

"I have lake trout." should have been, "I have caught lake trout."

Cecil! Great to see you on the site again.
You got me excited for a second there when you accidentally said you have lake trout.
So can you tell me exactly (or even approximately)what arctic char's optimal range is and how fast they will grow within that range?
I would assume, based on the name "arctic" char, that their warm water threshold is much lower and so I could not have them in as long as rainbows. But would them having the ability to grow at even lower temperatures alow them to have equaly long total growing time in between late fall and early spring?
I guess the long question made short is pretty much the same as before with the makinaw: All else being equal, which could I grow to a larger size during the trout season, acrtic char or rainbow trout? -Scott