Lake whitefish are olive-green to blue on the back, with silvery sides. They have a small mouth below a thick, rounded snout, and a deeply forked tail. They are mostly found in larger lakes, where they prefer deep, cool water for most of the year. Unlike its large-mouthed trout and salmon cousins, the lake whitefish has a small, exceedingly delicate mouth (another challenge for the angler) and it is therefore confined to dining on insects, snails, clams, freshwater shrimp, small fish and fish eggs, and bottom organisms. Most feeding takes place on or near lake-bottoms. Lake Whitefish once reached weights of up to 20 pounds, but now fish over 10 are extremely rare. 

Lake whitefish often roam about in deep water, without relating to structure. At other times they relate to reefs, weedbeds, and shallow flats. Wherever there is an ample food supply to browse on, you will find whitefish in good numbers if the lake can support them. Lake Whitefish occur in Lake Superior and in many deep, coolwater lakes east of the prairie. They are present in many lakes in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (for example, Burntside, Vermillion, and Snow Bank) and in lakes of the Upper Mississippi River drainage (for example Ball Club, Cass, Leech, Whitefish, and Ten Mile). Like the cisco, they require cool, well-oxygenated water in the summertime, which keeps them confined to the deeper portions of the lake. In the winter, they can be found in water as shallow as one foot. These areas, since they are off-limits to browsing whitefish for most of the year, offer a smorgasbord for the whitefish once the lake freezes over. Whitefish spawn over sand and gravel shoals, in the fall. Shallow weedbeds near these spawning shoals may become a whitefish magnet soon after the spawn.

Lake Whitefish can sometimes be caught in deep open water during the summer. Try plumbing the depths with a heavily weighted rig and a tiny spoon. Heavy insect hatches (usually Caddis, Mayflies, or Midges) may bring them to the surface, at which time fly tackle becomes very effective.

Fishing for Lake Whitefish through the ice is a really fun way to spend a winter day in the northlands. Big whitefish move into very shallow water in the wintertime. We like to set up in about 10-12 feet of water, near a break that drops down to deep water. If you can find an area with good schools of baitfish, all the better. Whitefish travel the edge of the break, picking off any baitfish they find there. Young-of-the-year perch are a favourite whitefish snack food. We use crappie minnows for bait, usually suspending two of them - one near the bottom, one suspended several feet up. The higher bait is less likely to be harassed by small perch. In Canada, die-hard whitefishers have specialized lures called "wire worms" which they use to catch whitefish in the winter. I like a plain #8 circle hook, a single split shot, and a small bobber that barely floats. The same areas frequented by whitefish are also used by perch, northern pike, and walleye, so even though the whitefish might be few and far between, there will still be plenty of action. Some whitefish lakes also hold populations of burbot and lake trout, so a switch from whitefishing to pounding the deeper side of the break with big baits might be a good tactic near sunset. Whitefish, by the way, are unequalled in the culinary department. Fried, baked, broiled, smoked, or canned, it is simply delicious. the fish run large and are plentiful in many areas.