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Here's a picture of one of the finless Splake or Laker I caught and released at Willow Pond today. They sure swim weird w/o fins.
I caught a total of 5 trout like this one in the picture. Some with more color but the same amount of fins. And one LMB. All alive and swimming or ungulating (sp?).
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That is a nice pond Spake. I can tell from the small faded pind and red dots and the non-forked tail. Lakers have a forked tail, that is very pronounced especially in the young fish that still have par marks. This splake has been hit and bit in the hatchery ponds alot since they stocked it in Willow. He looks like a feisty little fellow.
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My vote (not that it's worth anything) goes for brook trout. Their coloring isn't as brilliant in that lake until they have lived there for a while. I caught one there once that had no orange in it. The Fish and Game was there and I asked them when they put tiger trout in there.. they said.. "They're brook trout, they just don't get their color until they have lived in the "wild" (like you can call willow pond wild) for a while.
However, they did put some lakers in there last year (January 2007).. I bet they didn't survive the hot summer months in that somewhat shallow lake.
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agreed......brook trout. I was talking to the wildlife guy explaining how I had got into a debate with a couple old timers who insisted they were splake. We both made fun of the knowledge, or lack thereof, which most of these folks there think they have. This guy in the parking lot was ready to take the fish to get it DNA analyzed. Finally, I just said we can agree to disagree but he would have none it. It was a splake to him no matter what. The wildlife co said the best thing is to just let ignorance reign.....who cares what they think it is, there are some stubborn folks that you can never educate no matter how hard you try. In cases like the one I experienced, yes.....why bother.....avoiding the conflict is the best conflict management solution. It was just too frustrating and a waste of 40 minutes. I promise if someone tells me they caught a splake I won't ever disagree again......not worth the time. Or energy for that matter.
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[cool][#0000ff]I also vote for brook trout...first because that is what it looks like and second because that is what they planted...not splake.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I know what you mean about "ignorance is bliss". I once caught a green sunfish of decent size and a nearby goober on the bank told me that it was a small "rock bass". He then proceeded to tell me that he had caught them (in Deer Creek) up to 4 pounds. When I discreetly suggested that the fish was a green sunfish the guy went ballistic. He was ready to swim out to my tube and do physical battle to prove his point. Woulda been a bad move for him, but I just shut up and kicked away to fish in more "enlightened" waters.[/#0000ff]
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Probably a Brook.
The DWR has actually been planting a lot of Lakers in the community ponds too. I don't know of any community ponds with Splake in them.
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[cool][#0000ff]I have seen a few lakers in the past...long and snaky. But, real prizes for the happy harvesters.[/#0000ff]
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The fish is almost certainly a brook trout...the DWR doesn't have splake brood stock because splake cannot reproduce. There is no reason for the DWR to hold splake over in the hatcheries...
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[black][size 3]During the calendar year 2007, the DWR planted almost everything in Willow Pond, except for Splake.[/size][/black]
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[size 3]There were several Brook trout planted.[/size]
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[size 3]The DWR has not published any planting information for this year that I could find, but I do know that there was a trout planting there a few days ago. I would suspect that this fish was from that planting, and was from a brood stock at a hatchery.[/size]
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So far no one has said the same thing as the DWR officer said it looked like to him...[  ][crazy]
And it has no tail or fins...
And the DWR officer said they had put hold over splake and brooks and lakers in some of the ponds like Willow for the winter fishing...
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[reply]
And the DWR officer said they had put hold over splake and brooks and lakers in some of the ponds like Willow for the winter fishing...[/reply]
Hate to call you a liar, but the DWR officer wouldn't have said this because the Utah DWR doesn't have brood splake in their hatcheries...the DWR doesn't have any need to holdover splake in a hatchery because they can't reproduce. Brood stock are fish that have been released because they are no longer going to be used to produce more hatchery fish.
Besides a brook trout, the only other possibility for that fish is it to be a lake trout...which it definitely is not based on spotting patterns. The fish is a brook trout.
Right now, I keep reading reports of people catching browns from Piute...most of these browns are brood stock as well.
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No question. Without a doubt, it is a brook trout. Not all UDWR COs are fish biologists or fishermen. Every fish biologist would tell you it is a brood brook trout.
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[font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1] :[/size][/black][/font] [font "Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"][black][size 1]No question. Without a doubt, it is a brook trout. Not all UDWR COs are fish biologists or fishermen.[/size][/black][/font]
Agreed 100%!! I had an incident this ice season that confirms that.[ ]
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No offense to the DWR or anything, but some of those COs can't tell the difference between a Moose and a Goose. Ask Lunker Hunter about his experience at Bear lake when some COs tried to tell him the difference between a Laker and a Whitefish (I think that was it).
The fish is a BROOK, you have several opinions of experinced fisherman. Since when did you trade your beautiful bass for finless freddies anyway???
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He can't catch the bass out of there. JK Cliff, i was down there last week and saw a 15"+ LMB sunning on the east side. I will be back over there in a few hours to catch him.[ ]
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Just for a reference, here's some of Fred's brothers. Both Brooks
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You have got to love the mutant fish due to the cement races instead of dirt lakes. We can probably thank the Levitt family for that one as well. To bad there is no way to line them with rubber or something not as abrasive.
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Sorry but I beet you to that LM bass and all the rest...[ ][cool] ![[Image: fish-on.gif]](http://www.bigfishtackle.com/images/gforum/fish-on.gif)
And yes I think they are Brookes as well...
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#008000][size 4]Bassrods, I want your HAT! [laugh] I agree brookie and ....HEAY! I caught your fish![/size][/#008000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]Enjoyed meeting Lunker there today and I will call you Saturday.[/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]And Bass, always great to see you and what a BEAUTIFUL dog![/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 4]What the heck was the weight on that BASS you caught?
Great day, here is my TROUT I caught on my Chironomid. I would have missed 5 or 6 more if Lunker hadn't been there[shocked][/size][/font]
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Sad. Something as pristine and flawless as a brook trout reduced to a finless wonder. Only Rainbows should suffer such indignity! Just kidding folks. I'm sure they are brood stock. Makes me wonder how long it would take those fish to take on their genetic splendor if placed in a fertile Boulder lake?
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