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I have been fishing Bear lake for several years now and have noticed something that I would like to know more about. The lake trout that I catch sometimes are totally different color some are very light and some are darker like the ones from the gorge. I have been told that there are different types of Lakers in Bear lake and wanted some of the more seasoned fisherman's opinion about it. I'm hoping Scott chimes in and let's us in on his knowledge as well. I am including two photos of recent fish that I have caught in the last few weeks that look totally different.
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I can't give any specifics on Bear Lake. But, any trout can vary greatly in color -- even trout from the same water.
One thing that can cause fish coloration to vary greatly is diet. A diet high in carotenoids (ie: crustaceans) will produce vibrant colors both on the outside of the fish and in the flesh. Think about flamingos. The reason a flamingo is pink is due to their diet which consists almost entirely of shrimp and other crustaceans high in carotenoids. If you take this diet away from a flamingo, they would turn pale, almost white. Fish are the same.
These changes can happen rather quickly too. A fish may make a temporary change in diet which results in color changes rather quickly.
Boulder Mountain is pretty famous for the coloration of the brook trout and cutthroat trout. This is due to the numerous amphipods (freshwater shrimp) found in those waters.
Fish Lake also has very vibrantly colored splake and lake trout. This can also be attributed to a diet that includes mysis shrimp.
I know that Bear Lake is a unique place. I don't know what types of invertibrates are found there. But my first guess is the differences you are seeing would be mostly due to diet.
Another difference would just simply be individual characteristics. Just like you and me, we're each a little bit different.
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Nice fish, fun spot to be this time of year... Later J
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Often times the males of any given species will have more color than the females - especially during the spawn.
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That makes sense to me that the dark one is a male and the other a female, I had a good friend actually mention that when I showed him the dark one. I never thought about the feed of the fish being a factor but it could be that one fish liked something different than an other. Thanks for everyone's opinions and input. It is a great time to be out there...
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I fish Jackson Lake a lot here in NW Wyoming and there is one hump on the lake where we catch an almost black lake trout. Black macs we call em. Even the fins have a black color to them. I asked our fish biologist here ans she did not know the reason for the strange color. It may be diet, but the diet on this lake is pretty limited. It could be to try to blend with the bottom. I know smallmouth bass can change color, I don't know about lakers. It's pretty cool to see that much variation, and nice macs by the way.
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I have fished several lakes for Mackinaw including flaming gorge and a few of the Wyo lakes but never Jackson lake. It's definitely on my bucket list. It's so beautiful there and definitely gods country. I am trying to figure out the gorge and have spent time fishing with Capt Jim and a few others that know it well. I love mack fishing and have what the diehards call the curse. I've given up archery hunting and bought a boat and eat, sleep, and drink lake trout fishing. There's always something to learn that another mack fisherman knows that I didn't think about. Thanks for the info, it would be cool to catch a black Mackinaw....
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I just saw your post so thus my delay in responding. As others have mentioned, the males are typically darker than females. Both of your fish are obviously adults, but sometimes the juvenile fish are much lighter than the adult fish. Diets of the fish mainly affect the color of the meat. However, the depths at which you catch the fish, actually, how deep the fish is typically living in, makes a big difference on color too. The fish that are typically in shallower water (even though you might have caught it deeper) are typically darker. Fish that have been living in the deeper water (especially in Bear Lake with that calcium carbonate precipitate in the water at deeper depths) are typically lighter. Finally, spawning season has a lot to do with laker coloration on Bear Lake. The lakers are darker in Aug-Nov are darker than during summer months. So, it can be a combination of factors for sure. Overall, lake trout out of Bear Lake are MUCH lighter than those out of most other waters. Hope that helps.
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Thanks a lot Scott, I appreciate you chiming in. Good information for sure....I had no idea on the depths affecting the color.
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[quote outdoorsman1]I have fished several lakes for Mackinaw including flaming gorge and a few of the Wyo lakes but never Jackson lake. It's definitely on my bucket list. It's so beautiful there and definitely gods country. I am trying to figure out the gorge and have spent time fishing with Capt Jim and a few others that know it well. I love mack fishing and have what the diehards call the curse. I've given up archery hunting and bought a boat and eat, sleep, and drink lake trout fishing. There's always something to learn that another mack fisherman knows that I didn't think about. Thanks for the info, it would be cool to catch a black Mackinaw....[/quote]
Oh man, you do have it bad, giving up hunting is the last symptom of addiction! I am almost there myself but love elk meat too much, last week I was out scouting and the thought was always in the back of my mind of how nice it would have been on the water.
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It has been nice out on the water this fall. I am going to go deer hunting this next month and let the macks do their thing for the spawn. I don't usually fish for them when they are spawning. Thanks for all the comments and information from everyone.
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