I hope you all get a chance to chase some of these in your lifetime and will now be able to figure out which species you have landed in lakes that feature some of these varied trout species! Catch Gord Pyzer on Fish’n Canada Live with Angelo Viola and Pete Bowman. If I don’t feel a hit, I’ll let the tube fall back down and pause, then repeat the procedure. But if you are specifically going for Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush), these particular species originated in Canada and the Great Lakes region. Lakers are often in schools, and they’re also generally located in deeper waters, depending on the season. And keep up-to-date with Canada's fishing and hunting authority! Game managers prize splake because they are hardy, easy to … The splake is difficult to identify externally because it resembles both parents in different aspects. It’s not that these fish are particularly difficult to catch. Splake definition, the hybrid offspring of a lake trout and a brook trout. Because of this, you need to take their subtle nuances into consideration. I like to divide the water column into 10-foot zones. You will be sent an opt-in email to confirm that you would like to receive emails from us. Galinat said he had to take out the fish’s intestines and stomach to count the number of Pyloric Caece, tiny offshoots used in digestion, to determine the fish’s type. on Reel maintenance and service; the when, why, and what about….. Reel maintenance and service; the when, why, and what about….. STAGER: Well it basically looks like a kind of trout, and it’s actually a blend of two kinds of trout. Both fish are common at Deerfield Lake and are very difficult to tell apart. It helps to know how big the splake grow in your favourite lake because the hefty heavy hitters tend to behave more like lake trout, while the mighty mites act more like brook trout. Follow us on social media and keep up-to-date with Canada's fishing and hunting authority. Keep in mind these can be faded during the early part of the season. It’s as though they can’t decide whether to act like brookies or lakers. Every Friday this winter we’ll be sharing Outdoor Canada’s coolest ice-fishing tips for 2019. It’s as though they can’t decide whether to act like brookies or … Ice expert @GordPyzer shares his top #icefishing tips for splake (a brook trout-lake trout hybrid), with everything you need to know about location, tackle and presentations! These can range from Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Brook Trout, and hybrids such as the Tiger Trout or Splake Trout. Reel maintenance, sometimes written about, often discussed, seldom followed through on. Enter Outdoor Canada’s 10th annual photo contest. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking on the "Unsubscribe" link at the bottom of every email. - The tail of the splake is more deeply cut in a "V," while that of a lake trout is more of a flattened "U." They start eating other fish much earlier than natural Trout species and grow much more quickly as a result. The final of the lake trout facts is a unique characteristic, where they will sometimes breed with a close relative that we also have here in Manitoba which is the brook trout. And these can be found throughout the world. Before you can catch a lake trout, you need to find the lake trout. Tell us what we’re gonna be doing out here today. First, there’s always a favourite depth the fish are using each day. Splake thrive in the same cold-water environments as their … Hello and welcome to Epic Trout. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has been stocking the splake across the province for decades. "Because one day you find them acting like brook trout, while the next day they are behaving like lake trout. If I’m jigging in 40 feet of water off the end of a point, for example, I drop the tube to the bottom, reel it up a foot or two, then use my wrist and arm to briskly lift it up a couple of feet before pausing. You will be sent an opt-in email to confirm that you would like to receive emails from us. If I don’t get a bite within a few minutes, I’ll reel up 10 feet and duplicate the process. Rather, they have a split personality and behave erratically as individuals, even in the same lake on the same day. READ the description for MORE DETAILS (including gear used)! "Coaster" Brook Trout (right) has only a slightly forked tail. Splake lakes are definitely good places to take advantage of using two lines, which most provinces allow during winter. The splake is a fish that doesn't get the attention it deserves from Ontario anglers. Lake Trout will not exhibit halos around their spots and so they should be the easiest to ID of the three. Check back often for the latest tackle, tips and techniques for icing more walleye, trout, perch, northern pike, lake trout, crappies and whitefish. Splake. See more. 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. Because of this, they have earned the sinister nickname “Wendigo Trout” after the ravenous beast of Algonquian folklore. Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America.Other names for it include mackinaw, namaycush, lake char (or charr), touladi, togue, and grey trout.In Lake Superior, it can also be variously known as siscowet, paperbelly and lean.The lake trout is prized both as a game fish and as a food fish.Those caught with dark coloration … And on it goes until I’m jigging the zone immediately under the ice. Can’t decide which is the case? 14-inch splake and 18-inch lake trout are pretty common at Fish Lake. That makes prominent underwater points your best bets to start looking. Currently, anglers that think they may have a trophy … It’s not that these fish are particularly difficult to catch. A few are caught in the spring up in shallow water and a few more in the fall. They are a species that local anglers enjoy catching because of the fight they put up when on the end of their line. You can fish the deep water near the tip, as you would for lake trout, or the shallow, weedy and wood-laden water near shore, where brookies are typically found during winter. Rather, they have a split personality and behave erratically as individuals, even in the same lake on the same day. Certainly, some are better than others when it comes. Brook Trout have a very “square” tail. It is difficult to tell the difference between a splake and a lake trout. The lake you describe sounds like it has precious few of these areas, so trout may rely more on pelagic forage like ciscoes. Also, to make it more confusing there is quite a bit of variance amongst splake in difference geographical regions that can really make it tricky. Lake Trout like small lures. Known in fishing circles as Doctor Pyzer, he worked for 30 years as a senior manager with Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources before devoting all his energies to fishing. Splake exhibit a slight forking of the tail, although not as extreme as the lake trout. Splake (middle) has a moderately forked tail. The lake is not fished heavily except for loons, osprey, mink, and otters. I typically drill far more holes, over many more depths, when I’m ice fishing for splake than any of the other trout species. Estimates indicated they should reach 10-plus pounds in the wild. The shape of the tail is also a combination of the brook trout’s square tail and the lake trout… It would be a brook trout and a lake trout. This hatchery-reared hybrid trout is a cross between a brook trout and a lake trout … When this breeding happens, the hybrid of the offspring is the splake , which you can also find in Manitoba. Which means fishermen have had, and will continue to have, a good opportunity to catch and keep a limit of splake, and hopefully return the lake trout they might catch to help preserve the resource. Splake have elongate bodies that taper towards each end, and in both body shape and size they are intermediate between lake trout and brook trout. I have also heard others say that splake don’t have heavy vermiculation (wormlike markings) on the dorsal surface of their body. While we may not even catch all of these in our lifetime, it is interesting to study the subtle differences that allow us to ID these fish. They are fun to catch, but to win bragging rights you really need to catch splake 18 inches or bigger, and macks at least 25-inches long. The big macks are hard to come by, but if you work at it, if you put in enough time on the water, you will catch your share of big fish. When you strain the water column this way, you discover two things. Lightly oil both sides with oil. Brook trout exhibit blue halos around their spots and some have said that splake cannot have these halos. With Tigers you are definitely focusing on the vermiculation and connected spots covering most of the top portions of their bodies. I live on a rather small lake that is stocked annually with 2,500 to 3,000 splake. Over the coming months I will talk a little about trout ID. Female lake trout and male brook trout do interbreed in the wild to create splake (speckled + lake), but most occurrences of the hybrid are the result of stocking programs. The lack of variation in the color of the spots and the shape of the head, pretty even mix of lake trout and brook trout features. – Well I sent you a couple teasers this week, we’ve had titans out all week and we are on ’em, Browns, Splake, lake Trout, White Fish, we’re getting everything from Jigging Tip-Up’s it’s been just constant action. And I’m much more mobile, moving my tip-up every 15 minutes if I don’t get a bite. Splake are not, in Fish Lake, anyway, getting as large as biologists would like. However, many anglers cannot tell the difference between a Splake and a Lake Trout or a Splake and a Brook Trout because of how similar they look. 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They are generally put in lakes that aren't well suited for brook trout, but have the potential for a … Splake are a cross-breed of a male Brook Trout and female Lake Trout. Splake, for the uninitiated, are hybrids, produced in the hatchery by crossing female lake trout with male brook trout. It’s important to know that splake are typically stocked in deeper, less-fertile lakes, which are often already home to yellow perch and sucker populations that would otherwise outcompete brook trout. Place two parsley (or dill) sprigs and two lemon slices down the middle of each fish. UPLOADS EVERY 2 DAYS! Gord Pyzer’s total guide to hardwater splake, Search for splake in the same places you’d find lakers and brook trout. The main thing that I am looking at to ID a splake versus a brook trout is the tail. Splake exhibit a slight forking of the tail, although not as extreme as the lake trout. It is difficult to tell the difference between a splake and a lake trout. Then use a dropper rig with a 1/4-ounce Mepps Little Wolf (in glow pink/gold back) or Acme’s gold Kastmaster spoon with