Lake Trout

[zdupell]

My buddies and I are coming down to fish Lake O May 7,8. I have had steelhead and brown trout out of the lake, but i have never had lake trout. How do they taste out of Lake O? Should we keep some or throw them all back? Thanks for any help

[JakeyBaby]

Have never tried them personally, but have heard the actually taste real good.

[zdupell]

Neither have I. I have just heard a mixed bag about lake trout. I heard they were really greasy and muddy fish.

[ontherise]

I think finger lakers are better. M.O.

[PeltHunter]

I know quite a few people that feed them to their dogs. Don't know too many people who eat them.

[Bag Lady]

According to an old Indian - put the Laker in an old Gum boot, ...boil in a metal, ...20 minutes, ...pour water off, ...dump the laker out, ..."and eat the boot"!!

[bandrus1]

They are perfectly fine especially smoked

[Firechief48]

The only way I haven't tried them is smoked. Any other way I would throw the fish away and eat the pan it was cooked in first.

[King Slammin]

I've tried to like them but the texture is off and the taste is worse. Caught 40 of them today and threw every one of them back. If you find a way to make them tasty, please let us know. I'm speaking of Lake Ontario lakers. FL might be better

[Big Spoon]

Personally, I don't keep lakers over 2-3 lbs on any lake, unless they are destined for the smoker.  Even then, much over 5 pounds and they start to get really oily/fishy, in my opinion.  The best fish for the grill are those within a couple inches of the legal limit.  When smoking, I brine them more than I would for a silver fish of equivalent size.  I stick with fruit woods, but bet that the fish would hold its own with a smoke like maple or pecan. 

[GeckoGuy]

I've had a bunch lakers out of Ontario.  They aren't bad, but they do taste a little fishy. It's worth a shot to keep one and see if you like it.  I wouldn't freeze them though, doesn't taste very good after being frozen. 

[fisherdude]

cook them on cedar board cover in wasabi sauce after down throw away the  lake trout and eat the board or you can just get can of worms and eat them

[FleetTracker]

They're great canned in whatever spices you prefer. We can a lot of Salmon and Lake Trout. Eat it all winter long.

[machzrcr]

 make fish patties.  you wont regret it.  do it with fresh fish.   

 

cook filets how you want (  i just throw them in the microwave and cook through)   put on a plate and take out the bones, or do it before  up to you.  

 

then flake all the meat apart with a fork and put in a mixing bowl,   

throw in some italian bread crumbs  and an egg 

finely dice up an onion throw that in 

add a few more spices you like to use. 

 

make them into patties and fry till golden!  i usually vacuum seal in packs of two for lunches!   

 

eat as is, or on a bun with lettuce tomato and mayo!   I have made these for a ton of people who hate fish and everyone eats the whole thing and wants more.  the big key to our lake fish is to eat them fresh the longer they stay frozen they get pretty fishy,   

[GAMBLER]

Removing the dark meat off the back of the filet and grilling them in a fish basket is the best way to get rid of the fishy taste. If you do them in foil, the filet just sits in the oils that come out of the filet.  Bleeding them out makes a huge difference too. 

[Sk8man]

As with many species a lot of it depends on how the fish is treated at the outset after being caught, the initial prep work done (e.g. filleting) and then how it is cooked. Lakers especially large ones can be somewhat oily and "fishy" if these things aren't done right. A lot of folks feel this about Bluefish in the salt water environment but when prepared right both can be delicious.  Much of the fishy taste in lakers comes from the lateral line area (the dark grey area in the mid line of the sides of the fish, the back of the fish and the stomach area (most of the oil in the fat in these areas). It is not as pronounced in the smaller lakers but just as important to get rid of and the smaller ones are "milder" in taste. Probably the most important step other than removal of the lateral area happens when you first catch the fish. They should be "bled out" by making a large cut across the bottom area under the gills. To avoid a mess in the boat it can be done by placing them in the net over the side and letting the blood drain out of them. They then need to go immediately on ice right until filleted not just thrown in an iceless cooler to get "mushy". When they are filleted it is important to remove the thick part of the back area, the fatty areas of the underside and remove the skin (these are also the areas of greatest potential contaminants) and all bones (rib cage itself and the little bones above it)  from the fish. Once boneless and skinless each fillet can be further processed by cutting out most or all the grey lateral area on the sides of the fish. Yes you will have less meat but what you have will be much less "fishy". A main reason people say lakers aren't good eating ios because they have either failed to process them properly or because they have heard others say they are poor quality and have not actually tried them.  There are many ways to prepare them but  I prefer coating them with olive oil and breading them with Panko ( Japanese bread crumbs) mixed with Old Bay seasoning. They can also (like Bluefish) be good with Cajun seasonings. I too believe that the lakers from the Finger Lakes seem better tasting but they are also usually smaller than the Lake O "beasts"

Edited April 22, 2016 by Sk8man

[Skidplate]

Didn't read all the posts sorry if I'm repeating big Lakers are nasty but 6 7pound rang are good but you have to take the skin off and cut out the mud vain

[ontherise]

The few times I caught finger lakers I gave them to my grandmother and she made "tuna fish" with them with olive oil salt, pepper and a sprig of mint leaf. They were pretty damn good.

[zdupell]

I apperciate all the feedback. My biggest concur is I don't want all of us to keep our limit and then not end up eating them

[Consigliere]

it is unique so rather than keep a limit, keep one and try it

[JimB]

If you like fish that tastes like fish (I've never understood Tilapia....why eat something that isn't supposed to actually taste like fish)  Lakers are pretty good.    

 

Smoked is a great way to utilize them as well.    

 

If I listed my preferences however, it would be Browns, Steelhead, Salmon, Lakers.   They do run towards the strong side.    The meat however is not noticeably different

than the others imho.

Edited April 22, 2016 by JimB

[bluetop]

A great trick I learned when broiling fillets from large lake trout is to baste them with chicken broth.

[chinook35]

I give them a big "YUCK"

[Fishwilly]

Not big on lakers either....muddy mushy yuck. Tried brown trout last weekend for the first time....wow some yummy. I prefer them to salmon.

[sanfordnson]

1. We eat them all the time. Just make sure that when your done filleting them all you have left is pure orange meat no fatty or dark flesh on them. Then we chunk them in small pieces and deep fry them like we do with perch fillets. Or my wife will pan fry the fillets with a butter garlic and wine sauce. Like someone else said the smaller the trout the better. yum yum yum!