![]() Mackinaw suspend at various depths over these areas, and trolling with multiple baits on downriggers set at different depths is the quickest way to find them.Īnother good tactic is to watch your electronics for schools of small kokanee, which mackinaw feed on, and fish below them. The key to finding lake trout in Lake Tahoe tends to be trolling along ledges where the bottom quickly drops to 100 to 300 feet. Where does one even begin? There’s a reason why many who fish Lake Tahoe for the first time choose to book a charter. Lake Tahoe sprawls across 122,600 acres and has depths up to a staggering 1,645 feet. The problem with Tahoe’s mackinaw is finding them. The 37-pound, 6-ounce fish has been unmatched since 1974. ![]() Lake Tahoe is also home to California’s long-standing lake trout record. They’re more common than rainbow trout or brown trout in this vast inland sea. Lake Tahoe is the only California lake in which mackinaw truly dominate. If you’re looking for places in California to tangle with big mackinaw, these lakes are your best bets. Their coloration typically a slate-like gray-green, with lighter colored spots distributed uniformly across most of the body. ![]() They’re members of the char family, which is a branch of the trout and salmon family tree, and they can be differentiated from other trout species in California by their deeply forked tails. Those who do go after them with flies typically use large streamers and oversized dry flies that mimic the minnows on which mackinaw forage.įor the most part, macks are caught on minnow-imitating plugs, spoons and occasionally jigs. They’re top predators in the lakes they inhabit, and their diet consists almost exclusively of smaller fish.įor that reason, fly fishermen don’t often catch lake trout. Unlike most other trout species, lake trout don’t really eat insects. They have since been introduced to a smattering of other California lakes, mostly in the Sierras where cool climates allow them to thrive without damaging native fish populations. By the 1920s they were abundant in the lake. The first known mackinaw in California were introduced to Lake Tahoe (from the Nevada side) in 1889. west of the Rockies but have been introduced to selected waters in most of the western states. They’re native to areas from Alaska to Nova Scotia, as well as the Great Lakes watersheds. That’s because lake trout are adapted to northern life. These “lakers” prefer deeper water than most other trout species-often 100 feet or more-and their preferred temperature range is roughly 46-59 ☏. ![]() That reputation stems largely from the fact that it’s rare to catch lake trout from shore. But for others, lake trout are mysterious and seldom seen. Weighing upwards of 20 pounds, they have a reputation for frantic head-shakes and line-stripping runs that leave anglers sore-armed and breathless.įor many anglers, they’re a unique and much sought-after game fish. Lake trout, often referred to as mackinaw, are the biggest, hardest-fighting trout in most of the lakes they call home.Ĭatching lake trout in California is a worthy goal for serious anglers, so we’re here to help raise your fishing odds by pointing you to the right places. ![]()
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