Skip to main content

Lake Superior lake trout harvest

Fishing Wisconsin

fighting a lake trout

Lake trout are a popular target in the Lake Superior fishery.

The Lake Superior Lake Trout Season opens on Dec. 1 and closes the following Sept. 30. However, Lake Trout are managed based on a safe total allowable harvest or quota system. When the recreational complete allowable harvest is approaching, the season may close before Sept. 30. Check this page for periodic harvest updates and an explanation of the regulation. 

Lake Trout Harvest (WI-2 Waters)

The lake trout harvest will be updated periodically throughout the season

Graph of lake trout harvest trends from 2019-2023
Lake Superior (WI-2) cumulative lake trout sport harvest, 2019-2023.

Harvest Chronology

Click on the white crosshatch icon below to see lake trout harvest totals for 2022-2023. Monthly harvest totals will be updated periodically. The season may close when the harvest total reaches the trigger. Please note: The harvest number may not include all charter reports.

Lake trout harvest totals 2022-2023
Date Month Harvest Total Harvest Number To Reach Quota Number To Reach Trigger
Dec. 2022
1
1
12,666
9,499
Jan. 2023
30
31
12,636
9,469
Feb. 2023
537
568
12,099
8,932
March 2023
374
942
11,725
8,558
April 2023
1
943
11,724
8,557
May 2023 768 1,711 10,956
7,789
June 2023 1,716 3,427 9,240
6,073
July 2023 3,171 6,598 6,069
2,902
Aug. 2023 2,205 8,803 3,864
697
Sep. 2023      
 

Monthly harvest totals will be updated periodically

Three months until the end of the lake trout season, but July and August are always the highest harvest months. June's fishing effort was a little lower than in previous years, so the harvest was also a little below average for the month. This has been the trend during the spring and early summer of 2023, so we are at a slower-than-average pace when it comes to total lake trout harvest. So, compared to the past couple of years, we have a lower probability (but not 0%) of closing the season early.

Lake Trout Sport Angler Quota Calculation

The lake trout sport angler allocation for WI-2 during the 2022-2023 fishing season is 12,670 fish. Angler harvest is monitored using a creel survey and mandatory charter captain reports. A harvest trigger has been set to prevent overharvest of lake trout. When the 9,500 fish trigger is reached, lake trout fishing in WI-2 may be immediately closed, with no more fishing for lake trout. The trigger was set to account for data processing delays during potential high harvest.

Lake Superior Lake Trout Management

Lake trout harvest zones

 

The lake trout in Lake Superior are managed within two harvest zones (WI-1 and WI-2). Lake trout numbers declined in the WI-2 zone – the Apostle Islands area of Lake Superior - from 2003 to 2012. As a result, harvest quotas were reduced for sport and commercial fishers. 

How was this regulation selected? Over the past several years, Fisheries Management has asked anglers for input regarding various lake trout regulation options. In the fall of 2017, anglers participated in a poll that included four different bag and length limit options (see below) and the associated risk with each option reaching the quota before the end of the season (Sept. 30).

Lake trout harvest zones

 

Results from the survey indicated that most participants supported a regulation that included a bag of two lake trout with a 15-inch minimum and one fish that could be longer than 25 inches. This regulation option allows the most significant harvest opportunity but also has a moderate risk of reaching the quota before the end of the season.