Lake Whitefish

The Lake Whitefish are a slightly deep-bodied fish, oval in cross-section. They have a greenish-brown back, silvery sides, silvery-white belly, and a snout that overhangs their mouth. They have 2 flaps of skin between the nostrils, and a deeply forked tail. They grow between 30 cm – 65 cm in length, and weigh roughly 0.9 – 1.8 kilograms. The Ontario record for largest Lake Whitefish is 6.7 kilograms. 

The Lake Whitefish live in the Great Lakes, and deep, cold inland lakes throughout Ontario. They prefer the deep sections of deep lakes and shallow sections of Far North lakes. The Lake Whitefish move into rivers and streams to feed in the early spring–often found in deeper pools behind spawning beds. They can be found in deeper waters during the summer, and move to shoals of large lakes and rivers during the late fall and early winter. 

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