arctic-char
Species Facts

Science Name: Salvelinus alpinus
Other Names: sea-run, ilkalupik, martson trout, Quebec red trout, and blueback trout
Ideal Temp: 45 to 50
World Record: 32 lbs. 9 ounces, Can.
Environment: coastal, river
Techniques: light tackle, casting, fly


Description

Almost exclusively a Northern fish, arctic char is not well known among anglers. Yet once hooked, the fight it puts up easily rivals that of the Atlantic salmon. Arctic char swim out in long runs and can skilfully throw a barbless fly with characteristic, powerful shakes of its head. Arctic char is definitely the rarest kind of delicacy, the prize catch of only the most adventurous anglers. This beauty however, grows slowly. Fry, which are 2.5 cm long on hatching, double in length during their first year. Three to five years later they have reached 8­15 cm in length. At this stage, they join in summer migrations downstream to the sea where there is an abundance of small fish (including sand lance and capelin) as well as shrimp. They feed voraciously for a number of weeks before returning inland to winter. To protect against predators, arctic char is endowed with the ability to adapt its colouring to the different environments it inhabits, generally it is a dark colour in lakes and lighter shades while at sea.

Subspecies two are recognized: the northern largemouth (Micropterus salnwides salnwides), and the Florida largemouth (Micropterus salnwidesflori- danus). The two look much the same, but the Florida largemouth has slightly smaller scales in relation to the size of its body. It has 69 to 73 scales along the lateral line, compared to 59 to 65 on the northern largemouth. Originally, Florida largemouth were found only in peninsular Florida, but they have been stocked in several other states including Texas and California.

Habitat Arctic char, like its salmonid cousin, may feed in the sea but always reproduces in freshwater. It reaches sexual maturity at age seven or eight when it measures up to 50 cm. During its spawning period through late September and early October, arctic char boasts a bright red underside. Most mature arctic char will not spawn on re-entering freshwater in the late summer. Rather, a whole year will be spent in its home lake before it moves to a spawning area the following fall. A year-round freshwater form of this species known as landlocked arctic char (nutillik, in Inuktitut) can be found in some lakes.

Feeding Habits Char are not finicky eaters at all. They will consume anything from plankton to smaller fish Â? including their young.

Table Qualities Their meat can vary in color from red to white depending on each fish's diet. The red flesh is considered to be the best.

Spawning Habits Spawn in spring at water temperatures from 63 to 68F. The male sweeps away the silt to reach a firm sand or gravel bottom, usually along a shallow shoreline protected from the wind. Nests are often near weeds or logs. After spawning is completed, the male guards the eggs and later the fry, attacking anything that approaches the nest including crayfish, minnows, sunfish and fisher- men's lures. Female Florida bass briefly share the nest-guarding duties with the male.

Age and Growth In the North, largemouth may live as long as 16 years, but in the South they seldom exceed 10 years. Female largemouth live longer than males and are much more likely to reach trophy size. The northern subspecies grows only slightly faster in the South than in the North; the Florida subspecies grows considerably faster than the northern.

Tips for Fishing

The largemouth's liking for heavy cover makes it a challenge to land. A hooked largemouth usually heads for the surface, then opens its mouth wide, shaking its head or jumping in an attempt to throw the hook. Then it dives for cover and often wraps the line around logs, weeds or brush.

Largemouth will strike almost any kind of artificial lure or live bait, but most are taken on plastic worms, surface plugs, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, bass bugs and shiner minnows. The value of the largemouth as a sport fish has prompted a movement toward catch-and-release fishing.