a small jig dressed with a piece of cisco or herring belly meat a foot above it. In this first little diddy I will discuss how to tell the difference between Splake, Lake Trout, Brook Trout and Tiger Trout. And my go-to bait is a white Bass Magnet tube jig, which I present the same way as I would for lake trout. Place trout, skin side down, on each piece of foil. As a result of their split personality, you can find splake in the same places you’d find brookies and lakers. You also agree to receive email updates on new posts and offers. But perhaps more importantly, many lakers cruise just under the ice—relating to it as if it were the bottom—ready and willing to smash your lures. Once again I have found this to be misleading. Here's how you tell between the two fish: - Splake have spots that are round and even, while lake trout have spots of different sizes and shapes and in no set pattern. It took a few days to determine whether the fish was a brook trout or splake, Galinat said. Splake are a cross between Lake Trout and Brook Trout. Just a follow up. Fold up the foil by grabbing at the edges and crimping together to make a packet. Tiger Trout should be the easiest to ID but can be tricky in the spring before they begin to darken up with fall “spawning” colors, (they are sterile hybrids but will still attempt to spawn). The DNR stocked this lake repeatedly from 1995 to 2001. Body coloration is pale gray, like the lake trout. Lake Trout will not exhibit halos around their spots and so they should be the easiest to ID of the three. I don't know anyone who has success catching splake...for that matter even finding splake during the summer. Since a Splake is a Brook Trout/Lake Trout hybrid it can exhibit a variety of physical characteristics shared by both species. Nothing will test your patience more than ice fishing for splake, the stunningly beautiful cross between male brook trout and female lakers. Start typing to see results or hit ESC to close, Blue Fish Radio: A new virus is killing muskies in the St. Lawrence. Fishing Editor Gord Pyzer is widely regarded as Canada's most scientific angler. So, instead of guessing where the lake trout are, tossing in your line and hoping for the best, a depth finder will put you on the fish faster. Season both sides, inside and out, with salt and pepper. Nothing will test your patience more than ice fishing for splake, the stunningly beautiful cross between male brook trout and female lakers. Here’s what we know, Awesome fishing photos from readers across the country, Ice-fishing Friday: The top locations and lures for big burbot, Ammo review: Deer hunters will appreciate Winchester’s new .350 Legend, Want to improve your bowhunting? We are a community of like-minded anglers who  love to geek out on gear and figure out where the next big trout might be caught. That tells you a lot about what you need when it comes to bait selection and presentation. Many of the same techniques and strategies used on lake trout and brook trout will be effective when fishing for splake. By signing up for our newsletter, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. When jigging, however, I go with a beefier set-up: a 30- to 36-inch medium-action jigging rod spooled with 10-pound-test Sufix Ice Fuse and an eight- to 10-pound-test Ultragreen leader. I’m pretty certain it’s a splake. The body shape is intermediate between the heavier lake trout and the slimmer brook trout. I have found this to not be the case. These fish are a hatchery made cross between a brook trout and lake trout. Brook Trout have a very “square” tail. The very best Lake Trout lures are the ultra-thin silver-coated flutter-spoons and the two best are Sutton Silver Spoon or the MooseLook Spoon. In that case, the deep side of bars, channels leading into bays, mid-lake humps, and saddles between islands/shore are good places to look in up to 40' of water (deeper is too hard to fish anyway). See https://fishncanada.com/live/ for details. Eighty-four acres of crystal-clear water with a depth of 86 feet, perfect for the stocking of splake and rainbow trout. Lake Trout (top) Splake (middle) "Coaster" Brook Trout (bottom) Lake Trout (left) will have a deeply forked tail. There’s a lot of variation in tiger trout, but that picture isn’t one of them. You can also find splake along the breakline between those two areas. You will catch Lake Trout on small Mepps, small Blue Foxes, tiny Cleos, small William's Wabblers or small 2 or 3 inch Original Floating Rapalas. Splake are the hybrid offspring created when a male speckled trout mates with a female lake trout "They're a fascinating fish, to be sure," says Wegman. It … For my splake tip-up, I use the same set-up as I use for brookies, but with a bigger minnow attached to the #2 or #4 Gamakatsu hook hanging below my half gold/half silver W30 Williams Wabler (above). Splake has a moderately forked tail. There is usually a slight fork in the caudal (tail) fin, which is also intermediate between the lake trout and brook trout tail. A member of the Canadian Angler Hall of Fame and the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, the 62 time award-winning writer is also an internationally sought out speaker, tournament angler and field editor with In-Fisherman Magazine and Television. After that, I move on to the next hole to do it all over again. I google splake and that’s one of the first images that came up. Our goal is to help you catch more and bigger trout.