Carotenoids are diet-derived pigments that play important roles in antioxidant defense, coloration, immune function, and reproductive success in aquatic organisms. In lake ecosystems, carotenoids are synthesized by phytoplankton and are transferred through zooplankton to higher trophic levels, making them useful indicators of trophic linkages and energy flow. Copepod zooplankton can store carotenoids within lipid “bubbles;” understanding such patterns of carotenoid storage across taxa and developmental stages would allow us to identify pathways of carotenoid trophic transfer. This study examines the distribution of carotenoids in pelagic food webs of small Adirondack lakes by quantifying carotenoid content in copepod zooplankton and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). Zooplankton were collected from four lakes using vertical plankton tows (80-µm mesh) at each lake’s deepest point during spring and summer seasons. Preserved samples were transferred to a plankton maze and a 1-mL subsample was examined under compound microscopy (40x) for identification of order (i.e., calanoid or cyclopoid copepod) and life stage (i.e., nauplius or adult). Carotenoid content was estimated visually based on the proportion of orange–red pigment stored within the body and categorized into four pigment-intensity quartiles ranging from minimal to extensive coverage. Preliminary analyses of spring samples reveal clear taxonomic patterns in carotenoid storage. Calanoid copepods were more frequently classified in the upper two pigment-intensity quartiles (approximately 50–100% body coverage), whereas cyclopoids were predominantly observed in the lower quartiles (<50% coverage). Adult copepods exhibited higher carotenoid intensity than nauplii across both orders, with high pigment-intensity categories (50–100% body coverage) observed exclusively in adults. These results are consistent with previous findings that direct phytoplankton feeding by calanoids is associated with greater carotenoid accumulation. To evaluate carotenoid transfer across trophic levels, age-2 brook trout (>12 in) were collected from the same lakes and are being analyzed for carotenoid content using high-performance liquid chromatography. Together, these data characterize carotenoid distributions across multiple trophic levels within Adirondack lake ecosystems and help to establish methods for using carotenoids as food-web tracers and indicators of nutritional condition in freshwater fishes.