ODNR Stocking Lake Trout near Kelly's

[Buc-Eye]

I ran across this today on social media... It will be interesting to see if these stick around.

According to the Miller Ferry Post... " The MV islander took these ODNR Fish Hatchery trucks out towards Kelleys Island today to release 40,000 Lake Trout into the population." The post was made this Tuesday at 3:33pm.

[PDnaz]

Seems like a waste to me, they won't survive in the Western Basin water, too dirty, too warm. Found an article with some interesting reading.
http://www.atlanticpanic.com/species/view/lake-trout/
They may migrate to the colder eastern end of Lake Erie.

[wakina]

This is at least the 2nd time they stocked Lake Trout in that area in the last year or two. The first time the smolts were free for the taking so the ODNR decided to try and reintroduce them into the lake. The first stocking were from a hatchery located I believe in PA, it may have been from the USF&WS hatchery located on the Allegheny River in Allegheny county. They were excess fish that were raised for the purpose of restocking elsewhere.

They(ODNR) know the trout will migrate to the eastern end of the lake as that is where the preferred water temps are more predominate. They are hoping the smolts will imprint on the areas where they are released and migrate back to that area to spawn when mature, similar a to salmon when they are released into streams. They are a member of the Salmonid family. The area where they were released was in the past a major spawning area, that was before commercial over fishing and sea lampreys decimated the Lake Erie Native stock . They are a native species and as such hopefully will get a foot hold and reproduce in the wild again. I believe they are from native Great Lakes brood stock.

[Fishonphil]

Some good info there wakina

Thanks for posting

[PDnaz]

Great info Wakina, Having fished Lake Huron and Lake Michigan for 30+ years it is difficult for me to imagine Lake Trout in this area. With that being said I appreciate your facts, Wakina, and hopefully they, the Lake Trout, will be productive. They are a slow growing fish and take years to even reach maturity for spawning.
There is all kinds of information available, http://www.worldfishingnetwork.com/tips/post/lake-trout has some good reading. It seems you rarely hear of a Salmon, and a few Steelhead west of the Vermillion being caught. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.