Splake — Michigan Fishing
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Splake Introduced

🔬 Salvelinus fontinalis x namaycush

A stocked hybrid of brook trout (female) and lake trout (male) produced at Michigan DNR hatcheries. Grows significantly faster than either parent species and reaches catchable size years earlier than lake trout. Provides quality fishing in cold, deep inland lakes where natural reproduction is not the goal. Sometimes called "wendigo" trout.

1-5 lbs, 14-24 inches
Typical size
10 lbs 8 oz
Michigan record
Winter, Spring, Fall
Best season
28
Listed lakes

🛡 Conservation Status

Introduced Sterile hatchery hybrid produced by crossing brook trout and lake trout. Stocked by MDNR in select northern Michigan lakes as a management tool -- provides quality trophy fishing without establishing a permanent population. Cannot be told apart from lake trout without close examination. Check the MDNR stocking report for your specific lake.

🌿 Habitat & Behavior

Cold, deep inland lakes in northern Michigan. Stocked specifically in lakes that have suitable cold water depth but where establishing a self-sustaining lake trout population is not practical. Cannot reproduce -- all fish are hatchery-born.

🎣 Best Techniques

Same techniques as lake trout and brook trout -- jigging spoons in deep water, trolling with downriggers, and ice fishing with large tube jigs and spoons near bottom in deep water

🌊 Where to Catch in Michigan

Lake County Population Notes
Arbutus Lake
510 acres
 Grand Traverse Good MDNR stocked -- check stocking report for your lake
Arfelin Lake Marquette Good —
Avalon Lake Montmorency Good —
Bass Lake Dickinson Good —
Big Twin Lake
210 acres
 Wexford Good MDNR stocked -- check stocking report for your lake
Clear Lake Montmorency Good —
Crooked Lake
650 acres
 Emmet Good MDNR stocked -- check stocking report for your lake
Crystal Lake
9,854 acres
 Benzie Good MDNR stocked -- check stocking report for your lake
Douglas Lake
3,400 acres
 Cheboygan Good MDNR stocked -- check stocking report for your lake
Falls River Baraga Good —
Higgins Lake
9,600 acres
 Roscommon Good MDNR stocked -- check stocking report for your lake
Imp Lake Gogebic Good —
Lake Angeline Marquette Good —
Lake Ann
176 acres
 Benzie Good MDNR stocked -- check stocking report for your lake
Les Cheneaux Islands, Lk Huron Mackinac Good —
Maceday Lake Oakland Good —
Moon Lake Gogebic Good —
Muskallonge Lake
768 acres
 Luce Good MDNR stocked -- check stocking report for your lake
Perch Lake
980 acres
 Gogebic Good MDNR stocked -- check stocking report for your lake
Pickerel Lake
830 acres
 Cheboygan Good MDNR stocked -- check stocking report for your lake

📦 DNR Stocking History

Total stocked: 9,387,686
Stocking events: 1,137
Peak year: 1987 (553,855)


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📋 Quick Facts

🔗 Resources

📖 DNR Sport Fishing Guide 📋 DNR Stocking Database 🐟 All Fish Species 🎣 MDNR Sport Fishing 🔬 MDNR Fish ID Guide 🎣 Log a catch