45,000 Lake Trout Recently Stocked in Glen Lake

by | Jan 16, 2025 | Education, News

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) stocked 45,000 lake trout in Glen Lake in October 2024. This annual event aims to support the lake’s ecological balance and enhance recreational fishing opportunities.

Lake trout, the largest of the freshwater char genus, are native to coldwater lakes in northern North America. They are apex predators, which means they live at the top of their food chain with no natural predators in the water. Invasive parasitic sea lamprey have been know to prey on lake trout in other lakes, which is one of the reasons the Glen Lake Association has worked so hard to keep sea lamprey out of Glen Lake

Lake trout do have natural predators in the air in our watershed. You may have been lucky enough to spot a bald eagle diving toward our lakes, only to pull up at the last second, grasping onto an unsuspecting trout with its razor-sharp talons.

Lake trout are slow-growing but generally long-lived. They typically live over 25 years, but some have been reported to live up to 60 years. The average adult lake trout weighs 9–10 pounds, but some can grow to be 30–50 pounds. The average length is 24” – 36”. The largest lake trout on record in the U.S. was 102 pounds and 50“ long.  

Lake trout are a vital part of the aquatic food web. As native top predators, they maintain a healthy balance in the ecosystem, feeding primarily on smaller fish as adults. They survive only in cold, well-oxygenated lakes, and when water temperatures rise in summer, they head for deep water—they prefer the colder water in the bottom of Big Glen during the heat of the summer. They are predominately piscivorous, feeding on smaller fish, but if such a forage base is not available, they will feed on plankton.

The Michigan DNR manages Glen Lake as a recreational fishery. The DNR doesn’t stock coolwater fish like northern pike, bluegill, perch, and largemouth bass because they can sustain viable populations without stocking. Instead, the DNR uses fishing regulations to manage their populations. The DNR has determined that it is best to regularly stock lake trout and rainbow trout in Glen Lake. You can learn more about fish stocking history in Glen Lake at the Michigan DNR Fish Stocking Database.

To fish for lake trout on Glen Lake, you must buy a fishing license. Always check for updated fishing regulations, but the current daily bag limit for lake trout is three, with a minimum length of 15” each.

Photo of lake trout by Tamara Cutler