This article is one of a series of articles on catching the twenty species of trout in North America. The Splake is a different and unique fish that is probably the first hybrid trout ever produced.
Splake is one of the first hybrids to be raised in hatcheries in the United States and introduced throughout North America. Records are a bit hazy, but it appears that the first crosses were developed in the 1880s. The fish are created by crossing a male brook trout with a female lake trout. The name is also a hybrid using the “SP” for Speckled Trout (another name for Brook) and the “lake” part for Lake Trout. Several hatcheries have attempted to cross a female lake trout with a female brook trout to create a Brookinaw, but that hybrid has been unsuccessful. When you cross two chars (both Brook and Lake Trout are in the char family) you get a fish with all char characteristics.
Some of the Splake have the jagged upper body lines that are characteristic of Brook, but most do not. They are certainly more colorful than white-spotted lake trout, and I would consider them a pretty fish. Splake has some cool features that are unique. One of the most attractive to anglers is that the hybrid exhibits a phenomenal growth rate. Splake has been known to reach 18 inches within 2½ years of hatching. A brook trout of the same age would be about 10 inches and a lake trout would be 16 inches. They are capable of reproducing, but usually do not. The only known natural reproduction occurred in five lakes in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada.
I have fished Splake in Maine, Ontario and Maine. Since the fish are hybrids, the catch is only as good as the state stocking program. Maine has the largest Splake storage program, managing 53 waters primarily for Splake. Ten of those lakes are considered trophy management waters. Other Canadian states and provinces stock Splake, but on a somewhat smaller scale. The Maine Splake program has been surrounded by controversy. Some people in the state have not supported the introduction of this unique hybrid.
The Maine Interior Department of Fish and Wildlife produced a document explaining why Splake was being stocked and the benefits of the program. The most significant benefit is to the fishing public, and the document does a good job of explaining the other benefits. Utah uses the hybrids in areas where there are incidents of whirlpool disease in native trout. The hybrid does not appear to be susceptible to the disease. Ontario uses the hybrid in lakes where any other type of trout fishery has been difficult to establish. Splake appears to be hardy and can flourish where other trout struggle. I think the Splake are magnificent and have enjoyed catching them at every opportunity. They are a beautiful fish that fight well, but mostly in the water.
I would offer this warning about Splake fishing in both Canada and Maine. Choose where you want to fish well. Many of the Splake waters in both areas have other species, and in both places I have caught more Smallmouth Bass when fishing for Splake. Fishing in Utah was limited to one lake that had both Tiger Trout and Splake. I caught more Tiger Trout than Splake, but in that case I didn’t care.
Larger Splake tend to have feeding habits similar to lake trout and are minnow eaters. All of my fishing is with a fly rod, so I use a number of clouser tethered minnows for the area I’m fishing. Most of the minnow imitations I make resemble a rainbow smelt. That is the main food source for Splake in Maine and Canada, but Canada also has sculpin as a food source. The fish in Utah have a bit of a different diet, but I caught fish with smaller minnows and had more success in Utah with smaller nymphs. My favorite option in that area was a black stonefly nymph tied to a #10 hook.
Any Splake in the 5 to 10 pound range is considered a trophy fish. The world record is a 20-pound, 11-ounce fish that was caught in Ontario, Canada. Most state records are in the 10-pound range. The two places I would choose to fish for Splake are Utah and Maine, and I would fish in the spring in Maine and early in the season in Utah. Hybrids prefer water that is below 60 degrees F., and will wade into deep water in the summer. It’s really hard to catch them with a fishing rod or light gear at that time of year. Splake fishing is a spectacle on the lake and is best done with a tube if you want to catch them with a fly rod. They are fun, beautiful and worth the effort.