The Unexpected Predator

v.II

Every year my family and I take a camping trip to the Lake Chelan State Park, we hike, we swim, and sometimes we fish. This last summer I was basking in the warm sun rays, laying on the dock relaxing, when I heard commotion. I jerked up and saw a fast approaching excited group of fishermen swarming in on their boats. I kept an eye open as they docked and started unloading their captured treasures of the day. I was in shock when I saw one of the men take out a 25 pound HUGE fish. It was unbelievable; it was one of those fish you’d expect to only encounter in the ocean. 

When the man pulled out the fish, he could tell I was intrigued. The proud fisherman has been fishing Chelan for over 10 years, he daily takes others on expeditions onto the lake and teaches them how to hunt these beasts. This was one of his largest catches. I could see the huge freaky mouth on the fish, it was no cutie. The fish was a Mackinaw, also known as a lake trout, a serious predator in the lake. It was introduced in 1982, the fisherman told me, to control the overwhelming Mysis shrimp population, another foreign creature introduced to the lake by scientists, and also to provide additional big fish recreational opportunities - such as fishing. However, the Mackinaw not only ate the shrimp, but the native fish as well. As a result, there have been huge drops in the native fish population, seemingly because outside species have been introduced without proper research and testing.

Local fisherman with Mackinaw on Lake Chelan, WA

Chelan, translating to deep water in Salish Indian, is fed by streams flowing from the Cascade Range. Lake Chelan has maximum depth of 1,486 ft (453 m) making it the third deepest lake in the country and the 24th deepest in the world.  55 miles long with an average width of one mile, there’s room for a lot of unexpected water creatures. There are about 16 native aquatic species in Lake Chelan. In 1916 outside species began being introduced to the lake - about 6 species have been introduced since then (including the Mackinaw and Mysis Shrimp), complications have since then arisen.

The Mackinaw lives near the bottom of the lake, around 200-350 feet under the surface. That however does not stop it from preying on the fish swimming higher up. As a result shallow water fishing has become far less successful. There used to be a limit on how many Mackinaw could be caught, but in 2001 WDFW removed the limit in an effort to try and keep the restore the fishery balance. 

Fishing for Mackinaw is a skill that must be practiced. The skill is called “trolling”. Trolling is a method of fishing where one or more fishing lines, baited with lures, or bait fish, are drawn through the water. This may be behind a moving boat, or by slowly winding the line in when fishing from a static position, or even sweeping the line from side-to-side. To be effective, trolling baits and lures must have the visual ability to attract fish and intrigue them with the way they move through the water. Most trolling lures are designed to look and behave like dying, injured, or fast moving fish.

The Lake Chelan state record for fish size is currently 35 pounds 7 ounces, most fish average 2-7 pounds. When I saw the 25 pounder, I had no idea what to think, and I definitely did not imagine it to be such a savage predator and villain in Lake Chelan.