Splake ???

Looks like a brookie to me. Was the tail square or forked?

SGM - I didn't even notice the tail. I've only caught a couple brookies before and they had more color than this so that's why I guessed splake. Thanks!

I've heard there are splake in there but never caught 1 there, nor a brookie for that matter. Juvi brookies sometime aren't as colorful as older ones so don't use that as your sole ID. As mentioned above, the tail is the best indicator. Brookies are very square, where as splake are forked from the laker. Very cool regardless.

Looks like a splake to me. I've caught a couple out of Antero.

Tail is a really big help. As in Fargingiceholes photo, that forked tail is a Splake. Both are in the lake in small amounts. Either way cool catch.

Thanks fellas! I need to work on my trout recce and at the very least now will pay more attention to the tail. Much appreciated.

They must have recently flopped those in there, based on the size. I used to get more Splake at Wolford and my high alpine fave but they are not as hardy as other hybrids like the Cuttbow. I'm kind of surprised they would put them in there and can't think of why they would help this fishery.

That definitely is a Splake. Before they drained the lake to repair the Dam there was a lot bigger ones in the lake and the river below.

beewee, you are right on. I’ve caught them in the stretch between Antero and Hartsel. I’m sure they’re in Antero, and it still has some good ones. Ski

Yes that’s a splake. Nice one also

Then I can officially cross a Splake off my list. My son and I caught 4 of these guys - all the same size - 7-8" out of the same spot. Now I'm curious how big they get. Thanks again everyone and hope to meet you out on the ice this season.

Hey Ski, Have you ever fished that deep hole in the river just below the Dam by the Denver Water buildings? There's a rock that's painted to look like Paul Bunyan's Head by the hole. I was in there one day and murdering them that's where I was catching the big Slake! Well a Denver Water guy saw me and came over and said when its on its great and I said oh yeah! Well after the Dam repairs that place is off limits to the public. Denver Waters private fishing hole at our expense!

20 pounds 11 ounces is the world record from Georgian Bay

Del Canty caught a 16 pound 12 oz splake in Island Lake in 1973

This was copied from a.mountain paper,, The Flume

Spohn anticipates that CPW will stock about 1 million fingerling-size trout each year, including browns, rainbows, cutthroats, brook trout, cutthroat-rainbow hybrids and brook-lake hybrids.

At that size probably last years stocking.... i2

Not sure if this helps, this was at Antero prior to the last drawdown, the fish on the Left is the only brookie I've ever caught from Antero, note the white on the fins, a sure tell for a brookie, the fish on the Right is a splake. This was the only day I ever had 6 species in one day at the lake.
Bill

Great fish, but they could both be splake. The split tail is a give away, but genetically speaking,there is no way to know until they are sampled.

I remember catching "Giant" brookies only to find out what they really were.


Here is a splake.

Chad L how do you know it’s a Splake? I immediately thought that was a Brook trout. The tail isn’t really forked that I can see. And the coloration screams brook. I thought the only real way to tell was to open them up and count the pyloric caeca. I’m not doubting you just curious how you tell. I have had a few instances where I thought I might have a splake only to determine what I probably had was a small lake trout. I have never opened one up and tried to count. If the lake your fishing doesn’t have lakers and a history of splake stocking I guess that narrows it down. Just curious.