Steelhead

One species, two lives

NOAA Fisheries and WDFW describe steelhead as the anadromous form of rainbow trout. All hatch in gravel streams, and those that go to sea grow larger than the fish that stay in fresh water before returning to spawn. Unlike most Pacific salmon they do not necessarily die after spawning, and many go back to sea and return to spawn again. In Washington, where the steelhead is the state fish, summer runs (mostly east of the Cascades) enter rivers months before spawning and winter runs spawn closer to the ocean. WDFW gives an average of 8 to 11 pounds, with fish of 40 pounds or more.

West Coast steelhead and the Endangered Species Act

Many Pacific populations are protected: NOAA Fisheries lists one distinct population segment of steelhead as endangered and ten as threatened, plus one experimental population. Whether a wild fish may be kept, and where hatchery fish may be retained, is set state by state and river by river, so read the current rules before fishing.

Great Lakes runs

Rainbow trout came to Michigan as eggs from California in 1876, and the lake-run fish that return to spawn are called steelhead there. New York's Lake Erie fishery is built on stocked Washington-strain yearlings plus natural reproduction, with Skamania summer-run fish added in Cattaraugus Creek. NYSDEC says Washington-strain fish enter tributaries as early as mid-September, the bulk of the run arrives from mid-October through April, and spawning runs from mid-March to late April; its Lake Erie fish average 5 to 8 pounds, with 10- to 12-pound fish common.

Reading the river

NYSDEC's steelhead guide lists the habits to fish around. Steelhead gather on seams where two currents meet, hold above or below boulders and logs, favor the heads and tails of large pools, move upstream on rising and falling water, hold steady in low or flood flows, and dislike bright light, so early and late are best on sunny days. Late October through November is typically one of the best periods in New York, when Washington-strain fish feed hard, and brief winter warm spells bring new fish in.

The mistakes that cost fish

Gear that is too light: NYSDEC warns that ultralight rods and 3- or 4-weight fly rods can break, and that playing a steelhead to exhaustion can lead to delayed mortality. Too much lead: the agency's drift-fishing advice is to use just enough weight to tick the bottom now and then. And reading a single flow number instead of the trend, when New York's guide ties fish movement to rising and falling water.

Tackle setups

Playbook by water temperature

The legal season is a separate question

Month by month

Best waters for steelhead

73 waters we report on where this species is one of the main fish, each with a daily report.

Common questions