Splake This fast-growing brook trout/lake trout hybrid is a good fighting fish that prefers colder water like lake trout do. You may be able to reach this fish with conventional or fly tackle in the spring ...
This fast-growing brook trout/lake trout hybrid is a good fighting fish that prefers colder water like lake trout do. You may be able to reach this fish with conventional or fly tackle in the spring or fall when shallow water temperatures are more conducive. Splake are predators and feed on other small fish in the lake. Many of the same techniques and strategies used on lake trout and brook trout will be effective when fishing for splake. It is difficult to tell the difference between a splake and a lake trout. The most telling signs are that splake have a tri-colored ventral fin, which are the fins beneath the belly, and it has a semi-forked tail unlike the square tail of a brook trout or a deep-forked tail of a laker.
Qualifying length for a Colorado Master Angler Award for Splake is 20 inches.
Colorado Released Fish Record for Splake is 32" Website with More Info...
From the Colorado DOW: Splake are a hybrid species of lake and brook trout with the best features of both fish. They can be difficult to distinguish as they hold characteristics from both parents. Splake have tri-colored pelvic fins like brook trout and their tails are slightly forked. Splake are found in high mountains lakes and have been used since the 1980s to thin out stunted brook trout populations. Anglers relish their large sizes (up to 18 pounds) and find success with flies, lures and bait during the summer.