Salvelinus namaycush.

That is the scientific name for lake trout or – as they are known in Maine – togue. These deepwater salmonids are also known elsewhere as lakers, grey trout and mackinaw. Although the lake trout is indigenous to Maine’s deep, coldwater lakes, and is the longest lived and largest freshwater gamefish we have, it has become the Rodney Dangerfield of state gamefish: “It don’t get no respect.”

Go figure. At a time when anglers are clamoring for larger gamefish in their sport fishery, the one wild, naturally reproducing gamefish that has the most potential to grow big is being held in low esteem by sportsmen and fisheries biologists alike.

Regional fisheries biologists are practically pleading for anglers to kill more togue. Some excerpts from a recent state gamefish report: “In an effort to increase the togue harvest at Tunk Lake, we have liberalized the regulations … anglers are urged to kill their limit to help thin out the overly abundant population of small togue. … Lake trout in Moosehead are still very abundant, so fishermen on Maine’s largest lake can anticipate another productive season. The daily bag limit is 5 fish.”

And here is the advisory that really caught my eye: “A number of our waters continue to be plagued by overly abundant populations of wild togue.”

When we are plagued by something, it is generally considered a bad thing, right? Can you imagine a state fisheries update that reported a plague of wild brookies?

Salvelinus namaycush. Despite its close genetic relationship to the coveted brook trout, it just doesn’t ring poetic like Salvelinus fontinalis. Why, if a Maine lake trout were a Homo sapien it would be in therapy battling a personal crisis over self worth.

So what’s going on?

There are a couple of things. First, sport fishing is not immune to fashion, politics and changing times. Anglers, it seems, have a latter-day pre-occupation with landlocked salmon, a sporty gamefish that has a hard time competing for forage with togue, which is at the top of the predator food chain in Maine’s coldwater lakes. And fisheries biologists, to their credit most of the time, are sensitive to the wishes of anglers. Second, years ago Maine actually stocked lake trout in many waters. Higher length limits were imposed on the stocked togue in an attempt to preserve larger gamefish. In too many instances, the result – according to biologist Forrest Bonney – was that too many togue survived to reproduce, resulting in wild togue populations.

A fisheries management miscalculation? Perhaps. If we do have a togue glut, it is exacerbated by angler attitudes: Togue are out of fashion and salmon are in. It is as though the fisheries people are throwing up their arms in a gesture of despair and saying “We can’t give these things away!”

I think that togue deserve better. After all, they are in every way as much a native wild fish as our eastern brook trout. Properly prepared, togue are wonderful eating. They are one gamefish that can be caught during the slow, dog days of August by patient knowledgeable anglers. After ice out in the spring, they can be caught on light tackle on the surface. Ice fishermen who have never taken advantage of our abundant togue populations are missing out.

Not so long ago, when I was a young eager angler, weekend fishermen at Moosehead Lake were routinely boating 18- and 20-pound togue. A few even larger. All things considered, there is no reason why with proper marketing and fisheries management, this black sheep gamefish cannot regain its self-respect and status in Maine’s sport fishery.

Upcoming derbies

If the cold weather continues, ice-fishing conditions throughout the state should rival those of last year. Here are some ice fishing derbies worthy of your consideration:

• East Grand Lake Ice Fishing Derby, Jan. 24-25, $1,000 in cash prizes

• Schoodic Lake Derby, Feb. 14-15, first prize an Arctic Cat snowmobile

• Sebago Lake Ice Fishing Derby, Feb, 21-22, $25,000 worth of prizes

V. Paul Reynolds is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide, co-host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network (WVOM-FM 103.9, WCME-FM 96.7) and former information officer for the Maine Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. His e-mail address is paul@sportingjournal.com.

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