When most anglers hear “lake run trout”, images of big browns, steelhead, and even lake trout come to mind. But long before these fisheries were established, anglers set their sights on another fish, the coaster brookies. A coaster is the nickname given to lake run brook trout, found in Lake Superior, not to be mistaken with salters, the saltwater brook trout of the Northeast. These brookies have adapted a unique life strategy, spending much of their life in Lake Superior before returning to its tributaries to spawn every fall.
At it’s peak in the 1850s coasters inhabited tributaties throughout the entirety of Lake Superior’s coast. It was a world-renowned fishery, with anglers traveling from across the country to catch coasters. Unfortunately, this didn’t last long. By the 1880s, overfishing and habitat degradation led to a rapid decline in coaster populations. Those that remained were pushed back to the most northern and remote portions of the lake and its tributaries.
With coaster numbers dwindling, stocking efforts ensued, trying to re-establish breeding populations. Initial efforts indicated roughly a million brook trout were released into Lake Superior in the late 1880s. However, the deteriorating tributaries wouldn’t support coaster populations, and the stocking efforts never took. Eventually, the states switched to brown and rainbow trout stockings, fish better suited to these degraded habitats.
Today, organizations like the Great Lake Superior Foundation (GLFS) and Trout Unlimited (TU) are working on researching and restoring coasters to their native habitats. Unlike the stocking efforts of the 19th century, today’s efforts are focused on habitat. Brook trout require woody structure in their tributaries to successfully reproduce, much of which was lost following logging operations and forest fires. The habitat restoration efforts seek to add more permanent woody structure to support coaster spawning.
In addition to habitat restoration, anglers have the opportunity to be directly involved with coaster research. The Coaster Genetics Project relies on angler-captured brook trout fin clip samples. If you catch a coaster, simply snip a small section of the anal fin and submit it for genetic analysis. In season 4 of Fly Shop Tour, we fished Lake Superior for coaster brook trout. Watch the full episode to learn what it takes to catch a coaster.
