When Blueback Trout are caught at depths of 30 feet or more, their bladders become overinflated, which can lead to death when they are released.

The Blueback Trout has a forked fin and thin tail. It has a slender body profile and is silver in colour that is speckled.

It has a small mouth and a low profile dorsal fin, which is all in keeping with the profile of a charr when compared to a trout like the Rainbow Trout.

Blueback Trout Size

In general, Arctic char grow slowly and reach their full size at twenty years at a length of about 20 inches. The average sea-run char weighs between two and 10 pounds.

Arctic Charr of 15 and 20 pounds are reported each year by anglers, which makes the current world record all the more interesting.

Blueback Trout, on the other hand, are much smaller fish. They can reach 14 inches/36 cm, but are often found around 8 inches/20 cm.

The largest Blueback Trout ever caught was in 2008 and was caught by an eleven year old boy. The Blueback Trout weighed in at 5.24 pounds and measured 25.4 inches long.

Finding Blueback Trout

Blueback Trout are hard to find due to their limited distribution in a handful of lakes in the New England States and a few lakes scattered across the western United States due to introduction initiatives to help diversify the sub species and reduce the risk to extinction.

Catch and Release Tips

Catch and release is very important to keep populations of Blueback Trout healthy. For one, many Blueback Trout released end up dying because of how they are handled.

Fish have a slimy mucous coating that acts as a barrier against inflections and disease. To keep this coating in place, avoid the use of landing nets and minimize handling. Unruly fish can be subdued by being placed on a wet cloth or foam.

When Blueback Trout are caught at depths of 30 feet or more, their bladders become overinflated, which can lead to death when they are released. To reduce this risk, burp the fish by massaging their belly region.

Use barbless hooks and avoid tiring out the fish too much.