Splakers, Sun Apr 28th

[Drew]

We caught so many last year, (once located) we were throwing them back every cast or two. Figured they would have grown a bit over winter and Sunday was looking like a perfect morning to go see. When I was awoken all through the night with crashing thunder and downpours, I got a bit discouraged, not sure how this might play on the splake. Turns out they seemed more finicky, not hitting trolled spoons well, and were hunkered down a bit deeper. We noticed an area with a bunch of chronomid casings on the surface and emerging flies, and sort of followed them upwind(waves) to an area that seemed to be the source. Dropped down jig heads with worm/gulp minnow and managed a few. Not fast and furious by any means but 6 splake between two of us in a couple hours. Normally wouldn’t have kept the smallest one pictured but after a couple hours with nothing, it was the first landed fish so times were tough. I do think the storms slowed them down quite a bit.

[Drew]

Last fish of the day I set the hook into what feels like a better one, it’s staying down, pulling drag, we soon catch a glimpse of it, wow, should be my pb splake here. Heads down, under the canoe, back up, it’s way more silvery, still orangy fins…is it a splake or a lake trout? I say laker. Not all that chunky, but long. Definitely a surprise catch, in this little lake, and a good ending to our morning trip. Headed home at noon, with other stuff going on - sure would have loved to sit there all day, good to be in a canoe again on a back lake.

[Fozzy47]

Nice catch Drew. Congrats!

[mykola]

Awesome! Looks pretty laker to me. I’ve had a good laker in a tiny splake lake before, also had lake trout listed as species. Tough to tell sometimes though.

[crappeeeman]

So many twists and turns in the weather so far this spring. Glad you found the fish.

[Hunterman]

Nice! Wish I had that luck!

[Mike33]

Nice work Drew, I also vote lake trout.

[Icemanjay]

Nice outing! That looks like a laker, but that’s coming from someone who knows nothing about splake.

[Drew]

Splake vs laker - totally different flesh

[Fishnhunt]

That meat picture is super interesting

[RHYBAK]

Very Well done. Congrats

[Limacharley]

I prefer splake over lakers any day. I like the pinkish meat over the bland white.

[sparky302]

Very nice Drew thanks for sharing

[Disco]

I would guess the bigger one is a Laker but it’s so hard to tell.
You can have Splake with either more Laker dna showing attributes or more speckle dna show attributes. Could be a Splake just showing more of its Laker side.

[Disco]

Not that this helps now but I found this.

“ Counting the pyloric caeca (finger-like projections of the intestine) is the only positive identification: splake (65-85); brook trout (23-55); lake trout (93+). ”

Only issue with this is you have to kill the fish to guarantee a proper ID.