# Lake Michigan Lake Trout - Safe?



## PackerFan (Sep 7, 2004)

Are the lakers out of Lake Michigan any better/worse for you to eat compared to the salmon health wise? I hear a lot of people saying they throw them back but as far as I'm concerned I'd much rather eat lake trout over salmon. As long as they're safe I'll keep em!


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## salmon_slayer06 (Mar 19, 2006)

Bigger the fish, the more PCB's, Mercury and whatever else is in that water. I'd stick with the salmon. Give the lakers away.


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## Jason Adam (Jun 27, 2001)

I'm not a mud chicken fan, but the reality is if you clean it right, take out the belly fat and the mud lines, etc.. that it probably isnt any worse than eating store bought chicken. Big lakers live a long time and feed off bottom feeders, therefore have alot of time to acculate larger amounts of toxins in them, but none of it is gonna kill ya. If you're gonna eat 'em, go with the smaller ones.


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## jb10 (May 14, 2001)

Just a FYI, even if you clean the fish correctly and get all the fat off, you still don't eliminate the Mercury which stores in the meat of the fish. I would try to stick with the smaller younger Lakers.


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## PackerFan (Sep 7, 2004)

Are lakers any "fatter" than salmon? The laker I ate was pretty small. I've never had a coho as small as he was. I'm just curious if anyone else eats the little ones out there. I see people cleaning big kings all the time - I'd have to imagine they're full of mercury? So what exactly will the mercury do to you? I know that on Lewis and Clark's expedition they'd drink mercury to cure stomach ailments! :SHOCKED:


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## Jason Adam (Jun 27, 2001)

PackerFan said:


> Are lakers any "fatter" than salmon? The laker I ate was pretty small. I've never had a coho as small as he was. I'm just curious if anyone else eats the little ones out there. I see people cleaning big kings all the time - I'd have to imagine they're full of mercury? So what exactly will the mercury do to you? I know that on Lewis and Clark's expedition they'd drink mercury to cure stomach ailments! :SHOCKED:


Big kings are max 4 years old. Big lakers can be 10 - 20 years old. The kings dont really have the time to accumulate the toxins. Additionally, lakers generally feed lower in the water column, so what they are eating is often eating off the bottom, etc.. thus more toxins in the fish. As has been suggested, stick with the smaller ones.

I believe Mercury makes you go crazy.... Remember the Mad Hatter... Wasnt that the deal???

You could go on about fish contaminants all day, but consider the whitefsh that they sell at every store and smokehouse in the state. The toxin concentartions in these fish is as bad as lakers all day long.


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## pikedevil (Feb 11, 2003)

The difference is in the age of the fish. A 7 pound laker might be 6-9 years old while a 15 pound king is only 3-4 years old. A lot longer for the toxins to bioaccumulate. Also, yes lakers are much fattier and the Pcbs and Mercury accumulates better in their flesh. Check out the DNRs fish consumption advisory, they sepll out what you should and shouldn't eat pretty well. 

Do I eat lakers? no, cuz I dont like the taste. I would eat lakers and would have no problem with any men eating lake trout cut up like JA said. I'd stick with fish under 5 pounds though. Having said that, I would never let my g/f or any other women of child bearing age thinking of having a kid eat lake trout of any size. 

Like JA said though, in reality a lot of store bought fish and chicken is just as bad, if not worse. GL lake trout and whitefish are sold Via the indians in a lot of markets, especially in the UP.


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## pikedevil (Feb 11, 2003)

Well Jason You Beat Me Too It


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## PackerFan (Sep 7, 2004)

Hmmm my wife ate that lake trout with me the other night. We plan on having more kids so I hope it doesn't have any long term effects. I'll check the DNR's website to see what the boys in green have to say.


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## gomer (Dec 30, 2000)

Pakerfan,

I doubt one lake trout, especially a small one would do anything to your wife. I wouldn't feed her lakers every week however...



> Are lakers any "fatter" than salmon? The laker I ate was pretty small. I've never had a coho as small as he was. I'm just curious if anyone else eats the little ones out there.


How little are we talking? Lakers have to be 20inches so it can't be THAT small... I wouldn't personally eat any laker over 25inches er so.


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## J - Rod (Oct 27, 2004)

The consumption advisory states not to eat any lakers or browns over 22" out of southern lake MI. Ironically, it states anything under 22" you can eat unlimited amounts of (adult males that is). Also, mercury will leave your system so you can have your wife scale back the fish eating 6 months prior to getting her pregnant (not sure about the other toxins). Mercury is transferred through breast milk too, FYI. My wife is pretty paranoid about fish, I had to convince here that bluegills were OK.


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## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

Ever see the warnings about mercury in tuna?
I used to work in a couple beef packing plants, it would not be pretty if I started to tell stories about that FYI.
Pollution (among other things) is in our earths environment not just Great Lakes fish.


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## jeremy L (Sep 19, 2002)

Oldgrandman said:


> Ever see the warnings about mercury in tuna?
> Pollution (among other things) is in our earths environment not just Great Lakes fish.


I think if we knew what "food" really had in it, we wouldn't it eat. Think about it, you go to Burger King, Taco Bell, etc. and eat whatever without ever thinking what might be in the meat or where it came from. You go to the store and buy hot dogs, Fish sticks, etc. and eat it, even though you don't know if that fish stick is made from something you normally wouldn't eat if you caught it out of the great lakes. 

Just use common sense, if you eat one 15-20 pound brown/laker a year, so be it, i just wouldn't eat the above every day or week.


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## GRUNDY (Jun 18, 2005)

If the fish consumption scare was true I'd be dead by now. The stuff in the stores is way more contaminated than Lake MI fish. I have no Idea why the MI DNR would haul off and shoot themselves in the foot like they did with the consumption advisory.

You like fish? Then by all means eat fish. I personally think Salmon and Lake trout taste like cat food compared to all the other gamefish optioons out there, but they are fun to catch and fish for. Since I eat what I catch I choose to eat the salmon, cat food isn't too bad if you gril it or deep fry it in little strips.

Brian


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## DangerDan (Mar 10, 2005)

PackerFan said:


> Hmmm my wife ate that lake trout with me the other night. We plan on having more kids so I hope it doesn't have any long term effects.


Hey, think of the money you'll save when your glow in the dark kids don't leave the lights on all the time...:lol:


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## Stinky (Jan 19, 2002)

But cleaned and cooked correctly lakers are very good in my opinion, the thing with lakers is they are hard to over cook, also as far as I am concerned the absolute best smoked. I don't keep anything over 25 inches usually not even that. If you want a great smoked recipie send me a pm.


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