Mackinaw Trout vs Trout

Hi guys,

I'm trying to understand how to ID the difference between Mackinaw Trout and Trout (in the context of AOTY). Google is failing me because it doesn't understand I'm using Trout in two different contexts and/or I don't understand which one it's talking about.

Can someone help?

Thank you!

Lake Trout: http://calfish.ucdavis.edu/species/?uid=35&ds=694

Brook Trout: http://calfish.ucdavis.edu/species/?ds=241&uid=14

Rainbow Trout: http://calfish.ucdavis.edu/species/?ds=241&uid=69

Brown Trout: http://calfish.ucdavis.edu/species/?uid=16&ds=241

Kokanee Salmon: http://calfish.ucdavis.edu/species/?ds=241&uid=43

Chinook Salmon: http://calfish.ucdavis.edu/species/?uid=20&ds=241

Coho Salmon: http://calfish.ucdavis.edu/species/?uid=23&ds=241


The UC Davis California Fish Species website is a great resource for anglers, and it can be found here: http://calfish.ucdavis.edu/species/

Does that help?

I updated the list to include the trouts, char and salmon that are common in California reservoirs.

Perfect, that is exactly what I was looking for. I bookmarked the website for future ID reference, thanks!

Makes a lot more sense now.

So the Trout in Shadow Cliffs are Lake/Mackinaw Trout? If I'm understanding the ID correctly.

Perfect, that is exactly what I was looking for. I bookmarked the website for future ID reference, thanks!

Makes a lot more sense now.

So the Trout in Shadow Cliffs are Lake/Mackinaw Trout? If I'm understanding the ID correctly.

I have only seen rainbows come out of Shadow Cliffs. When comparing rainbows vs mackinaw look at the tail.  deep fork=Mackinaw.

If you want you can always post a picture of the fish in question, and one of the fish gurus (Uminchu, Clayman and a few others) will probably give you some assistance in understanding how to correctly ID the fish.

It's a good rule to release the fish if you are unsure of the ID, especially in the ocean or steelhead/salmon waters.

Mackinaw and brook trout are part of the char family, and are not true trout.  The easiest way to differentiate any char (whether it be mackinaw, brook trout, Arctic char, Dolly Varden, etc) from a "true" trout is comparing the color of their spots to the color of their body.  All char have light-colored spots on a dark background (body), whereas "true" trout have dark spots on a light background.  In the case of CA, as soon as you see that you have a trout-like fish that has light-colored spots on a dark background, then you either have a mackinaw or a brook trout.

As for differentiating between mackinaw and brookies: without getting into counting fin rays and whatnot, you'll notice that mackinaw have deeply forked tails while brook trout have almost square tails.  Mackinaw will not have any red spots, while brookies will often have red spots.  There are other differences, but really it'll be the deeply-forked tail that gives it away.  Brookies may sometimes have a slight fork in the tail, but it's nowhere near as pronounced as it is in macks.

Here's a small mackinaw I caught from Bucks Lake this last year.  Notice the light spots on dark background and deeply-forked tail.  The squiggly lines on the fish's back are vermicules, and are another trait found in both macks and brook trout (and NOT in true trout like rainbows or browns).

And here's a brook trout from the same lake.  Notice the square tail, and the presence of red spots.


Do some image searches of brook trout and mackinaw, and you'll soon recognize the differences.  And of course, if you catch one that you're not sure of the ID, you can always post it on here  .

So the Trout in Shadow Cliffs are Lake/Mackinaw Trout? If I'm understanding the ID correctly.

Mackinaw (they're called "lake trout" or "lakers" back east) require perennially cold, deep, clear lakes to survive.  They are very intolerant of warm water.  There are only certain lakes in CA that support mackinaw, and (as far as I know) they're all lakes located in the mountains.  Places like Tahoe, Union Valley, Stampede, Bucks, etc.  You're not gonna find any mackinaw around the Bay Area or in the valley.

Wow haha okay apparently I need to spend a lot more time understanding ID before I start fishing for various Trout.

And yes I release fish I can't positively ID while on the ocean. At Shadow Cliffs I only caught one, and I assumed that all the fish there is legal to take (adhering to the posted guidelines at Shadow Cliffs - 12" minimum / 5 fish for Trout).

But this is good to know, I'm glad I found out early that positive ID's are a lot more challenging than I originally believed. Now that I know how little I know, I can research and fill in the gaps before I start spending a lot of time fishing for them in the winter.

OK who planted the macs in my favorite trout pond. 

Actually there is only rainbow trout, LMB, SMB, catfish and assorted sunfish at shadow cliffs. The rainbow trout come in 2 varieties: DFG (white meat) and Lassen (orange meat). They did plant a weird trout (thunder trout?)  a few years ago. They were aggressive and fun to catch but not great eating.

Now that I know how little I know, I can research and fill in the gaps before I start spending a lot of time fishing for them in the winter.

Before you know it you will be responding to threads like this one with helpful links and ID tips. In my mind this is what AOTY is all about: learning about new sport fishes (rules, regs & ID), learning how to target those fish, and learning how to get the big one.

Thanks for the ID question.  I know I enjoy responding to these types of posts because it usually means that I get to read one of Clayman's well written responses with fish porn included. 

Those are the smallest fish pics I have ever seen Chris post. Must have been an off day.

My advice is to pick the species you want to target, read up on how and where to target them.  When targeting specific species, lookup the species in the bodies of waters you are likely to fish.  Mac's/Lake Trout are generally high elevation lakes, like Lake Tahoe, Union Valley Reservoir, Sly Park, etc.  Trout are found in many many lakes, much more diverse waters. You will find trout in both Lake Don Pedro, and New Melones, but you will also find Kokanee in NM, where as you find lake salmon in LDP.  NM has big brown trout though, not that i've ever caught one. 

Those are the smallest fish pics I have ever seen Chris post. Must have been an off day.

Yeah, you could say that  .  Wading through small fish and having marginal success is all part of learning a new lake (in this case, Bucks Lake).  I'm hoping it'll all pay off in the end with my first 10+ pound mackinaw this spring!

And RBark: Al just gave some golden advice.  The Internet is an amazing tool for researching new waters and finding out what lives in them.  A Google search as simple as "California mackinaw lakes" can set you on the path to finding out where those buggers live and how to catch them.

Dang freshwater fish what a PITA....combined with the regulations turns it into a science. Kinda hate it but given the time (with no access to salt water) could become an obsession. Didn't know that brook trout were not "real" trout, explains why they taste good!

And wherewhat is LDP.....see what I mean?

Lake Don Pedro