Why Target Them
Splake are a brook trout crossed with a lake trout, and in Utah they come from hatcheries; the DWR lists them on its stocking report each year. Winter is their season, which makes them one of the few fish here that are easier through the ice than from a boat. They also grow: the state record is 17 pounds 4 ounces and 36.5 inches, set at Fish Lake in 2006. They count in the statewide combined limit of 4 trout.
How To Catch Them
Where: Joes Valley, Fish Lake, Cleveland Res.
Go-to rig: Ice jig tipped with sweetener; casting spoons open-water
Best bait and lures: Jigs + mealworm/minnow piece, Kastmasters
Best time: Winter (ice) and just after ice-off
Brook × lake trout hybrid. Joes Valley has a trophy slot - check regs.
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Tackle + Bait Slots
Also works: Kastmasters
The all-round reservoir kit: enough backbone for wind and depth.
Where To Catch Them (3 waters)
Quick Answers
- How do you catch Splake in Utah?
- Go-to rig: Ice jig tipped with sweetener; casting spoons open-water Best bait: Jigs + mealworm/minnow piece, Kastmasters
- Where can I catch Splake in Utah?
- Fish Lake, Navajo Lake, Joes Valley Reservoir.
- When do Splake bite best?
- Winter (ice) and just after ice-off
- Why fish for Splake in Utah?
- Because splake bite hardest when most of Utah's fishing has shut down for winter, and they hold in reservoirs you can walk out on. Fish Lake, Joes Valley and Cleveland Reservoir are the names to know. Joes Valley carries its own trout rules, so read that water's page before you keep anything.