Posted by http://community.walleye.com member Wakina:

This is at least the 2nd time they stocked Lake Trout in that area in the last year or two. The first time the smolts were free for the taking so the ODNR decided to try and reintroduce them into the lake. The first stocking were from a hatchery located I believe in PA, it may have been from the USF&WS hatchery located on the Allegheny River in Allegheny county. They were excess fish that were raised for the purpose of restocking elsewhere.

They(ODNR) know the trout will migrate to the eastern end of the lake as that is where the preferred water temps are more predominate. They are hoping the smolts will imprint on the areas where they are released and migrate back to that area to spawn when mature, similar a to salmon when they are released into streams. They are a member of the Salmonid family. The area where they were released was in the past a major spawning area, that was before commercial over fishing and sea lampreys decimated the Lake Erie Native stock . They are a native species and as such hopefully will get a foot hold and reproduce in the wild again. I believe they are from native Great Lakes brood stock.