Splake vs. Lake Trout question

[Old Rivers]

How do you tell the difference? I've caught what I believe to be splake, and I've caught what I've known to be lakers but have never been sure in the case of stocked ponds where both are present. I've seen pictures but they both look the same from all I've seen.

[wildbrookies]

I think it is a very good question and it is also very difficult to tell the differances....I`ve read where they say the splake more closely resmbles the brookie ....it has vermiculations on its back and reddish, orange ventral fins, also yellowish spots along its flanks....and...a splake tail is not as deeply forked as a lakers....more like a brookie with a less indented fork....otherwize, there are internal differances biologists can only find upon doing an autopsy on the fish....hope this helped....I`m sure the other adkforum members will have more or easier identifying features as well....

Wb

[Creekwader]

It's hard to tell but splake definitely have more 'color' than lakers. Lakers seem to be predominantly green or some shade thereof while splake have some of that brookie color.

[Gray Ghost]

I'm always knocking my head against the wall with this too....just for the heck of it, take a look at this pic. Splake or Laker?

[wildbrookies]

GG,
Just by what I can see on the fish in the photo, it looks to me like a smallish laker....I can`t make out any vermiculations on its back and its tail looks really forked, color also looks alittle bland, unlike a brookie or splake....just my opinion...anybody else want to take a crack at it?

Wb

[bigbryan]

I believe wb is right, ive learned to identify a lake trout by its lower finds being edged with white. a "splake" will never have this. Also a splake has a more box type of tail.

[Gray Ghost]

I thought it was a laker as well, but the reason I was kind of wondered was a couple of guys told me they never knew of lakers coming out of that pond; others have told me the opposite. I think you guys are right. Nice orange meat was great on the grill.

[Old Rivers]

I'm glad I'm not alone on this. I have a mounted laker and I've compared it to what I believe to be splake and still am unsure. I'll have to look more carefully. That part about lower finds being edged in whte is interesting & new to me. My guess on that pictured fish was splake due to its' pinkish hue. The fact that the meat was pink causes me to think mature splake as opposed to young laker.

[serotonin]

I gotta agree that that fish looks like a Laker and not a Splake, for all the reasons mentioned above. Although the colors may have faded on the dead fish, the vermiculations wouldn't disappear. The tail may have folded from rigor-mortis, but it's obviously heavily forked. If it was a Splake, the ventral fin would be more orange. Splake also tend to have a little more girth, proportionally, than a Laker.

Can't go by the color of the flesh. It's not a question of maturity; a four-inch fish can have red-orange meat.

As Wb mentioned, the last resort is counting the sacs on it's intestinal tract,
if you really wanna get into it...

[trouthunter]

Pretty sure thats a Laker. Never seen a Splake with the forked tail like that,usually looks like a brookie (squaretail) and the white edge on the fins.