The Splake is a hybrid of two fish species resulting from the crossing of a male Brook Trout and a female Lake Trout. The name itself is a hybrid between ‘SP’eckled trout (another name for Brook Trout) and ‘LAKE’ Trout, and may have been used to describe such hybrids as early as the 1880s. Hybrids of the male Lake Trout with the female Brook Trout (the so-called “brookinaw”) have also been produced but are not as successful.

In some locales, the fish is referred to as the Wendigo. Although the hybrid is genetically stable and is theoretically capable of reproducing, Splake reproduction is extremely rare, due to behavioural reasons, outside of a hatchery environment. The only known natural reproduction has occurred in 5 lakes in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada and, in each case, only a handful of offspring were produced.

For those interested in catching a splake, Wilderness North Resource writer Gord Ellis has posted an article about finding and catching Splake at Ice Out.