lake trout

a large, fork-tailed trout, Salvelinus namaycush, of the lakes of Canada and the northern U.S., valued as a food and game fish.

[1660-70]

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or Mackinaw trout or Great Lakes trout or salmon trout

Large, voracious char (Salvelinus namaycush) found widely from northern Canada and Alaska to New England and the Great Lakes, usually in deep, cool lakes.

They are greenish gray and covered with pale spots. In spring, 5-lb (2.3-kg) lake trout are caught in shallow water; in summer, fish of up to 100 lbs (45 kg) are trolled in deep water. Lake trout were virtually eliminated from the Great Lakes by the sea lamprey, which entered through the Welland Canal in the 1930s. They have been introduced in the western U.S., South America, Europe, and New Zealand.

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▪ fish

also called  Mackinaw Trout, Great Lakes Trout, or Salmon Trout 

 (Salvelinus namaycush), large, voracious char, family Salmonidae, widely distributed from northern Canada and Alaska, U.S., south to New England and the Great Lakes basin. It is usually found in deep, cool lakes. The fish are greenish gray and covered with pale spots. In spring, lake trout of about 2.3 kg (5 pounds) are caught in shallow water; in summer, larger fish, up to about 45 kg (100 pounds), are caught by trolling in deep water. Lake trout spawn among reefs in fall, the heavy eggs sinking to the bottom. They were of commercial value in the Great Lakes until sea lampreys, entering through the Welland Canal in the 1930s, reduced them almost to extinction. Lake trout have been introduced in parts of the western United States, South America, and Europe, as well as in New Zealand.

      The term lake trout is also frequently applied to any of various other trout and salmon found in lakes.

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